*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A weather map is an important tool for geographers. A succession of three or four maps presents continuous picture of weather changes. Weather forecasters are able to determine the speed of air masses and fronts to determine whether an individual pressure aroa is deepening or becoming shallow and whether a front is increasing or decreasing in intensity .They are also able to determine whether an air mass is retaining its original characteristics or taking on those of the surface over which it is moving. Thus, a most significant function of the map is to reveal a summary picture of conditions in the atmosphere at a given time. All students of geography should be able to interpret a weather map accurately.Weather maps contain an enormous amount of information about weather conditions existing at the time of observation over a large geographical area. They reveal in a few minutes what otherwise would take hours to describe. The United States Weather Bureau issues information about approaching storms, floods, frosts and all climatic conditions in general. Twice a month it issues a 30-day"outlook" which is a rough guide to weather conditions likely to occur over broad areas of the United States. These 30-day outlooks are based upon an anaiysis of the upper air levels which often set the stage for development of air masses, fronts and storms. Considerable effort is being exerted today to achieve more accurate weather predictions, with identifying and tracking storms over regions which have but few meteorological stations. Extensive experiments are also in progress for weathef modification studies. Question: The observation of weather conditions by satellites is helpful because it _ Options: A: is modern B: uses electronic instruments C: makes weather prediction easier D: shows things that would otherwise take hours to describe in a few minutes
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard. "I'll be the first millionaire in Coleford!" Richard used to boast. "And you'll be sorry that you knew me," George would reply "because I'll surely be the best lawyer in our town!" After graduation, George never became a lawyer and Richard was anybody but a millionaire .... Instead, it happened that both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street, while it was hard to make much money from books then, which made the competition between them worse. Eventually, Richard closed down his, dreaming of making a fortune elsewhere. Now, with only one bookshop in the town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival . Perhaps he missed him? George was very interested in old dictionaries, and he had recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was quite delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished -- the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading: "Bookends Company has bought ten bookstores from its competitors. The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in this country." Question: What happened to George and Richard in the end? Options: A: Both George and Richard became millionaires by selling books. B: Both of them realized their original ambitions, which were the same. C: George established a successful business while Richard was missing. D: Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: LOS ANGELES, the US Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff ruled Michael Jackson's father can receive some medical records related to his superstar son's death.The judge will review the records first before making them accessible to Joe Jackson's lawyer,Brian Oxman.Beckloff said the man can only receive records on or after June 25the day Michael Jackson died. VANCOUVER,CANADA World number one Zhou Yang overcame three South Korean players to win the women's short track speed skating 1,500 meters final at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games.The l8-year-old made perfect debut as she set an Olympic record of a winning time of 2 minutes and l6,993 seconds among other seven skaters. China has never won the women's l,500 meters in the Olympics before,and this time Zhou's performance gave China its third gold medal in Vancouver. BElJING,CHINA China's first compulsory, safety regulation on primary school buses,which requires every seat to have a seat belt,will take effect on July l to help ensure safer transportation for the country's 100 million students. Each primary school bus must also be equipped with a "black box",0r a recording monitor,to record speed,travel time and distance.Also,the bus must be staffed by teachers who will ensure student safety.In addition,the new rule states that the color of the school buses should be yellow,and each bus must have at least two emergency exits. Texas,the US A software engineer who crashed his plane into a Texas building housing a United States tax agency office,killing himself and at least one worker,apparently left behind an angry anti-government manifesto detailing his financial difficulties and tax problems.The pilot took off from an airport in Georgetown.about 48 km from Austin.He flew low over the Austin skyline before plowing into the building. Question: We can infer from the news that _ . Options: A: Joe Jackson will be the first to receive the medical records B: the tax agency office is somewhere inside the building in Texas C: Zhou Yang once broke the Olympic records in the same event D: the software engineer flew high over skyline before crashing into the building
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. "Ubiko", a robot-on -wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store. Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890. "We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at," Akiko Sakurai said "people do develop a relation with the robot, and it's lovable." The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms. Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with "ko". Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital's robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go. "Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don't have to worry about labor laws," Sudo said. Japan's lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans. Question: The news report is mainly to _ . Options: A: give praise to advanced robots in Japan B: introduce the development of robots in Japan C: tell readers the advantage of the robots in Japan D: introduce a newly-developed robot in Japan
**Answer**
D