(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When you walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy, you may be surprised by what you can see. It's just barren land there! So why even call it a town? There are more than 4,000 people of 48 nationalities. However, all of the people live underground! Coober Pedy was established in 1915, following the discovery of opals . The town is sometimes called the "opal capital of the world," because it is the largest opal mining area in the world. Due to a desert climate , people came to realize that while working under the ground was easy, living above it was not. The solution was to move underground, by changing old mines into homes and establishing the world's first and most likely, only underground town. As years have gone by, the homes have become bigger. There are now also some hotels for tourists. They come from all over the world just to see this unusual town. Coober Pedy is probably best known for its unique style of underground living. While the structures may be located underground, they are in no way worse than those that lie above. Not only do their walls have the color of beautiful red, but also the structures have all the modern equipment like walk-in closets, modern kitchens and televisions. And the town also has gift shops selling opal jewelry, a couple of museums and even a church! Besides, Coober Pedy is also a favourite among filmmakers. And it has appeared in a series of movies such as Pitch Black, Red Planet and Opal Dream. Question: This passage tells us that Coober Pedy is a(an) _ . Options: A: world famous person B: underground town C: film-making company D: precious stone
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B

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: If you have no special plans for your holidays, why not spend your time helping others?Don't believe those people who say that young people today often think only of themselves. It's not true at all. More and more young people in the USA volunteer to spend their school holidays working for others. And they don't do it for money. Here are some of their stories. Alice, 17 I'm going to help the Forest Center build new hiking paths in the mountains. It's going to be great fun -- I'll spend the whole summer living in a forest and breathing the clean mountain air. I'm going to sleep under the moon and stars. It will be a nice sport, and I'll be able to do something good at the same time! Jason , 18 This summer, I'm going to volunteer with Special House Program. They build good, less expensive houses and sell them to families that are not very rich. They'll teach me what to do, so I'll help people and also have a chance to learn how to build houses. Trish , 16 I'm going to teach children who have trouble in reading. I'll work for a program called Reading for Life. Every day, I'm going to help them choose and read books that they like. I want to be a teacher, and I love children and reading, so this is going to be a great experience for me. Question: The writer's idea in this passage is _ . Options: A: school students should do some hiking in summer. B: it's good to do something good for others in vacation. C: helping children to choose and read books is a good way. D: breathing clean mountain air is good for health.
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B

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Lu Xun is one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20thcentury. Today, many of his writings are included in school textbooks and his works are read by millions around the world. Born in 1881 to rich family, Lu Xun had a happy childhood. In 1893, however, his grandfather was put into prison for taking money. At the same time, his father became seriously ill. From that time on, his family were no longer accepted by their relatives and friends. These early experiences greatly influenced his writing. By the time Lu Xun arrived in Nanjing to study at a college in 1899, he already believed that Chinese government had to change and become modern. In 1902 he went to study in Japan. There he began writing articles for some Chinese student magazines. He showed a gift for writing and translating and he even wrote several books, though none was popular. He returned to China in 1909 because he was in need of money. After working for a few years as a teacher in Beijing, Lu Xun again returned to writing. In 1918, he wrote his famous short story Diary of a Madman. It was the first Chinese novel using the everyday language that people spoke, which helped make it a great success. _ , together with his novel The True Story of Ah Q(1921), made Lu Xun a leading Chinese writer. Though successful, Lu Xun still worried greatly about China's future. In 1926, he moved to Shanghai and gave up writing stories. He only wrote articles which called on the people to fight against the government. For this, the government stopped him publishing any more books. He was made to write his articles using false names . Since his death in 1936, Lu Xun's importance and influence have grown. More and more people have become interested in reading and studying his works. Question: Which of the following greatly influenced Lu Xun's writing according to the passage? Options: A: the people he met in Japan B: the experiences in his early life C: working as a teacher in Beijing D: his father's being put into prison
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B