Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands. White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity. Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. "Whitewash" is one such expression. At first, "whitewash" meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures. A "white elephant" is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a "white elephant" means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a "white elephant sale". Question: The text is mainly about _ . - the meanings of white in English culture - the history of some English idioms - some interesting customs in English culture - some useful English words and expressions
the meanings of white in English culture

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: George Gershwin, born in 1998, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs. Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way -- from jazz to country. In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular. In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works. George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written. Question: What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman? - It attracted more people to theatres - It proved jazz could be serious music - It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra - It caused a debate among jazz musicians
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It proved jazz could be serious music

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: The Internet will overtake radio in 2008 and become the world's fourth-largest advertising medium, a year earlier than forecast. Global spending on Internet advertising increased from 18.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2005 to 24.9 billion dollars last year, according to Zenith Optimedia, the media-buying agency. The Middle East and Asia are driving a boom in global advertising spending. Zenith predicted _ of 7.7% in spending in Asia in the run-up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. In the Middle East and Eastern Europe, advertising spending is growing faster than in North America and Western Europe, which are "maturing rapidly" as advertising markets, Zenith said. Advertising spending in the Middle East increased by 22.4% between 2005 and 2006, compared with growth of 5.2% in America and 4 per cent in Western Europe. Zenith attributed the huge percentage share in the Middle East to the growth in local economies and high oil prices. In addition to the Olympics, the U.S. presidential election and the European football championship in Austria and Switzerland next year will be the biggest contributors to overall growth during the next two years. However, Zenith noted, the market should brace itself for a fall in revenues after those big events end. Question: The text is mainly written to tell us _ . - online advertising to surpass radio next year - radio is the world's fourth-largest advertising medium - the 2008 Olympic Games will be held in Beijing - the U.S. presidential election attributes most to the growth
Ans: online advertising to surpass radio next year

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Are you competitive enough to make it in America? There is an undeniable excitement about coming to study in the U.S., but it's not all excitement. Yes, it is America; it is the land of freedom; it's the place where different cultures clash ... and live together in peace. However, you guys might agree with me. it's not easy to leave home and the security of family, friends and people who love and care about us. And doing it raises some questions: Is it worth it? Are you equal to the challenge? You might be sitting in front of your computer watching a documentary about America, which shows you the breathtaking views of skyscrapers in New York, the beautiful warm weather in San Diego, and the huge parties along the beaches of the Sunshine State, Florida. Just so you know, it's all true. I remember how my heart was racing the first time I visited Times Square in New York. I can't find any words in the dictionary to describe how I felt at that moment. Someday, when you get lucky and go there, you will know what I mean. Unfortunately, TV and movies never show the other side of what students must do to survive America. Education in the States is really different from other places. Yes, there is the traditional A, B, C, and D grading system, and you get to be on the Dean's List if you have all A's on your transcript. However, these grades don't just come from your test performances. The requirements of classes in the U.S. are much more varied and this is the biggest adjustment that overseas students have to manage. Some have papers that you have to write every week, others have group projects you must do with your classmates, presentations you make in the class, or research you do by yourself to prove your own idea. There comes a night when you have a couple of projects for different classes, a paper, and an exam to study for. And that night you ask yourself, "What did I get myself into?" I'm not trying to intimidate you, but you should know what it really is like to study in the States. One thing I can promise... Question: According to the passage, which of the following is most challenging? - Attending all the classes. - Getting all A's in the tests. - Writing papers every week. - Balancing different study requirements.
Balancing different study requirements.