Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Meeting people from another culture can be difficult. From the beginning, people may send the wrong signal. Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship. Different cultures emphasize the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree. For example, business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust. Even with people at work, it is necessary to spend a lot of time in "small talk", usually over a glass of tea, before they do any job.In many European countries -- like the UK or France -- people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafes rather than at the office. Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures. I once made a speech in Thailand.I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion; instead there was an uncomfortable silence. The people present just stared at me and smiled.After getting to know their ways better, I realized that they thought I was talking too much. In my own culture, we express meaning mainly through words, but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary. Even within Northern Europe, cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values; however, Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly. We think that they are rude. In fact, this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly. People from different parts of the world have different values, and sometimes these values are quite against each other. However, if we can understand them better, a multicultural environment will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other. Question: The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that _ . Options: A: the English prefer to make long speeches B: too many words are of no use C: people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature D: even talk and silence can be culturally different
D

(Question)
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In some parts of the United States, farming is easy. But farming has always been difficult in the northeastern corner of the country, which is called New England. New England has many trees and thin, rocky soil. Anyone who has wanted to start a new farm there has had to work very hard. The first job has been cutting down trees. The next job has been digging the stumps of the trees out of the soil. Then the farmer has had the difficult job of removing stones from his land. This work of removing stones never really ends, because every winter more stones appear. They come up through the thin soil from the rocks below. Farmers have to keep removing stones from the fields. Even today, farms which have been worked on for 200 years keep producing more stones. That is why stone walls are used instead of fences around New England fields. The stone walls are not high; a man can easily climb over them. But they keep the farmer's cows from joining his neighbor's cows. Question: This selection explains _ . Options: A: how to make a stone wall in New England B: why there are many stone walls in New England C: which parts of New England first used stone walls D: how many fences there are in England
(Answer)
B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Most young architects--particularly those in big cities--can only dream about working in a building of their own. And making that dream come true often means finding a building no one else seems to want, which is exactly what happened to David Yocum and his partner, Brain Bell. Their building is a former automobile electrical--parts firm in Atlanta. From the outside, it looks too old, even something horrible, but open the door and you are in a wide, open courtyard, lined on three sides with rusting walls. In 2000, Yocum and Bell found this building in the city's West End. Built in 1947, the structure had been abandoned years earlier and the roof of the main building had fallen down. But the price was right, so Yocum bought it. He spent eight months of his off-hours on demolition , pulling rubbish out through the roof, because it was too dangerous to go inside the building, The demolition was hard work, but it gave him time to think about what he wanted to do, and "to treasure what was there--the walls, the rust, the light," Yocum said. "Every season, more paint falls off the walls and more rust develops. It's like an art installation in there--a slow-motion show." Since the back building had been constructed without windows, an all-glass front was added to the building to give it a view of the courtyard, and skylights were installed in the roof. The back of the building is a working area and a living room for Yocum and his wife. A sort of buffer zone between the front and the back contains a bathroom, a kitchen and a mechanical room, and the walls that separate these zones have openings that allow views through to the front of the studio and the courtyard beyond. Yocum and Bell, who have just completed an art gallery for the city, feel that the experience from the decoration of their building, focusing on the inside rather than the outside, has influenced their work. It has also given these architects a chance to show how they can make more out of less. Question: The main idea of the passage is that _ . Options: A: people can learn a lot from their failures B: it is worthwhile to spend money on an old building C: people should not judge things by their appearance D: creative people can make the best of what they have
Ans: D

(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: As is known to us, Washington University in St. Louis became the first college in the United States to ban selling bottled water in 2009. Since then, more than a dozen small colleges and schools have done the same. The ban isn't because the schools don't want students to have easy access to water. Instead, the goal is to encourage students to bring reusable bottles to save money and, more importantly, to save the environment. Many people believe that producing and using bottled water not only wastes money but also harms the environment. They say that bottled water is unnecessary because public water supplies in the U.S. are among the best in the world. These people believe that water fountains and reusable bottles with easy access to filling stations are a better choice. But the makers of bottled water argue that plastic bottles make up a small part of the nation's total waste. They say it's unfair to single out their product when so many other items are packaged in plastic containers, and what's more, water is a healthy choice compared to some sodas and juices that are also sold at school. What do you think: Should sales of bottled water be banned from schools? We want to hear your opinion. Write a 200-word response. Send it to tfkasks4you@timeforkids.com . Your response may be published in a future issue of Time For Kids. Please include your grade level and contact information for your parent or teacher if you want your response to be published. The deadline for responding is August 31, 2012. Question: The main disadvantage of bottled water is probably that _ . Options: A: it is too expensive B: it is not fresh C: it's not convenient to carry D: Its bottle can't be reused
(A).
D

Ques:Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Billy and Bobby were small boys. They were brothers, and they often fought each other. Last Saturday their mother said to them, "I'm going to cook our lunch now, go out and play in the garden......and be good." "Yes, Mum," the two boys answered, and they went out. They played in the garden for half an hour, and then Billy ran in. "Mum," he said, "Bobby's broken a window in Mrs Allen's house." Mrs Allen was one of their neighbours. "He's a bad boy," his mother said. "How did he break it?" "I threw a stone at him," Billy answered, "and he quickly moved down." Question: Last Saturday their mother asked them _ . Options: A: not to play in the garden B: to cook their lunch C: not to go out D: to be good

Ans:
D