*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: House buyers have three main choices: building from the ground up, moving into an old house or buying a new one. All the three are very different and should be considered carefully. Your budget will probably have the biggest effect on your choice. Comparing the three will help you make a good decision. New houses are untouched and fresh, which means they can suit your personality and you know exactly where all of the materials come from. New houses won't hold many unpleasant surprises, such as weak foundations, or other damaged areas. Most of these modern houses are also far more eco-friendly, with future decoration being just as easy to make and do as you like. Buying new houses is also a great way to save money, and you may find its benefit with the price going up in the future. Some buildings, such as those that are rare or in certain areas, are of value over the years. Sometimes it is the history that draws more buyers into older houses. A famous person may have lived there, or an important event may have taken place in the house. This may not add any value to the house, but it can add to the attraction. There may be more repairs which will need to be done in the old houses,so before you think you've found a great bargain, be sure to get a careful inspection. There are those who prefer building from the ground up. Building your own house can be a very rewarding, tiring, and expensive experience. While people have many expectations of planning and building their own houses, one thing is sure: it will take a while. There are always difficulties during construction, so you always find the construction time will be longer than your plan, not to mention the budget. Time can add up as well as materials and costs. Building is a good choice for those who are able and qualified. Question: What does the writer suggest people do when they are buying an old house? Options: A: Check whether the price is low B: Check whether it is a rare house C: Check carefully whether lots of repairs are needed D: Check whether a famous person has lived in it
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: A wise man once said that the only thing necessary for the victory of evil is for good men to do nothing. So, as a police officer, I have some urgent things to say to good people. Day after day my men and I struggle to hold back a tidal wave of crime. Something has gone terribly wrong with our once-proud American way of life. It has happened in the area of values. A key ingredient is disappearing, and I think I know what it is: accountability. Accountability isn't hard to define. It means that every person is responsible for his or her actions and liable for their consequences. Of the many values that hold civilization together --- honesty, kindness, and so on --- accountability may be the most important of all. Without it, there can be no respect, no trust, no law --- and, ultimately, no society. My job as a police officer is to impose accountability on people who refuse, or have never learned, to impose it on themselves. But as every policeman knows, external controls on people's behavior are far less effective than internal restraints such as guilt, shame and embarrassment. Fortunately there are still communities --- smaller towns, usually --- where schools maintain discipline and where parents hold up standards that declare: "In this family certain things are not tolerated --- they simply are not done!" Yet more and more, especially in our larger cities and suburbs, these inner restraints are loosening. Your typical robber has none. He considers your property his property; he takes what he wants, including your life if you annoy him. The main cause of this breakdown is a radical shift in attitudes. Thirty years ago, if a crime was committed, society was considered the victim. Now, in a shocking reversal, it's the criminal who is considered victimized: by his underprivileged upbringing, by the school that didn't teach him to read, by the church that failed to reach him with moral guidance, by the parents who didn't provide a stable home. I don't believe it. Many others in equally disadvantaged... Question: Compared with those in small towns, people in large cities have _ . Options: A: less self-discipline B: better sense of discipline C: more respect to each other D: less effective government
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California's Santa Freeway.It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home.I couldn't reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus.Not knowing the routes, I thought I should just go east. A bus stopped.I got on and asked the driver how far she was going."Ten more miles,"she said.There was another bus I could take from here.This clearly was going to be a long night. I got off at the end of the route and she told me which bus to look for.After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home.Then a bus came up.There was no light number above its windshield .It was out of service, but the door opened.It was the same driver."I just can't leave you here,"she said."This isn't the nicest place.I will give you a ride home." "You will drive me home on the bus?"I asked, astonished. "No, I will take you in my car, "she said. "It's a long way, "I insisted. "Come on, " she said."I have nothing else to do." As we drove from, the station in the car, she began telling me a story.A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas.A good man picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car."I'm just passing the favour on,"she said. When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn't accept."Just do something nice for somebody.Pass it on."she said. Question: Why did the writer say that he would have a long night? Options: A: He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus. B: No driver would give him a ride. C: He didn't know the routes. D: He perhaps would have to take a taxi.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When my sister Gina was born, she had a problem with her heart. Her heart was pretty bad in the beginning and she stayed in the hospital for a month. The first few years were very difficult because she was very sick. She had five operations before she was three years old. She had trouble walking, playing with other children, and going to school. Although Gina couldn't laugh and talk, we all knew that she just needed love and care. Our parents wanted to take Gina to a special place in Florida. There she could swim with dolphins. Gina was afraid of swimming with them because she had never been around dolphins before. We had also never traveled that far as a family. When we got to Florida, we saw where the dolphins lived. It was a place where kids with special needs like Gina could come and spend time. I thought it was going to be a vacation, but it wasn't. Gina had to work hard every day for a week. The trip was amazing. Gina laughed and clapped when she saw the dolphin. The dolphin splashed when it saw Gina. They swam together all day. Gina was able to move her body more than she normally did at home. Mom and Dad were proud of Gina. I was , too. Question: The author's family went to Florida to _ . Options: A: treat Gina for her illness. B: have a family trip C: see the dolphins D: learn to swim
**Answer**
A