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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: (CBS/AP)Lawyers for the stepfather of an 11-year-old girl tried to convince Massachusetts' highest court on Tuesday that he should have a say on whether his stepdaughter is removed from life support. If the girl dies, Jason Strickland could face a murder charge for illegally taking part in the beating that left her comatose . Jason Strickland is asking the court to overturn a juvenile court judge's decision allowing the state to remove Haleigh Poutre from her ventilator and feeding tube. Haleigh Poutre was hospitalized in September after her stepfather and adoptive mother kicked her and beat her nearly to death with a baseball bat. Within two weeks of being charged, the adoptive mother, who was also Haleigh's aunt, was found dead. Strickland is free on bail while awaiting trial. Sharyn Alfonsi from CBS reports that the girl's biological mother, Allison Avrett, gave up her parental right years ago and now she has no say in what happens to Halleigh--but she wants life support to be relieved. "I want her to rest," Avrett told Alfonsi."Being kept alive like that, it's not a life." The state Department of Social Services wants to remove her from life support, according to opinions from her doctors that the girl is in a permanent vegetative state.And Strickland could face a murder charge if she dies. Both of Haleigh's doctors agree that she should be removed from the ventilator, but they can't decide whether her feeding tube should be disconnected.They have said that with her feeding tube alone, Haleigh could live as long as two months. Haleigh was adopted by her aunt about five years ago her biological mother moved to Virginia with a new boyfriend.Jason Strickland never formally adopted the girl, but is arguing that as the stepfather, he should be a _ parent and allowed to have a say in whether she lives or dies. Question: Why did Haleigh's stepfather demand that her life support not be removed? Options: A: Because he might be accused of murder if she died. B: Because she might be comatose if the life support was removed. C: Because Haleigh's biological mother hopes so too. D: Because he hopes that Haleigh will live with him.
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A

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In South America, the rich soil of the Amazon River basin in Brazil is known as "black gold". Scientists found that the secret of this rich soil was charcoal . Local people made it from animal bones and tree branches. They mixed the charcoal with the soil about 1.500 years ago. Now, scientists in the United States have done a modern demonstration. They say charcoal fertilization offers a revolutionary way to improve soil quality for hundreds or even thousands of years. Mingxin Guo and his team at Delavare State University heated tree leaves, corn stalks , small pieces of wood and poultry waste into "biochar" . They reported their findings at a recent meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans. Biochar could be good news for farmers with poor soil and hungry populations to feed. Professor Guo says it could even help against global warming. Intensive farming and overuse of chemical fertilizer give out carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Biochar does the opposite, he says. It traps carbon in the ground. The researchers planted winter wheat in containers of soil in a greenhouse -- some with biochar, some without. Professor Guo says the wheat grows much better in the pots with biochar. The soil was added two percent charcoal to. But he says even a one percent treatment will increase productivity. The results demonstrated that biochar can increase organic matter in soil. Loss of nutrients in soil is an increasing problem worldwide as farmers try to grow more food for growing populations. Next, the team will carry out a five-year study of biochar with spinach , green peppers and tomatoes. Mingxin Guo says he learns about the "black gold" in Brazil from a magazine story. He explains that it was discovered in the jungle, in the area where waters flow to the Amazon, in the 1960's. But it was not until recent years that scientists began to bring public attention to it. Question: According to the research, the biochar can help against global warming because it can _ . Options: A: reduce the carbon dioxide B: keep the carbon in the soil C: reduce the loss of nutrients in the soil D: absorb the carbon dioxide
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B

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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Most of us seem to reach our peak of alertness around noon. Soon after that, alertness declines, and sleepiness may set in by mid-afternoon. Your short-term memory is best during the morning--in fact, about 15 percent more efficient than at any other time of day. So, students, take notice: when you are faced with a morning exam, _ to review your notes right before the test is given. However, long-term memory is different. Afternoon is the best time for learning materials that you want to recall days, weeks or months later. Politicians, business executives or others who must learn speeches would be smart to do their memorizing during that time of day. You should try to do most of your studying in the afternoon, rather than late at night. Many students believe they memorize better while burning the midnight oil because their short-term recall is better during the early hours of the morning than in the afternoon. But short-term memory won't help them much several days later, when they face the exam. By contrast, we tend to do best on tasks related to the process of knowing, understanding, and learning numbers during the morning hours. What about sports? During afternoon and early evening, you're able to react the quickest to an outside stimulus--like a baseball speeding toward you. Studies have also shown that late in the day, when your body temperature is peaking, you will consider PE easier and less tiring--whether it actually is or not. That means you are more likely to work harder during a late afternoon or early evening workout, and therefore benefit more from it. In fact, all of your senses--taste, sight, hearing, touch and smell--may be at their keenest during late afternoon and early evening. That could be why dinner usually tastes better to us than breakfast. While all of us follow the same general pattern of ups and downs, the exact timing varies from person to person. It all depends on how your "biological" day is structured. Each of us can increase our knowledge about our individual rhythms. Learn... Question: If there is an English exam two weeks later, you should go over English _ for days before that. Options: A: in the afternoon B: in the late evening C: in the early morning D: right before the exam
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A