Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as "Mumbet" or "Mum Bett." For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued for her freedom. While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution. Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants . One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights. Mumbet's tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: "She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal." Why did Mumbet run away from the Ashleys? A) She found an employer B) She wanted to be a lawyer C) She was hit and got angry D) She had to take care of her sister
C
(Question)
For new countries joining the European Union, and older ones getting used to their dark red passports, becoming "Europeans" is a bit like marrying into a large, eccentric family. Europeans have a lot in common but it is their differences, not their similarities, that attract the attention of sociologists and market researchers, and are more interesting. * 35% of Germans live alone, but only 9% of Spaniards. Perhaps this explains why Spaniards lead Europe in the habit of going out for a drink. * The British attend more adult evening classes than anyone else in Europe, and the Belgians least. So it can't just be the dark evenings. There are no figures on how many Britons go for a drink afterwards. If there were, they might be up at the top with Spain! * The British think black cats are lucky. Every other European country regards them unlucky. * The Dutch and Germans are the greatest caravaners , but the Germans like bigger beds in their caravans. * The French are the most athletic Europeans. Next come the Dutch. But the Belgians, just over the border, play fewest sports. * The Germans spend twice as much on heating as the Spaniards. Well, of course they do, it's colder. * Dutch husbands do the household shopping a lot more often than Italians or Spaniards. * The French are the champion public transport commuters of Europe. If you hate commuting, go and live in the Netherlands, where journeys to work are shorter than anywhere else. * The amount of direct eye-contact between strangers is three times greater among Spaniards than it is among the British or Swedes. Sharing a lift is torture for both the British and the Swedish. * No European countries really agree with any other about how to make good coffee. All of them are different. There are exceptions to all these rules. Deal with them in the spirit of my 8-year-old daughter. "If you don't understand each other's language, you just laugh a lot, and eat, and point at things." Which of the following statements is TRUE about Spain? A) Spaniards hate direct eye-contact between strangers. B) Spaniards like to go for a drink after dark. C) Spaniards spend twice as much on heating as the Germans. D) In Spain, husbands do more household shopping than those in Italy.
(Answer)
C
Maurice Sendak's children's book,Where the Wild Things Are,published in 1963,has become very successful throughout the years and was made into a movie earlier this year. The book's main character is a boy named Max who gets into trouble with his mother and is sent to bed without any supper.Before long,Max's room magically becomes a forest,and he sails away to a land where monsters live.Max isn't scared,though,and becomes king of the wild things,but after a while,he begins feeling homesick.Max sails back home and his supper is still hot when he arrives in his bedroom. Many teachers and professors like this story and use it to help children develop creativity and imagination. Melina Davis,an education professor,said she likes how the book contains a couple of pages that have only pictures on them. "This allows children to shape the story themselves," she said. The book contains a few of larger words that some parents worry may confuse children,but experts say those words help improve children's reading skills and challenge them. Davis said the book is well written which helps kids get involved in the story. "The book talks about what all children go through,like 'I was naughty but my mommy still loves me'" Davis said. The book also encourages children to face their fears."I think it's really good to show that Max is friends with the monsters," Davis said."Kids can find out monsters aren't always the thing under the bed that's going to scare them.I think this is good because it shows that the children can go to scary places but still have a positive experience." Since the book has been successful throughout the years,a movie was recently made and many people are excited to see it.Davis said she thinks the movie will be wonderful but it might be a little scary for younger children."You don't want bad dreams over a book that's extremely wonderful'" Davis said. Teachers and professors like the book Where the Wild Things Are because it helps children _ . A) learn to draw their own pictures B) understand their own fear C) develop more quickly D) become more imaginative
D