Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Below is an entry taken from an English dictionary. Scratch Verb. noun. adjective #Verb rub with your nails 1~(at sth) to rub your skin with your nails, usually because it is ITCHING:[(VN)] John yawned and scratched his chin.* The dog scratched itself behind the ear. *[(V)] Try not to scratch. * She scratched at the insect bites on her arm. cut skin 2~ (sb/ sth/ yourself) (on sth) to cut or damage. Your skin slightly with sth sharp: [(VN)] I'd scratched my leg and it was bleeding. * She scratched herself on a nail. *[(V)] Does the cat scratch? damage surface 3[(VN)] to damage the surface of sth, especially accidentally, by making thin shallow marks on it: The car's paintwork is badly scratched make/ remove mark 4[(VN+adv./prep.)] to make or remove a mark, ect. on sth deliberately, by rubbing it with sth hard or sharp: They scratched lines in the dirt to mark out a pitch. *We scratched some of the dirt away. *(figurative) You can scratch my name off the list. Make sound 5[(V)] [(usually+adv./prep.)] to make an irritating noise by rubbing sth with sth sharp: The dog kept scratching at the door to go out. *His pen scratched away on the paper. *We could hear mice scratching behind the wall. a living 6[(VN)] ~ a living, to make enough money to live on, but with difficulty: 75% of the population scratch a living from the soil cancel 7 ~(sb/ sth)(from sth), to decide that sth cannot happen or sb/sth cannot take part in sth, before it starts: [(VN)] to scratch a rocket launch *The horse was scratched from the race because of injury. IDIOMS: scratch your head(over sth), to think hard in order to find an answer to sth: Experts have been scratching their heads over the increase in teenage crime. scratch the surface(of sth), to deal with, understand, or find out about only a small part of a subject or problem: We left feeling that we had just scratched the surface of this fascinating country. you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours (saying), used to say that if sb helps you, you will help them, even if this is... Question: The word "scratch" in "Some drawings had been scratched on the back of the door" has the same meaning as in"_". Options: A: We scratched some of the dirt away B: The car's paintwork is badly scratched C: The dog kept scratching at the door to go out. D: They scratched lines in the dirt to make marks
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Phantom vibrations-the phenomenon where you think your phone is vibrating but it's not-have been around since the mobile age. Today, they're so common that researchers have devoted studies to them. For Valerie Kusler, who works on a cattle farm, the feeling is complicated by the cows"The cows'moo is very muffled, it kinda sounds like...errrr,"she says."So that's very similar to what my phone sounds like when it vibrates on my desk or in my purse." Other people may not confuse cows for their phones, but research shows phantom vibration symptom is a near-universal experience for people with smartphones. Nearly 90 percent of college undergraduates in a 2012 study said they felt phantom vibrations. The number was just as high for a survey of hospital workers, who reported feeling phantom vibrations on either a weekly or monthly basis. "Something in your brain is being triggered that's different than what was triggered just a few short years ago," says Dr Larry Rosen, a research psychologist who studies how technology affects our minds. "If you'd asked me 10 years ago, or maybe even five years ago if I- felt an itch beneath where my pocket of my jeans was, and asked me what I would do, I'd reach down and scratch it because it was probably a little itch caused by the neurons firing ,"he says. Now, of course, the itch triggers him to reach for his phone. Rosen says it's an example of how our devices are changing how our brains process information. "we're seeing a lot of what looks like obsessive behavior. People who are constantly picking up their phone look like they have an obsession. They don't look much different from someone who's constantly washing their hands. I'm not saying that it is an obsession, but I'm saying that it could turn into one, very easily," Rosen says. While 9 out of 10 participants in the study of college students said the vibration feeling bothered them only a little or not at all, Rosen still recommends backing away from our phones every once in a while to keep our anxiety levels down. "One... Question: According to the article, phantom vibrations _ . Options: A: are mainly caused by neurons firing B: affect people mostly working on farms C: help our brains better process information D: started troubling people in recent years
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in today's world. A study conducted by the US think tank Pew Research Center showed that 92 percent of teenagers go online daily. The wide spread of social media has changed nearly all parts of teenagers' lives. Changing relationships High school student Elly Cooper from Illinois said social media often reduces face-to-face communication. "It makes in-person relationships harder because people give attention to their phones instead of their boyfriends or girlfriends," Cooper said. There's also a greater possibility of things getting lost in translation over social media. "If half of your relationship is over social media, you don't really know how the other person is reacting," Sienna Schulte, a junior student from Illinois, said. Yet, some people believe social media has made it easier to start relationships with anyone from anywhere. Beth Kaplan from Illinois met her long-distance friend through social media. He currently lives in Scotland, but they're still able to frequently communicate with one another. "I can feel close to someone that I'm talking to via FaceTime," Kaplan said. Wanting to be "liked" The rise of social media has changed the way teenagers see themselves. The 19-year-old Essena O'Neill announced on the social networking service Instagram that she was quitting social media because it made her obsessed with appearing perfect online. Negative comments also can do great damage to a teenager's self-esteem . In particular, anonymous social media apps such as Yik Yak may provide opportunities for cyber bullying . The app allows users within 5 miles (8 km) to create and add comments to everything. Teenagers who get negative comments on these sites can't help but feel hurt. Opening new doors However, Armin Korsos, a student from Illinois, takes advantage of the comments he receives over social media to improve his videos on the social networking site Youtube. "Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world... Question: How does social media change relationships, according to the article? Options: A: It pushes people to meet their friends more often offline. B: It encourages people to pay more attention to those around them. C: It enables users to understand accurately what others are talking about online. D: It allows people to keep in touch with their friends who live far away more easily.
Ans:
D