When I heard the piano, I walked to Mrs. Windsor's house and waited outside as I always did. That meant she was working with another student, and I was not supposed to bother them by ringing the bell. I stood against the wall and daydreamed what I'd rather be doing. "Almost anything", I sighed _ . I had been tutored enough to read, understand, and even write some musical compositions, but I just didn't have a gift for it. It didn't come to me naturally. I thought back to happier times when I was writing stories and acting them out with my friends, cutting up old clothes to make dresses that performers wear in plays, and building scenery out of old things we found. But Mrs. Windsor had offered to give me the lessons for free, so I felt my duty to try. The door opened and Wendy Barton came out. I walked in, sat down on the piano bench and began to sort through my sheet music. "Hello," I heard a voice behind me say softly. I turned around to see a little girl standing behind me, eating an apple. But before I could make any response, Mrs. Windsor walked into the room in her usual urgent manner and announced,"Jennifer, this is my niece, Pasha. Pasha, this is Jennifer. Pasha will be giving you your lesson today. I'm up to my ears in something else!" she then exited to the kitchen. Pasha set her apple down on the side table and slid beside me on the piano bench. "What piece do you like best?"she asked. "What do you mean?" I asked. "They're all the same to me. I don't know. "You mean you don't have a favorite?" "No, not really." Pasha looked at me, rather puzzled, then opened my sheet music to the beginning page and asked me to play. I arranged my fingers on the keys and studied the notes on the page for a moment. Then I frowned and concentrated to make the notes on the page match the finger movements. I have to admit I was a rather mechanical pianist. After about a page or two, Pasha gently put her hand on top of mine as if to calm my fingers. There was a long pause. "What are you hearing in the music?" I looked at... Which of the following is the best title for the text? A) Never Give up B) A Piano Lesson C) Why I Hated Playing the Piano D) A Friend for Ever
B
Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers.They use robotic systems to milk their cows.Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations.Only one cow at a time can enter a station. Once inside,the cow is rewarded with food.As the cow eats,a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine.A few minutes later,milking is complete.The gate is opened,the cow is released and the next cow enters. The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day.The cows get to decide when they want to be milked.Cows are milked an average of about three times a day.Some are milked four to six times a day. The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system.A computer keeps records on their eating and milking.A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked. The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk.Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests. Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers.She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm.Still,she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use. Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm.Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system.A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost 175 000 dollars.The second cost 150 000. Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot.He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day. Besides milking cows,the robotic system also can _ . A) adjust the temperature of milking stations B) judge the quality of fresh milk C) improve the appetite of cows D) keep fresh milk for two weeks
B
(Question)
For most people,below--freezing temperatures generally put a stop to outdoor exercise,but Siberian native Boris Fyodorov is not most people. Minutes after the calendar ticked over to this past 2014 New Year's Eve,Fyodorov set off on a solo,out--and--back marathon run from his home in the Siberian village of Oymyakon,completing the 26.2-mile course-his first marathon-in just over five hours.During the run he experienced temperatures as low as -38oC. And that was just the way he wanted it. "I heard about other marathons around the globe,naming themselves 'the coldest',like the most recent North Pole marathon with runners going at -28oC.'' Fyodorov told the Siberian Times."I thought surely this cannot be right.Our Oymyakon is the coldest inhabited place in northern hemisphere.Why don't we arrange a marathon here?'' Oymyakon is widely considered to be one of the coldest places on the planet,and its record-low temperature of-68oC, recorded in 1933,is tied for the coldest recorded temperature for any inhabited place on Earth.The average January temperature in the area is -50oC. Not only did Fyodorov finish the marathon in high spirits,but he also wants it to be colder the next time he tries it."I really want to organize next Oymyakon marathon in January when the air goes down to -50oC or -60oC,"he said. Fyodorov is not the first person to take on a cold--weather athletic challenge like this.In addition to the North Pole Marathon that he mentioned,the Antarctica Marathon is held every year in late February,taking runners on an out--and--back tour from Russia's Bellingshausen Station.A second Antarctica event--the Ice Marathon--has been held80F degrees south since 2006. Which part of a newspaper does the article come from? A) Health B) Education C) Culture D) Sports
(Answer)
D