The illegal ivory trade has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers and hunters have killed off hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain this precious material. Now, affected areas are taking action. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Wednesday that key states where poaching takes place have promised to stop the ivory trade and protect Africa's elephants. In the 1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for their ivory tusks. This continued until 1989, when the Convention on International Trade in Species (CITES) voted to ban all trade in ivory. With trade , demand for ivory fell. Elephant populations slowly began to increase. However, this progress was short-lived. According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. Preliminary data from the IUCN shows even higher levels of illegal trade may have been reached in 2013. "With about 22,000 elephants illegally killed in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation," said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General. "Current elephant poaching in Africa remains far too high, and could soon lead to local extinctions if the present killing rate continues." At the African Elephant Summit, key African states where elephants make their home agreed to develop a "zero-tolerance attitude" towards poaching. The deal calls for maximum sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between affected states. Officials are determined to classifying wildlife trading as a serious crime -- and to making sure that the people who commit it are punished. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states coming together, there may yet be hope for elephants. (293 words) What's the best title for this passage? A) New Hope for Elephants. B) Elephants are dying. C) Elephants are valuable. D) How to protect elephants
A
(Question)
Choosing a nice mountain bike for you is easier than learning how to ride it. Keep these tips in mind: Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike. Are you a new rider who simply wants to travel outdoors on the weekend,weather permitting?Do you intend to test yourself on the rough roads,every day,rain or shine?Or are you going to use your new mountain bike to ride to and from school or work?Be honest about your intentions,and you're more than half way toward choosing the right mountain bike for you. Visit your local bike shops. Any good bike shop will stock a wide range of quality mountain bikes in all price points and sizes. Your local bike shops will carry more than one brand of bicycle. Not only will they sell you a mountain bike that suits your needs,but they will service what they sell. Visit at least a few shops. You'll get one that satisfies you right away. Don't be bashful. Tell your salesperson how you intend to use your new mountain bike,and how much you are willing to spend. Your salesperson will show you a selection of models and brands accordingly. He or she will also help you determine the right size for you. You may ask more without any sense of shyness. Take a test ride. All good bike shops let customers take test rides. There's a good reason for this beyond "trybeforeyoubuy" salesmanship. Since you already know your price range and find the right size,you now have to find out which brand you ride best. They want you to be happy with your purchase. After only a few test rides from more than one bike shop,the right mountain bike will choose you. Which of the following is probably the author's attitude towards "trybeforeyoubuy" salesmanship? A) Honorable. B) Favorable. C) Negative. D) Suspicious .
(Answer)
B
Ques: Studies have shown that the fewer medicines a person has to take the more likely he or she will take them. Last week, a study was released about a new treatment that combines 5 medicines for heart disease in one pill. Salim Yusuf of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada was the lead investigator. He presented the findings at the American College of Cardiology Conference in Orlando, Florida. The experimental drug is known as Polycap. It contains aspirin, a drug to lower cholesterol and three medicines to lower blood pressure. The study was carried out at 50 health centers across India. More than two thousand people between the ages of 45 and 80 took part in the study. All had at least one risk factor for heart disease. These include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or being severely overweight. The people were divided into 9 groups of about 200 people each. One group took Polycap. The other groups took either a single drug or different combinations of the medicines in the Polycap pill. The study showed that Polycap lowered blood pressure and cholesterol without many side effects. Doctor Yusuf said the single pill, taken once a day, could reduce the average person's risk of heart disease and stroke by about half. The maker of Polycap, Cadila Pharmaceuticals of India, paid for the study. Cardiovascular diseases of the heart and blood vessels are the number one cause of death around the world. These diseases kill more than seventeen million people every year. 80 percent of them are in low and middle income countries. Doctor Yusuf said the single pill treatment could revolutionize heart disease prevention. People would be more likely to take one pill a day than many pills. And one pill would cost less than several pills. Other heart doctors say heart disease prevention is important but not necessarily with pills. They say patients might be able to get the same results with changes in diet and exercise. Doctors say that more research on Polycap is needed. They say the drug should be... What would be the best tide for the passage? A) Different opinions about heart disease prevention. B) A combination pill may cut heart disease risk in half. C) A combination pill cures blood pressure and bad cholesterol. D) Cardiovascular diseases are the number one killer in the world.
Ans: B
Make your office space MANY of us spent our childhoods dreaming of becoming astronauts. However, the hard reality is that only a select few will make it. But does that mean you'll never get the chance to work in space? Not necessarily. Space X, a private space company based in California, US, published a list of job vacancies last month. These "open positions" are not only for astronauts, and they all sound just as cool. One of the most interesting space jobs that you may have never heard of is "chief sniffer" . NASA has already hired a chief sniffer named George Aldrich, whose job is to smell materials and components before they are used in spacecrafts. Using your nose at work might sound a little strange, but the job is actually crucial. A spacecraft is of limited size and ly high temperature, which makes smells stronger inside of it. And once a spacecraft is launched, astronauts "have no way of escaping" unpleasant smells, Aldrich told The Telegraph. More importantly, smelling objects can help identify dangerous chemicals that could threaten astronauts' health. Another job vacancy, the "space tour guide", may seem a little ahead of its time --after all, what's the point of hiring a tour guide when there aren't any tourists there? But in fact, many private companies are now providing space trips, and wealthy space enthusiasts such as Justin Bieber and Sarah Brightman have already signed up for tours. It may not be long before space becomes one of the top travel destinations for Earthlings. Being a space tour guide requires rich knowledge of astronomy , astrophysics geography and history to help passengers get the most out of their journey. Tour guides also need to be excellent storytellers so that passengers can experience the true awe of space travel. Astronauts often spend weeks or even months in a small capsule with the same group of people, which is why a "space psychologist" is also needed to help astronauts overcome mental challenges like feeling bored and lonely. "We're crossing... What does the article mainly discuss? A) Cool jobs in space other than being an astronaut. B) How science function becomes reality. C) Career opportunities that you shouldn't miss. D) The possibility of space travel for common people.
A