You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations. It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last. Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine the American Dream as "day-to-day control of your life". They "prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel", said the magazine. Home ownership, once the _ of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream. So what has led to this huge change? Many point fingers at the poor economy. "Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation ,"noted The Daily Beast. "The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don't require a degree," Time reported. The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are "unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation's ladder". Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations."This situation is different for young adults today," he wrote. "A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them." What has changed Millennials' view of the American Dream according to the passage? A) A lack of confidence in themselves B) Fierce competition in the job market C) Their dissatisfaction with the government D) The discouraging economy and unemployment
D
(Question)
What's your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili in their dinner while others can't get enough of it. Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love chili and others _ it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chili is related to childhood experiences, and cultural influences affect our taste buds, too. But the latest study has found that a person's love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality more than anything else, CBC News reported. "We have always assumed that liking drives intake---we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect these personality traits with intake of chili peppers," said Professor John Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study. But before you look at the study, you should first know that "spicy" is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty. It is, in fact, a burning sensation that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people's longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster. In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about certain traits of their personality, for example. Whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given cups of water with capsaicin , the plant chemical that makes chili burn, mixed into them. By comparing the answers to questionnaires and what participants said they felt about the spicy water. Researchers found that those who most tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water. Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason some people can withstand spicy food is that their tongue have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. It's not that... What's the main idea of the passage? A) What he or she likes to eat mainly decides on his or her personality. B) That a person enjoys spicy food depends largely on the personality. C) His or her childhood experiences decide on his or her personality. D) His or her cultural background decides on his or her personality.
(Answer)
B
Question: Global warming happens when greenhouse gases trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows,but it can't get back out. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth .The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can't get out As a result,the temperature rises. Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on Without _ ,the earth would be freezing,or it would be burning hot. It would be freezing at night because we would not get the sun's heat and light .During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it,so people,plants,and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat. Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it,if there gets to be too many gases,the each can get unusually warmer, and many plants,animals.and people will die. Plants would die because they would not be able to take the heat .This would cause us to have less food to eat, and it would also limit the food that animals have. With less food for the animals that we need to survive we would even have less food. Gradually, people,plants,and animals would all die of hunger. People are doing many things to try to stop global warming .One thing is carpooling--driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. Another thing is being more careful about leaving electrical devices turned on. Now, more people are even riding buses or bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air .Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids call do just as much. What is the effect of atmosphere? A) IT only traps the heat of the sun. B) It does great harm to humans. C) It makes the earth neither to hot nor too cold. D) It prevents all the light from the sun shining on the earth.
Answer:
C