Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Millions of families around the world have been given a helping hand out of poverty by micro-credits. These very small loans , usually less than US$200, have enabled the very poorest people to set up or expand businesses and become self-sufficient. The micro-credit movement started with Professor Muhammad Yunus, who founded the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Professor Yunus, who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize, used his own money to set up a bank to benefit the poorest people in Bangladesh--families living on less than US$1 a day. There are now hundreds of organizations around the world following his blueprint to help people escape from poverty. So how does the system work? Local microfinance institutions (MFIs) make contact with families and offer loans, usually to women, to enable them to start or expand a business. These are very poor people who would not normally be able to get credit, but as no collateral is required they can get micro-credits. They pay back the loan on a weekly basis, over six months to a year. A very important aspect to the success of the micro-credit system is that receivers get local support. The MFIs educate local communities about ways to improve their lives, and offer practical support as well as collecting weekly loans payments. They encourage people to help each other, so that the whole community can pull itself out of poverty. MFIs may also help with literacy and health problems. Micro-credits are mainly given to women. Experience has shown that women are more motivated to improve their children's lives and will spend the money they make on better nutrition and schooling for their children. This may be the first chance they've had to contribute financially to the family, and their status in the home and the local community is raised. The micro-credit system is not charity. The payments are fixed-term loans and interest is charged. The costs of making such small loans, collecting them and giving personal support are high. This is shown in the interest rates, which range from 15... Question: Bank loans are mainly made to women because _ . Options: A: they make more financial contribution to the family B: they hold higher status in the home and community C: they are more reliable and willing to repay the loan D: they are more likely to spend what they earn on their children
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Let's do some sleep math.You lost two hours of sleep every night last week because of a big project due on Friday.On Saturday and Sunday,you slept in,getting four extra hours.On Monday morning, you were feeling so bright-eyed that you only had one cup of coffee, instead of your usual two.But don't be cheated by your energy.You're still carrying around a heavy load of sleepiness, or what experts call"sleep debt"----in this case something like six hours,almost a full nights' sleep. Sleep debt is the difference between the amount of sleep you should be getting and the amount you actually get.It's a deficit that grows every time we skim some extra minutes off our nightly sleep."People accumulate sleep debt gradually without being noticed,"says William C.Dement,founder of the Stanford University Sleep Clinic.Studies show that such short--term sleep deprivation leads to a foggy brain,worsened vision,and trouble remembering. Long-term effects include obesity,insulin resistance, and heart disease. A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reports that we're losing one hour of sleep each night----more than two full weeks of sleep every year. The good news is that,like all debt, with some work,sleep debt can be repaid. Adding an extra hour or two of sleep a night is the way to catch up.For the long--term lack of sleep,take it easy for a few months to get back into a natural sleep pattern. Go to bed when you are tired,and allow your body to wake you in the morning(no alarm clock allowed).You may find yourself catatonic in the beginning of the recovery cycle:expect to have ten hours shut-eye per night. As the days pass, however,the amount of sleeping time will gradually decrease. So earn back that lost sleep----and follow the dictates of your innate sleep needs. You'll feel better."When you put away sleep debt, you become a superman,"says Stanford's Dement, talking about the improved mental and physical capabilities that come with being well rested. Question: If you have short--term sleep deprivation,_. Options: A: you can think and remember things clearly B: you can still see everything very clearly C: you can drive your car easily D: you may have a poor sight
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid--we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink. However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk. Basilicus, a lizard native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we'd need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate "hitting. " But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a "non-Newtonian" liquid that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of cornflour. Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice, if you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink--and take a shower afterward! Question: What do we know about Basilicus from the passage? Options: A: It is light enough to walk on water. B: Its huge feet enable it to stay above water. C: It can run across water at a certain speed. D: Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water
C