Born into a poor family,two of the Durers' children still had a dream for art,but they knew their father could not afford to send either of them to the academy . After discussions,the two boys finally agreed to toss a coin.The loser would go to the nearby mines and support his brother while he attended the academy.Then,when the winner completed his studies,he would support the other brother,either with sales of his art work or,if necessary,by working in the mines.So they tossed a coin.Albrecht Durer won the toss and went to Nuremberg.Albert went to the dangerous mines and financed his brother,whose work at the academy was almost an immediate success,and by graduation,he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his works. When the Durer family held a dinner to celebrate Albrecht's homecoming, Albrecht drank a toast to his brother,"Now,Albert,it is your turn to go to Nuremberg and follow your dream,and I will take care of you." Albert wiped the tears from his cheeks,glanced at the faces he loved,and said softly,"No,brother.It is too late for me.Look....look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once,and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast,much 1ess make lines on canvas with a pen or a brush.No,brother ...for me it is too 1ate." Therefore,Albrecht took pains to draw his brother's injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward.The entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and named it "The Praying Hands". The artist created the masterpiece "The Praying Hands" A) to show kindness to his poor brother B) to encourage people to realize their dreams C) in praise of his brother's sacrifice and love D) in honor of his brother as a symbol of working people
C
(Question)
The Truth Can Set You Free I recently got pulled over for speeding not far from my new home in Virginia. I hadn't been paying attention, and I had driven a few miles an hour over the speed limit. "Can I see your license and registration?" the police officer asked me. I pulled both out for him, and he saw my Pittsburgh address on my Pennsylvania driver's license. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Are you with the army?" "No, I'm not." I answered. I explained that I had just moved to Virginia, and I hadn't had time to re-register yet. "So what brings you here?" He had asked a direct question. Without thinking very hard, I gave him a direct answer. "Well, officer," I said, "since you've asked, I have cancer. I have just months to live. We've moved down here to be close to my wife's family." "So you've got cancer," he said flatly. He was trying to figure me out. Was I really dying? Was I lying? He took a long look at me. "You know, for a guy who has only a few months to live, you sure look good." He was obviously thinking: "Either this guy is pulling one big fat line on me, or he's telling the truth." He was trying to question my honesty without directly calling me a liar. And so he had forced me to prove that I was being honest. "Well, officer, I know that I look pretty healthy. I look great on the outside, but the tumors are on the inside." And then, I don't know what possessed me, but I just did it. I pulled up my shirt, showing the operational scars. He looked at my scars. He looked in my eyes. He now knew he was talking to a dying man. Well, he wasn't taking this any further. He handed me back my license. "Do me a favor." he said, "Slow down from now on." The awful truth had set me free. As he went back to his police car, I had a realization. I had been one of those gorgeous blondes who could bat her eyelashes and get out of tickets. I drove home under the speed limit, and I was smiling like a beauty queen. The author was stopped by the police officer because _ . A) he didn't have a license B) he forgot to re-register C) he was seriously ill D) he drove too fast
(Answer)
D
Question: Here are six questions about your approach to life. Try to answer them as honestly as you can. Are you hard driving and competitive? Are you usually pressed for time? Do you want to control others? Do you have a strong need to do better than others in most things? Do you eat too quickly? Do you get upset when you have to wait for anything? If you have answered "yes" to most of these questions, then I can make a few predictions about you, based on a recent eight-year study of nearly two thousand people who live the way that you do. You likely find that life is full of challenges and you often need to keep two or more projects moving at the same time. The chances are that you have been to college, that you have a management job and that you bring work home at night. You think that you put more effort into your job than many of the people you work with, and you certainly take your work more seriously than most of them. You get angry easily, and if someone is being long-winded, you help them get to the point. You also have trouble finding the time to get your hair cut. And there's one other thing. You are about twice as likely to have a heart attack as someone who takes a more easygoing approach to life. The beginnings of your hard-driving behavior go right back to childhood. In school you got recognition and perhaps prizes for being quick and bright, for being an achiever, for competing with others and for winning. You likely went on from school to get a series of increasingly better jobs against pretty stiff competition. They were jobs where you had to care about the results, where you constantly had to push things forward and get things done. In your present job you also feel some conflict, either with time or with other people. Some of those you work with don't seem able to understand the simplest ideas, and they often put a brake on what you're trying to achieve. The conflict may not take place every day. You pride yourself on being able to keep the lid on. _ . We can infer from the passage that hard-driving character _ . A) does good to your health B) helps you fit in with the new situation quickly C) gets you more prizes D) contributes a lot to your career success
Answer:
D