Read the article and select the best answer. Article: One day, a poor man, who had only one piece of bread to eat, was walking past a restaurant. There was a large pot of soup on the table. The poor man held his bread over the soup, so the steam from the soup went into the bread, and gave it a good smell. Then he ate the bread. The restaurant owner was very angry at this, and he asked the man for money, in exchange for the steam from the soup. The poor man had no money, so the restaurant owner took him to Nasreddin, who was a judge at that time. Nasreddin thought about the case for a little while. Then he took some money from his pocket. He held the coins next to the restaurant owner's ear, and shook them, so that they made a dingling noise. "What was that?" asked the restaurant owner. "That was payment for you," answered Nasreddin. "What do you mean? That was just the sound of coins!" protested the restaurant owner. "The sound of the coin is payment for the smell of the soup," answered Nasreddin. "Now go back to your restaurant." Question: Nasreddin thought that the smell of the soup _ . Options: A: was worthless B: should be paid C: was pleasant D: could be sold
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin. Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success. These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group, if some members are darker skinned than others. The result is that skin lightening has become a common activity across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world. More and more people with dark skin are using skin lightening products, even if they may face health risks. They believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives. Many people think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful. Some beauty care products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. This process is also called bleaching. But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. One of the most dangerous is hydroquinone. Hydroquinone has been banned in several countries. This chemical has been linked to kidney damage and some kinds of cancer. It also causes low birth weight in babies when mothers use it during pregnanc y. At first, bleaching products make the skin color1 lighter. But after long-term use they can cause problems. They can even make some skin darker. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color1 to skin. The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight. Then the skin can become thick and discolor1ed. Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse. Fatimata Ly treats skin conditions in the Senegalese capital, Dakar. Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal. She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger. Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage. And these are not the only risks. Experts say some people who change their skin color1... Question: According to the text customers using the bleaching products would also risk _ . Options: A: finger damage B: low weight C: skin cancer D: emotional damage
D

Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Fortunately, I've been able to avoid the traffic jam brought by presidential visits because ! don't have to commute anywhere. Barack Obama visited Los Angeles recently which paralyzed large sections of a city and you could almost hear the collective pain of unhappy commuters. I am among the l0 percent of people in the US that regularly work from home. You could include Obama among them, although I suspect his working area in the White House is better-equipped than my small space on to the back of the garage. He also probably doesn't have a problem with three little kids interrupting his phone calls or bursting into his office at inappropriate moments. Every day there they are, knocking on my window and peering inside, as if looking at an animal in a zoo. Once, a telephone interview I was doing with the former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was interrupted by my older son, then three years old, and completely naked "Ahaaar!" he shouted to my face. "What was that?" said Schwarzenegger. I stammered something about the joys of children and silently managed to shoo the boy out of the room without putting down the phone. I shouldn't complain. I no longer have to stand having someone's armpit being pressed into my face on a crowded train and home status means ! should be a more productive worker although working from home could also lead to "avoiding duties from home". I would argue that a bigger problem is going nuts: Staring at the same walls every day and not going anywhere can do strange things to a person. I realized I had to get out of the house at least once a day to avoid turning into an unshaven and unshoweredrecluse who was still in his pyjamas at dinner time. I would work for an hour or so in a local coffee shop but, like most routine, this became boring because I would constantly see the same faces: Screenwriters poring over screenplays, elderly women heading to the yoga studio next door and hordes of overweight middle-aged male cycling by. And yet here I am several years later, still... Question: The reason why the author goes to the coffee shop is that _ Options: A: he wants to get familiar with the people around B: he doesn't like working in his pyjamas at home C: he becomes bored with being a commuter D: he needs some changes to get relaxation
A: D

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: SHANGHAI - Health experts in Shanghai are calling for more protection for young children as the latest research shows about half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke. About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in families, 50 percent in public places, and almost 6 percent on public transportation, shows a research released by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center on Tuesday. "Not only adults but also children and newborn babies are at risk for the adverse effects of passive smoking," said Tang Jingyan, a doctor at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center. "Actually, those young children whose bodies are still growing and developing are more sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke." Research has shown that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke will suffer from more colds, coughs and sore throats, and they are more likely to suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia and will have a higher risk of developing cancer. Doctors even suggested that children suffering passive smoking are more likely to have behavioral problems and may not develop mentally as quickly as their peers. Other research by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center has found that more than 80 percent of child patients in the center live in a smoke-filled household, where one or both parents smoke. "Though doctors have stressed the harm of passive smoking over and over, it is still hard to reach a totally 'smoke free' home," said a pediatrician named Zhang Yiwen, noting that parents are often tempted to smoke even though they have learned the harmful effects of secondhand smoke. China has 540 million people suffering from passive smoke, 180 million of them younger than 15.The age of smokers is also getting lower, earlier reports said. "There are more young smokers than before.You can see young people wearing a school uniform and carrying a schoolbag light a cigarette on the street.Some of them are even female students," said Jing Xingming, a professor of children's developmental behavior at the center. "Children like... Question: What can be inferred from the passage? Options: A: About 80% of the children in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center smoke heavily. B: About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in the Shanghai Children's Medical Center. C: About 540 million people are heavy smokers in China. D: Children aged between 13 to 18 are more likely addicted to smoking.
**Answer**
D