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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: As the oldest university in the English-speaking world, Oxford is a unique and historic institution. There is no clear date of foundation, but teaching existed at Oxford in some form in 1096 and developed rapidly from 1167, when Henry II banned English students from attending the University of Paris. From 1878, academic halls were established for women and they were admitted to full membership of the University in 1920. Five all-male colleges first admitted women in 1974. St Hilda's College, which was originally for women only, was the last of Oxford's single sex colleges. It has admitted both men and women since 2008. By 1200, the town of Cambridge had at least one school of some distinction. Then, in 1209, some scholars settled there. By 1226 the scholars were numerous enough to have set up an organisation, and seem to have arranged regular courses of study, taught by their own members. From the start there was conflict between the town and the students. Students, usually aged about fourteen or fifteen, often caused disturbances; citizens of the town, on the other hand, were known to overcharge for rooms and food. King Henry III took the scholars under his protection as early as 1231 and arranged for them to be sheltered from exploitation by their landlords. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, MIT adopted a European university model and stressed laboratory instruction in applied science and engineering. The current 168-acre campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin. On April 29, 1911, Tsinghua Xuetang began its first term of study, and from that year on, the Tsinghua's anniversary has fallen on the last Sunday of April. Following the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan in 1937, Tsinghua University, Peking University and Nankai University combined to form the National... Question: The University of Oxford did not take in female students until _ . - 2008 - 1878 - 1920 - 1974
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1878

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I've ever had: Be bold and brave -- and mighty forces will come to your aid. Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again. Boldness means a decision to _ . And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas -- even physical strength greater than most of us realize. Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. "In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line," said Tim. "I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet -- and stopped him cold." Boldness -- a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme--is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds. So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities--and you'll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed. Question: What is the author's purpose in writing this passage? - To encourage people to be courageous. - To advise people to build up physical power. - To tell people the ways to guarantee success. - To recommend people to develop more abilities.
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To encourage people to be courageous.

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Most schools forbid chewing gum, but in a few years they might consider changing that rule. Why? Scientists are finding evidence that gum chewing may be good for your health. It may even help improve your test scores. This exciting research is just beginning. And in the meantime, companies are also experimenting with adding vitamins, minerals, medicines, and other substances that could give gum the power to cure headaches and fight everything from serious diseases to bad breath. Other researchers are finding that gum might work better than a pill to deliver medicines and other substances into the bloodstream. That's because the lining of our cheeks can absorb certain substances more quickly than our stomachs and intestines can. That discovery could help other researchers develop medicine-containing gums that fight colds, ease headaches, battle nervousness, and more. Scientists might even create antimicrobial gums that cure bad breath. Those projects may take years, but gum scientists have already had at least one recent success: They've created a gum that could help us stay awake. Researchers have produced a gum called Stay Alert. Each stick has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. It can take an hour for the caffeine in coffee to have its full effect, but the caffeine in Stay Alert _ in just a few minutes. The gum is easy to transport and it's stable in cold and hot climates. Unlike a pill, it doesn't require water to swallow. Those qualities make it easy for soldiers to use. For now, Stay Alert is available only to the military . The manufacturer may one day offer it for sale to the public. People who work at night, such as truck drivers and medical personnel who ride in ambulances, might benefit from a product like Stay Alert. Question: It can be inferred from the passage that _ . - stay Alert is not easy to store - stay Alert needs water to swallow - stay Alert is available to the public now - we can't buy gums that cure bad breath now
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we can't buy gums that cure bad breath now