I am always nervous when I get an email from my parents with "FYI(For Your Information)". My parents are in their late 70s, and while they are quite healthy for their ages, I worry about what messages they are going to give me. I got such an email in September from my father. He sent an email from my cousin who told that her father, my uncle Reese, had passed away. The news made my mind go blank though I have met him less than a dozen times in my life, because Reese was the first of my parent's siblings to die, and I was simply not ready for that. The memorial service was set in Florida, and I quickly decided I needed to go. I needed to be there for my father, and I needed to go for myself. Reese is about nine years older than my father, and I started to do the math in my head. I know that doesn't make sense, but I will do anything to reason that I still have a lot of time before I am in my cousin's shoes. Reese's memorial service was small with only family and perhaps a dozen of his friends. The funeral was attended by an even smaller number, and then, the family gathered at a nearby bar to look at old photographs found among Reese' possessions. As we drove back to the Orlando International Airport, I thought about how I am not sure what my parents want, not only in their memorial services, but also how they want to be remembered and where they want to be laid to rest. These are going to be difficult conversations, but I know I need to have them. Maybe not right now, but we do need to open the discussion at some point. It may feel too early, but I trust my parents will know that when adult children raise these questions, we do it out of love to honor their lives and their wishes. How did the author feel about the email from her cousin? A) Disappointed. B) Shocked C) Confused. D) Annoyed.
B
(Question)
About five years ago I started at a new school when my family moved to Iowa. I was just a little ex-cited, but I worried I would never fit in with the other sixth graders. Lucy, a girl in my class, who I thought was not ready for change, didn't like me from the start. In fact, I was pretty sure she hated me. I would ask her a question, and I could tell she thought I was a total fool. My teacher made us sit by each other for the last term. Lucy was horrified . I didn't wear make-up , and I didn't wear those terrible bell-bottom pants. I didn't exactly look like the coolest girl. But, I kept smiling at her, though she rolled her eyes, and I kept telling her she looked beautiful, even when she was angry. Finally, Lucy let me talk to her, even in sight of her "cool" friends. She started telling me how beautiful I looked. I still remember that first time when she smiled at me saying that, and I smiled right back, telling her thanks. Lucy invited me over to her house for a party, and talked to me all the time instead of her other friends. Lucy, the girl who hated me, called me her best friend. After that, we still were good friends a whole year later. I may have moved to Arizona after that, but I will never forget Lucy. It's funny -- I still remember her birthday. She was a great friend. And to think, she considered me her enemy at first. Though it was hard, and it felt like I was wasting my time, and losing my dignity , I still smiled at Lucy when she made fun of me. I'm not stupid, I didn't think she was right in doing those things, but I still put up with it. And we became great friends. About two weeks ago, I read a sentence by Abraham Lincoln: "Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" Immediately, I smiled, thinking of Lucy. That sentence just reminded me how great it was for me to change Lucy into my friend in that state of Iowa five years ago. What is the main idea of this passage? A) Patience is important in making friends. B) Friendship needs to be cared for. C) Making friends means losing enemies. D) Kindness can defeat any enemy.
(Answer)
C
Ques: We've all heard the old saying,"Sticks and stones can break my bones,but words can never hurt me." Don't you believe it?Words are powerful,and they can hurt--a lot. In fact,if you're not careful,you can even hurt yourself,by using the wrong word in your writing. Recently a friend sent me a copy of an email she received from the customer service department of her credit card company,after she contacted them with a question about her account. She was happy with their positive response. But as I read the email,one line jumped out at me:"In lieu of good customer service..." Did they really mean they were offering her a few extra reward points instead of good customer service?I doubt it. More likely,what the customer service department meant to say was,"Because good customer service is important to us..." followed by the details of what they were doing to make sure she remained a happy customer. So why didn't the writer say that?I can only guess that perhaps the writer liked the phrase "in lieu of",thought it sounded more interesting than saying "because",and so used it--without bothering to check the true meaning. Have you ever done that?Try to impress others with a big word,only to find out you've used the word incorrectly?It's just the opposite effect,isn't it?You may impress people all right,but it's not the impression you were going for. When you write,remember to choose your words carefully. People may still disagree with what you say,but they won't be able to dismiss you because you made careless mistakes in how you said it. What does the phrase "in lieu of" most probably mean? A) Because of. B) In honour of. C) Instead of. D) In favour of.
Ans: C
Ques:Many years ago, children who had good manners kept quiet if their parents were talking with other persons. Today, well-mannered children have more freedom. Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other place. Suppose you are a visitor in the prefix = st1 /landofMongolia. Some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud "burp" after you finish eating. Burping will show that you like your food. In some countries, if you give a loud burp, you are told to say, "Excuse me, please." In many places people like to eat together. But in some parts of Polynesia, it is bad manners to be seen eating at all. People show their good manners by turning their back on others while they eat. What are good manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you're polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you. Suppose you visit a friend in Arabia. You should walk behind the tents until you come to his tent. If you pass in front of the other tents, you will be asked into them. The people will ask you to eat with them. And it is bad manners if you say no. In Arabia it is bad manners _ . A) to walk behind the tents B) to visit a friend C) to refuse to sit down D) to say no if you're asked to eat

Ans:
D