Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: George Gershwin, born in 1998, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs. Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way -- from jazz to country. In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular. In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works. George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written. Question: Which of the following best describes Gershwin? Options: A: Talented and productive B: Serious and boring C: popular and unhappy D: Friendly and honest
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Spending a lot of time watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Web causes a lot of healthy problems to children such as overweight and smoking, US researchers said yesterday. U.S. experts analyzed 173 studies on how media sources influence the physical health of children and adolescents . The studies, mostly carried out in the prefix = st1 /United States, largely focused on television, but some looked at video games, films, music, computer and Internet use. Three quarters of them found that increased media viewing was connected with poor health. The studies offered strong evidence that children who get more media exposure are more likely to become overweight, start smoking and begin earlier sexual activity than those who spend less time in front of a screen, the researchers said. Studies also showed more media exposure is linked to drug and alcohol use and poorer school performance. "We were pretty surprised by the number of studies that showed these negative health results," said one of the researchers in the report. For decades, experts have worried about the effect on young viewers of the violence and sexual content in some TV programs, movies and video games. Another issue is that kids are spending time sitting on a couch watching TV or playing computer games when they could be running around outside. One study found that children who spend more than eight hours watching TV per week at age 3 are more likely to be overweight at 7. And research showed that many USchildren watch far more. Another study showed TV and other media content can have a deep influence on children's attitudes and beliefs, particularly among teens. A US study published in November showed that adolescents who watched more programs with sexual themes had a higher risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy. Thirteen of 14 studies that evaluated sexual behavior found a connection between media exposure and earlier sexual behavior, the researchers said. Question: How did the experts carry out their research? Options: A: By examining health problems including overweight and smoking. B: By analyzing 173 studies on influences of media sources. C: By watching TV, playing video games and surfing the Web. D: By offering strong evidence that children become overweight.
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I have a neighbor we call "Happy". I have never seen her angry at anything and never heard her say a harsh word to anyone or about anyone. Happy and her husband Ben, 70, have a huge garden. They spent many happy hours together working on it. Most of the neighbors watched interestingly as Ben doubled the size of their garden. As the cost of food climbed faster than Ben's beans, we all wished we also had such a large garden. As the rest of us spent our dollars at the market, Happy could be seen picking beans in her back yard. Last month, Happy and Ben invited most of the neighborhood over for an "all-day food feast". We were told to bring gloves and arrive very early in the morning. We didn't know what was about to take place. By 9:00 am, there were nine of us in the garden picking tomatoes, beans, okra, and squash. By 10:00 am, there was lots of laughter. We shared a lot of stories. By five o'clock, everyone was a little drunk from the wine and beer. After dinner, we played games. As we were leaving, Happy and Ben handed each of us a shopping bag filled with the bounty of the day, already packaged and frozen. What a delightful gift! Well, the point wasn't so much about the food. The true gift was a day of friends enjoying one another's company . None of it would have happened if it had been for Happy and Ben's garden. Now they have a blog about gardening in case we decided to plant a garden. And I am so proud of my tomato plants! Question: We can infer that Happy and her husband Ben _ . Options: A: don't like spending time with others B: sometimes quarrel with each other C: live on the food they grow in their garden D: are a generous and warm-hearted couple
Ans:
D