Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In 1977, Irene Pepperberg of Harvard University began studying what was on another creature's mind by talking to it. Her first experiments began with Alex. Alex was a one-year-old African grey parrot and Irene taught him to produce the sounds of the English language. "I thought if he learned to communicate, I could ask him questions about how he sees the world." At the time, most scientists didn't believe animals had any thoughts. They thought animals were more like robots but didn't have the ability to think or feel. Of course, if you own a pet you probably disagree. But it is the job of a scientist to prove this and nowadays more scientists accept that animals can think for themselves. "That's why I started my studies with Alex," Irene said, "Some people actually called me crazy for trying this." Nowadays, we have more and more evidence that animals have all sorts of mental abilities. Sheep can recognize faces. Chimpanzees use a variety of tools and even use weapons to hunt. And Alex the parrot became a very good talker. Thirty years after the Alex studies began. Irene was still giving him English lessons up until his recent death. For example, if Alex was hungry he could say "want grape". Alex could count to six and was learning the sounds for seven and eight. "He has to hear the words over and over before he can correctly say them." Irene said, after pronouncing "seven" for Alex a few times in a row. Alex could also tell the difference between colors, shapes, sizes, and materials (e.g. wood and metal). Before he finally died, Alex managed to say "seven". Another famous pet that proved some animals have greater mental skills was a dog called Rico. He appeared on a German TV game show in 2011. Rico knew the names of 200 different toys and easily learned the names of new ones. When Rico became famous, many other dog owners wanted to show how clever their pets were. Another dog called Betsy could understand 300 words. One theory for dogs' ability to learn a language is that they have ben close companions to... Question: The article concludes that _ . Options: A: our pets understand what we say B: dogs may speak to humans one day C: humans are related to chimpanzees D: mental ability can evolve in animals
Ans: D

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: What is it that makes people laugh? More than two thousand years ago the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle defined jokes as the pleasure that results from a feeling of triumph by showing we're better than someone else in a certain way. According to Aristotle and many other philosophers,all jokes depend mainly on showing _ in another person or group of persons -- that is,putting it clearly,on showing that they are worse off than ourselves. Jokes raise our good opinion of ourselves at someone else's expense. Showing how much better than other people we are is only one reason we like jokes. Someone may also use a joke to express their anger or their cruelty or any other kind of action that is not acceptable to us. We feel free to laugh when we hear about someone sliding on a banana skin. The joke lets us express those attitudes which are usually unacceptable to society. This is probably the reason why some of the jokes,especially those involving cruelty,are so popular with certain people. Besides,all jokes depend on our enjoyment of laughing at something that is strange and out of place because it's different from things which are happening around it. The same situation can be either sad or pleasant,depending entirely on how strange and out of place it is. If a girl in a bathing suit falls into a swimming pool,we don't laugh because nothing unusual has happened. But if a man in a smart suit falls in,the situation is at once unusual in a pleasant way and we laugh. A good joke-teller will always try to build up a situation in which one thing is expected until something unexpected suddenly happens,and so we laugh. Question: What will a good joke-teller always try to do? Options: A: Make an unexpected thing happen in an expected situation B: Make different things happen at the same time. C: Make a sad situation into a pleasant one. D: Make people laugh at something unusual and out of place.
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Library Special Needs Service Shellharbour City Library provides a rang of Library Special Needs Service for people who are unable to access our library service in the usual way. As long as you live in Shellharbour City, we'll provide a full rang of library services and resources including: * Large printed and ordinary printed books * Talking books on tape and CD * DVDs and music CDs * Magazines * Reference and information requests You will be asked to complete a 'Statement of Need' application form which must be signed by a medical professional. Home delivery service Let us know what you like to read and we will choose the resources for you.Our staff will deliver the resources to your home for free. We also provide a service where we can choose the resources for you or someone instead of you choose the things from the library .You can also choose the resources you need personally. Talking books and captioned videos The library can provide talking books for people who are unable to use printed books because of eye diseases. You don't have to miss out on reading any more when you can borrow talking books from the library. If you have limited hearing which prevents you from enjoying movies, we can provide captioned videos for you at no charge. Languages besides English We can provide books in a rang of languages besides English. If possible, we will request these items from the State Library of NSW, Australia. How to join? Contact the Library Special Needs Coordinator to register or discuss if you are eligible for any of the services we provide ---Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9am ---5pm on 4297 2522 for more information. Question: What can we learn from the passage? Options: A: Books with different languages are available. B: Few entertaining resources are offered here. C: People with limited hearing have to pay for captioned videos. D: People have to choose what they need by themselves.
Ans: A

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Mother managed to buy me some more paint brushes, along with one or two drawing books and a pencil. This, of course, broadened my range of expression and allowed me to have a greater choice of subjects. After the first few weeks of uncertainty and awkwardness, I settled down contentedly with my new pastime. I painted every day upstairs in the back bedroom, completely by myself. I was changing. I didn't know it then, but I had found a way to be happy again and to forget some of the things that had made me unhappy. Above all I learned to forget myself. I didn't miss going out with my brothers, for I had something to keep my mind active, something to make each day a thing to look forward to. I would sit on the floor for hours, holding the brush between my toes, my right leg curled up under my left, my arms held tightly at my sides, hands clenched. All my paint and brushes were around me, and I would get Mother or Father to pin the drawing paper to the floor with tacks to keep it keep it steady. It looked like a very awkward position, with my head almost between my knees and my back crooked, but I painted all my best pictures this way, with the wooden floor as my only easel . Slowly I began to recover from my earlier depression. I had a feeling of pure joy while I painted, a feeling I had never experienced before and which seemed almost to lift me above myself. Question: The passage is most probably taken from _ . Options: A: .a letter describing the writer's family life B: an article about the value of painting C: a book telling story of the writer's life D: a book explaining how to learn painting
Ans:
C