Once upon a time, there was a lovely vegetable field, on which grew a very thick tree. Both the vegetables and the tree gave the place a wonderful appearance, which was the joy of the garden's owner. What no one knew was that the vegetables in the field and the tree couldn't stand each other. The vegetables hated the tree's shadow, because it left them only just enough light to survive. The tree, on the other hand, hated the vegetables because they drank nearly all the water before it could get to him, leaving him with just enough to survive. The situation became so extreme that the vegetables got totally fed up and decided to use up all the water in the ground so that the tree would dry up. The tree answered back by refusing to give the vegetables shadow from the hot midday sun, so they both began to dry up. Before long, the vegetables were really thin and the tree's branches were drying up. Neither of them thought that the gardener, on seeing his vegetable field becoming worse, would stop watering it. When he did that, both the tree and the vegetables really learned what thirst was. There seemed to be no solution, but one of the vegetables, a small courgette , understood what was going on, and decided to deal with it. Despite the little water and the unbearable heat, the little courgette did all he could to grow, grow...He managed to grow so big that the gardener started watering the field again. The gardener wanted to enter that beautiful big courgette in some gardening contest. And so the vegetables and the tree realized that it was better to help each other than to fight. They should really learn how to live in harmony with those around them, doing the best they could. So they decided to work together, using both the shadow and the water in the best combination to grow good vegetables. Seeing how well they were doing, the gardener now gave the best of care to his vegetable field, watering it better than any other field for miles around. What is the problem between the tree and the vegetables? A) They looked down upon each other. B) They didn't leave water to each other. C) They couldn't stand each other. D) They didn't know how to protect themselves.
C
(Question)
The space shuttle Columbia flared and broke up in the skies over Texas on Saturday, February 1,2003, killing the seven astronauts on board in what NASA and President Bush called a tragedy for the entire nation. NASA launched an investigation into the disaster and began searching for the astronauts' remains. It said that although there had been some data failures it was too early to nail down a precise cause. The break-up, 16 minutes before the shuttle was due to land at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, spread possibly toxic debris over a wide swath of Texas and neighboring states. Dramatic television images of the shuttle's _ clearly showed several white trails streaking through blue skies after the shuttle suddenly fell apart. It was almost 17 years to the day that the Challenger shuttle exploded on Jan. 28, 1986, killing all seven astronauts on board. Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission. In 42 years of US' human space flight, there had never been an accident in the descent to Earth or landing. Challenger exploded just after take-off. Rescue teams scrambled to search for the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. There were warnings that parts of a vast 120-mile-long corridor of debris could be toxic because of poisonous rocket propellant . "We are not ready to confirm that we have found any human remains," Nacogdoches County Sheriff Thomas Kerrs said. He added that among the roughly 1,000 calls reporting debris, some people said they found remains of crew members. "The Columbia is lost. There are no survivors, Their mission was almost complete and we lost them so close to home. ... America's space program will go on," said a grim-faced Bush in a message broadcast on television, which included condolences to the families of the dead astronauts. Which of the following is wrong according to the news? A) will give up the space program because of the accident. B) NASA hasn't found the cause of the Columbia disaster. C) Before the Columbia disaster, no shuttles had exploded in the course of landing. D) Take-off and re-entry into Earth's atmosphere are the most dangerous parts of a space mission.
(Answer)
A
Ques: Steven Spielberg was not a scholar, and his classmates teased him. Rather than read, the kid really preferred running around with an 8mm camera, shooting homemade movies, which he showed to friends for a small fee. In his first year of high school, he dropped out. But when his parents persuaded him to return, he was mistakenly placed in a learningdisabled class, which lasted one month. Only when the family moved to another town did he land up in a more suitable high school, where he eventually graduated. After being denied entrance into a traditional filmmaking school, Steven Spielherg enrolled in English at California State University at Long Beach. Then in 1965, he recalls, in one of those serendipitous moments, his life took a complete turn. Visiting Universal Studios, he met Chuck Silvers, an executive in the editorial department. Silvers liked the kid who made 8mm films and invited him back sometime to visit. He appeared the next day. Spielberg, dressed in a dark suit, carrying his father's briefcase with nothing inside but a sandwich and candy bars walked confidently up to the guard at the gate of Universal and gave him a casual wave. The guard waved back. He was in. "For the entire summer," Spielberg remembers, "I dressed in my suit and hung out with the directors and writers, including Silvers, who knew the kid wasn't a studio employee, but winked at him. I even found an office that wasn't being used, and became a squatter . I bought some plastic tiles and put my name in the building directory: Steven Spielberg, Room 23C." It paid off for everyone. Ten years later, the 28yearold Spielberg directed Jaws, which took in $470 million, then the biggest grossing movie of all time. Dozens of films and awards have followed because Steven Spielberg knew what his teachers didn't--talent is in the eyes of the filmmaker. Why did Steven's friends pay him some money? A) To see his movies. B) To use his camera. C) To look at his photos. D) To include them in the movie.
Ans: A
Question: A few months ago, millions of people in London heard alarms all over the town. The Emergency Services, the Fire Departments, the Police, hospitals, and ambulances stood by, ready to go into action. In railway underground stations, people read notices and maps that told them where to go and what to do in the emergency. This was Exercise Flood Call, to prepare people for a flood emergency. London wasn't flooded. In 1928, people living in Westminster, the heart of London, drowned in floods. And in 1953, one hundred people, living on the eastern edge of the London suburbs were killed, again, in the floods. At last, Greater London Council took actions to prevent this disaster from happening again. Though a flood wall was built in the 1960s, Londoners still must be prepared for the possible disaster. If it happens, 50 underground stations will be under water. Electricity, gas and phone services will be out of action. Roads will be drowned. It will be impossible to cross any of the bridges between north and south London. Imagine: London will look like the famous Italian city, Venice. But this Exercise Flood Call didn't cause panic among Londoners. Most people knew it was just a warning. One lady said, "It's a flood warning, isn't it. ? The water doesn't look high to me." What measure was taken against floods in London in the 1960s? A) 50 underground stations were made waterproof. B) Rescue teams were formed. C) An alarm system was set up. D) A flood wall was built.
Answer:
D