When I was young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember the shiny box on the wall. But I was too little to reach it, I could only listen to my mother talk on it. I discovered that inside the wonderful box lived an amazing person whose name was Information Please. There was nothing she did not know. One day my mother went out. I accidentally hurt my finger when I was playing with a hammer. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally seeing the telephone. Quickly I dragged a chair over and climbed up. "Information Please," I spoke into the receiver. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information." "I hurt my finger..." I cried into the phone. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me." I sobbed. "Are you bleeding?" the voice asked. "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then take a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger." Said the voice. After that, I called "Information Please" for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me her name was Sally. Then there was the time my pet canary died. I called "Information Please" and told Sally the sad story. "Why is it that birds sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a pile of feathers?" She listened, then said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better. One day when I called "Information Please" again, a different voice answered "Information." I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" she said. "Yes." I answered "I'm sorry to have to tell you this," she said. "She died five days ago." Before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?" "Yes!" "Well, Sally left a message for you. The note said, "Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean." I thanked her... What is the best title for this passage? A) My Pet's Death B) An Amazing Woman C) A Healing Message D) My Magic Box
D
(Question)
Mark Twain, the famous American writer and a great master of humor, liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him. One day Mark Twain was invited to give a talk in a small town. At lunch he met a young man, one of his friends. The young man said that he had an uncle with him. He told Mark Twain that his uncle never laughed or smiled, and that nobody and nothing was able to make his uncle smile or laugh. "You bring your uncle to my talk this evening," said Mark Twain. "I'm sure I can make him laugh." That evening the young man and his uncle sat in the front. Mark Twain began to speak. He told several funny stories and made everyone in the room laugh. But the man never even smiled. Mark Twain told more funny stories, but the old man still kept quiet. Mark Twain continued to tell his funny stories. Finally he stopped. He was tired and quite disappointed. Some days later, Mark Twain told another friend what had happened." Oh," said his friend, "I know that man. He's been deaf for years." One day Mark Twain met _ at lunch. A) a friend B) his brother C) his teacher D) a young girl
(Answer)
A
Ques: Recently, I experienced a wonderful lesson in how little things still mean a lot. My brother, mother and I live in a very rural district on the Big Island of Hawaii. Our farm is at least a dozen miles from the most basic of services. Consequently, we take weekly trips to COSTCO to procure fuel and supplies. About a month ago, we'd finished loading up the SUV and prepared to leave. As I settled into my seat, I glanced down at the roadside, when a piece of paper caught my eye. I picked it up and read it carefully. Instantly, I was grateful I did. The form turned out to be a receipt from the State Motor Vehicle Division, documenting the owners' payment of their Vehicle's Registration fees. Quickly, I put myself in their shoes and figured: no one would throw this out, especially if it was current. I also looked over the form for contact or any personal data, perhaps a license tag or telephone number. But that seemed impractical. Although the form had been born on the wind, where in the busy, crowded parking lot would I find the owners? Had it been lying there for a few minutes or a week? So I checked the date, the fees paid, noted the names of the owners and pocketed the receipt. Recalling the parable of the Good Samaritan, I concluded that the best and easiest step to take was to put the form in an envelope addressed to the couple and send it to them by post. Further, I imagined how crazy I'd be if I had misplaced my receipt. Much easier to attempt returning it than to leave them angry, upset, etc. over the loss. By the end of the week, I received a beautiful thank-you letter from a very grateful and happy couple containing a hand written message and a gift card to use at any Starbuck's. In her note, the wife explained how a gust of wind snatched their receipt from a pocket in her car's passenger door. They had panicked and searched crazily for quite some time before giving up. It felt great to know I'd helped someone avoid a major loss by doing something that at first glance seemed minor or even unimportant. What did the author really mean when he said "Instantly, I was grateful I did."? A) He was lucky to notice the paper on the roadside. B) He was happy to do shopping in the district for it was convenient. C) He was right to pick the paper up because it was important. D) He was thankful to pick up the paper because he found it for a long time.
Ans: C
Ques: Most people today think of chocolate as something sweet to eat or drink and can be easily found in stores around the world. It might surprise you that chocolate was once highly treasured. The wealthy people of Spain first enjoyed a sweetened chocolate drink. Later, the popularity of the drink spread throughout Europe. Chocolate remained a drink that only wealthy people could afford to drink until the eighteenth century. During the period known as the Industrial Revolution, new technologies helped make chocolate less costly to produce. Farmers grow cacao trees in many countries in Africa, Central and South America, but these trees are difficult to grow. They require an exact amount of water, warmth, soil and protection. After about five years, cacao trees start producing large fruits called pods, which grow near the trunk of the tree. The seeds inside these pods are harvested to make chocolate. Growing cacao is very hard work for farmers. Today, chocolate industry officials, activists, and scientists are working with farmers. They are trying to make sure that cacao can be grown in a way that is easy for the farmers and safe for the environment. The market value of the yearly cacao crop around the world is more than five billion dollars. Chocolate is especially popular in Europe and the United States. Each year, Americans eat an average of more than 5 kilograms of chocolate per person. Specialty shops that sell costly chocolate are also very popular. Many offer chocolate lovers the chance to taste chocolate grown in different areas of the world. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) Scientists are trying to help people find various cacaos. B) The chocolate industry is developing rapidly only in European countries. C) People in America love to produce dear chocolate. D) Chocolate making is probably a big business internationally.
Ans:
D