In the southern part of America, when somebody has a birthday, often family or friends, or both, will arrange a party. The party could be elaborate and include a meal or may be simple with a birthday cake and drinks. One does not plan, nor give, one's own birthday as is the custom in some cultures. At a party there is usually a decorated cake, often with the words "Happy Birthday" and with the name of the person written on the top of the cake. Sometimes there is also one candle for each year of the person celebrating the birthday before the cake is cut. While blowing out the candles, the person makes a wish for something pleasant. Usually those invited to a birthday party will bring a gift for the person honored. Gifts given by friends do not have to be expensive, but the family of the birthday person will spend whatever they can afford on a gift. Christmas parties also are very popular in the South. Often this is the only time during the year that some people see acquaintances . These parties can be elaborate or simple, ranging from a buffet to a reception called "open house ". If you are invited to one of these, you don't need to take a Christmas gift, as it is not customary to take the hostess a gift every time you are invited to a party or a meal. However, if you wish to take a gift, it should only be something useful and inexpensive and should be given to the hostess at the door as you enter the party. Usually gifts of Christmas food treats are the most appreciated. Which of the following is true? A) For a birthday party, the cake is often cut before candles are blown out. B) For a birthday party, neither friends nor the family will buy expensive presents. C) If you take a gift to a Christmas party, you'd better take something useful and inexpensive. D) It's customary to take the hostess a gift when you are invited to a party.
C
Many scientists are now exploring the idea of going to live on Mars. Some other scientists from the MASA AMES Center have already started the creation of a "Mars town" and many others are in fact already experimenting with it. Of course, these experiments are done on Earth itself but this "Mars town" has an environment practically like that of Mars. The astronauts working in these towns wear their space suit and also do everything they would really have to carry out if they ever go to Mars in the future. But Mars would be like Earth, a temporary place for humans. When the Sun starts swallowing up the planets, Mars will disappear only hours after Earth. So Mars only seems to be the ideal place to spread the human beings. It is also a good location to send humans if ever there is a disaster on Earth. By saying disaster, I mean asteroids hitting and things like that. If we humans do not want to disappear when Earth or Mars gets swallowed up, we will have to go and live beyond the solar system. But are there any planets outside our solar system prepared to support life? Astronomers' answer is: "If Earth can support life, why can't other planets do the same too? Astronomers have already discovered a Jupiter - like planet _ a Sun-like star, so why not an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star? To achieve this goal though, many other problems have to be taken into consideration. How do we transform a dusty planet like Mars into one more or less like our Earth? How should we go on? There is still a long way to go. Which of the following would be the best title for this passage? A) Mars Town B) Living on Mars C) The Future of Earth D) Where to live in the Future
D
Q: An 80-year-old man was sitting on the sofa in his house along with his 45-year-old highly educated son. Suddenly a crow perched on their window. The father asked his son, "What is this?" The son replied, "It is a crow." After a few minutes, the father asked his son the 2 time, "What is this?" The son said, "Father, I have just now told you 'It's a crow'." After a little while, the old father again asked his son the 3 time, "What is this?" At this time some expression of was felt in the son's tone when he said to his father. "It's a crow, a crow, a crow." A little after, the father again asked his son the 4 time, "What is this?" This time the son shouted at his father, "Why do you keep asking me the same question again and again, although I have told you so many times 'IT IS A CROW'. Are you not able to understand this?" A little later the father went to his room and came back with an old tattered diary, which he had maintained since his son was born. On opening a page, he asked his son to read that page. When the son read it, the following words were written in the diary: "Today my little son aged three was sitting with me on the sofa, when a crow was sitting on the window. My son asked me 23 times what it was, and I replied to him all 23 times that it was a crow. I hugged him lovingly each time he asked me the same question again and again for 23 times. I did not at all feel irritated, I rather felt affection for my innocent child." Why did the old father keep asking his son the same question? A) Because he developed a kind of disease. B) Because he was so boring that he wanted to play a joke with his son. C) Because he wanted to know whether his son was as patient as he used to be. D) Because his son used to love playing this game with him.
A: C
*Question*
Surgical teams accidentally leave clamps, sponges and other tools inside about 1,500 patients nationwide each year. The mistakes largely result not from surgeon tiredness, but from the stress arising from emergencies or complications discovered on the operating table, the researchers reported. The study found that emergency operations are nine times more likely to lead to such mistakes, and operating-room complications requiring a change in procedure are four times more likely. It also happens more often to fat patients, simply because there is more room inside them to lose equipment, according to the study. Two-thirds of the mistakes happened even though the equipment was counted before and after the procedure, in keeping with the standard practice. Most lost objects were sponges, but also included were metal clamps and electrodes . In two cases, 11-inch retractors metal strips were forgotten inside patients. In another operation, four sponges were left inside someone. When there is significant bleeding and a sponge is placed in a patient, it can sometimes look indistinguishable from the tissue around it. The lost objects usually lay around the abdomen or hips but sometimes in the chest. They often caused tears or infections. Most patients needed additional surgery to remove the object. In other cases, patients even sensed nothing about the object, and it turned up in later surgery for other problems. To prevent such mistakes from happening, Loyola University Medical Center is becoming one of the first hospitals in the country to use sponges outfitted with bar codes. The new system was brought to Loyola through the efforts of the hospital's operating room nurses. Another effective way is to X-ray patients after surgery to reduce the likelihood of objects being left inside patients. What is the best title for the passage? A) Never Trust Anyone B) A Mistake in the Operating Room C) Carelessness and Mistakes D) Tips for Patient Safety
**Answer**
B