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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A few months ago, while driving home from work, I stopped at a gas station to gas up my car before heading home. When I went in to pre-pay for my gas, I saw a man with his son ahead of me in the line. They were a little dirty from working & painting at a local job site and the man asked the clerk to help them patiently. The clerk behind the counter seemed annoyed and not interested in talking to them. From their conversation, I knew that the man had lost his wallet, was almost out of gas and still had 1.5 hours drive to get himself and his son home. He couldn't write the clerk a check. Because he knew the money in his account wasn't available yet. The clerk asked them to move aside and let me up to the register. I gave the clerk two 20 dollar bills and told him to put $20 on my pump and to pre-pay $20 on their pump also. When I went back out to fill my gas tank, the teenage son came towards me to express his appreciation. His father was too excited, so he stayed inside the store until I was gone. They asked if I would accept a check from them for the money, but I refused. I told the teenager to "pay it forward" and help _ Question: When the author got to the gas station, _ . - a little boy was doing some painting there - a man was trying to fill his car up with gas - the clerk was quarreling with a customer - a man was looking for his wallet
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a man was trying to fill his car up with gas

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Look, this is the first plane in the world to be created using the new technology of "3D printing". The airplane was built using only a computer--but it can fly at a speed of 100mph and has a two-meter wingspan. It was produced using a special nylon laser printer that builds up something layer-by-layer. The parts were made separately and attached using a "snap fit" technique so the aircraft could be put together without tools in minutes. No fasteners at all were used in the manufacture of the plane. Unmanned and electrically powered, the plane can travel in near silence and is also equipped with a small autopilot system. The special production process used is known as "laser sintering "and allows the designers to create shapes and structures that would normally include costly manufacturing techniques. This technology allows a highly-tailored aircraft to be developed from your own design to first flight in days, while using traditional materials and techniques would take months. And because no tooling is required for manufacture, major changes to the shape and scale of the aircraft can be made with no extra cost. Professor Jim Scanlon, who led the team, said, "The process allows the design team to revisit historical techniques and ideas that would have been too expensive using traditional manufacturing." He added, "This form of structure is very firm and lightweight, but very complex. If it was manufactured traditionally it would require a large number of individually tailored parts that would have to be connected or fastened at great expense." The new printed plane is known as the Southampton University Laser Sintered Aircraft--or SULSA for short--and is part of a wider project using cutting-edge manufacturing techniques. The University of Southampton has been at the leading position of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle development since the early 1990s. Question: Professor Jim Scanlon believes they can _ with their techniques. - produce firmer and lighter real planes easily - connect and fasten tailor parts for real planes - copy earlier planes to study their techniques - find differences by studying the traditional ones
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produce firmer and lighter real planes easily

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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Winter is a great time to experiment with new sports. The key is to find one that matches your interests and natural abilities. If you like to walk, keep walking -- on snowshoes. If you want to try an endurance sport, go for cross-country skiing. Besides, snowboarding is just great fun. Not satisfied with these? Try downhill skiing, then. Downhill skiing is not as hard as it used to be -- shorter, lightweight, curved skis make any beginner feel like an Olympic winner. These newer skis -- along with another type of equipment called skiboards, which are even shorter than skis -- help you control your speed and body movements. Consider testing the latest high-tech skis or snowboards?Check with your local sports shops or the rental places at the ski mountains about sample programs. You could also try sledding. Use a wood-framed sled with steel runners or a plastic sled to head down a snowy hill. If you prefer ice to snow, think hockey or figure skating. Runners can also train during the winter in spite of wet or slippery roads. One of the easiest sports around, snowshoeing can be excellent cold-weather cross-training for runners and cyclists -- or anyone wanting to take a wintry walk in the woods. Snowshoes are smaller, lighter, and better than ever. If you want to try them out, you may be able to rent a pair for a day at many of the larger outdoor or sporting goods stores. Whatever sport you choose, don't rely on a friend for instruction. You wouldn't let an inexperienced doctor perform a brain operation on you, but why let one teach you to ski or skate? That's what instructors are for -- to help newcomers start out right. Instructors can give you advice about equipment, techniques, safety, and dealing with injuries if they do happen to you. Above all, if you want to progress, invest your time in learning the basic skills thoroughly. Everything else you do as a skier, boarder, or skater will be built on these first skills. Question: What can we learn from the passage? - Runners and cyclists cannot train because of the wet or slippery roads in winter. - Downhill skiing used to be more difficult to learn because of the old-fashioned skis. - People can rent snowshoes for a day at their local sports shops or the rental places. - In general, first skills are more important in skiing than in snowboarding or skating.
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Downhill skiing used to be more difficult to learn because of the old-fashioned skis.