Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse , but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out". It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for America's fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the... Question: In the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out", this means _ . - thin is "inside", fat is "outside" - thin is "diligent", fat is "lazy" - thin is "youthful", fat is "spiritless" - thin is "fashionable", fat is "unfashionable"
thin is "fashionable", fat is "unfashionable"

(Question)
Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In the United States, friendships can be close, constant, intense, generous, and real, yet fade away in a short time if things change. Neither side feels hurt by this. Both may exchange Christmas greeting for a year or two, perhaps a few letters for a while--then no more. If the same two people meet again by chance, even years later, they pick up the friendship where it's left off and are delighted. In the States, you can feel free to visit people's homes and share their holidays without fear that you are taking on a lasting obligation. Do not hesitate to accept hospitality because you cannot give it in return. No one will expect you to do so for they know you are far from home. Americans will enjoy welcoming you and be pleased if you accept their hospitality easily. Once you arrive there, the welcome will be full and warm and real. Most visitors find themselves easily invited into many homes there. In some countries it is considered inhospitable to entertain at home, offering what is felt as "merely" home cooked food, not "doing something" for your guest. It is felt that restaurant entertaining shows more respect and welcome. Or for various other reasons, such as crowded space, language difficulties, or family custom, outsiders are not invited into homes. In the United States, both methods are used, but it is often considered more friendly to invite a person to one's home than to go to a public place, except in pure business relationships. So, if your host or hostess brings you home, do not feel that you are being shown inferior treatment. Question: . - different languages - naughty children - different customs - small houses
(Answer)
naughty children

Ques: Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: TV is an excellent resource for hearing and listening to English. The pictures help you understand what is being said and TV news is an ideal way to help improve your listening ability because within a short period of time the same news is often repeated. This means that you can watch basically the same news program several times within a day and that every _ program will help you to understand what is being said. These preparatory steps are very important before your listening: * Find out which news report you want to listen to, when and on what channel. CCTV 9 is a good choice because this is China's English channel and has regular news reports. * Just watch the news reports for a few days first, before requiring yourself to understand the stories. Give yourself time to get familiar with the newsreaders and their accents. You should also get an idea of the structure of the entire report as well as the structure of a typical news story. * Watch the news in Chinese first. This will tell you what the main news items are and help prepare you for understanding news reports in English. While listening, you should pay attention to a few things that you may try to do: * You can aim at just getting what a story is about. Give a one-to -tow-sentence description after each story. * Put forward a few questions to yourself about a story, and then seek to answer them from your listening. You can do this by stopping the tape as soon as the headline is read to you. * Your may write a full transcript of a story to practice intensive listening. This may bring to notice listening problems that have skipped your attention when you only concentrate on the content. Even though the listening part is over, some follow-up activities will help you reinforce your learning. You may talk about the news with one or more friends. This provides an opportunity to produce a summary or express your thoughts in a brief article. Question: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage? - Getting ready for news listening. - Making suggestions while listening. - Doing follow-up activities after listening. - Listening practice after the proposal.
Ans: Listening practice after the proposal.

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: I've been asked a million times why I've chosen to put up with all the inconvenience of working the road all these years when I could have easily written songs for a living, and enjoyed a peaceful and comfortable existence.My reply is:Nobody applauds when you write a song. What else would cause a person to pack his belongings and ride away from his family in order to lead such a nomadic existence? I mean,entertainers don't cure cancer or anything. I once rode all night and half a day through a snowstorm only to arrive in a town where we were booked to perform to find our concert had been canceled because of the weather.A handful of people hadn't heard the news,however,and had managed somehow to make their way to the concert hall. We were cold, tired and hungry. But there was something in the eyes of those few fans who had shown up that told us how badly they wanted to hear the music they knew we could play if only we would. There was certainly no place else for us to go. _ Why not drink some coffee and pick a little country music? When our show was over,an elderly lady approached the stage."You don't know how much this evening has meant to me," she said."Thank you for playing and singing for such a small crowd.Today is the first time I've smiled since my husband died.Your music has helped me to forget my problems for a while." Okay,so entertainers don't cure cancer.But maybe, every once in a while, we cure some other things that are almost as important. Question: Why did the author decide to give a performance for a small crowd ? - He was impressed with the crowd's desire for music. - He tried to encourage some cancer patients. - He was moved by an elderly lady. - He wanted to earn some money.
He was impressed with the crowd's desire for music.