Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Clay Wanner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas a few years ago,to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. "I think half of them fell off their chairs, " Wanner says. Wanner manages school facilities for Clark County, Nevada,a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018,143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public education system. Wanner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes ;they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings. Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County,which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. "One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation ," Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. "You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool." Surprisingly, the man who is responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. "I don't believe in the new green religion," Wanner says."Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I'm interested in those that work. "But he wouldn't mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. "You never know what's going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,"he says. Question: What does Wanner think of the ideas of green schools? Options: A: They are out of date. B: They are questionable. C: They are advanced. D: They are practical.
Ans: B

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: The World Health Organization has for the first time expressed "cautious optimism" that the growth in new Ebola cases in West Africa may be slowing down. Bruce Aylward, who is in charge of the WHO response to Ebola, said in Geneva that he was particularly encouraged by evidence of a downward trend in Liberia, one of the three worst-affected countries. The WHO's official total number of Ebola cases has reached 13,703 - a big jump from the10,141 cases it reported four days ago. But Dr Aylward said that was mainly the result of the data being updated with old cases, rather than new cases arising. "Do we feel confident that the response is now getting an upper hand on the virus? Yes, we are seeing a slowing rate of new cases, very definitely," Dr Aylward said. However, Dr Aylward also urged people not to celebrate pre-maturely over any apparent downturn in the epidemic . "I'm terrified that the information will be misunderstood and people will think Ebola is under control," he said. Any reduction in the battle against the virus might lead to "an oscillating pattern where the disease moves up and down". The improvement in Liberia seems to be due to a combination of more treatment facilities, better contact tracing and safer burial practices, together leading to fewer new infections from Ebola patients. In Sierra Leone the number of cases continues to increase in some areas. "We're still seeing this thing _ in parts of Sierra Leone," Dr Aylward said Tracing the progress of individual patients, the WHO estimates an overall death rate of 70 percent, though people who receive treatment in a well-equipped clinic are slightly less likely to die. The WHO plans to set up 56 Ebola clinics with 4,700 beds in West Africa. Of these 15 clinics with 1,050 beds are already operational and another 22 clinics are expected to open during November. Meanwhile, two former NATO secretaries-general and dozens of leading European politicians have urged the alliance to send troops, aircraft and ships to west Africa to help contain the... Question: Why did Dr Aylward urge people not to celebrate prematurely? Options: A: Because celebrations may increases infections. B: Because the pattern of the disease is up and down. C: Because people may be misled to stop the battle. D: Because we are getting an upper hand on the virus.
Ans: C

Ques: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In recent years, especially during the l960s, there was much discussion about "the brain drain (, )," which dealt with the problem of students and learned people who left their own countries for other countries that offered better chances for study, research, and employment.For example, according to a report from U.N., between 1962 and l966 more than 50 percent of all engineering graduates of Iran and 14 percent of Iranian scientists left their country for work abroad.Over 30 percent of Chilean engineers and 15 percent of Turkish physicians also went to work in other countries.Probably the greatest brain drain occurred among young scientists who had gone abroad to study.Many of them had planned to return to their countries to teach but chose to remain in more industrialized nations where they were able to continue their work and their research in fields in which there were no job possibilities at home.The countries that attracted most of these scientists were the United States, Great Britain, Germany, France, Canada, and Australia. Recent studies show that the brain drain to the United States may be decreasing.Many foreign scientists are going home again, and in some cases American scientists are leaving the United States for employment in other countries.The main reasons are that good jobs are becoming fewer here, money for national research has been sharply cut, and university fellowships reduced too.However, in the field of medicine the drain to the United States still goes on.Today more than one of every five American doctors is foreign - born, and several thousand foreign doctors immigrate to the United States each year.Over eighty countries have asked the State Department to send students who are skilled in important fields such as medicine back home when their study programs are over. Question: The brain drain to the United States may be decreasing mainly because _ . Options: A: many foreign scientists are ordered to return to their motherlands B: they don't need any foreign scientists now C: there are fewer and fewer good jobs in the USA D: the universities refuse to provide money for the foreign scientists
Ans:
C