In the United States, a person has to be sixteen to drive, seventeen to see certain movies, and eighteen to vote. People can get great discounts on all sorts of things provided they're over sixtyfive. Everywhere we look there are age limits that define what people can and can't do. But creativity has no boundaries, no limitations. Anyone can invent. Sitting in the car and waiting for her mom to return from shopping, Becky decided she might as well try to finish her math homework. But it was growing dark and getting hard to see the paper. "I didn't have a flashlight, and I didn't want to open the car door because then the whole car would light up." recalled Becky. "So I thought it would be good to have my paper light up somehow, and that's when the idea came to me." It isn't every day that a tenyearold invents a product eagerly sought by several businesses, but that's exactly what Becky Schroeder did when she created a tool that enabled people to write in the dark. Her invention ---- the Glosheet. That night Becky went home trying to imagine different ways of making her paper glow in the dark. She remembered all sorts of glowinthedark toys like balls and Frisbees and wondered how they were made. She was determined to find a solution. So the very next day, Beck's dad took her on an outing to the hardware store. They returned with a pail of phosphorescent paint. She took the paint and stacks of paper into the darkest room in the house. There, she experimented. "I'd turn on the light, turn it off, turn it on," said Becky. "My parents remember me running out of the room, saying "It works, it works! I'm writhing in the dark!" She used an acrylic board and coated it with a specific amount of phosphorescent paint. She took a complicated idea and made it work rather simply. When the coated clipboard is exposed to light, it glows. The glowing board then lights up the paper that has been placed on top. Two years after her initial inspiration, in 1974, Becky became the youngest female ever to receive a U.S.... What caused Becky to invent Glosheet? A) She was having trouble with math problems. B) She was trying to do homework when it got dark. C) She was trying to earn money. D) She was working on a school project.
B
More perhaps than any other European nation, the Swiss are accustomed to looking after foreign travelers. As early as the 18th century, wealthy French, Germans and Italians were treating the country as a amusement center while, in the 19th century, it became the major holiday playground for the British nobles. Today, it attracts visitors from all over the world. The Swiss are clear about the importance of tourism to their economy, which contributes about eight percent of Gross National Product, and helps the industry greatly. Managers of hotels the world over go to Switzerland to learn how to do the job, and a generally high standard can be expected from the great majority of the country's hotels, most of which are small and pride themselves on a personalized service. Public transport is the best in Europe. Both the Swiss Federal railways and the private railways are fully electrified, and the total network is made up of about 5000 kilometers of track. Under the Fly Baggage system passengers can check luggage in at 116 railway stations and have it automatically carried to their flight. The national highway system is equally well planned, and the mountain roads offer views of some of the country's most breathtaking scenery. Also serving the mountains is an effective system of railways and cable ways, while more than 160 passenger cars cross the lakes and rivers to and fro. Hiking in the mountains is equally popular with Swiss nationals and foreign visitors. For those who want to view the country from a height without having to climb the mountain themselves, it is always possible to take in the view from a balloon. The best title for this passage is _ . A) Scenery in Switzerland B) Life in Switzerland C) Tourism in Switzerland D) Transportation in Switzerland
C
Q: Last Tuesday, a group of Washington, D.C. middle school students took a trip to New Zealand, learning, cooking and eating. The students were part of A Taste of New Zealand at the Blair House, the President's guesthouse. The event was hosted by USA Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Capricia Marshall, and featured the New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, the Right Honorable Michael Moore. Ambassador Moore was also previously the Prime Minister of New Zealand. New Zealand is an island in the South Pacific near Australia. It's composed of, as Ambassador Moore joked, around 4.5 million people and 40 million sheep. It also has nice multi-cultural food and traditions, which the students experienced firsthand. The local students were joined by kids from the New Zealand embassy and they all got their hands messy cooking some of the favorite dishes in New Zealand. The menu included lamb chops, fish and chips, and a Kiwi-style vegetarian mini-pie. The food was delicious and beautifully crafted with some help from the Blair House chief cooks and a special guest cooks from a New Zealand-style restaurant in Washington. For dessert, there were several delicious things to choose from. But what stood out from the rest was the Pavlova, a treat made with fruit and others. Not only was the Pavlova nice to look at, but it's also a dish with some controversy. Peter Macaulay, an adviser to the Embassy of New Zealand who attended with his two children, Brianna and Fraser, cheerfully explained why the Pavlova was so controversial. Named after a Russian ballet dancer who visited the country in 1927, the Pavlova was created by the New Zealanders in honor of their special guest. The hullabaloo started when the dancer was honored with the same exact dish when she visited Australia. Ever since, a friendly competition has carried on over which country should take credit for originating the dessert. "We say that we did. And I would stick with our story!" said Ambassador Moore, when asked about the dish. A Taste... The passage is mainly about _ . A) American students experienced New Zealand through food B) American students made a trip to New Zealand C) American students learned the unique culture of New Zealand D) American students took part in an exchange event
A: A
(Q).
The protest movement called Occupy Wall Street has struck a nerve.The demonstrators' goals may not be obvious but their complaints are very real. The truth is that millions of Americans lost their jobs, their homes and their life savings because of the greed and illegal behavior of Wall Street.Even Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bemanke also said the protesters hold the view that the financial institutions are responsible for "getting the US into this mess", and added, "I can't blame those protesters." Where do we go from this movement? How do we calm the protesters' anger? For starters, we should break up the super financial institutions.Left to their own selfish will.Wall Street bankers will continue to gamble with other people's money.There also is a sound economic argument against too few owning far too much.The idea that six super financial institutions (Bank of America, CitiGroup, JP Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs) can take control over the economy frightens anyone who believes in a competitive free-market system.Good Republican presidents like William Howard Taft and Teddy Roosevelt broke up Standard Oil, the Railroad Trusts .and other huge companies a century ago. Real unemployment is more than 16%.Average family income has declined by $3,600 over the last decade.A record 46 million Americans live in poverty.The gap between the very rich and everyone else, the widest of any major country, is growing wider.Now is the time for us to end the financial oligarchy that has been so harmful to our economy.If a bank is too big, it is too big to exist. What can we learn from the passage? A) The protest movement has very clear aims. B) Wall Street bankers manage people's money well. C) Super financial institutions should be broken up. D) Average family income is always in decline.
(A).
C