Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: To: "The Shoe People" <inquiries@shoepeople.com> From: "John Trimbald" <jtconstruction@img.com> Subject: Customer Complaint To Whom it May Concern, I have trusted the Shoe People to protect the feet of my employees for over ten years now. I recently purchased a few pairs of boots from your company for my crew. Though my men were initially satisfied with the boots, the soles began to fall apart on them after just twelve weeks. This was extremely surprising considering they came with a six year warranty. The boots are unsafe to wear because my men are pouring hot concrete. Please respond as soon as possible with instructions on how I can return the boots and receive a refund. Thank you, John Trimbald, Foreman, JT Construction To: "John Trimbald" <jtconstruction @ img. com> From: "The Shoe People" <inquiries @ shoepeople. com> Dear Mr. Trimbald, Thank you for your e-mail concerning the poor quality of our rubber soled black workboots. A representative will be by your office next week to pick up the damaged boots. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you and your crew. Along with five new pairs of workboots for your crew (we included one extra pair), we have enclosed a free year's supply of sole protector spray. In our retail stores, this spray is always recommended to buyers who work on heated floors. This should have been brought to your attention at the time of your initial order. Please excuse our oversight. To date we have had no complaints about these workboots from customers who have used the protector spray. However, should you use the spray and find that you are still unsatisfied with the boots, please return the boots and spray for a full refund. Thank you for supporting The Shoe People. Have a Happy New Year. Sincerely, Stan Mason, President Question: The first email is basically an email of _ . - apology - sympathy - appreciation - complaint
complaint
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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: I entered college in China in 1981. Many things seemed to remain the same. For many things are dominated by one thing: the national entrance examination to get into college. In my year, about 4% high school students went to college. Now the number is 22%, as compared to 40% in the US. The significant increase in the entrance rate doesn't seem to have relieved the anxiety. As a parent to a freshman college student, I can prove that junior and senior years in high school are not much fun even for students in the US. Once a country has vastly increased the rate of college entrance, students will still want to get into "better" colleges. _ , no matter where you are. The NYT Magazine article also mentioned the Soviet-style over-specialized education in Chinese colleges. My class in college had maybe 60 students specialized in compressors, another 60 students specialized in refrigeration, and yet another 60 students specialized in welding . I was among the 60 specialized in mechanics. I cannot recall the numbers exactly, but you get the picture. It really wasn't as terrible as it sounds. In order to specialize in mechanics, we had to study math, physics and chemistry. We studied electrical circuits, alloy treatment, mechanical drawing, Fortran. We even had a continuous stream of humanity courses: history of communist party, political economics... I'm not sure I enjoyed all the courses, but I cannot claim that these courses damaged my brain, either. I remember some of the humanity courses required writing, which turned out to be a useful skill. As a consequence of specialization, we did learn a lot of mechanics. By the end of college, we had courses on analytical mechanics, strength of materials. I often feel sorry for American students in my undergraduate class, knowing that strength of materials will be their first and last course in the mechanics of materials. So many beautiful sights unseen! But they also seem to turn out to be OK. A liberal and superficial eduction doesn't damage their brains, either. All... Question: What's the meaning of the sentence "the rat race is on if you are a rat"? - You cannot conquer your rivals forever. - There are too many people with the same ideas as yours. - You cannot avoid competition as long as you are in the society. - You should take yourself as a rat and run on for an established goal.
You cannot avoid competition as long as you are in the society.
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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A new study shows one of the largest glaciers in Greenland is becoming smaller and speeding to the sea faster than scientists expected. If it continues, Greenland itself could become much smaller during this century and global seas could rise as much as 3 feet. The rates of change that we're noticing are much higher than expected. If these rates continue, it is not likely that Greenland could shrink by several tens of percent this century. However, it's not known how quickly this coastal response of the Greenland ice sheet melting will have an effect on the vast inland ice. Greenland is the world's largest island, covering area more than three times the size of Texas. Some 81 percent of it is covered by ice, and there are many glaciers. Glaciers are like slow-moving rivers of ice. Where a glacier meets the sea, its weight keeps it firmly resting on the bottom. A glacier's front is the point where the water is deep enough that the glacier floats. Since the 1970s, the front of Helheim stayed in the same place. Then it began melting rapidly, moving back 4.5 miles from 2001 through this past summer. It has also grown thinner, from top to bottom, by more than 130 feet since 2001. And over these past years, its trip to the sea has sped up from about 70 feet per day to nearly 110. The melting is driven by a warmer climate. Temperatures in Greenland have risen more than five degrees Fahrenheit in the last ten years. Since most of Greenland's ice is on land, seas will rise as the ice melts. If all Greenland's ice sheet melted, oceans would be 15-20 feet higher. Nobody expects that to happen any time soon. Question: Which of the following may be the result of the disappearing of Greenland glaciers? - The climate of the world will be warmer. - The glaciers in other areas will be bigger. - It will be easy for explorers to visit the island. - Some coastal cities may be under the sea.
Some coastal cities may be under the sea.
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Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: Speaking in public is most people's least favorite thing. The reason is that we're all afraid of making fools of ourselves. The more important the speech is the more frightened we become. But stop biting your finger-nails. Public speaking is easy. It's just plain talking, and you talk all the time. Public speaking is not a "gift" like musical talent or being able to draw. Anybody who can talk can speak in public. Here are some tips: Keep it simple. Your audience is going to learn one or two from your main ideas by heart. If you can't express, then your speech is not focused well enough. And if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to say, then your audience will have no interest in your speech. Get organized. No matter how long or short your speech is, you'd better get your materials in order: how you're going to start, what major points you want to make and how you're going to close. You may often write the last sentence first. When you know what your aim is, you can choose any ways to get there. A strong close is powerful. The last thing you say is what your audience will most likely remember. Keep it short. The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes. If all those troupers want to sing and dance, they may make the audience bored. So make your speech short. Question: What does the author teach us here? - Not to make fools of ourselves. - How to make a speech. - To talk all the time. - How to have a clear idea when you speak.
How to make a speech.
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