Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: From bankers to factory staff, employees in the West face a cold _ of losing their jobs as a global recession starts to bite. For colleagues in the East, the pain is more likely to come through a pay cut. Human resource experts say cultural differences explain why Asian companies try harder to preserve jobs in difficult times, which will prevent unemployment and may help Asian economies survive at a time of slowing exports. The East Asian attitude may also make it easier for companies to recover quickly from the economic downturn since they will not need to rehire or train new staff, but build up a more loyal and devoted group. "In the Confucian mindset, the right thing to do is to share the burden, which is the sense of collective responsibility. While in the West, it's more about individual survival," said Michael Benoliel, associate professor of organizational behavior at Singapore Management University (SMU). In contrast, local Western companies from General Motors to Goldman Sachs plan to lay off workers by the thousand, but at the Asian units of Western multinationals or western units of Asian groups, job cuts will probably be less severe. Japan's jobless rate was 4 percent in September, up from 3.8 percent in January, while Hong Kong's was flat at 3.4 percent. But US unemployment is expected to have jumped to 6.3 percent last month from below 5 percent in January. Experts say that while there are noticeable differences in labor practices in East and West, the gap will narrow as more firms become more multinational and competition forces firms to adopt the best practices of rivals from abroad. Question: The passage mainly tells us _ . - the difficulties all the companies around the world will meet with today - the cultural differences between Eastern and Western world at present - the ways to cut down the cost of the companies in economic downturn - the different labor solutions of Asian and Western in global recession
the different labor solutions of Asian and Western in global recession

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: From James Dean to Growing Pains, Hollywood has long had a love affair with the relationship between teens and their parents. As the fascination with this relationship attests, parents play a crucial role in the development of their children's personalities. Teenagers learn by closely observing what people around them do. Parents are literally their first teachers and serve as role models. From hygiene to habits, from time management to personal manner, parents form the foundation of their children's characteristics. These tiny individual factors on our everyday behavior collectively constitute who we are. A second influence occurs at the spiritual level. Parental treatment of children is reflected in children's relationship with others. For example, my dad was quite angry with my study habits a few years back and lost his temper.I clearly remember that I too would easily lose my cool and shout at people, often saying things I later regretted, in those difficult days. Parents of my fellow classmates often tend to be anxious about the studies of their children, which can lead to a lack of confidence in their children. If we are boats weathering a storm as we navigate toward maturity, then parents should be our captains. It is as easy to lead us to shipwreck as is to take us ashore safely. To be fair, the guidance and influence of our parents are not the sole factors in molding us. There are numerous examples of teens forging their own paths and becoming something of which their parents never dreamed. Even so, parents must be a fundamental force that positively influences their children. At their best, they can help to solve teenage problems with a respect for their children's thoughts. Question: If parents are worried about the studies of their children, their children will _ . - easily lose their temper - lack self-confidence - follow their own paths - tend to shout at people
lack self-confidence

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: In 1980,Candy Lightner's 13-year-old daughter Cad was killed by a drunk driver as she walked down a suburban street in California. "I promised myself on the day of my daughter's death that I would fight to make this needless accident count for something positive in the years ahead," Candy Lightener later wrote. The drunk driver received a two-year prison sentence. However, he avoided prison by serving time in a work camp and a halfway house. Ms. Lightner was very angry about that and so organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), which later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The aim of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime. Before Ms. Lightner's MADD, intoxication , including drunk driving, was not taken seriously. Intoxication was often used as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior: "I didn't know what I was doing--I was drunk." Candy Lightner appeared on major television shows, spoke before the US Congress, addressed professional and business, groups, and worked tirelessly for years to change public attitudes, change judicial behaviour, and promote tough new legislation. Ms. Lightner left MADD because the organization that she herself created is changing its focus. "I didn't start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving." The President of the United States awarded her the President's Volunteer Action Award and she was the subject of the movie "Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: the Candy Lightner Story". Question: We can learn from the passage that _ . - the drunk driver had not been caught - drunk driving didn't receive enough attention before MADD - Candy Lightner played a leading role in a film - MADD didn't get much support from society
drunk driving didn't receive enough attention before MADD

Read the following article and select the best answer. Article: A small man went to a cinema, bought a ticket and went in. But after two or three minutes he came out, bought a second ticket and went in again. After a few minutes, he came out again and bought a third ticket. Two or three minutes after that, he came out a third time and asked for another ticket. But the girl said to him, "Why are you buying all these tickets? Are you waiting for friends in the cinema all the time?" "No, I am not doing that," answered the small man. "But a big woman always stops me at the door and tears my ticket up." The girl smiled and sold him another ticket. Question: The big woman _ . - didn't let the small man in - was the ticket collector - didn't like a small man at all - was the doorkeeper
was the ticket collector