It was shortly before midnight, and Dr Patricia was getting ready for bed. The phone rang on the end of the line was a woman about to break a promise. The woman was her mother's neighbour. Flora Harris had made the neighbour swear she wouldn't tell her daughter she'd a heart attack and was in the hospital, for fear her daughter would worry. The neighbour wisely decided to disobey orders. Harris desperately wanted to get to the hospital immediately, but she couldn't. She lives in Washington, D.C, and her mother lives in California. For the past year a half, Harris has gone to Los Angeles every other month to take care of her mother. Flora Harris takes care of her husband, James, who's 91 and has Alzheimer's disease. They live in their own home, and a caregiver comes to help them a few hours a day. Harris is one of many Americans facing the heartache of how to take care of aging parents from afar. She's often worried, not to mention extremely busy with a demanding job, two teenage daughters and the frequent trips to California. In some ways, Harris is lucky. She has the resources to make the trips to Los Angeles. Plus, Harris is a doctor who treats the elderly. " But it's still tough," she said. " I can foresee what the next few years are going to look like, and it's not a pretty picture. My father's going to need diapers . There will come a time when he won' t recognize me and he's easily excited. I worry he's going to be violent and hurt my mother." So what do you do when you live a continent away for your aging, sick parents? There are no magic answers. You can hire someone to help, but you can't _ it completely. Why was the woman thought to have broken a promise? A) She failed to take care of Flora. B) She was not supposed to call Harris at midnight. C) She couldn't go to hospital on time. D) She told Harris about her mother's illness.
D
Some years ago I was offered a writing assignment that would require three months of travel through Europe. I had been abroad a couple of times,but I could hardly claim to know my way around the continent. Moreover, my knowledge of foreign languages was limited to a little college French. I hesitated. How would I, unable to speak the language, totally unfamiliar with local geography or transportation systems, set up interviews and do research? It seemed impossible, and with considerable regret. I sat down to write a letter begging off. Halfway through, a thought ran through my mind: you can't learn if you don't try. So I accepted the assignment. There were some bad moments. But by the time I had finished the trip I was an experienced traveler. And ever since,I have never hesitated to head for even the most remote of places,without guides or even advanced bookings, confident that somehow I will manage. The point is that the new, the different, is almost scary by definition. But each time you try something, you learn, and as the learning piles up, the world opens to you. I've learned to ski at 40, and flown up the Rhine River in a balloon. And I know I'll go on doing such things. It's not because I'm braver or more daring than others. I'm not. But I'll accept anxiety as another name for challenge and I believe I can accomplish wonders. We can infer from the text that the author is _ . A) awkward B) generous C) stubborn D) brave
D
Q: The Ancient Town of Fenghuang, one of China's most well-known ancient towns, was under water as heavy rain hit the center of the country, with tens of thousands of people leaving from the area. Heavy rain and floods lasted for the past few days. Waters in the nearby Tuojiang River rose by almost one meter above warning level , causing heavy rainstorms. More than 120,000 local people and tourists have been helped to leave there because of the terrible _ . And more than 4,000 shops in the town have been shut. Several bridges on the Tuojiang River have been damaged or destroyed. Water has flowed into many bars, restaurants and hotels in its ancient town, and electricity in the ancient town has been cut off. About 128,000 people have been affected by the floods. Though the heavy rains have stopped, but the popular tourist spot remains closed for local people's safety. A shoe shop owner named Kuang said the flood was the worst the town had experienced. "The floods came so quickly that I didn't have time to move the shoes," he said sadly. "The flood has led to Fenghuang old town becoming a water town." said a post on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter. "We could only live in an old factory now where many homeless people have to stay together. The crowded space is full of sadness." Tang said. At least 14 people were killed in flooding in Hunan Province and the neighboring province of Jiangxi and region of Guangxi last month, Xinhua reported. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) The flood was not serious at all. B) Fenghuang the ancient town is a water town in Hunan Province. C) This flood which hit Fenghuang is the worst the town has experienced. D) No one died in this flood.
A: C
(Question)
If you're like most students, you probably read both at home and outside your home: perhaps somewhere on your schoolyard and maybe even at work during your breaks. Your reading environment can have a great effect on your understanding, so give some thought to how you can create or choose the right reading environments. The right environment allows you to stay alert and to keep all of your attention on the text, especially when it is both interesting and difficult. When you're at home, you can usually create effective conditions for reading. You might want to choose a particular place-a desk or table, for example-where you always read. Make sure the place you choose is well lighted, and sit in a chair that requires you to sit straight. Reading in a chair that's too soft and comfortable is likely to make you sleepy! Keep your active reading tools (pens, markers, notebooks or paper) and a dictionary close at hand. Before you sit down for a reading period, try to reduce all possible interruptions. Turn off your phone, the television, and the radio. Tell your family members or roommates that you'll be busy for a while. If necessary, put a "Do not disturb" sign on your door! The more interruptions you must deal with while you read, the harder it will be to keep your attention on the task at hand. What would be the best title for the text? A) What to Read B) The Ways to Reduce Possible Interruptions C) Creating an Effective Reading Environment D) How to Read Fast
(Answer)
C