You never forget your first whale. The impact it makes upon you is huge and life is never quite the same again. My first whale was a 40ft grey, off the coast of California in 1979, and I've been a whale addict ever since. Now I have to go whale watching regularly just to survive normal daily life. I may be crazy but I am certainly not alone. The world is filled with whale watchers: since its beginnings in the mid-fifties, whale watching has grown dramatically and now more than 13 million people join organized whale watching trips every year. As a faithful whale watcher, all your holidays center on whales. The only books you read are ones about whales; you wear whale T-shirts, and every time you meet your friends you talk about whales. So what is it about these larger-than-life animals that makes them so special? Their enormous size is one possible explanation: imagine sitting in a small boat next to a blue whale almost as long as a Boeing 737.The fact that we know so little about them is another possibility: modern technology has taken us to the moon and beyond, yet we are only just beginning to understand these extraordinary forms of intelligent life on our own planet. Planning and patience are just two essential requirements for successful whale watching. Planning is needed because there are certain whale hot spots--where you have the best chance of seeing them--and because the larger species tend to be on their way from feeding areas to breeding grounds, so rarely do they stay in one place for more than a few months at a time. Patience is necessary because, even under the best conditions, whales can be tricky to find. However, most commercial whale watching trips have a surprisingly high success rate because they tend to concentrate on well-known whale populations at peak seasons. What can be the best title of the passage? A) Tips on Whale Watching B) Memories of Whale Watching C) Whales Are Intelligent Animals D) Essential Requirements for Whale Watching
A
"English may be the global language of business but it is not enough by itself for companies to gain a lasting presence in many markets," the European Commission says in a study published last month. The study collected by the British National Centre for Languages for the EU leader, says over 10 per cent of 2,000 small and medium-sized firms in 29 European countries sampled in the study have lost export contract because of lack of language skills. The study says French is used to trade with partners in Africa, Spanish in Latin America, and Russian in Eastern Europe. "The picture is far more complex than the much-quoted view that English is the world language," the study says. Multilingual Commissioner Leonard Orban admitted that English plays an important role worldwide, but he wants to improve more linguistic variety within the EU. The EU's linguistic headaches have exploded with the group's expansion. Languages have become a sensitive topic in Brussels where English is increasingly eclipsing French as the main working language of the organization. Translation of EU papers into EU's 23 official languages costs 1 billion euros (US $1.31 billion) a year. "We want to be open not only to official languages of the Union, but also to others like regional languages, languages of minorities, immigrants' languages and third countries' languages," Orband said. Many EU students have improved their language skills during non-formal learning activities. Young people from more than 20 different nationalities travel across Europe to participate together in many cultural programmes, language courses, thematic workshops and other activities that are organized in about 100 cities. Which language is NOT mentioned in the passage? A) Japanese. B) Spanish. C) French. D) Russian.
A
Q: People who are cheerful and relaxed are less likely to suffer from colds. It's possible that being full of vim and vigor helps the body fight illnesses, say the researchers from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh. "We need to take more seriously the possibility that a positive emotional style is a major player in disease risk," says psychologist Sheldon Cohen, the study's lead researcher. In a previous study, Cohen and his colleagues found that people who tended to be cheerful and lively were least likely to develop sniffles, coughs, and other cold symptoms . Those findings were interesting, but they didn't prove that a person's attitude affects whether he or she gets sick. Instead, it was still probable that a person's underlying personality is what matters. Evidence suggests, for instance, that certain people are naturally more likely to be outgoing and optimistic, with high self-respect and a sense of control over life. This would mean that who we are, not how we feel, finally decides our chances of catching colds. To figure out which mattered more (personality or emotions), the CMU team interviewed 193 healthy adults. The researchers talked to each person over the phone every evening for 2 weeks. They told the researchers about the positive and negative feelings they had experienced that day. The results showed that everyone in the study was equally likely to get infected. Their symptoms, however, differed depending on the types of emotions that they had reported over the previous 2 weeks. Among those who reported good moods and had been infected with the flu virus, for example, 28 percent developed coughs and stuffy noses. On the other hand, those symptoms struck 41 percent of people who had been less positive. Scientists argue about whether negative emotions or positive emotions have a stronger effect on how healthy we are. For now, it can't hurt to look on the bright side more often than not! What is the text mainly about? A) how to get rid of colds B) Attitude determines life C) Smiles turn away colds D) Different opinions about colds
A: C
Dr Frank Mayfield was touring Tewksbury Institute when he met all elderly floor maid .Having known that the elderly woman had worked there for many years,he asked her to tell him about the history of this place. "I don't think I can tell you anything.but I could show you something."She took his hand and led him down to the basement under the oldest section of the building."That's where they used to keep Annie." "Who was Annie?" "Annie was a young girl who was brought in here because nobody could do anything with her.She'd bite and scream and throw her food at people.The doctors and nurses couldn't even examine her.I was only a few years younger than her myself and I used to think.I surely would hate to be locked up like that.I wanted to help her,but I didn't have any idea what I could do.So I just baked her some brownies one night after work.The next day I brought them in.I walked carefully to her cage and I got out of there just as fast as I could because I was afraid she might throw them at me.But she didn't.She actually took the brownies and ate them.After that,she was just a little bit nicer to me when I was around.And sometimes I'd talk to her.Once,I even got her laughing.One of the nurses noticed this and she told the doctor.They asked me if l'd help them with Annie.I said I would if I could.I went into the cage first and explained and calmed her down and held her hand,which is how they discovered that Annie was almost blind." ... When Helen Keller received the Nobel Prize,she was asked who had the greatest impact on her life and she said, "Annie Sullivan." But Annie said,"No Helen.The woman who had the greatest influence on both our lives was a floor maid at the Tewksbury Institute." What could probably happen after the doctors found Annie was almost blind? A) Annie continued to be locked there. B) Annie and the floor maid became friends. C) Annie was set free and received treatment. D) Annie went to teach Helen Keller.
C