As an English teacher, I've been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I've seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I've attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I've noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations. It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold? For some people, gold seems to be a status symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I'm not sure I'd spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains," Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold." For other people, gold is an investment . The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011. And for many people, a family heirloom brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It's quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It's a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I'll pass it on to the younger generation. Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen's death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful? People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts. The gold bracelet is the heirloom for the author's family mainly because _ . A) it's worth a lot of money B) it brings status and investment C) it's a beautiful object D) it holds family memories
D
(Question)
TOKYO (Reuters) - "Who played the father in the movie 'Kramer versus Kramer'?" That's one of the 50 questions Japanese men could face in a "daddy exam", meant to raise awareness about fatherhood in a country where men tend to work long hours and leave their wives in charge of childcare and household work. Even men who remember Dustin Hoffman struggling as a father in the movie may have a hard time answering questions ranging from baby food to politics. Tetsuya Ando, director of Fathering Japan, a Tokyo non-profit organization that came up with the test and will offer it to eager dads from next March, said the exam was an attracting way to get fathers into parenting. "There just isn't enough information about parenting for fathers. Through the exam, we want men to realize that they don't know anything about bringing up kids," he said. For the price of 3,900 yen ($34), fathers can find out whether they qualify as a "Super Dad," or are in need of more effort as a "Challenge Dad." "We have received inquiries from fathers, single men, to-be-dads, grandfathers ... even an aunt who was concerned that her nephew is too busy with work to notice the fun of parenting," Ando said. The image of fathers is gradually changing in Japan as younger men _ their own dads' hands-off way in favor of closer involvement, and a wave of new parenting magazines for male readers has been hitting newsstands. But it is still hard for Japanese fathers to cut down on their work hours and spend more time with their families. Only 0.5 percent of employed men in Japan took parental leave in 2011, compared with 14 percent in the United States and 12 percent in Britain in 2000. The "daddy exam" is intended to _ . A) test to - be - dads' fatherhood knowledge B) test Challenge Dad's parenting knowledge C) attract the whole society's attention to parenting D) have fathers realize their responsibility for their families
(Answer)
D
Ques: It was an extremely hot day. My younger brother Walt and I had decided to go swimming in the stream behind Mr Blickez's house, because it would be the only way to cool ourselves down. Across his farm and through some woods was a deep swimming hole supplied by several cold springs . The only problem with our plan was that this farm was guarded by a huge mean Hereford bull . Mr Blickez had told us that Elsie, the animal's name, was the meanest bull in town, maybe even the county, and we believed in him. But the hotter it got, the more we thought there was reason to doubt about what he said. For one thing, we remembered Mr Blickez liked telling tall tales; for another, Elsie seemed like a strange name for a bull. Finally, I talked Mom into asking permission for us to walk through the farm, and Mr Blickez finally agreed. On our way across the farm, we stopped at the fence to admire the swimming hole. The sun shone brightly across the cool waters. We couldn't wait to get there. Suddenly, Walt shouted loudly. Elsie had run to him and was licking his back. I immediately hid under the fence. However, when I looked up, I saw that Elsie wasn't a big mean bull at all. She was just a friendly young cow, and she was going to keep licking my brother's back as long as he stood still. When we discovered the truth, we were so happy. We then ran to the swimming hole and jumped in. The water was just as wonderful as we had dreamed. After that day, we had many good days and we often visited our secret swimming hole guarded by the so-called "big mean bull". When Elsie saw the author's brother, she _ . A) tried to attack him B) immediately ran away C) showed her friendliness D) tried to drive him away
Ans: C
Around three forty-five on a rainy Saturday morning, I was woken up by the sound of my pager beeping. As a volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician, I can never count on a full night of sleep. I pulled myself out of bed and went toward the desk to grab my radio. Our crew was being sent to a nearby home where a man was in cardiac arrest . We found the man lying on the kitchen floor with his wife beside him. We rushed the patient to the hospital, but despite our efforts, we were unable to save his life. In my line of life, I rarely get any recognition from the patients we treat, or from their loved ones. But that night, a man's wife approached us, and through her tears, whispered, "Thank you." Then she hugged each of us. She knew we answered her late-night call for help, even though the ending was not positive. There is something deeply rewarding about helping people in these circumstances. Sometimes, I'm able to make their worst day a bit better: like seeing the tears of an injured child turn into a smile when I gave him an interesting toy; or watching a terrified mother's screams turn into tears of joy when she realized her baby was going to be fine. Experiences like these allow me to see the impact my work has on others. At the same time, I also know the effect _ has had on my own life. As a teenager, I felt awkward when my dad hugged me and said, " I love you, my dear son." I was equally uncomfortable and responded, "I love you." But then I imagined him lying on the kitchen floor that rainy night and realized that my opportunity to say those three words could---at any moment---be taken away forever. Now, I extremely treasure the moment when my father says those three words to me. I've learned to appreciate every relationship I have, to tell people I care about them, and to never take anything in life for granted. On that rainy Saturday morning, the author was woken to _ . A) meet his father for the last time B) put out a really big fire C) save a man's life D) do a scientific experiment
C