Question: Su Hua is studying at Cambridge, UK. She has bought a bicycle and is worried about security. Her friend, Kate, found this article and sent it to her. www.zxxk.com

Introduction

A lot of crime is against bicycles. About 150,000 bicycles are stolen every year and most are never found. You can prevent this happening by following a few careful steps.

Basic Security

Do not leave your bicycle in out-of-the-way places. Always lock your bicycle when you leave. Secure it to lampposts or trees. Take off smaller parts and take them with you, for example lights and saddles .

Locks

Get a good lock. There are many different types in the shop. Buy one that has been tested against attack. Ask for a recommendation from a bike shop.

Marking

Security marking your bike can act as a deterrent to a thief. It can also help the police find your bicycle. It should be clearly written and include your postcode and your house or flat number. This will provide a simple way to identify your bicycle.

Registration

There are a number of companies who will mark your bicycle for you. They will then put your registration number and personal details on their computer database. Then if your bicycle is found it will be easy to contact you.

Finally

Keep a record of the bicycle yourself: its make, model and registration number. You can even take a photograph of it, this will prove the bicycle belongs to you. 1. where does Su Hua go to school?
2. what did she buy?
3. what worry does she have?
4. who gave her some information?
5. is Kate her friend?
6. where did she find the information?
7. how many bikes are taken every year?
8. are most of them found again?
9. what should you do with little pieces from a bike?
10. like what pieces?
11. what else can you do?
12. what kind should you buy?
13. where can you get help choosing one?
14. how does marking help?
15. who can mark it for you?
16. what else will they do?
17. what else should you record? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. Cambridge.
2. bicycle .
3. Security.
4. \Kate.
5. Yes.
6. www.zxxk.com
7. About 150,000.
8. No.
9. Take them with you.
10. Lights.
11. Get a good lock.
12. One that's been tested against attack.
13. Bike shop.
14. Act as a deterrent to a thief.
15. A number of companies.
16. Put your registration number in their database.
17. Registration number.

Question: (CNN) -- Roger Ebert was seldom at a loss for words.

His debates with Gene Siskel, his longtime co-host on a succession of movie-review television shows, sometimes seemed to start before the introduction and often appeared to continue well after the credits rolled. He wrote reviews, columns, interviews and articles, an astonishing collection of work that spanned more than four decades with the Chicago Sun-Times, freelance contributions for magazines such as Esquire, CD-ROMs (Ebert's movie guide was one of the sources for the popular Cinemania) and rogerebert.com. He hosted festivals for underappreciated films. He gave running travelogues from Cannes and Toronto.

He tweeted, Facebooked, corresponded with film lovers and held court with words long after his physical voice was silenced by cancer a decade ago.

Ebert lost his battle with cancer Thursday. He was 70.

What a voice he had: firm, plain, brooking no claptrap and telling you exactly what he thought, a throwback, he said, to his newspaper reporter days. (Chicago, then and now, was full of such cheerily blunt personalities: Mike Royko, Irv Kupcinet, Studs Terkel -- perhaps to be expected in the birthplace of "The Front Page.")

Opinion: Ebert's sheer love of life

Above all, he was easy to relate to. Like many of his readers, I didn't always agree with Ebert, but I could understand his viewpoint. He understood movies were these complex machines of directors and actors and special effects guys and studio suits holding bags of money, machines that -- when they worked -- were magical, like dreams. And when they didn't, he could be a compassionate man, more forgiving than many other critics. 1. Who does the article feature?
2. what is he famous for?
3. how did he die?
4. Who was his cohost?
5. Could he speak?
6. For his entire life?
7. how old was he when he passed away?
8. Did he hold back on his reviews?
9. Did people usually agree with him?
10. how was he different from other critics? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. Roger Ebert
2. movie-review
3. cancer
4. Gene Siskel
5. yes
6. no
7. 70
8. no
9. to relate
10. magical, like dreams

Question: When Steve Maxwell graduated from college, he had an engineering degree and a high tech job -- but he couldn't balance his checkbook. "I took one finance class in college but dropped it to go on a ski trip," says the 45-year-old father of three, who lives in Windsor, Colorado. "I actually had to go to my bank and ask them to teach me how to read my statement."

One of the biggest obstacles to making money is not understanding it: Thousands of us avoid investing because we just don't get it. But to make money, you must be financially literate. "It bothered me that I didn't understand this stuff," says Steve, "so I read books and magazines about money management and investing, and I asked every financial whiz I knew to explain things to me."

He and his wife started applying the lessons: They made a point to _ . They never bought on impulse, always negotiated better deals (on their cars,cable bills, furniture) and stayed in their home long after they went for an expensive vacation. They also put 20 percent of their annual salary into investments.

Within ten years, they were millionaires, and people were coming to Steve for advice. "Someone would say, 'I need to refinance my house -- what should I do? 'A lot of times, I wouldn't know the answer, but I'd go to find it and learn something in the process," he says.

In 2003, Steve quit his job to become part owner of a company that holds personal finance seminars for employees of corporations like Wal Mart. He also started going to real estate investment seminars, and it's paid off: He now owns $ 30 million worth of investment properties, including apartment complexes, a shopping mall and a quarry.

"I was an engineer who never thought this life was possible, but all it truly takes is a little self education," says Steve. "You can do anything once you understand the basics." 1. What type of degree did Steve have?
2. Did he have a high-tech job as well?
3. Why did he drop his finance class?
4. How many children does he have?
5. How old is Steve?
6. In what year did Steve quit his job?
7. Is Steve a multi-millionaire?
8. How long did it take him to become a millionaire?
9. Do people ask Steve for advice?
10. How much of his annual salary does he put into Investments? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. an engineering degree
2. yes
3. to go on a ski trip
4. three
5. 45
6. 2003
7. yes
8. Within ten years
9. yes
10. 20 percent