Question: Ques:There is a place where Christmas lives all year long. It is called Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The family-owned business calls itself the world's largest Christmas store. The late Wally Bronner started the business in 1945. Wayne Bronner, Wally's son, is president and CEO of what is now a multi-million dollar corporation. He learned the business from an early age. Some of his best memories are traveling to other countries with his father to find new products for the store. Bronner's sells more than 50,000 holiday products from 70 nations. Half of the products cost less than ten dollars. Wayne Bronner says the demand for small objects to hang on Christmas trees has expanded over the years. People spend more time, effort and money into decorating their homes with these ornaments, lights and religious scenes. Bronner's is famous for its nativity scenes which show the birth of Jesus Christ. Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Bronner's has been affected by the recession, too. But not in reduced sales. Wayne Bronner said: "Even though people are spending less, we're having more people visit here. And as a result we've actually had a sales increase." Bronner's success is also linked to community cooperation and investment. Frankenmuth is a town of 5,000 people in eastern Michigan's farm country. The town was settled by Bavarian Germans in the 1800s. It has kept its traditions alive in buildings and restaurants.  Bavarian cultural themes and Bronner's huge store bring 3,000,000 visitors a year. The town is the most popular place for tourists in the state. Bronner's business is aimed at a single day of the year. But that is not too different from other businesses.  "About half of our business is done in the last quarter of the year, in the last three months. And actually when you compare that with most retailers, that follows the same pattern." Wayne Bronner says the family's long-term planning and willingness to reinvest profits has developed the company into what it is... Bronner's mainly sells   _  . A) holiday products imported from foreign countries B) festival ornaments made by themselves C) festival ornaments during the summer and winter holidays D) holiday products to tourists from foreign countries

Ans:A
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Ques:A third of primary schoolchildren in China are suffering from psychological ill-health as a result of classroom stress and parental pressure, according to a study published on Tuesday. The problem is so bad that urgent measures are needed, warns the study, led by British and Chinese researchers. The investigation surveyed 2,191 pupils aged nine to 12 in nine schools in urban and rural Zhejiang, a  ly prosperous coastal province in eastern China.     Eighty-one percent of the youngsters said they worried "a lot" about exams, 63 percent feared being punished by their teacher, 44 percent had been physically bullied at least sometimes - with boys likelier to be victims than girls - and 73 percent had been physically punished by their parents. Most of the children complained they struggled to cope with the amount of homework they were assigned. Over one-third reported headaches or abdominal pains - psychosomatic symptoms of stress - at least once a week. The most stressed children reported incidence of aches or pains of four times a week. The investigation, led by Therese Hesketh, a professor at University College London (UCL) Centre for International Health and Development, pointed the finger at extreme competitiveness in China's education system, from the onset of primary school. "The competitive and punitive educational environment leads to high levels of stress and psychosomatic symptoms," the authors say. "Measures to reduce unnecessary stress on children in schools should be introduced urgently." The paper appears in Archives of Disease in Childhood, a peer-reviewed journal of the British Medical Association (BMA). The "urban" setting for the study was Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang, while the "rural" setting was a poor county in Quzhou prefecture, in the west of the province. The study highlights some of the complexities that, it says, explain the demands for academic excellence and intolerance of failure. One factor is the country's dramatic rise in prosperity, which has created "previously... What mainly caused schoolchildren to suffer from psychological ill-health? A) Competitiveness in education system B) Classroom stress and parental pressure C) Physical punishment from their parents D) Endless homework from school teachers :

Ans:B
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Ques:A large number of women in Western European countries wish that they were born men. The number is said as high as 60% in West Germany. "Women often wish that they had the same chance as men have, and believe it is still men's world," said Dr James Holden, one of the scientists who did the study. Anne Harper has a very good job for an international oil company. She also believes in "Women' s Liberation ". "I don't wish that I were a man," she says, "and I don't think many women do. But I do wish that people would stop looking down upon us women. At work, for example, we often do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs that are usually the best ones and open only to men. If you're a man, you have a much better chance of leading an exciting life. How many women pilots are there ... or engineers or scientists?" Anne Harper considers that women should   _  . A) be really liberated B) live a better life than men C) be well paid D) get better jobs than men

Ans:A
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Ques:When you are traveling, it's vital to know about the customs and etiquette(,)of the global village. What we consider polite behavior at home isn't always accepted outside our borders. * Etiquette of Gift Giving Gift giving should be a happy, positive experience. When selecting a present for someone in Netherlands, don't purchase fancy kitchen knives or scissors. Giving sharp, pointy objects as gifts is considered unlucky. Be careful when presenting flowers to a friend or a business partner in Russia. Yellow blooms suggest cheat or a relationship break up. Traditionally, red carnations are placed on the tombs of the dead. Writing cards or notes while visiting South Korea, be mindful of your pen's ink color1. Writing a person's name in red ink traditionally suggests that the person has passed away--an important point to remember when giving a birthday card. * Eating Customs Being early or on time is viewed as being rude, too eager or even greedy in Venezuela. If you are invited to someone's home for a meal, it's recommended that you arrive 10 minutes later than the requested time. When having a meal in Egypt, don't use the salt shaker  . It's insulting to your host to spread salt on your food, which means that you find the meal terrible. Japan is a very polite nation, and their fondness for etiquette extends to the use of chopsticks. According to Japanese custom, if you're in the middle of eating, use the opposite end of your chopsticks to secure food from a shared plate. When doing business in Turkey, it's the custom for your host to pay for your meal. Requests to split the bill won't be accepted. If you would like to pay your fair share, Turks recommend inviting your host to a follow-up meal. where is this passage probably from? A) A news report. B) A culture column. C) A travel essay. D) A food magazine.

Ans:
Answer: B
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