Question: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When I was ten my dad helped me buy my first ten-speed bicycle from Allen. I put up $60 of my grass cutting and snow shoveling   money and my dad put up the other half I would pay him back over the next six months. Although it was not in the latest style, it was my ticket to the adult world. I spent that summer and autumn riding happily. My sister Liz, a prisoner of her five-speed bicycle, never had a chance to keep up. Just before the Christmas deadline to pay my dad back, we were hit with several snowstorms. This allowed me to shovel enough driveways   to pay off my debt. I was now officially a bike owner; it was a feeling unlike any other. On that Christmas morning, my dad gave me a used portable   record player. I was excited. However, my joy was short-lived after my dad called my sister to the kitchen. "We have one more gift for you." he said as he opened the door that led to the garage. There, on the steps, stood a new ten-speed bicycle. "It's not fair," I complained. "I worked so hard for my bike and it's not even new. Then Liz gets a new bike. She didn't have to do anything for it. " My dad smiled. "She didn't have to do anything for it because it' s not really for her," he said. What did that mean? I didn't want her bike. By spring Liz and I were riding all over town together now that she could keep up. As we grew, Liz and I became true friends. Still I wasn't smart enough to figure out what my dad meant until years later. That new bike was not a gift for Liz -- it was a gift for me. He'd given me the gift of my sister's company, the ability to stay together rather than drift apart   in the face of my ability to travel. He gave me my best friend. Question: Why was the author's Christmas joy short-lived? Options: A: His sister got a new record player. B: His father didn't care about him. C: The record player wasn't new. D: His sister got a better gift.
D


Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Is it necessary for a young man to have an apartment as a prerequisite  for marriage? Housing has become a major obstacle  for Chinese young men hoping to start a family. China may breed a new group of bachelors, men caught in the trap of unaffordable houses. Since early 2009, the housing market has once again become a hot pot at boiling point. Even with allowance  and special government policies, home prices in China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are riding the crest of a rising wave. According to the "2010 China Marital Status Report" released on Dec 15, 2010, about 70 percent of women interviewed said that housing, a stable income and some savings were the main requirements for marriage. From the report, we can see that housing is given top priority  and that women see an apartment as essential  to show that the man is responsible and can provide for his family. Personality and morals lay outside the top three matrimonial  requirements. Some women and their families hold the traditional position and take it for granted that the home issue should be the man's responsibility, which doesn't agree with the contemporary independent spirit of women and gender equality. These marriage values reflect the fact that many women consider marriage another form of "social welfare". Things may be different overseas. Social housing, provided by European authorities, offer the less wealthy people their own piece of real estate. Such housing is usually apartments in tall buildings with 10 or more floors on the _ of town, whose main advantage is the low rents. For many Americans, houses don't pose an obstacle to getting married. They often buy a house after the wedding, because more and more people are reconsidering their real estate worship, and going back to a more rational  mode of consumption. In Japan, renting is the custom for newly married young couples. Few young couples can afford to purchase property. Up to 67.1 percent of young couples choose to rent. Generally speaking, renters account for most... Question: The author uses the examples of European countries, America and Japan to show that   _  ? Options: A: new couples in those countries like to rent houses B: the situation is different in some foreign countries C: it's better to live in those countries than live in China D: their governments have done more than Chinese government
B


Q: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Valencia is in the east part of Spain . It has a port on the sea, two miles away on the coast. It is the capital of a province that is also named Valencia. The city is a market centre for what is produced by the land around the city. Most of the city's money is made from farming. It is also a busy business city, with ships, railways, clothes and machine factories. Valencia has an old part with white buildings, colored roofs, and narrow streets. The modern part has long, wide streets and new buildings. Valencia is well known for its parks and gardens. It has many old churches and museums. The University in the centre of the city was built in the 13th century. The city of Valencia has been known since the 2nd century. In the 8th century it was the capital of Spain. There is also an important city in Venezuela named Valencia. Question: The main income of the city of Valencia is from its  _  . Options: A: markets. B: business. C: factories. D: farming.
A: D


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Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Who taught you to speak English? Your parents, while you were a child? Your teacher at school? Perhaps even the BBC as a grown-up. Whoever it was, somehow you have developed an understanding of what is rapidly becoming a truly global language. There are now about 376 million people who speak English as their first language, and about the same number who have learnt it in addition to their mother tongue. There are said to be one billion people learning English now and about 80% of the information on the Internet is in English. Is this a good thing, or a bad thing? Should we celebrate the fact that more and more of us can communicate, using a common language, across countries and cultures? Or should we worry about the dangers of " mono-culturalism", a world in which we all speak the same language, eat the same food and listen to the same music? Does it matter if an increasing number of people speak the same language? I would have thought the other way around  although I have never accepted the argument that if only we all understood each other better, there would be fewer wars. _ ... If we all speak English, will we then all start eating McDonalds burgers? Surely not. If English becomes more dominant , it will kill other languages? I doubt it. When I travel in Africa or Asia, I am always surprised by how many people can speak not only their own language but often one or more other related languages, as well as English and perhaps some French or German as well. When we discussed this on Talking Point a couple of years ago, we received a wonderfully poetic email from a listener in Ireland. "The English language is a beautiful language. Maybe it's like a rose," he said. "But who would ever want their garden just full of roses?" Well, I love roses, and I think they make a beautiful addition to any garden. But the way I see it, just by planting a few roses, you don't necessarily need to pull out everything else. If more and more people want to plant English roses, that's fine by me. Question: The author would probably agree that  _  . Options: A: it's very hard to plant many kinds of flowers in a garden B: it's good for people from other countries to learn English C: more and more people like to plant roses in their gardens D: English is easier to learn than other languages
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Answer: B