Question: Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I consider Lily to be my best friend because she is always very good to me. She's always with me in times of difficulties and she is always there waiting for me. When I have problems and feel empty and upset, she's always by my side to comfort me.  We've been together for two years. I met her during our college days. She was my classmate, but I can tell that we were not so close at that time, maybe because we had our own friends and maybe our attention was always on them, so I didn't even notice her. Yet there were times that she was with me during my lunch break. That is why we slowly became close. We had our lunch together in the boarding house but sometimes not, probably because we had our own friends. And when we took our break, we bought our favorite food together, but not that often since we didn't have enough money. Furthermore, we were together in the student union, which was nice for me to know her better. I can say that she is really a nice friend. She is the kind of person that is very approachable in times of emptiness. She is a friend whom I can call every time I need help. Definitely, I am so glad that I have her. Currently, we are working together as freelance writers online. We both work as contractors   in oDesk. We are very happy with working together, and we are looking forward to earning some money so that we can go on vacation together.  Friendships may not last. Friendships can lose importance and die gradually. However, I believe she will be a lifelong friend of mine. Question: The author considers her friend Lily to be   _  . Options: A: distant B: innocent C: helpful D: wealthy
C

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Dear Flowermouse, Thank you for your comments on how Americans and Chinese view each other. This is an important subject. Modern technology has given many nations the chance of destroying other nations. This is a cruel picture but it is a realistic one. It means that every nation should make sure that these weapons of great destruction are never used. This requires greater acceptance of differences among people and nations in all parts of the planet. Your letter asks specially about Chinese-American relationships but I want to let you know my feelings on a global scale. Because China and America are the most powerful nations and I believe they have a special responsibility for promoting better understanding and for leading the way toward peaceful solutions to the world's problems. You ask how Chinese and American people view each other. This is an important question. Because I know so little about China that I am not able to judge how Chinese view Americans. I am sure that the view differs according to individual experiences that persons might have. And it is not easy to describe America to foreigners. America is a vast mass of people and cultures. These people came from all parts of the world, from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe and Australia. Each brought a different culture and a different set of values within a single nation. I believe that the vast majority of Americans like the vast majority of Chinese want peace and friendship between our two nations. Both China and America have suffered through generations from war and violence in our history. And I believe that it is the special responsibility of all Chinese and all Americans to impress this need for mutual understanding on our neighbors in other. So my friend, this is my response. Please know that I write to you as a private person living in America. I do feel strongly that people everywhere have more in common than they have in differences. We all share the same basic needs for existence and we all depend upon the same need for the survival of... Question: The writer's purpose to write the passage is to  _  . Options: A: introduce Americans to us B: make friends with Flowermouse C: speak for the government of America D: call on nations to understand each other
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When a dirty and untidy grey cat showed up in the prison yard, I was one of the first to go out there and pet it. I hadn't touched a cat or a dog in over 20 years. I spent at least 20 minutes, knelt down behind the kitchen as the cat rolled around, relaxed. When he was expressing outwardly, I was feeling inwardly. It was an amazing bit of grace to feel him under my hand and note that I was reaching a life or another creature with something as simple as my care.      Over the next few days, there were other prisoners responding to the cat. Every yard period, a group of prisoners gathered there. They stood around talking and taking turns petting the cat. These were guys you wouldn't usually find talking to each other. Several times I saw an officer in the group, not chasing people away, but just watching and seeming to enjoy along with the prisoners. Bowls of milk and water appeared along with bread, wisely placed under the edge of the dustbin to keep the birds from getting it.      The cat was obviously homeless and in pretty bad shape. People said that the cat came to the right place. He's getting treated like a king. This was true, but as I watched I was also thinking about what the cat was doing for us. There was a lot of talk about what's wrong with prisons in America. We need more programs. We need more psychologists or treatment of various kinds. Some may even talk about making prisons more kind. But I think what we really need is a chance to practice our own kindness. Not receive it, but give it. After more than two decades here, I know kindness is not a value that's encouraged. It's often thought of as a weakness. Instead, the culture encourages keeping your head down, minding your own business, and never letting yourself be weak.      The cat did my heart good to see the effect he had on me and the men here. By simply saying, "I need some help here", he did something important for us. He needed us. And we needed to be needed. I believe we all do. Question: The author mainly wants to tell us   _  . Options: A: Caring Makes us Human B: Prison Culture is Important C: Animals Need Care D: Everyone Needs to be Cared for
A

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Parents everywhere praise their kids when they do well in school, win a ball game, or build an impressive sandcastle --- anytime their kids do something remarkable  , or in many cases, something ordinary. "We are becoming praise junkies as parents", says Jenn Berman, PhD, a marriage and family expert and the author of The A to Z Guide to Raising Happy and Confident Kids. "We have gone to the opposite extreme   of the parents from a few decades ago who tended to be more strict, and now we overpraise our children." "Somehow parents have come to believe that by praising our kids we improve their self-esteem  ," says Paul Donahue, founder and director of Child Development Associates. "Though well-intentioned, putting kids on a pedestal   at an early age can actually hinder   their growth." Too much praise can backfire  , it seems, and when given in a way that's insincere, kids are afraid to try new things or take a risk for fear of not being on the top all the time. "There's an underlying   message that the child has to get his parents' approval all the time and constantly depends on the parents for validation  ," says Berman. Still, don't go too far in the other direction --- not giving enough praise which can be just as damaging as giving too much. Kids will feel like they are not good enough, or that you don't care, and may see no sense in reaching for their success. So what's the right amount of praise? Experts say that the quality of praise is more important than the quantity: if praise is sincere and genuine, and focused on the effort, not the outcome, you can give it as often as your child does something that is worth a reward. Question: What kinds of parents can be regarded as praise junkies? Options: A: Those who praise their children too much. B: Those who seldom praise their children. C: Those who give sincere praise to their children. D: Those who offer their children dangerous drugs.

Answer: A