Read the following article and answer the question. Article: It was 3: 45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia's Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history. The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia-where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part-other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia . In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling. Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death-probably by a deadly injection or pill-to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a cooling off period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. I'm not afraid... Question: The author's attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of   _  . Answer:

Answer: approval


Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Food for Italians isn't a trend; it's a way of life. Italians live to eat, and the importance of food in family life is absolutely important and deep-rooted in everyday routines. In Italy, kids are encouraged to be part of every social occasion that revolves around food -- it's not about dividing the children from the adults, giving them separate meals or putting them to bed early. In Britain, by contrast, my sister and I often see children eating separate meals from their parents. Letting children experience food like an Italian will develop not just their palate  but also their social skills, manners, teaching them new and mature ways to interact. Here are some food customs that are part of every Italian child's upbringing. One of the most celebrated Italian food customs is the morning coffee. Coffee shops and bars have customers streaming in and out of them each morning as the Italians get their daily dose-and this habit is just as much about the social setting as it is about the coffee. While the morning is all about coffee, pre-lunch or dinner, it's all about the local snacks. Most often, Italian city centres and squares are jam packed with locals who come out with their kids to enjoy this pre-dinner treat, and children are encouraged to enjoy snacks available. This is a brilliant way to get kids to try new tastes without the pressures of meal times. It's important to note that "kids' menus" do not exist in Italian restaurants--children are treated like adults and are offered plates from the main menu -- in smaller amounts, if they're young. Post-lunch, most cities can seem quite deserted. But by 4 p.m. onwards, the crowds start to re-emerge. One by one, families spill out and the streets liven up. Everyone begins their afternoon stroll, enjoying the afternoon snacks, like ice-cream, which turns over a huge trade in Italy. Question: What is the author's purpose in writing this passage? Answer:

Answer: To stress the importance of food for Italians.


Read the following article and answer the question. Article: Children like to imagine they are someone else in a game. As a parent you might never guess how it can benefit your child. It helps your child: Develop Social Skills As children play pretend games,they explore relationships between family members,friends and coworkers and learn more about how people interact.Playing doctors,they imagine how physicians care for their patients.Imaginative play helps develop empathy  with others.If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet,they are better able to help those in need.They become more willing to play fair,to share,and to cooperate. Build Selfconfidence Young children have very little control over their lives.Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers or a super hero defending the planet is inspiring to children.It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential. Promote Intellectual Growth Using imagination is the beginning of abstract thought.Children who can see a king's castle in a mound of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically.This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numbers symbolize groups of objects,letters symbolize sounds,and so on. Practice Language Skills Kids who pretend with their friends do a lot of talking.This helps increase their vocabulary,improve sentence structure and develop communication skills. Get Rid of Fears Pretending can help children get rid of their fears and worries.When children roleplay the big,bad monster under the bed,they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn't seem quite so big or so bad. Question: Which of the following is NOT true according to the article? Answer:

Answer: Playing pretend games only helps children psychologically.


Read the following article and answer the question. Article: December usually marks the start of humpback whale season in Hawaii. But experts say the animals have been slow to return. The giant whales are an iconic part of winter on the islands and a source of income for tour operators. But officials at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said they've been getting reports that the whales have been difficult to spot so far. "This isn't a concern. But it's of interest. One theory was that something like this happened as whales increased. It's a product of their success," said Ed Lyman. He is a Maui-based resource protection manager and response coordinator for the sanctuary. "What I'm seeing out there right now is what I expected a month ago," said Lyman. He said he was surprised by how few of the animals he saw while responding to a call about a distressed calf on Christmas Eve. "We've just seen a handful of whales." It will be a while before officials have hard numbers. That is because the annual whale counts don't take place until the last Saturday of January, February and March. This is according to former sanctuary co-manager Jeff Walters. "They don't necessarily show up in the same place at the same time every year," Walters said. More than 10,000 humpback whales make the winter journey from Alaska to the warm waters off Hawaii. There, they mate and give birth. Lyman said the whales' absence could just mean they're spending more time feeding in northern waters. That's possibly because of El Nino disruptions. Or it may be because their population has gone up. "With more animals, they're competing against each other for that food resource, and it takes huge energy reserves to make that long migration over 2,000 miles," he explained. Question: What is the passage mainly about? Answer:

Answer: