(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: As a published author with a degree in English, 33-year-old Tom Williams has achieved more than many people will in a lifetime. What makes those achievements more impressive is that he's dyslexic. At school Tom, who has worked as a literary agent and now has a full-time job with a digital publishing company, would often find keeping up in lessons so tiring that he would fall asleep. "I found it quite frustrating that everybody else had neat handwriting and could spell and I just couldn't do what they could," says Tom, who has written a respected biography of crime writer Raymond Chandler. It wasn't until the age of 17 that he was given a test for dyslexia that showed why he'd struggled for so long. He was always studying for A-levels including English. "My teacher didn't think I'd get the grades I was capable of," he says. "So she pushed for me to be tested and I'm grateful that she did." Until his diagnosis Tom had been ranked somewhere in the middle of his classes at school. He couldn't understand why assignments would come back covered in red ink. However, after Tom's diagnosis, when his condition began to be taken properly into account, he found himself at the top of the class. To study English well, he wrote down new words as he came across them and tried to find somewhere quiet and well lit to read and write. He says people were often surprised that someone with dyslexia wanted to pursue a degree in English. Similarly, when he went to study at University College London, the tutors were initially taken aback at his degree choice. Not everyone understands dyslexia so well. "If teachers aren't trained to recognize signs of dyslexia, they'll think children are less able," he says. To make sure that doesn't happen and to encourage a deeper understanding of the condition among those affected by it, Tom becomes a supporter of the charity Dyslexia Action. Question: Dyslexia Action is intended to     . Options: A: get dyslexia understood better by people B: call on more people to help the disabled C: promote effective ways of teaching kids with dyslexia D: introduce how to use dyslexia to its greatest advantage
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A


(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: One fine afternoon, while walking, I remembered that I needed a pair of socks.  I turned into a sock shop that caught my eye, and a boy clerk who was about 17 came forward. "What can I do for you, sir?" There was a note of passion in his voice.  "Did you know that you have come into the finest place in the world to buy socks? Come with me," said the boy.  I followed him to the back of the shop, and he began to take down from the shelves box after box of socks. "I am going to buy only one pair!" "I know that," said he, "but I want you to see how beautiful these are. Aren't they wonderful?" I became far more interested in him than in the socks. I looked at him in surprise. "My friend," said I, "if you can keep this up, if this is not just the enthusiasm that comes from having a new job, if you can keep up this excitement day after day, in ten years you will be a good businessman."   My surprise at his pride and joy in his salesmanship will be easily understood by all who read this article.  In many shops the customer has to wait for someone to serve him. And when finally some shop assistant notices you, you are made to feel as if you were interrupting him. He displays no interest either in you or in the goods he is paid to sell. It's possible that every shop assistant who is now so bored began his career with hope and enthusiasm. I have observed this happen in the lives of so many men. I have come to the conclusion that the surest road to failure is to do things mechanically . Question: In the author's view, the boy clerk is  _   . Options: A: tired and lazy B: enthusiastic and amazing C: hard-working and annoying D: nervous and impatient
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B


(Q).
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Thick dust rose and a large building collapsed. This was the scene in Zhu Zhou,Hunan Province on May 17. Nine people were killed and 16 injured. Things were similar in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them? People are always _ to find a way of preventing buildings' collapse. Better materials and technology help,but they are not a solution. Just like humans,a building has its own life cycle from "birth" to "death".If we know when a building is going to collapse,we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls. Now,scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports. The research was led by Nancy Sottos,a professor at the university's Beckman Institute,and Douglas Davis,a graduate research assistant. The secret behind the color--changing material is a type of molecule  .A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle,holding hands. Each person stands for one atom,your hands represent the bonds,and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands,the molecule changes color. The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material,it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material,without breaking it,it only turned a little red. The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule,the broken bond was fixed,and the color disappeared. Scientists have yet to do more research before the color--changing molecules can be used outside the lab. Question: What can we infer from the passage? Options: A: The color--changing molecules are certain to be used outside the lab. B: There will be less collapse with the help of the color--changing material. C: The bright light may make the material's warning system useless. D: The problem caused by bright light will be solved by scientists soon.
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