*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: I revisited Beichuan of Mid-Autumn Festival. As the car drove into the ruined city, tears streamed down my cheeks. Giant rocks from the mountain destroyed the road and houses fell, breaking into bricks and pieces of cement . Beichuan Middle School, which was once filled with energy and laughter, now so unrecognizable ,so empery, so quiet, so still, was a death valley. I couldn't really imagine at that moment, how much pain they had suffered or how hopeless they felt as they waited to be rescued. Those unfortunate ones watched the devil of death  march over them, taking them away. I can't really imagine how heartbroken their parents or beloved ones were. As I wandered in the ruins, I was lost in deep thoughts. The day before, we were sitting in the brightly lit classroom, heatedly arguing the importance of shapes, color1s and styles in architecture  , comparing ancient time housing with the modern ones. Their similarities, their differences, their pros and cons... Now , facing the terrible scene, I realized how childlike we were and how easily we forget the most important element of architect is SAFETY, it is how housing is supposed to be: to _ us from burning sun and pouring rain, to provide us with a comfortable warm place to sleep and relax. Obviously, the style and shape do play important roles in architecture. But when a natural disaster such as this earthquake came upon us without warning, will beauty stay over anybody's life? From this trip, we can no doubt give the clear loud answer; NO!!! Words after such a great disaster could appear nothing but empty and pointless. So many people's lives were taken, so much damage was done and a whole city was wiped out. Beichuan has become a history. Nevertheless, I still keep on dreaming and still long for a better future: to make our homes prettier yet safer. Question: Which of the following statements goes with the author's view? Options: A: Had more emphasis been put on the safety of the architect, no building would have fallen. B: The sufferers waited too long to get rescued when the earthquake happened, C: When a disaster hits human beings, the safety is important rather than the beauty. D: The damage, the destruction, even the deaths could all have been avoided if rescues had come without delay.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Marjorie Gestring Marjorie Gestring was a springboard  diver from the United States who won the gold medal in 3-meter springboard diving at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany at the age of 13 years. With the cancellation  of the Olympics in 1940 and 1944 because of World War II, Gestring did not get a chance to defend her title, and her comeback attempt for the 1948 Summer Olympics failed.  Bob Mathias 17-year-old American Bob Mathias won the decathlon  only four months after taking up the sport. He is the youngest athlete in Olympic history to win a men's track and field event. By the time Mathias retired from decathlon competition in 1952, he had nine victories in nine competitions. He had won two gold medals separately in 1948 and 1952. In 1954 a film about his early life called The Bob Mathias Story was made, in which he and his wife played themselves. Fu Mingxia Fu Mingxia was born on August 16, 1978 in Wuhan, Hubei Province. At an early age, her father taught her to swim at a nearby river. She started exercising gymnastics at age 5, soon turning to diving. Fu Mingxia left home at age 9 to train in Beijing. In the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona, Fu Mingxia became China's youngest Olympic champion ever when she won the 10-meter platform gold at the age of 13. Ian Thorpe Ian Thorpe was born on 13 October, 1982. He is a former Australian freestyle swimmer. At the age of 14, he became the youngest male ever to represent Australia. Ian Thorpe, 17 years old, won the gold medal in the 400m freestyle by breaking his own world record in Sydney 2000. He has won five Olympic gold medals. Question: What is the passage mainly about ? Options: A: Some young Olympic champions. B: The history of the Olympic Games. C: How to train young Olympic athletes. D: How to prepare for the Olympic Games.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: An independent college claimed to have become the first school in England to make Chinese a compulsory   subject for its pupils. Richard Cairns, the headmaster of Brighton College, said the move aims to recognize the importance of China as the world's fastest growing economy. Chinese will become one of the core subjects at the 1,200-pupil college from September. At present the school has only a "handful" of native Chinese students, but it hopes to attract more in the future. Mr Cairns, who made the announcement in his first week as head of the high-achieving college, said, "One of my key tasks is to make sure that the pupils at Brighton College are equipped for the realities of the 21st century, and one of those realities is that China has the fastest growing economy in the world. "China has replaced Britain as the world's fourth-largest economy. We in Britain need to face up to this challenge, see it for the trading opportunity that it is, and ensure that our nation's children are well-placed to thrive   in this new global reality. "A better understanding of the language and culture of China will be hugely important to the advantage of the children of Brighton College." Mr Cairns said he hoped the Chinese children already at the college would help and encourage their fellow pupils to learn their language. In order to lead the way, Mr Cairns, a historian from Oxford, plans to take part in the first Chinese class as a pupil. "I have agreed to join the first Chinese class as a pupil. I think it is the best way for me to show the pupils here how important I regard this new addition to our core subjects." Question: Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? Options: A: The Chinese students at the college have already helped their fellow students B: The school is the first in England to make Chinese a compulsory subject. C: Mr Cairns has just been made head of this high-achieving college. D: In Mr Cairns' opinion, learning Chinese will be a great help to his students.
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Read the article and select the best answer. Article: After her husband had gone to work, Mrs Richards send her children to school and went upstairs to her bedroom. She was too excited to do any housework that morning.  In the evening she would go to a fancy dress party with her husband. She wanted to dress up as a ghost and as she had made her costume the night before, she was impatient to try it on. Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was really splendid. After putting it on, She went downstairs to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear. Just as Mrs Richards was entering the dining-room, there was a knock on the front door. She knew it must be the baker. She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the table. Not wanting to frighten the poor man, she quickly hid in the small store-room under the stair. She heard the front door opened and heavy footsteps in the hall. Suddenly the door of the store-room was opened and in came a man. Mrs Richards realized it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the meter. She tried to explain the situation, saying "It's only me. "but it was too late, the man let out a cry and jumped back several paces. When Mrs Richards walked towards him, he fled, losing the door heavily behind him. Question: Mrs Richards went downstairs with the costume on so as to  _  . Options: A: made sure that the costume fitted her well B: frighten the person who was knocking on the door C: find out if she had finished the costume D: receive the bread and do some cooking
**Answer**
