A recent survey shows the number of online game users in China reached 40 million last year. That's over a 20 percent increase from the year before. At 22:00 p.m. in a Beijing Internet cafe, many people inside,especially the young, playing online games. An industry report says that over 90% of online game users are under 30. An online game player said, "Online games help me handle life pressures. The scenarios don't come up in real life, so I can be famous and get whatever I want when playing. Players say this is their way of communicating with each other,even in different places. Though many players admit that online games are time consuming and cost much money, the number of users is increasing. It's estimated that by 2012, there will be 80 million online game players in China. Driven by profit, developers are constantly working on new games. Last year, more than 250 new games entered the market. But figures show that games with a native cultural background are preferred, even by foreigners. "During our research on new games, we found we can promote Chinese culture with the game itself." said an online game developer. Criticism about online games is beefing up with more and more young people spending too much time playing games filled with violence, gambling and superstition. Kou Xiaowei from Gen. Admin. of Press & Publication said, "We are putting forward stricter monitoring measures. If bad content is found, it will be deleted." With the help of government guidelines, developers are producing better quality online games suitable for young people. Games that are not violent or offensive, but ones from which a player can learn, such as general knowledge of quiz games. Officials say they will spend five years on purifying the online games. Their goal is to produce games that entertain and at the same time, provide useful knowledge. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage? A) Ten percent of online games users are over 30. B) To make money is the root of developers working on new games. C) In the past, games were not entertaining and knowledgable. D) Playing online games is the only way for the young to communicate.
B

My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole. Most of the kids who swim there are fit and strong teens, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his well-being. Still, the firefighter's first words, "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River," made me catch my breath. When I got to the river, I saw Anton sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine, with a towel wrapped about his shoulders. I hurried over to him. "You OK?" I asked. "Yeah," was all he said. But my eyes begged for an explanation. I didn't get it from my son. The story was this: A couple in their 20s, unfamiliar with the Stillwater, had gotten caught in the current and began screaming for help. Without hesitation Anton and his friend dived into the water, swam out to the drowning  woman, and brought her safely to shore. In an age in which the world "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone, I realized the real thing in my son and his friend--the disregarding of personal safety for the sake of another human being. I know that teens are headstrong and self-centered, but this didn't lower the gravity of the event and the desire to do good. Along the way home I tried to get some more information from him, but the only words were, "What's for supper?" I thought twice about the tragedy  that might have been. Questions flew across my mind like a flight of swallows: Would I have risked my life to save a drowning person? Or would I have chosen to dial 911? Would I have told the story over and over to anyone who'd listen? The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story from his point of view, now that he had some distance from the event. But all he did was to toast a pie, pull himself together, and head for the door to begin the new day. The writer caught her breath when she heard the fire fighters' first words because  _  . A) her son saved a woman B) she was scolded by fire fighters C) she was anxious about her son's safety D) her son was to blame for a fire
C

Elephants and people are in competition for space. In much of Africa, elephants are now put in national parks. Elephants suffered a serious and steady decrease in numbers in the 1970s. This was the same time when scientists were beginning to learn a great deal about elephants and their behavior. Studies through the 1980s and into the 1990s showed a lot about their sounds and methods of communication. In Kenya alone, in the 1970s and 1980s, the elephant population decreased from 170,000 to 25,000. The sharp drop in numbers was the result of poachers   illegally killing elephants for their ivory. The price of ivory went from $3 a pound to $50 to $100 a pound. Africa became very attractive to poachers. Bull elephants carried the largest tusks  , so they were more often killed. With males gone and older females killed by poachers as well, there were many young elephants unable to benefit from the wisdom of the older females and matriarchs, who lead the herds. Kenya took a stand, international trade in ivory was officially forbidden, and $3,000,000 worth of confiscated   ivory was burned in Kenya. The following year, only 50 elephants were lost to poachers in Kenya instead of 3,000. But Kenya has the fastest growing human population in the world. People throughout Africa won't tolerate elephants eating their crops and destroying their livelihoods. In South Africa, elephants live behind the fences of national parks. In some parts of Africa, big-game hunters pay a lot of money to hunt elephants. This keeps their numbers down, and the money goes toward conservation. In Kenya, there were some attempts at birth control to keep the elephant population at manageable numbers to reduce conflicts with people. Faced with a growing human population, elephants are losing the battle for space. It's unlikely, though, that they will become extinct. They will live in natural parks that bring tourists to Africa as well as India and other parts of Asia. The money from tourism will help elephants to survive. Bull elephants were at higher risk of being killed because   _  . A) they were the leaders of the herds B) they possessed bigger ivory C) they were of smaller size D) they ran slowly
