Read the article and select the best answer. Article: When Hurricane Phailin hit India in late 2013, it became the largest storm to strike the subcontinent in over a decade. The storm affected more than 12 million people in India and neighboring countries, and damaged or destroyed many houses. However, good news is that cleverly-designed beach house created by architect Ray Huff can survive such strong winds and storm waves. Located on the shore of an Indian island, Huff's award-winning cube-shaped beach house was built to replace one smashed to pieces by Hurricane Phailin. Huff pointed out that many houses built along shoreline were poorly constructed, and enforcement  of building codes wasn't strict. After Phailin's attack, all new shoreline houses are required to meet stricter, better-enforced codes. The new beach house should be able to stand a Category 3 hurricane with peak winds of 179 to 209 kilometers per hour. At first sight, Huff's house looks anything but hurricane-proof. Its redwood shell makes it resemble "a large party lantern" at night, according to one observer. But looks can be misleading. The house's wooden frame is reinforced  with long steel rods to give it extra strength. To further protect the house from hurricane damage _ Huff raised it 2.7 meters off the ground on pilings---long columns of wood anchored  deep in the sand. Pilings might appear insecure, but they are strong enough to support the weight of the house. They also balance the house above storm waves. The pilings allow the waves to run under the house instead of running into it. "These swells of water come ashore at great speeds and cause most of the damage done to beach-front buildings," said Huff. Huff designed the wooden pilings to be partially hidden by the house's ground-to-roof shell. "The shell masks the pilings so that the house doesn't look like it's standing with its pant legs pulled up," said Huff. In case of a storm wave, the shell should break apart and let the waves rush under the house, the architect explained. Question: Huff raised the house 2.7 meters off the ground on wooden pilings in order to   _  . Options: A: support the weight of the house B: allow the waves to run through the house C: anchor stronger pilings deep in the sand D: prevent water from rushing into the house
D

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: Red squirrels have been wiped out from a large area of northern Italy, threatening a further biodiversity crisis for the species similar to its near extinction in the British Isles. There are now no red squirrels left in an area of more than 1,150 square kilometres (sq km) in Piedmont, according to research from the universities of Turin, Genoa and Varese. On the edge of this large region, the species is also under threat from the invasions of grey squirrels. If the spread of the grey squirrel continues uncontrolled, the species could spread as far as France, the scientists fear. They are calling for more research and control and conservation measures aimed at preserving the remaining red squirrel populations and containing the spread of the greys. Grey squirrels were introduced into Italy  ly recently, in 1948. They were a gift from the US ambassador and kept in Turin, but escaped into the wild and rapidly colonized the surrounding area - despite warnings from the UK, where importing grey squirrels was forbidden from before the Second World War, when the destructive effects of having imported greys in the 1880s had become clear. Grey squirrels are not only more aggressive than the native European red squirrel, which causes them to invade red-dominated areas and take over, but they also carry a deadly virus, the squirrel pox. While greys are largely immune to the virus, it is deadly to red squirrels, which typically die within one or two weeks of being infected. From only four animals in 1948, at Stupinigi near Turin, the greys spread rapidly in recent years. Until 1970 the distribution of greys was limited to the Stupinigi woods, occupying an area of about 12 sq km. By 1990 this area had expanded to more than 200 sq km, stretching mainly southwards into the Cuneo province. By 2000, grey squirrels occupied 900 sq km and this year, fresh research from the three universities shows that their distribution now extends to more than 2,000 sq km. In more than half of that area, the native reds have been entirely... Question: Red squirrels are nearly extinct in Northern Italy as a result of_. Options: A: the biodiversity crisis B: the invasion of grey squirrels C: being weaker than other animals D: the similar extinction in the British Isles
B

Read the article and select the best answer. Article: In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it.And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is.That is what "Keeping up with the Joneses" is about.It is the story of someone who tries to look as rich as his neighbors. The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand.He told this story about himself.He began earning $125 a week at the age of 23.That was a lot of money in those days.He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City.When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day.When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up.The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life.They moved back to an apartment   in New York City. Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors.He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories.He called it ''Keeping up with the Joneses", because "Jones" is a very common name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you.Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years. People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses.And there are "Joneses" in every city of the world.But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr.Jones always seems to be ahead. Question: According to the writer, it is   _   to keep up with the Joneses. Options: A: correct B: interesting C: impossible D: Good
