*Question*
What's black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you're like most young people, you probably don't read the newspaper at all. In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18 to 34-year-old said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less. "There's a revolution   in the way young people get news," says media consultant Merrill Brown. Just a generation   or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There's high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places. You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what's going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one. So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today's kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact   in real time, even when they're reading about serious problems. If newspapers can't find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely. Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack   of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there's more freedom. You can look through the things you're interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people's opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views. The author of the passage would probably think the future of newspapers is   _  . A) attractive B) bright C) hopeless D) uncertain
**Answer**
D

*Question*
A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents. Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. "If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions," he said. To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis. One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups' respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits. After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks. "He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him," said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago. Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights.. "AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him," said the study's author, Dr. William Banks, "He's an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot." The findings of the researchers tell us that  _  . A) robots are better at caring for old people than nurses B) robots can to some degree replace dogs as companions for old people C) it's easy for people to become close with robots D) every home will have a robot assistant one day
**Answer**
B

*Question*
For thousands of years, people thought of glass as something beautiful to look at. Only recently have they come to think of it as something to look through. Stores display their goods in large glass windows. Glass bottles and jars that hold food and drink allow us to see the contents. Glass is used to make eyeglasses, microscopes, telescopes, and many other extremely useful and necessary objects. Until the Second World War, most of the glass used for optical  instruments was imported from Europe. However, during the war Americans could not get European glass, and they were forced to make their own. Therefore, new kinds of glasses were developed that had been previously unknown. These new effects were achieved by mixing other chemical elements with the sand. Some of these new glasses are very strong and can resist many kinds of shocks. Legend has it that a very hard glass was invented by a Roman who showed his discovery to the Emperor. When the Emperor saw the glass he feared that it would become more valuable than gold and sliver, making his treasure worthless. Therefore, he had the glassmaker killed, and the secret was not discovered again for hundreds of years. In the present century, safety glass was invented for use in modern cars and planes. Safety glass is made by placing a layer of plastic between two layers of plate glass. When the outside layer of glass is broken, the pieces do not scatter  and injure people. Some glass of the type is strong enough to resist bullets . Although nowadays plastics have replaced glass under conditions where glass might be easily broken, there are new uses being developed, for the greatest advantage of glass is that its component  parts are inexpensive and can be found all over the world. As time goes by, glass   _  . A) is regarded as transparent B) is used to make things look pleasant C) is seen as more than decoration D) is widely used to replace steel in making containers
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Owning pet birds is not just feeding them when necessary. You have to be very responsible if you have decided to keep birds as pets. If you really want to acquire a companion, think in advance whether you are able to handle it. Depending on what pet bird you are going to have and how big it is, the cost is different. For example, the cost of a comfortable cage, the cost for nutritional food and the money for some additional things should be taken into consideration. There are also some unexpected cost. For example, when your pet bird gets sick, you have to send for a vet  . You may think that you do not have free time to have a dog so you'd better have a pet bird because it doesn't require a lot of attention. You are wrong! Some people even do not have time for a short sleep. They will not have enough time for pets, either. For good bird health it is very important to handle them and play with them as much as you can. Also there are a lot of people who think that birds do not require a lot of space and they are wrong again. They also need to fly so if you do not have space for it, you'd better reconsider the things.  But do not forget the great advantage of having a pet bird. In the animal kingdom, birds rank near the top when it comes to smarts. You can have a friend for life if you take good care of it. It's a real character and can bring joy and colour in your home. What is the text mainly about? A) The advantages of keeping a pet bird. B) The reasons for keeping a pet bird. C) Things to consider if you want to keep a pet bird. D) Different types of pets for different people.
**Answer**

C