Ques: Statistics show that every year, about 4 million students fail to pass the national college entrance exam. However, as China recently publicized students' scores for this year's college entrance exam, it seems that schools, parents and society at large give more attention to students who succeed in the exam, few people care about those who fail, the China Education Daily reported. Some students, after failing the exam, cannot get a timely support from their parents or teachers and begin to display some serious mental problems. How to help these students to get rid of the shadow on their mind has become a problem to be taken seriously. First, students' friends, parents and relatives should offer their sympathy and care to them in order to comfort their heart. At this time, parents should not blame students for their failure, otherwise they might bear more psychological   burden. Secondly, teachers and the whole society should also offer more support to students who fail the exam. Lastly, students themselves should also try to overcome their depressions and adjust their mood. The newspaper urges the general public to offer their care, trust and support to these students. It also expects that students can face their failure bravely and try to start a new life happily. What would do harm to students who failed the college entrance examination? A) Friends, parents and relatives show more concern for them. B) Teachers and the whole society offer more support to them. C) They themselves get over their depression and adopt an optimistic attitude. D) Parents put the blame on them for their failure.
Ans: D

Ques: More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed across the globe each day, and it's likely that many taste bitter. Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink taste sweeter by simply changing the colour of their cups. Scientists claim that blue and glass mugs, which are popular in some coffee shops, can reduce coffee's bitterness, without any need for sugar, and that coffee drunk from white cups tastes the bitterest. To prove their claims, the researchers invited 36 volunteers and used three different colored cups -- blue, white and transparent glass -- to do an experiment. In the experiment, coffee consumed from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other two colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest. The scientists believe that the colour brown may be associated with coffee's bitterness because coffee in a white cup appears the brownest and tastes the bitterest. "Our study clearly shows that the colour of a coffee cup does influence the perceived   taste and flavor of coffee," said Dr George Doorn of Federation University Australia, "but the potential effects may be different between a one-time purchase and a return customer." "Anyhow, the effect of the colour of the cup on the flavor of the coffee suggests that cafe owners, baristas  , as well as coffee cup manufacturers should carefully consider the colour of their cups, " he added. However, the idea that colour can alter the taste of food and drink is not new. A study published last year revealed that red, strawberry-flavored mousse   served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter and 15 percent more flavorous than the same food presented on a black plate. What color of the cup can best reduce coffee's bitterness without adding sugar? A) Blue. B) Brown. C) White. D) Transparent.
Ans: A

Ques: Six Americans are working on a new highway. But this highway won't have any traffic.It's an "ice highway" to the South Pole. The team has just finished a second year of work on the 1,020-mile highway. "The road is the greatest single footprint of activity we've seen in the Antarctic  ," said Alan Hemmings, an Australian environmentalist. The highway will provide a new way for supplies to be trekked (, ) across the earth on tractor-pulled sleds  . This method will use a lot less fuel than an aircraft, the current   way that scientists and supplies reach the Amundsen-Scott Base, a U.S. research station in the South Pole. The highway will also allow for equipment that is too big for planes to carry to be brought to Antarctica.Even with these benefits, there is one disadvantage--a round trip on the road will be 30 days, compared to a few hours by plane. Making this 20-foot-wide road isn't easy, and it takes a lot of time. The crew   has been working on the road for two summers, when it's warmer and easier to work with the ice. It probably won't be completed until 2006. Crevasses  , or cracks, in the land often make the construction difficult. Crevasses are kind of like pot holes that form when surface ice is stretched.This can be very dangerous, especially when the crevasses are hidden under a layer   of snow and can't be seen. "Last year it took us three months to go three miles across a crevasse field, full of dangerous, hidden crevasses," said the project's manager, John Wright. Each year, more crevasses appear and they have to be filled with snow and ice so the road is safe for travel. The road will also be lined with green flags so travelers know where the safe surface is. It will probably take   _   years to complete the ice highway. A) 2 B) 4 C) 6 D) 8
Ans: B

Ques: After an earthquake or any similar disaster, parents and teachers need to help children overcome the effects of this frightening and sometimes devastating ( ) experience. Psychologists  say that if children go through a disturbing event before the age of ten, they are three times as likely to suffer psychological problems as teenagers. After a disaster children may become easily upset, shy, aggressive , or afraid of wind, rain, noises, or darkness. They may have trouble letting go of their parents and resist going to school or daycare. Some children may even feel guilty thinking that they somehow caused the disaster through their bad behavior.  Because of such common reactions, parents and others should begin as soon after the event as possible helping these children. Some suggestions include talking to the children about what happened, letting the children express their own feelings, spending extra time with them doing activities together and reassuring  them that you love them and won't leave them. For some children expressing themselves through drawing pictures or writing can be useful. Do everything possible to help children get back to a normal routine; however, don't be afraid to "spoil" these children for a while after the disaster.  Let them have extra privileges  and more attention than usual.  Encourage the children to grieve  after a loss. It should be OK for them to cry. Caring families and friends can do much to heal children victims of disasters. Which is NOT advisable when dealing with the traumatized children? A) Allowing them freedom for some time. B) Asking them to hold their feelings. C) Encouraging them to show their grief. D) Talking them into taking care of others.
Ans:
B