Treasure Island isn't a true story,  _  armed to the teeth and ready to go treasure hunting. But you will find, as you read this book, that although pirates can be murderous and treacherous ,they can also be cowardly, superstitious, and easily led. As it turns out, that is fortunate for Jim Hawkins.     It's a brilliant story. Billy Bones, a retired seaman, comes to live at the Admiral Benbow inn. Jim is just a boy, but he can see that Billy Bones is a nervous man, always on the look-out for strangers arriving at the inn. And well he might be nervous, because he carries with him in his battered old sea-chest a map drawn by Captain Flint himself giving the whereabouts of all Flint's buried treasure! Captain Flint! -the most feared pirate ever to travel the high seas.     Well,Flint is dead, but there are plenty of men who served with Captain Flint still alive who will feel they have a fair claim to the treasure. The map, though, ends up in the possession of Jim Hawkins---(it's a near thing, read the book to see how that happens)     Jim tells the secret in the local doctor, who quickly joins forces to acquire a ship and crew to sail for Treasure Island     There's a famous scene where Jim, hiding in the apple barrel on deck, discovers that mutiny is planned. It's a bad moment. The numbers suggest that the pirates are going to have it all their own way. There are nineteen mutineers and seven honest men, including Jim.     And now, you will have to read the book for yourself. This is a fantastic tale of cheat, bravery and cowardice. I don't know how things would have turned out if it hadn't been for Jim Hawkins. For it is Jim who single-handedly steals the Hispaniola from under the very noses of the pirates and sails her round the island to a secret beaching place.     And do you know what happens to Long John Silver, the greatest double-crosser of them all? No? Well, don't expect me to tell you. Don't be nervous of reading a 'classic'. I know it was published a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it is... How many characters are mentioned in this passage? A) 3 B) 4 C) 2 D) 5
D

Human beings have used tools for a very long time. In some parts of the world you can still find tools that people used more than two million years ago. They made these tools by hitting one stone against another. In this way, they broke off pieces from one of the stones. These chips of stone were usually sharp on one side. People used them for cutting meat and skin from dead animals, and also for making other tools out of wood. Human beings needed to use tools because they did not have sharp teeth like other meat eating animals, such as lions and tigers. Tools helped people to get food more easily. Working with tools also helped to develop human intelligence. The human brain grew bigger, and human beings began to invent more and more tools and machines. The stone chip was one of the first tools that people used, and perhaps it is the most important. Some scientists say that it was the key to success of mankind. Since 1960 a new kind of tool has appeared. This is the silicon chip  . It is smaller than a finger nail, but it can store lots of information. It is an electronic brain. Every year these chips get cleverer, but their size gets smaller, and their cost gets less. They are used in watches, calculators and intelligent machines that we can use in many ways. In the future we will not need to work with tools in the old way. Machines will do everything for us. People will have plenty of spare time. But what will they do with it? Human beings used stone chips for more than two million years, but human life changed very little in that time. We have used silicon chips for only a few years, but life is changing faster every day. What will life be like twenty years from now? What will the world be like two million years from now? At the end of the passage the author seems to suggest that life in future is   _  . A) out of order B) less colorful C) hard to predict D) full of meanings
C

Spring is just around the corner and it's a time to get outside and enjoy the great outdoors. Here is a selection of festivals around the country that are a great excuse to travel and get back in the spring sunshine. Dana Point Festival of the Whales Dana Point, California March 7 to 8 and 14 to 15, 2010 Each year, over two sunny weekends in March the town of Dana Point, California celebrates the return of migratory California gray whales to this part of the Pacific Ocean. Festivities include whale-watching, an arts festival and educational hands-on activities for the entire family. Prices start at $29 per adult and $19 for children. For more information, visit: www.dpfestivalofwhales.com Chandler Ostrich Festival Chandler, Arizona March 13 to 15, 2010 Chandler is the center of ostrich ranching   in the USA. You can see ride these feathered beasts around the ostrich track at Tumbleweed Park. General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for children aged 5 to 12 and kids 4 and under are free. For more information, visit: www.ostrichfestival.com Festival of Houses and Gardens Charleston, South Carolina March 19 to April 18, 2010 The Historic Charleston Foundation gives curious travelers the opportunity to explore gardens of some of the finest private residences in America. Each 3-hour tour (afternoons from 2 to 5 pm and evenings from 6 to 9 pm) lets you visit 8 to 10 properties dating from the American colonial period. Prices range from $25 to $45. For more information, visit: www.historiccharleston.org Tulip Time Festival Holland, Michigan May 1 to 9, 2010 You don't need to travel to the Netherlands this spring to see and smell some of the world's finest tulips  . The annual Tulip Time Festival, one of the largest flower festivals in the country, will kick off with fireworks on May 1. Admission fee ranges from $6 for the children's area to $38 for theatre tickets. Tickets and more information are available at: www.tuliptime.com Which of the following is TRUE of Tulip Time Festival? A) It is held in a town in the Netherlands. B) It will start with fireworks on the first day. C) It is the largest flower festival in the world. D) Admission is free for children.
B

In American schools there is something called Homecoming. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a Homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation or commencement   day. Students plan Homecoming for many weeks in advance. Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation. The members of school clubs build booths   and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors. During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school. Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students _ a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen. Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering. Who can probably become Homecoming Queen or King? A) The student who is liked most by the others. B) The guest who is most popular with the students. C) The student who is most liked by the guests. D) The player who plays best in the football game.

A