Question: A new study links heavy air pollution from coal burning to shorter lives in northern China. Researchers estimate that the half-billion people alive there in the 1990s will live an average of 5 years less than their southern counterparts because they breathed dirtier air. China itself made the comparison possible: for decades, a now-discontinued government policy provided free coal for heating, but only in the colder north. Researchers found significant differences in both _ pollution of the air and life expectancy in the two regions. While previous studies have found that pollution affects human health, "the deeper and ultimately more important question is the impact on life expectancy," said one of the researchers, Michael Greenstone, a professor of environmental economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This study provides a unique setting to answer the life expectancy question because the(heating) policy dramatically changes pollution concentrations ,,,Greenstone said in an email. "Further, due to the low rates of migration in China in this period, we can know people's exposure over long time periods," he said. The policy gave free coal for fuel boilers to heat homes and offices to cities north of the Huai Rivwhich divides China into north and south. It was in effect for much of the 1950-198,0 period of central planning, and, though discontinued after 1980, it has left a legacy  in the north of heavy coal burning, which releases particulate pollutants into the air that can harm human health. Researchers found no other government policies that treated China's north differently from the south. The researchers collected data for 90 cities, from 1981 to 2000, on the annual daily average concentration of total suspended particulates. In China, those are considered to be particulates that are 100 micrometers or less in diameter, sent out from sources including power stations, construction sites and vehicles. Among them, PM2.5 is of especially great health concern because it can go deep into the... It is implied in the passage that  _  * A) coal is no longer used for heating in North China B) air quality was comparatively better in South China C) southerners burned coals for heating in the 1980s D) people preferred to live in South China after 1980
Answer: B

Question: It was the day when the UPSR results would be released. Sleepless nights, pounding hearts... Pupils were laughing with their peers or talking non-stop as their eyes searched for their parents. They looked pale, as if someone had squeezed the air from their lungs. Now I was among the anxious parents. I sat behind my daughter. She looked back, saw me and waved. I nodded. As the teachers walked in, the noise subsided. The year's results were read out. Then came the moment of truth. Pupils who had scored 5As were called out one by one and each of them stepped up on stage. When my daughter went up, I felt fine, but she was crying. I wondered why; maybe she didn't expect to score 5As. Anyway, I said a thankful prayer quietly. After the last name was called, what I saw made an impact on me. One mother just dashed from the back, crying. I thought she was the parent of the last pupil, but I was wrong. She hugged her daughter seated in the front row, saying it was all right that she hadn't scored all As. Her kid was crying. This morn kissed her daughter's forehead and walked straight to the back of the hall, wiping her tears as she walked. She didn't care about the other parents looking at her. How much pressure do we put on these 12-year-olds? All they did was studying and doing endless homework and countless practice questions. Where was the joy that they rightfully needed? As a parent, I think scoring top marks is not the main thing in life. Survival skills are more important than just chewing school texts and regurgitating  them in an exam. So let your kids be kids. Let them play, cycle and climb trees. They will be children only once in their lifetime, so don't rob them of their childhood. Let's teach our kids how to be human, how to interact with others, how to help others and recognize "bad people". Teach them how to survive in this cruel world! What would be the best title for the passage? A) School and family B) Parents--children's supporter C) Tears and fears from kids and parents D) Children--the apple of parents' eyes
Answer: C

Question: A recent study, while showing a generally positive attitude toward science, also suggests a widespread worry that it may be "running out of control". This idea is dangerous. Science can be a force for evil as well as for good. Its applications can be channeled either way, depending on our decisions. The decisions we make, personally or collectively, will determine the outcomes of science. But here is a real danger. Science is advancing so fast is so strongly influenced by businesses that we are likely to believe whatever decisions we come to will make little difference. And, rather than fighting for the best possible policies, we may step back and do nothing. Some people go even further. They say that despite the moral and legal objections  , whatever is scientifically possible will be done ----somewhere, sometime. They believe that science will get out of control in the end. This belief is dangerous too, because it a fuels sense of  hopelessness and discourages them from making efforts to build a safer world. In our interconnected world, the lack of agreement in and of the world of science can lead to the failure to control the use of science. Without a common understanding, the challenges of "controlling" science in this century will be really tough. Take human cloning for example. Despite the general agreement among scientists on its possible huge impact   on traditional moral values, some countries still go ahead with the research and development of its related techniques. The outcomes are hard to predict. Therefore, discussions on how science is applied should be extended far beyond scientific societies. Only through the united efforts of people with hope, can we be fully safe against the misuse of science and can science best serve mankind in the future. What is the main idea of the passage? A) Science and its applications bring us many dangers. B) The development of science mostly lies in people's attitudes. C) Mankind can largely take control of science with their efforts. D) The future of science will be influenced by the dangerous ideas.
Answer:
B