People have strange ideas about food. For example, the tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18thcentury, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous  . They called tomatoes "poison apples." President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President's party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored   guests about the fact. From the passage we know all the honored guests invited by Jefferson were  _  . A) people from other countries B) from France C) men only D) people of his own country
D

Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience. Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods. A new study from Switzerland, sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age. It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern regions. This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern. Scientists have long assumed that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere  during the 30,000-year long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by the Antarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea the ice can easily just slip into the ocean instead of building up. The researchers used a computer model to look at ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time. The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would have been a bigger impact  on ocean currents  and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too. The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that ice melted equally in the North and the South. It is still a mystery as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt. The scientists are not sure   _  . A) how long the ice age lasted B) where ice sheets melted during the ice age C) what caused the temperature changes D) what the earth is made up of
C

Since the end of World War I (WWI) in 1918,Canadians, and millions of others around the world have paused at the 11thhour of the 11thday of the 11thmonth to honour the sacrifices our soldiers have made in different wars, fighting for the freedoms that we all enjoy today. Known as Remembrance Day, the day originated as a tribute to the soldiers of WWI, a dark period for our young country, which claimed the lives of over 60,000 military personnel and civilians and over 16 million dead worldwide. As there are no more surviving soldiers of WWI,today we rely on the wisdom and words of those soldiers who fought in the wars that followed,and this day now also recognizes their heroic contribution. They tell us to always remember what those brave souls fought for, and all they ask in return is that we never forget. That's why we wear the red poppy  ;that's why when we see a soldier in uniform we should stop him or her and say "Thank you" ; that's why we take a pause from our busy lives for two short minutes today to honor that request. Yet this message is fading away, year after year. Take for example the terrible decision to allow parents to excuse students from Remembrance Day ceremonies at school. Not only is this disrespectful, it distances the student from his or her classmates. It is difficult to understand why any Canadian parent would want to remove their child from the time-honored tradition of reading the poem In Flanders Fields, while a wreath of poppies is laid. It is more important than ever to teach school-aged children about our history,no matter how violent it was. Sheltering them from the realities of war is a great disservice. Understanding why conflicts happened, or happen today, can help shape choices and decisions they make as adults. Of course, because we live in a free society, we cannot force an individual to do something. _ is unfortunate, but some parents now have their child "opt-out" of the services. These people should be reminded they are free to make such choices only because of the men... What can we learn from the passage? A) War history is too violent for school children. B) The writer was once a soldier in the Canadian army. C) Few students are willing to take part in Remembrance Day ceremonies. D) More parents are keeping their children away from frightening war stories.
D

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect. That's difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. A former Macy's Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. "Many people will think if you have a suit and you're a Santa," said Tom Valent, the school's current dean. "It's more than that."  The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer . What's harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again. After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. "You're the real Santa," Valent said. "Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You've got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you're tired, you've got to remember: This one's forever, so do a good job." According to Weir's performance, we can conclude that   _  . A) Weir was short of experience B) Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa C) Weir did very badly in the game D) Weir was not a good student in school

A