(Q).
When I was 17 years old I had surgery because of a disease. The day after the surgery, I awoke to find a friend of mine sitting in a chair across from my bed. I don't remember much about his visit. But I will not forget that he visited me on that day, and sat there for I don't know how long, while I was under the influence of a morphine drip . We benefit greatly from our close friendships, but they are not a matter of calculable gain or loss. Our age, what we might call the age of economics, is strongly influenced by two types of relationships that reflect the lives we are encouraged to lead. There are consumer relationships, those that we participate in for the pleasure they bring us. They are focused on the present. It is what brings immediate pleasure that matters. And there are entrepreneurial relationships, those that we invest in, hoping they will bring us some return. Aristotle thought that there were three types of friendship: those of pleasure, those of usefulness, and true friendship. In pleasure friendships, he said, "It is not for their character that men love ready-witted people, but because they find them pleasant." About the usefulness friendships, he said, "Those who love each other for their utility do not love each other for themselves, but because of some good which they get from each other." Although we benefit from our close friendships, these friendships are not a matter of calculable gain and loss. Consumer pleasures are lasting for only a limited time. They surround us for a short period and then they fade, like a drug. Entrepreneur friendship, when successful, leads to the victory of personal gain. It is precisely this non-economic character that is threatened in a society in which each of us is offered only the choices of ownership, shopping, competition and growth. It is threatened when we are led to believe that friendships without obvious recognizable gain are, in the economic sense, irrational . Friendships are not without reason, perhaps, but they are certainly without that... Consumer relationships center on   _  . A) the sharing of joy and sorrow B) mutual support in times of trouble C) personal gain or personal loss D) immediate pleasure
(A).
D


(Q).
The values of artistic works, according to cultural relativism , are simply reflections of local social and economic conditions. Such a view, however, fails to explain the ability of some works of art to excite the human mind across cultures and through centuries. History has witnessed the endless productions of Shakespearean plays in every major language of the world. It is never rare to find that Mozart packs Japanese concert halls, as Japanese painter Hiroshige does Paris galleries, Unique works of this kind are different from today's popular art, even if they began as works of popular art. They have set themselves apart in their timeless appeal and will probably be enjoyed for centuries into the future. In a 1757 essay, the philosopher David Hume argued that because"the general principles of taste are uniform  in human nature,"the value of some works of art might be essentially permanent. He observed that Homer was still admired after two thousand years. Works of this type, he believed, spoke to deep and unvarying features of human nature and could continue to exist over centuries. Now researchers are applying scientific methods to the study of the universality of art. For example, evolutionary psychology is being used by literary scholars to explain the long-lasting themes and plot devices in fiction. The structures of musical pieces are now open to experimental analysis as never before. Research findings seem to indicate that the creation by a great artist is as permanent an achievement as the discovery by a great scientist. According to the passage, what do we know about cultural relativism? A) It introduces different cultural values. B) It explains the history of artistic works. C) It relates artistic values to local conditions. D) It excites the human mind throughout the world.
(A).
C


(Q).
Wanda, the neighborhood witch, was a good witch and had been one for about 221 years. Her fondest dream was to become a fairy godmother. She had been going to the Fairy Godmother Academy for 103 years, learning fairy godmother magic: how to turn pumpkins into coaches, how to make things vanish in clouds of smoke, even how to change mice into horses and footmen. Just that very morning the principal of the Academy had said Wanda was ready for her final test. She was to change the first animal she met into something else. The animal was to be so happy at becoming whatever it became that it would say, "Oh, happy day! I'm a..." If it did, Wanda would pass the test. She would become a fairy godmother, with a sparkling pink dress, a golden crown, and a magic wand tipped with a shining star. However, if she failed, she would have to start school all over again--all 103 years of it. "Good luck," the principal said as Wanda left the Academy. The very first animal Wanda bumped into was Charley, a little green frog who sat in a pond by the side of the road catching bugs with his long, sticky tongue and croaking "Baroomp! Baroomp!" When Charley saw Wanda he jumped onto a lily pad. "Hi," he cried. "Witch way are you going? Ha, ha. That's a joke, Wanda. 'Witch way are you going?' Get it?" "I get it, Charley," replied Wanda, "but it's not much of a joke. Anyway, I'm glad you're here. I have a surprise for you. You'll be so happy." Then, without even an "if you please," Wanda waved her wand, said a magic word, and poof  ! Charley, the little green frog, turned into a prince! He was a handsome prince but a wet one. The lily pad had collapsed under his weight and dumped him into the water. Charley-turned-prince stood up and looked at his reflection in the water. "Hey!" he cried. "You turned me into a prince! It's a surprise all right, but I don't want to be a prince. I want to be a frog! Change me back right now!" "Oh, dear," Wanda said. "You know I don't like to be yelled at, Charley. Now you've made me forget the reverse... What does the passage want to tell us? A) Where there is a will, there is a way. B) Practice makes perfect. C) A good heart conquers ill fortune. D) Failure is the mother of success.
(A).

C