Q: Between 1996 and 2010, according to a study published in 2012, the use of computed tomography (CT)  scans nearly increased by three times as much, from 52 scans per 1,000 patients to 149 scans per 1,000 patients. And those images certainly provided valuable information to help doctors diagnose  hidden conditions that wouldn't have been possible without the added insight. But CT scans produce those detailed images using small amounts of radiation, and while the   risk of that exposure is small, on a population level, increased reliance on the scans could drive a slight bump in cancer risk from CT. That's exactly what the latest study, published in the British Medical Journal, found. It's the largest study to date -- involving 10.9 million Australians born between 1985 and 2005. A team of researchers from Australia and Europe studied the cancer rates of Australian patients from birth to 19 years old who had CT scans in early childhood, and compared them to those who did not receive the scans. Most of the cases were followed for 10 to 17 years, and by the end of the study period, 3,150 of the 680,000 patients exposed to CT scans during childhood and young adulthood developed cancer and 57,542 of the remaining participants, who were not exposed, developed cancer. Those who were scanned had a 24% greater risk of cancer than those who did not receive them, with the risk increasing by 16% for each additional CT. The risk was highest for children who received scans before age five; they showed a 35% increased chance of developing a cancer during the study period than those who weren't scanned at this age. That research is still ongoing, however, and in the meantime, doctors and patients are left to find the delicate balance between how necessary scans are to diagnose disease, and their potential risk of causing cancer, which, most experts say, is still very small. "All parties, including patients and families, need to work together to make sure that CT scans are limited to situations where there is a definite ... What can we learn about the participants of the study? A) They came from both Australia and Europe. B) Most of them are between 10 to 17 years old. C) Some of them had developed cancer at the age of 19. D) About 10.22 million of them hadn't received CT scans.
A: D


Q: It never occurred to anybody, not even the creators that the world would care about the complex lives, loves and sufferings of a group of attractive and witty New Yorkers. But there's no doubt that Friends has become more than just a successful situation comedy--it has established itself as one of the last great television phenomena of the last century. Along the way, it has made its half-dozen leading actors famous. Looking back on the strong friendship between the group of three men and three women who frequently gather at each other's apartments and at Greenwich Village's Central Perk coffee house, Friends was created by television producers, David Crane and Marta Kauffman. In 1993, the pair met producer Kevin S. Bright. Then the three became partners and got a deal to produce a new comedy for Warner Brothers. What they came up with was based on Crane and Kauffman's after-college years, when they hung out at the local coffee house and involved themselves in every aspect of each other's lives. It didn't take long for viewers to make friends with Friends. The situation comedy quickly became a top ten hit. Critics loved it as well. Entertainment Weekly said the show operated like a Broadway show, with twisty plots and unique jokes. The television theme song has also been a success with the public. The song's success helped save the television theme song. An ABC executive was ready to order very short music intros  on his network's shows, thinking that viewers would hit the remote control as soon as the opening started. But the success of the Friends theme song led the ABC executive to change his mind-- remote controls or not, the TV theme song would stay. Years have gone by, but Friends remains and will remain an example of a modern US situation comedy that is both hugely entertaining television and nothing short of a genuine latter-day social phenomenon. What might the author think of Friends? A) Its merits outweigh its shortcomings. B) Its success lies in the lack of good situation comedies. C) He/she has a reserved attitude towards its success. D) He/she shows great affection towards it.
A: D


Q: Look carefully and you'll find musicians at the top of almost any industry. The television broadcaster Paula Zahn(cello) and the NBC chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd (French horn) attended college on music scholarships; Both Microsoft's Mr. Allen and the venture capitalist Rogar McNamee have rock bands. Lorry Page, a co-founder of Google, played saxophone in high school. The former World Bank president James D. Wolfensohn has played cello at Carnegie Hall. The connection isn't a coincidence. I know because I asked. I put the question to top-flight professionals in industries from tech to finance to media, all of whom had serious ( if often little-known) past lives as musicians. Almost all made a connection between their music training and their professional achievements. Will your school music program turn your kid into a Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft (guitar)? Or a Woody Allen (clarinet )? Probably not. These are outstanding achievers. But the way these and other visionaries   I spoke to process music is interesting. But the key question is: why does that connection exist? Paul Allen offers an answer. He says music "establish your confidence in the ability to create." He began playing the violin at age 7 and switched to the guitar as a teenager. Even in the early days of Microsoft, he would pick up his guitar at the end of marathon days of programming. The music was the emotional analog   to his day job, both of them show his different creativity. He says, "something is pushing you to look beyond what currently exists and express yourself in a new way." For many of the high achievers I spoke with, music functions as a "hidden language," as Mr. Wolfensohn calls it, one that enhances the ability to connect different or even opposite ideas. When he ran the World Band, Mr. Wolfensohn traveled to more than 100 countries, often taking in local performances (and occasionally joining in on a borrowed cello), which helped him understand "the culture of people". Consider the qualities... Which of the following is true? A) Everybody knows those well-known people are musicians before. B) Musicians exist in all industries. C) Music can certainly make you become a better person. D) Music helps Mr. Wolfensohn have a better understanding of the different culture.

A: D