Hilversum is a medium-sized city between the major cities of Amsterdam and Utrecht in the Gooi area of North Holland, the Netherlands. Unlike most of the Netherlands, Hilversum is actually in a hilly area with the soil mostly consisting of sand. Once called the Garden of Amsterdam, it still attracts travelers to come over to cycle and walk through the surrounding forests. They visit it for a relaxing day off from the urban madness. For Dutch people, Hilversum is all about textile   and media industries, and modern architecture. In history, Hilversum was largely an agricultural area. Daily life was marked by farming, sheep raising and wool production. A railway link to Amsterdam in 1874 attracted rich traders from Amsterdam to Hilversum. They build themselves large villas   in the wooded surroundings of the town. One of the families moving in was the Brenninkmeijers, currently the wealthiest family of the Netherlands. They moved in after big success in the textile industry and aided a substantial textile industry in Hilversum. But the textile boom lasted only several decades. The last factory closed in the 1960s. The change to a media economy started in 1920, when the Nederlandse Seintoestedllen Fabriek (NSF) established a radio factory in Hiversum. Most radio stations called in the large villas in the leafy areas of the town. Television gave another push to the local economy. Hilversum became the media capital of the Netherlands, and Dutch televison stars moved into the leafy neighborhoods surrounding the town. In the early 1900s, modern architcts W.M. Dudok and J. Duiker placed hundreds of remarkable buildings in Hilversum. These modern architectural masterpieces   are so many that Hilversum almost feels like an open air museum. Dudok alone shaped most 20th century Hilversum and approximately 75 buildings in 1928-1931. It has wide international fame and is included in many architecture textbooks. The building has a remarkable shape and looks like a combination of "blocks". Actually, one may start his journey... What is known about W.M. Dudok's Hilversum Town Hall? A) It consists of approximately 75 buildings B) It looks like an open air museum in the city C) It is a classic example in architecture textbooks D) It has shaped most of 20th century Hilvesum.
C


I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss. Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me. Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, "Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on". It hit me like a roundhouse kick   from Bruce Lee. I was jolted   out of my bones! I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit. When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I won't be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books. One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude  . . This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it! The author wrote this text with the purpose of    _   . A) introducing his university life to the teenage readers B) encouraging those lazy students to study hard at school C) showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action D) calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college
C


(Question)
It seems some people have something bad to say about Facebook, the social media website that now has attracted more than 300 million members. To them I have only this to say: Stop please! A recent article in theWall Street Journalblamed Facebook's ability to ruin friendships, saying that it limits communication to typing and encourages people to spend far too much time with friends they have never met. Having used Facebook since its first year, I find these arguments false. The simple truth is that the problems are only a symptom of Facebook abuse. Like many things, it is only as harmful to your life and relationships as you allow it to be. Consider arguments against watching too much TV and overeating. Try using Facebook to find friends who may have long ago changed their e-mail addresses and phone numbers, to find out what your old college friends are up to, to congratulate your friends on their latest birthdays, to share pictures and articles you find interesting, and to join in the discussion about them with your friends. Sure, I had days when I wasted a little more time on Facebook than I should, but I'm not going to blame Facebook for my own laziness. If Facebook wasn't there, I would have found something else to waste time on. To my "friends": if you don't feel like broadcasting your life stories on your Facebook, don't. If you tire of my personal updates, ignore them. If you don't want to join in the popular online games, don't. It is a fun tool at your fingers that can be used for both good and bad. If you don't like using Facebook, don't. I am now a consultant at the Department of State. I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues who live and work all over the world. Why did the article in theWall Street Journal blame Facebook? A) Because it makes people spend too much time online. B) Because it can make people lose their real-life friends. C) Because it is as harmful to people's lives as watching TV. D) Because it encourages people to make friends with strangers.
(Answer)

B