Brenda Linson never goes anywhere without an empty spectacles case. It is as vital to her as her purse. Yet, she doesn't wear glasses. The reason she cannot do without it is that she cannot read and she cannot write. If ever she gets into any situation where she might be expected to do either of these things, she fishes around in her bag for the spectacles case, finds it's empty, and asks the person concerned to do the reading for her. Until a few months ago hardly anybody knew about her problem. Her husband didn't know and her children didn't know. The children still don't. She had many tactics for hiding her difficult--for example, never lingering near a phone at work, in case she had to answer it and might be required to write something down. It has never occurred to the children that their mother cannot read. She doesn't read them stories, but then their father doesn't either, so they find nothing surprising in the fact. Similarly they just accept that Dad is the one who writes the sick notes and reads the school reports. Now that the elder boy Tom is quite a proficient reader, Brenda can skillfully get him to read any notes brought home from school simply by asking,"What's that all about, then?" Brenda's husband never guessed the truth in ten years of marriage. For one thing, he insists on handling all domestic correspondence and bills himself. A salesman for a large company, he travels a great deal and so is not around so much to spot the truth. While he's away Brenda cores with any situations by explaining that she cannot do anything until she's discussed it with her husband. Brenda was very successful in her job until recently. For the last five years she had worked as waitress at an expensive restaurant, and had eventually been promoted to head waitress. She kept the thing a secret there too, and got over the practical difficulties somehow. Of the following suggested titles, which is the most appropriate? A) Brenda and Her Family B) A Woman Who Doesn't Wear Glasses C) A Woman with an Empty Spectacles Case D) The Miserable Life of a Waitress
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The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates . The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. _ is important because it encourages the growth of tender hoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best in got. Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates like to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days. Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out on shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hotair blower until they become rolledup black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world. One of the reasons why women are employed to do the picking is that  _  . A) they work harder than men do in picking B) they can throw their picking more easily into the baskets C) their fingers fit them better for the job D) they can move easily find the twin leaves
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The following are four books that will help you change your mind and change your life. 1) , Louise Hay: A groundbreaking book when it was released in 1982. It is still the book that I turn to when I have physical unrest that requires deeper understanding. Louise Hay is the pioneer in looking at the connection between the physical unrest that we have in our body and the emotional connection. At the time that she wrote the book many people scoffed at this idea, but it is now widely accepted and millions of people refer to it on a daily basis. 2) , Don Miguel Ruiz: Maintaining a sense of reliability and faith is developed through understanding to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz written in 1997. We are faced with rules and regulations; don't do this, don't do that, watch what you are doing, be kind, loyal, faithful etc. The four agreements represent a simple system of maintaining your own inner authority while practicing being a true person with other people. 3) , Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey: This is a new one in my "bedside collection" and one that has made the biggest impact on me lately. Written in 1997, it is even more relevant today than it was when it was written. The idea of "slowing down" to get there faster was extremely hard for me to understand. As a human species we seem to enjoy moving fast and expecting quick results, especially from ourselves. I should be successful now, I should be slim now, get me to my destination now--in contrast to "in the fullness of time" when I am ready. 4) , Florence Scovel-Shinn: A classic book that was first published in 1925 and remains one of my favorite books of all time. Scovel-Shinn understood the power of our words to express either our deepest desires or our most horrible nightmares. So where does this leave you? The way I see it is if you want to 'Heal Your Life" then you had better learn how to play "The Game of Life" by learning how to "Slow Down to the Speed of Life" and keep the "Four Agreements". The solution may not be easy to do but it is... In which part of a magazine would you probably find this passage? A) Arts & Entertainment B) Reference & Education C) Book Reviews D) Self Improvement
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An 18-year-old student was struggling to pay his fees. Not knowing where to get the money, he and a friend decided to host a musical concert to raise money for their education. They went to the great pianist Paderewski. His manager demanded $2,000 for the piano recital . A deal was made and the boys began to work to make the concert a success. The big day arrived. But unfortunately, they hadn't managed to sell enough tickets. The total collection was only $1,600. Disappointed, they went to Paderewski and gave him the entire $1,600, and promised to pay him the rest $400 back as soon as possible. "No," said Paderewski. "Keep the money you need for your fees. And just give me whatever is left." The boys were surprised, and very thankful. Paderewski later became the Prime Minister of Poland, and he was a great leader. When the World War broke out, more than l.5 million people went hungry, but there was no food to feed them. Paderewski turned to the US Food and Relief Administration for help. The head there was a man called Herbert Hoover -- who later became the US President. Hoover agreed to help and quickly shipped tons of food to Poland. Paderewski decided to go across to thank Hoover himself. When Paderewski began to thank Hoover for his kindness, Hoover quickly stopped him and said, "You shouldn't be thanking me, Mr. Prime Minister. You may not remember this, but several years ago, you helped two young students go through college. I was one of them." What can we learn about Herbert Hoover? A) He was one of the American presidents. B) He didn't finish his college education. C) He was very rich when he was young. D) He was one of Paderewski's students.

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