Speak confidently and think logically. Year 13 schoolboy Arunabh Prakash can't agree more. Anmabh is one of the five students that will represent New Zealand at the 26th World Schools Debating Championships (WSDC) to be held in Thailand from August 5 to l5 this year. "You've got to be persuasive, regardless of the fact that you believe in a topic or not," says the 17-year-old. "There are a lot of speakers who are eloquent   but find it difficult to think logically and then there are those who have a good argument but can't deliver." Endurance   is another quality he says one must have in the heated arena   of expressing opinions and ideas. "There are times when you have to debate for five hours at a go and are completely exhausted. It's quite intense. You must have the energy to debate for long hours," says Arunabh, who began debating in year 10. The WSDC is a debating competition in the world for high school students from different countries. It involves four prepared debates and four impromptu debates -- debates without specific preparations. To gain selection for the national team for the global final, Arunabh had to compete with regional teams. Despite the mounting pressure, he says he was confident of winning. "We didn't loose a debate in the first two days. And we had a very strong team. We were confident of our ability to win," he says. What can we know about Arunabh from the text? A) He started debating at the age of ten. B) He is on his country's national debating team. C) He argues only on the topics that he believes in. D) He is unsure of winning the debating competition.
B


The Cuban iguana  is a species of lizard of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean. The Cuban iguana is mainly _ : 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses. However, Cuban iguanas occasionally eat animal matter, and individuals have been watched eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs. The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident. The Cuban iguana is living throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population growing rapidly on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti . In general the species is decreasing, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decrease is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts  on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is decreasing, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding and other protection programs. What's the writer's purpose of writing the text? A) To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana. B) To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana. C) To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decrease. D) To draw people's attention to an endangered animal
A


Q: A friend asks me "Why don't Chinese go Dutch?" So I want to regard this question as the topic and write an article.As everyone knows,westerners will go Dutch while having a meal in the restaurant.But Chinese don't go Dutch.Chinese will pay the bill and check out generously.Westerners don't often entertain guests;but Chinese often invite friends to dinner.A lot of westerners feel puzzled to this question. Why does there exist such a difference? First of all,food systems between China and West are different.Chinese put into practice Gather Dining System;westerners put into practice Individual Dining System.Everybody can share the delicious food of all over the table when eating Chinese food.Please note it is sharing,but westerners just eat the food in one's own plate.If you eat beef and he eats chicken,it is impossible that you taste the flavor of his chicken.The  result of the Individual Dining System is that you can only eat the food in your plate. So to eat Chinese food is happier than to eat Western-style food.And I want to ask you a question.Do you like the free thing? I think nobody doesn't like the free thing.Ok! Suppose I invite you to eat the delicious Chinese food,then I pay the bill.This is equivalent to that you have enjoyed a delicious Chinese food free.So you will be very glad.It will strengthen the relation between us in the happy atmosphere. Secondly,westerners eat for the health;Chinese eat for the friendship.Westerners advocate individualism and independence is strong.So westerners express that respect for each other's independence through the way go Dutch.Chinese like making friends and solidarity.Chinese value the interpersonal relationships and the friendship very much. Third,it is only simple "Have a meal!" for westerners to entertain guests.Unlike the purpose and the  _ that Chinese entertain guests,in Americans' idea,"Have a meal" definition is to add fuel to the body for keeping health and normal life activity.That is to say,there is not any additional value.In the Chinese idea,"Have a... The differences between Western and Chinese Dinning System lie in the following aspects EXCEPT_. A) individual and gathering B) the purpose for health and for the friendship C) health maintenance and life enjoyment D) opposition and dependence
A: D


Not being the best but touching the limits of your ability. This belief came from my third grade teacher, the most trusted and loved person in my life. Mr. Myrus was always perfectly dressed and spoke with the conviction   that talking to small kids didn't mean that he had to sacrifice proper pronunciation or grammar. And he was demanding. Oh, he wasn't unreasonable or cruel; he simply felt that no matter what your best was, you should achieve it. As luck would have it, I met him again as my eighth grade math teacher. I was not, nor ever will be, gifted in math. And thirteen-year-old girls do not have the energy to devote to something like square roots  . I remember our struggles, "I don't know the answer. I can't do it.!" "Perhaps you don't know the answer," he would say quietly. "Do you think we might figure it out together? How do you know what you can do until you try?" Mr. Myrus lived around the corner, and I would often stop by to talk while he worked in his wood shop. In this room of sawdust, wood chips, and the smoke from the woodburning stove, I felt respected and valued as a person. I knew there was someone who liked me for who I was, someone who, while he always wanted me to do my best, let me know that if I had really tried, that was enough. Mr. Myrus was my teacher and my friend. He taught me to be kind. He taught me my own value. He taught me about honor, about truth, and about doing my best--and that all feelings and beliefs have dignity and deserve respect. And of all the things I know, this I believe: We can't all be "the" best, but we can, each of us, be our best, and I know that's true because Mr. Myrus told me. Which of the following may Mr. Myrus agree with? A) Result always matters most. B) Everyone is equally talented. C) Whatever you do, spare no effort. D) When talking to kids, speak in their way.

C