We've heard about radiation from the damaged nuclear reactors in Japan reaching American shores. Experts say so far there is no reason to worry, and point out that we meet radiation every day. Where and how? NPR's Renee Montagne posed that question to Peter Caracappa, a radiation safety officer and professor of nuclear engineering. MONTAGNE: How many things emit radiation? Dr CARACAPPA: Well, radiation and radioactive material is a part of nature. So everything that's living has some amount of radiation coming from it--a very small amout. Plus there's radiation in the ground and the air. So the extremes are uranium in the soil to bananas? Yes. By the way, why do bananas have radiation? Bananas have a lot of potassium . And a small amount of potassium naturally is called potassium 40, which is radioactive What's the difference between radiation that's harmful and not harmful? Well, the term radiation can apply to a lot of different things. But the harmful radiation is ionizing radiation. It has enough energy that it can make chemical changes in material. We could get ionizing radiation from an X-ray, for example. It's the kind of radiation that causes cancer. The broader definition of radiation includes a lot of things that we call non-ionizing radiation. That includes everything like radio waves and visible light and your microwave. So what then is the largest contributor of ionizing radiation? For the natural sources of ionizing radiation, actually the biggest chunk of that tends to come from radon , which is a radioactive material that is present in the air. It can become a concern when it builds up in low-lying areas of homes like basements. Would it be fair to say that most people do not need to worry about the danger of being exposed to radiation? I would say that the everyday exposure to radioation that we meet contributes an extremely tiny risk to our life or to our health compared to all of the other risks that we meet in our day-to-day life. The purpose of writing this passage is to   _  . A) advise on how to protect us from radiation B) analyze what causes radiation in daily life C) warn people of the danger of radiation D) expect people not to fear everyday radiation
D


Did you know that many people today are getting extra work by taking translating jobs online? It's true! And you can do it too. Many companies in the USA need translators now to translate simple documents online from Chinese to English, such as emails, website content, movie subtitles and more. Companies like Real Translator Jobs are actively seeking translators from China to fill demand. There are more translation jobs than people to complete them. This leaves a big opportunity for anyone to start doing this and earn extra money. Do you have to speak perfect English? No! Even basic knowledge of English is OK. This is really a job for anyone from China who wants to do it. We spoke to one student from Beijing, Harris, who has been doing this for 2 years now and is earning between $150 and $225 every day. He completes about 3 to 4 jobs per day which takes him about 3 hours. It's an incredible amount of money to earn on your spare time! It is great that we now live in the "Information Age" and opportunities like this are available to people in China to earn extra money working from home over the Internet. It's something that our parent's generation could have never imagined. This type of work is surely to do great things for young people in China. If you would also like to do this, it's easy to get started. Just follow these steps: 1. Sign up at Real Translator Jobs (where Chinese translators are needed now), or a similar service. 2. Review the job posting and complete the ones you like. 3. Get paid once per month by cheque, PayPal or bank wire transfer. I hope you enjoyed this information and good luck earning extra money online translating documents. Which step is not followed if you get started the translating job online? A) Signing up at Real Translator Jobs. B) Reviewing and completing the job posting. C) Getting paid once per month by cheque. D) Getting paid once a month in cash.
D


Q: More and more schools are being designed and used in ways that are friendly to the environment. These so-called green schools use less energy, cost less to run and are good for students. The newly renovated   Sidwell Friends Middle School in the District has been awarded the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council for having a positive impact on the environment-a rare honor. Soon the school will treat and re-use its wastewater, saving hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per year. The recycled water from sinks and toilets, which can't be used for drinking, will be color1ed blue, "so we know it's recycled, just in case it gets into the water fountains  -not that it would," joked Emily Bernstein, 14, a Sidwell student and building tour guide. Water fountains will still use fresh city water. Sidwell students are studying the building itself in science classes to help them learn first-hand the positive impact of green buildings. It's affecting how they view the world around them. "If you see a [building] being torn down, you think, 'They're going to fill up a whole landfill   with that,'" said Matthew Malone, 13. In Prince George's County, Suitland Elementary has been so successful that another green school is being planned, in Laurel, for the 2008-09 school year. At Suitland, a garden courtyard collects and uses rainwater; the roof is angled away from the sun to keep it cool; and skylights and tall windows let in lots of natural light. "You don't have to switch on the light switch all the time," said Rupert McCave, the county official guiding these projects. Green schools tend to be sunnier and more  _ than older buildings. In fact, a study done inprefix = st1 /Washingtonstate showed that students at green schools performed better and were absent less. The passage is mainly about_. A) green buildings B) successful schools C) students going green D) environmentally-friendly schools
A: D


(Question)
Don't drive your kids to school. Let them ride a bike to school. In England 8.3 million children travel to school every day. It is reported that only a small number of pupils cycle to school (under 2%), although one in three children would actually like to. Experts say that to stay healthy, children need at least one hour of moderate   exercise every day. But only six out of ten boys and four out of ten girls get that. One of the reasons is that parents have developed a habit of driving their children to school when they could just walk or ride a bike to school. Teachers often say that children who walk or ride a bike to school are more ready to listen to their classes, ask and answer questions in class than those driven by car, and the school journey is a good chance for children to learn about road safety and other life skills. Also, for many children, riding a bike is more fun than going to school by car. Most parents know the benefits  . Then what's stopping them from letting their kids ride a bike? Safety is the number one worry for them. But actually riding a bike is not as dangerous as parents think it is. When you decide to buy a bike, you should be aware  that a bike that is too big or too small is dangerous. Don't try to get a bike that your child will "grow into". Get the right size in good working order. Generally, 20-inch wheels are on bikes for 5-8 year olds; 24-inch wheels are for 9-11 year olds; 26-inch wheels are suitable for those over 11, and some older children should even take bikes with 28-inch wheels, but the main thing is that the bike fits your child. This passage is mainly written for   _  . A) teachers whose students have asked their parents to drive them to school B) children who have asked their parents to drive them to school C) parents who drive their children to school D) parents who drive to work
(Answer)

C