Where do you keep ice? In die freezer, of course. That's what scientists might have thought when they were looking for a safe place to store ice from mountain glaciers from around the world. They've decided to store ice in Antarctica because global warming is causing some of the glaciers in places like the Alps to melt. Jerome Chappellaz of the French National Centre for Scientific Research is involved in creating an ice vault  there. He says: "We are probably the only scientific community whose sample   is in danger of disappearing from the face of the planet. If you work on rocks or on tree rings, the raw material is still here and will be for many centuries." And why do scientists need to study ice from the Alps, for example? Ice formed on the top of a mountain is made of snow accumulated over thousands of years. Trapped air bubbles   contain samples of the atmosphere that existed when that ice was formed. Ice is a record of climate By examining ice. we know carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher now than in the last three million years. Researchers use this kind of data to build computer models and try to predict what might happen in the future. The ice vault will be housed in a snow cave at the Concordia Research Station, which is operated by scientists from France and Italy. The ice samples will be sealed in bags and placed 10 meters below the surface. at a constant temperature of -50*C. This will put the scientists' minds at rest. Losing the ice samples would be a disaster, and nobody wants to see a mine of scientific knowledge lost forever in a giant pool. What do scientists think of storing ice in Antarctica? A) They consider it an easy job. B) They're not optimistic about it. C) They think it will cause disasters. D) They think it's a reliable way.
D


The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices , President Obama says . New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico. In his weekly speech , the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months. US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel , but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years. Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country's future energy supply. The President's proposals  come after Republicans   introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production. The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons , but Mr Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise. " I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America --even as we increase safety and environmental standards ,"he said. "As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices." Mr Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80%of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. Mr Obama thinks the Republican proposals are   _  . A) Not safe enough B) Not environmentally friendly C) Practical D) Clear
C


Q: WHEN there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust? According to a new study in the online PloS One (<<*>> ), people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces. Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry. The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you're selling. Researchers from Britain's University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments. The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking. The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn't as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest. However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted. Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them. Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted. The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn't change their choices. They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces. Chris Olivola, one of the study's authors, said in the University of Warwick's press release: "It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts   about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them. The temptation   to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist." Which of the following about the experiment is TRUE? A) The trustworthy faces were given good information. B) Researchers took photos of the 40 people's faces in college. C) Most participants gave their money to the trustworthy-looking faces. D) Participants liked to choose the faces with good information.
A: C


Q: It's not much, but it's home. Francis Chan, an engineer, lives in Hampstead, north London, in a flat that's just 4ft wide by 21ft long. He loves it. Tiny though it is, it has got all the comforts. Peter Baynes, Chan's architect  ,has achieved a clever piece of design, according to architectural experts. The Chan mini-house was built on what was once a path down the side of a big Victarian house. Not an inch of space is wasted. When you step in through the front door, you're standing in the shower, on Britain' s only self-cleansing doormat  . A door opens on to an equally tiny toilet with washbasin. Two steps further in comes the kitchen, complete with full-sized cooker and fridge, and washer/ drier. A worktop folds down from the wall. Another step and you're into the dining/ office area. Four people can sit here for dinner, says Chan as he sets the table-top into place. He even has a fold-down drawing-board for when he's working at home. The bed is hidden under a cover board right at the back. "I don't even have to make the bed," Chan says." I just put the cover down. " Chan's business suits hang neatly on the wall over the bed. Daylight comes in through the skylight. The house feels like a very small boat and Chan admits he toyed with the idea of naming it the "boat-house". "It cost around PS4,700 to build last year. Now it's been valued at PS30,000. It proves that good design doesn't need to cost more. It just needs a lot of care." says Chan. What is the purpose of this writing? A) To sell Chan's flat for more money B) To tell people how to take care of small flat C) To introduce to readers a cleverly-designed flat D) To call on engineers to design their own home

A: C