Relation between the United States and Columbia suffered for many years because of an incident involving the Republic of Panama. By the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898, many Americans felt that an easier and faster way was needed to get ships from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Some people in the United States first believed that a canal across Nicaragua was the answer. However, President Theodore Roosevelt decided that a canal through Panama would be a better choice. In order to build the canal , the United States had to negotiate   a treaty with Columbia , which at that time controlled Panama . Roosevelt offered Columbia $ 10 million plus $ 250,000 a year for 99 years for a six-mile-wide strip of land across Panama. Columbia rejected the United States' offer. This ranged President Roosevelt, and negotiations with Columbia ended. In 1903, a revolution broke out in Panama. The United States ships were sent by President Roosevelt to protect the Panamanian revolutionaries from Columbian forces. The revolution succeeded, and Panama declared its independence from Columbia. The United States then negotiated with the newly formed government. A treaty was signed, and the United States began building the canal. As a result of the incident, Columbia and the United States remained on bad terms for many years. Not until 1921, when the United States agreed to pay Columbia some compensation   for its territory, did relations between the two countries improve. It can be inferred from the passage that an important reason for the decision of the United States to build a canal was to   _  . A) develop trade relations with Europe B) improve relations with South American countries C) prevent European ships from reaching the Pacific Ocean D) reduce travel time for its ships in case of war
D

There are two kinds of memory: short-term and long-term. Information in long-term memory can be remembered at a later time when it is needed. The information may be kept for days or weeks. However, information in short-term memory is kept for only a few seconds, usually by repeating the information over and over. The following experiment shows how short-term memory has been studied. Henning studied how students who are learning English as a second language remember vocabulary. The subjects in his experiment were 75 college students. They represented all levels of ability in English: beginning, intermediate  , and native speaking students. To begin, the subjects listened to a recording of a native speaker reading a paragraph in English. Following the recording, the subjects took a 15-question test to see which words they remembered. Each question had four choices. The subjects had to circle the word they had heard in the recording, Some of the questions had four choices that sound alike. For example, weather, whether, wither, and wetter are four words that sound alike. Some of the questions had four choices that have the same meaning. Method, way, manner, and system would be four words with the same meaning. Finally the subjects took a language proficiency test. Henning found that students with a lower proficiency in English made more of their mistakes on words that sound alike; students with a higher proficiency made more of their mistakes on words that have the same meaning. Henning's results suggest that beginning students hold the sound of words in their short-term memory, and advanced students hold the meaning of words in their short-term memory. From Henning's result we can see that   _  . A) beginners have difficulty distinguishing the pronunciation of words B) advanced students always remember words by their meaning C) it is difficult to remember words that sound alike D) it is difficult to remember words that have the same meaning
A

Dior was born in Normandy in 1905, and his family's original plans for him included a career in the diplomatic service, but by the time he was twenty-three, with his parents'money, he opened a small art gallery in Paris. By 1931, the money had been used up. Dior's friends in the art gallery, asked him to draw and he took his first step at designing and drawing. His first job was with Lucien Lelong from whom Dior learned his craft . In February,1947, Dior started the New Look in his first major Paris collection. He was backed by a famous textile producer, Boussac, who looked after the dollars, while Dior looked after the fashions. Dior knew nothing about cutting and sewing, but he was good at fashion design. The New Look started an entirely different look to costume, with a tiny waist, a rounded shoulder and a shapely bust , usually with a low-cut neckline and a long full skirt. To women who had lived through the war years, the femaleness of the New look was a great success, for people were tired of tile extremely plain, wartime restrictive fashions. It is said that dresses by Dior were "constructed like buildings", but young people were attracted to his design, and all over the western world, manufacturers plunged  into the production of his new style. Dior's revolutionary designs lighted up a whole cycle of fashion, rounded, gentle, feminine, a delight in elegance. A New Look House of Dior opened in 1948, followed by one in London. Considered as King of Couture(women's clothing)for years, the Dior empire grew until it covered every country in the western world, and included furs, hosiery, jewelry, perfumes, men's wear and on and on. More than 1,000 people worked at the Paris headquarters then. His sudden death in 1957 when he was 53 years old did not stop the growth of the House of Dior. Even now, so many years after his death, his name is closely connected with fashion throughout the world, and indeed is one of the most recognized names in the world, His first, great New Look, with its long skirts was an... What is probably the best title for the passage?_. A) The History of the New Look B) The Growth of the Dior Empire C) An Expression of Freedom--Dior D) The Founder of the New Look-Dior
D

The story I am going to tell you happened about three years ago when I started to learn how to drive. At first, I was very frightened, and I thought I could never learn how to drive a car. Driving a car frightened me because in my home country women never drive, but in the United States every woman has to know how to drive. My husband paid an to teach me how to drive. After that, my husband practiced with me for a long time. My husband always told me that I had to learn. It was important to me and my family. However, I couldn't get my license right away. I failed my driving test two times. After practicing for a long time, I decided to go for my third driving test. I had failed my first test because I was very nervous. Everybody encouraged me to continue practicing. Three weeks later, I decided to try it again, but I failed again. After that, I was very embarrassed , and I said I couldn't get it, so I stopped practicing for a while. Not knowing how to drive was bad because I couldn't do anything. I had two kids, my husband works, and I have to take care of everything. Driving was so necessary that I decided to try it again. And finally, that time, I passed the test. Now I have my license. I know how to drive, and it has changed my life in some important ways. Now I'm driving to the college, learning English and hoping I will get a good job in the future. The best title of this passage should be "   _   ". A) My Driving License B) My Husband and I C) Passing the Test D) Never Give Up

D