In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord   can charge for an apartment. Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartment. Their rent cannot increase; therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes. However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects. Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits. Therefore, they invest in other businesses where they can increase their profits. They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled. As a result, new apartments are not built. Many people who need apartments cannot find any. According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city. Some experts argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way. The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers. The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled, low-paying jobs. However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers. They will replace workers with machinery. Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases. Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment. Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage. Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity. Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum. Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages. Economic theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage. The predictions may be corrected only if "other things are equal". Economists do not agree on some of the predictions. They also do not agree on the value of different decisions. Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it. Economists do agree,... There will be the problem of unemployment if   _  . A) the minimum wage is set too high.. B) the minimum wage is set too early. C) the workers are unskilled. D) the maximum wage is set for poor workers.
A


Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree "Dad, can we watch when you trim the tree?" My eldest son. Dan, nine, and his seven -year-old brother John, asked "I won't be cutting this year," my husband Bob said. "Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it? Dan and John seemed to _ in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. "We can handle it." Dan promised. "We won't let you down." . A few days before Christmas. Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they'd need and brought them out to the yard .where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the lying room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John  crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears. I felt worried The tree was central to our holiday. I didn't want the boys to feel ashamed every tune they looked at it. I couldn't lower the ceiling, and I couldn't raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution.  www..com "We can't make the tree taller." I said. "But we can put it on a higher position" Dan nodded his head sideways. "We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let's try it!" When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath. "What a good idea!" he declared "Why didn't I ever think of such a thing?" John broke into a grin Dan's chest swelled with pride. Who trimmed the Christmas tree this year? A) The writer B) Bob C) Dan and John D) The whole family
C


Q: Eleven-year-old Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system.She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well.The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness.They predicted she'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.They said that few,if any,were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease.The little girl was _ .There,lying in her hospital bed,she would vow to anyone who'd listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday. She was transferred to a specialized hospital in the San Francisco Bay area.Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used.The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit.They taught her about imaging--about seeing herself walking.If it would do nothing else,it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed.Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy,in whirlpools and in exercise sessions.But she worked just as hard lying there faithfully doing her imaging;visualizing herself moving,moving,moving! One day,as she was staining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again,it seemed as though a miracle happened:The bed moved!It began to move around the room!She screamed out,"Look what I'm doing!Look!Look!I can do it!I moved,I moved!" Of course,at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming,too,and running for cover.People were screaming,equipment was falling and glass was breaking.You see,it was the recent San Francisco earthquake.But don't tell that to Angela.She's convinced that she did it.And now only a few years later,she's back in school. _ What might be a good title for the text? A) Did The Earth Move For You? B) A Miracle Made by a Young Girl C) A Young Girl Conquered Disease D) Strong Will Defeats Illness
A: A


*Question*
New research finds a link between poverty and poor decision making. The findings may explain why poor people sometimes make bad choices that continue their hardship.      Earlier studies have found the poor less likely to escape poverty. But there has been little research on why the poor make decisions that make their lives harder. Until recently, it was economists who studied poverty, not psychologists. Eldar Shafir, a psychologist in Princeton University says now scientists from both fields work together. Mr. Shafir and his team did two experiments. One took place at a shopping center in New Jersey.  Another was carried out among sugar cane farmers in rural India.       The New Jersey experiment involved individuals with low paying jobs and others belonged to the middle class. All the volunteers were asked what they would do if their cars needed repairs.      The volunteers were given two imaginary situations. In the first, the car repairs cost $ 150.  In the second,  $ 1,500.      "And what we found is that the poor and the rich performed equally well on almost all the tests. "       Not so when the researchers raised the repair costs to $ 1,500.      "Now the poor performed significantly worse. " The poorer lost about 13 IQ points on average. This is about the loss experienced when a person has not slept for one night.      The scientists then wondered if the same person reacted differently when he was rich and when he was poor. The Indian sugar cane farmers earn most of their money once a year, when the harvest comes in. But the money often does not last through the year.     "So they find themselves basically rich after the harvest when the income comes in and poor just before the harvest.      The researchers gave them tests similar to the ones taken by the people in New Jersey. They tested the Indian farmers before the harvest and after.      And the results were much the same as with the mall shoppers.      "They performed much more slowly and with many more mistakes when they were poorer than when... The Indian sugar cane farmers_(     ) A) are smarter when they are poor B) earn money all through the year C) earn lots of money so they think they are rich D) feel rich after the harvest and poor before harvest
**Answer**

D