A student and his teacher were walking through the forest. The student was disturbed  by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest . He asked his teacher, "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few have a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind ?" The teacher looked at him, smiled and said, "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away _ ". This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?" The fly answered, "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?" The elephant stopped eating and said, "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed  in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around." The student's eyes opened wide and smile rose on his face. "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm". "Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind". The reason why the elephant stayed calm and still was that   _  . A) it didn't have a sense of direction B) it was too heavy to move around like the fly C) it paid much attention to things around it D) it concentrated   on what it was doing
D

What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious   and closer with one another than with in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that's so magnetic that it's difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another. I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don't need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don't talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don't live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied? Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people. According to the passage, which is NOT mentioned as an element   of a home? A) Communication. B) Appreciation. C) Kindness. D) Companionship.
C

When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously  about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what's happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen--they can't do both--and they don't understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships--not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen. During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts. Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding . A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours. There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked to them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to, and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brains of their children. Since a girl's brain is better organized to send and receive speech, we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually disappointed to... After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to  _  . A) experience the happy time again B) keep a close tie with her C) recommend her a new scenic spot D) remind her of something forgotten
B

Some beach creatures are wonderful ----- like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones -----the blue ringed octopus, puffer fish, the Blue Bottle, and stingrays. The blue ringed octopus The blue ringed octopus is not a very big creature but it is very dangerous. These octopuses are found all around Australian coast. They often lie in rock pools close to shore. The blue ringed octopus is usually a dull color1 but it shows its bright blue rings when it is in danger. If it is taken out of the water, it is able to bite a person and poison them. If this creature bites someone, they will feel numbness   around the mouth, face and neck. Puffer Fish Puffer Fish are found in all Australian seas. They are very easy to catch but must not be eaten because their flesh and internal organs contain a poison. Anyone who does eat the flesh can become sick very quickly. They may even stop breathing. The Blue Bottle The Blue Bottle is found in most Australian waters. Blue Bottles float lightly on the surface of the water but their tentacles   can be as long as 10 metres. Blue Bottles are much less dangerous than some other jellyfish but they can give a swimmer a bad sting   if the swimmer accidentally touches them. Stingrays      There are many different kinds of stingrays in Australian waters. They usually swim and feed on the bottom of the sea. Accidents can happen if people stand on them or try to pick them up. Stingrays have a sting on their tail. These stings have poison on them. If someone is stung the wound can easily become infected. Which is TRUE according to the passage? A) All creatures along the coast ofprefix = st1 /Australiaare dangerous. B) Poisonous creatures change the body color1 when in danger. C) No accident will happen unless people touch these creatures. D) If people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of the creatures.

C