Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools. Pretests, drills, tests, and retests. They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers. I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through. And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test. Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon . Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment  to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way. First one looks at a test. Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test. Finally, the test skills are taught. The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests. However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests. We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition of that skill. Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught. Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read. These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks. However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read. They know the details but can't see or understand the whole. They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) The teachers are curious about teaching to the test. B) Skills in general are not only useless but often mislead students. C) Ability to read and write has nothing to do with ability to do well in tests. D) Preparations for a test of a skill do not mean the acquisition of that skill.
D
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Do you want to live a happier, less stressful   life? Try laughing for no reason at all. That's how thousands of people start their day at Laughter Clubs around the world - and many doctors now think that having a good laugh might be one of the best ways to stay healthy. The first Laughter Club was started in Mumbai, India, in 1995 by Dr Madan Kataria. "Young children laugh about 300 times a day. Adults laugh between 7 and 15 times a day," says Dr Kataria. "Everyone's naturally good at laughing - it's the universal language. We want people to feel happy with their lives." There are now more than 500 Laughter Clubs in India and over 1,300 worldwide. Many doctors are also interested in the effects   of laughter on our health. According to a 5 - year study in the body. Laughter improves our health against illness by about 40%. So, what happens at a Laughter Club? I went along to my nearest club in South London to find out. I was quite nervous at the beginning of the class, to be honest - I wasn't interested in laughing with a group of strangers, and I was worried about looking stupid. Our laughter teacher told us to clap our hands and say "ho ho ho, ha ha ha," while looking at each other. However, our bodies can't tell the difference between fake laughter and real laughter, so they still produce the same healthy effects. Surprisingly, it works! After ten minutes everybody in the room was laughing for real - and some people just couldn't stop! At the end of the class I was surprised by how relaxed and comfortable I felt. So if you're under stress, then start laughing. You might be very pleased with the results! How did the writer feel at the beginning of the class? A) Surprised. B) Pleased. C) Nervous. D) Stressful.
C
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A dentist's office may not be everyone's idea of a perfect holiday destination.But a growing number of Europeans are travelling abroad for medical treatment to save money,or maybe to combine a visit to the doctor with some sightseeing,creating a potential but fastgrowing market for traditional tour operators. "It was simply cheaper for me to go to a dentist in Hungary," said a 42yearold physical therapist from Berlin.He chose the clinic near Budapest from an Internet advertisement,attracted by hundreds of euros in savings compared with the same treatment in Germany.He was happy to find when he got there that the clinic was clean,the staff qualified and the work thorough. People travel abroad for medical treatment for various reasons:it's cheaper,they face a long wait at home,or the treatment they want is not available in their own country.The Britishbased Medical Tourist Company refers about 100 patients a year to hospitals in India for treatments.And Chief Executive Premhar Shah reports rapid growth in demand from customers in Africa,where it can be harder to find wellequipped medical facilities for complex surgeries. Some patients who have immigrated may prefer to return to be close to their families when they undergo surgery."People will want to take the opportunity to seek treatment in places where they have relatives who might be able to look after them.I'm seeing that especially with younger people from eastern Europe," said a professor at the University of Oxford. For some,there is the attraction of free treatment abroad.British lawmakers have called for tighter checks on patients arriving for treatment,out of concerns that foreign citizens are travelling to Britain to take advantage of the free service. The global medical tourism market is believed to be worth $40 billion to $60 billion and growing at about 20 percent per year. The 42yearold physical therapist was satisfied with  _  in Hungary. A) the price instead of the service B) the service instead of the price C) both the price and the service D) neither the price nor the service
C
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World leaders from nearly 200 countries have signed an important historic agreement to fight global climate change. The agreement came after two weeks of talks between the leaders at the 21st Conference in Paris, France. As part of the Paris agreement, countries said they would cut down on pollution However, according to the terms of the deal, countries that don't do this will not be punished, or fined. Instead,the document is meant to show that governments around the world take climate change seriously and are willing to work together to fight global warming. World leaders have met many times to discuss climate change. But, the 21st Conference of Parties, or COP21, which began on November 30 in Paris, was the first time they agreed on a global, legal pact  . Before the conference, each nation was asked to create plans on how to reach the shared goal. The pact that was signed allows countries to decide the best way to cut down their gas pollution. No matter how they decide to go green, each country must report honestly on all of their efforts. Every five years, nations must look at the work they've done and submit new plans on how they will improve over the next five years. In the pact, the countries pledge to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted  by human activity to the levels that trees,soil and oceans can absorb naturally. It urges countries to spend trillions of dollars on creating new energy sources, like solar and wind power. It also requires countries to raise at least $ 100 billion each year to help developing countries. However, critics of the pact say it is not detailed enough, and doesn't include specifics about how the plan will be enforced and how improvements will be measured. The pact does include one large, specific goal: how countries will aim to keep global temperatures from rising more than 3. 60degF(20degC) by 2100. Nonetheless,the agreement is considered by many world leaders to be a major victory. The U. N. has been working more than two decades to convince governments to work... The pact is thought to be imperfect because  _  . A) it doesn't consider developing countries B) it is not detailed enough C) it is not attractive to all countries D) it only benefits some countries

B
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