(Question)
Edward Snowden--the fugitive   former U.S.intelligence employee --appears to be stuck in Moscow, unable to leave without a valid American passport, according to interviews Sunday with two men who had sought to aid him: WikiLeaks' Julian Assange and Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa. Snowden, 30, arrived at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport last weekend, after previously taking refuge in Hong Kong. Moscow was only supposed to be a stopover.WikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization, had said Snowden was headed on to Ecuador--whose president has been critical of the United States -- and that he would seek _ there. Now, however, both men said Snowden is unable to leave. "The United States, by canceling his passport, has left him for the moment trapped in Russia," said Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, on ABC ' s " This Week With George Stephanopoulos". The United States canceled Snowden' s passport last weekend. Assange criticized the United States, saying: " To take a passport from a young man in a difficult situation like that is a disgusting action." President Correa spoke to the Associated Press in Puerto Viejo, Ecuador. For now, he told the AP, Snowden was "under the care of the Russian authorities. " "This is the decision of Russian authorities. He doesn't have a passport. I don't know the Russian laws, I don' t know if he can leave the airport, but I understand that he can' t," Correa said. He said that the case was now out of Ecuador' s hands. "If Snowden arrives at an Ecuadoran Embassy, we' 11 analyze his request for asylum." Snowden traveled from Hong Kong to Moscow on his U.S.passport. Although the U.S.had already revoked it, Hong Kong authorities said they hadn't received the official request to cancel the passport before Snowden left. An official at the Ecuadoran Embassy in London had also issued a letter of safe passage for Snowden. But Snowden apparently did not use it for his trip to Moscow. And it doesn't appear that the Ecuadoran government would make a similar gesture again. On... By what means did Edward Snowden leave Hong Kong for Moscow' s Sheremetyevo International Airport? A) A letter of safe passage from the Ecuadoran Embassy. B) Permission from Chinese government C) Invitation of the Russian authorities. D) An American passport.
(Answer)
D


(Question)
A study by St. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents . Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University teamat built a home-assistance robot. "If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions," he said. To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St, Louis. One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog.The groups' respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits. After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks. "He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him," said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago. Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature.Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail,  vocalizing , and blinking his lights. "AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him," said the study's author, Dr. William Banks, " He's an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling: of being personal, not just a robot. " What would be the best title for the passage? A) Robots Serve People Better Than Thought B) No More Lonely Old Age with Emotional Robots C) Dogs equipped with robots to Help the Elderly D) Robots and Dogs Can Equally Cheer up the Elderly
(Answer)
B


(Question)
At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse , but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject. One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious  society like the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out". It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for America's fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the... From the passage we can infer taboo is  _  . A) a strong desire to do something strange or terrible B) a crime committed on impulse C) behavior considered unacceptable in society's eyes D) an unfavorable impression left on other people
(Answer)

C