OTTAWA -- Canada's western city of Calgary is the world's best city when it comes to healthy living, local press reported Monday. According to an international survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting, a London-based consulting firm, Calgary was put at the top of a list of 144 cities. It scored 121 points, just above Honolulu's score of 120. Helsinki(,) and Ottawa followed at 119.5 and 118.5 respectively. Three other Canadian cities came in the top 20. Montreal and Vancouver tied for ninth and Toronto came in at 18th. The scores are based on air pollution levels, availability and quality of hospitals and medical supplies, as well as the efficiency of waste removal and sewage systems. In America, the lowest scoring city was Atlanta, which was ranked 76th. Athens was the lowest scoring city in Western Europe, ranking 120th because of its air pollution. London was ranked 59th. Which of the following is NOT taken into account when the cities were scored? A) Weather conditions. B) Air quality. C) Waste removal. D) Medical supplies.
A

Edda, a Little Valkyrie's First Day of School Written and illustrated  by Adam Auerbach. 32 pp. Christy Ottaviano/Holt. $15.50. Edda's home is in Asgard, "a land full of magic and adventure." But Edda, the littlest Valkyrie, doesn't have quite enough to do, until her father flies her "all the way to Earth for the first day of school." The contrast between home and school is hard to get used to (in one, she can ride reindeer; in the other she gazes guinea pig  through glass at the classroom). In his first picture book, Auerbach mixes the two worlds perfectly. Children are likely to appreciate the joke. Planet Kindergarten By Sue Ganz-Schmitt. Illustrated by Shane Prigmore. 32 pp. Chronicle. $14.99. After careful preparations and a successful blastoff, a boy finds himself in a very unfamiliar environment. "We're aliens from many galaxies  on Planet Kindergarten," he reflects as he sees his very varied classmates for the first time. Prigmore, who designs for the movie industry, uses black backgrounds and bright colors to give this space adventure visual excitement and humor. The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade By Justin Roberts. Illustrated by Christian Robinson. 42 pp. Putnam. $18.99. It makes sense that the author of the long, rhyming lines in "The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade" is a children's music performer. The story is about the power of one small person to fight prejudice. Sally, whom no one ever seems to notice, is "paying super extra special attention" to the "terrible stuff" happening around her. When she decides to take action, she's not alone for long. And Two Boys Booed By Judith Viorst. 32 pp. Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $16.59. Ever felt quietly confident one minute, and a shaking mess the next? In Viorst's story about determination, a little boy wakes up thinking about singing his song in the class talent show. The book The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade was published by  _  . A) Christy Ottaviano/Holt. B) Chronicle. C) Putnam D) Margaret Ferguson/Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
C

Far out in the lake was a large wooden platform on which stood an improbably high diving board -- a kind of wooden Eiffel Tower. It was, I'm sure, the county's tallest wooden structure and no one had ever been known to jump from it. So it was quite a shock when our teacher, Mr. Milton, announced that he would dive off the high board that very afternoon. Word of his questionable plan was already spreading through town as Mr. Milton swam out to the platform. He was just _ when he got there but even from such a distance the high board seemed almost to touch the clouds. Once at the top, he paced the enormously long board, then took some deep breaths and finally stood at edge. He was going to do it. Several hundred people had gathered at the shore to watch. Mr. Milton stood for quite a long time, then he raised his arms, took one massive bounce and launched himself into a perfect dive. It was beautiful. He fell with perfect style for what seemed minutes. The crowd fell silent. The only sound to be heard was the faint whistle of his body tearing through the air toward the water far, far below. But about three quarters of the way down he seemed to have second thoughts and began suddenly to panic, waving his arms and legs like someone having a bad dream. When he was perhaps thirty feet above the water, he gave up on waving and spread his arms and legs wide, apparently hoping that it would somehow slow his fall. It didn't. He hit the water at over six hundred miles an hour. The impact was so loud that it made birds fly out of their trees three miles away. I don't think he entered the water at all. He just bounced off it, about fifteen feet back into the air. After that, he lay still on the surface, spinning like an autumn leaf. He was brought to shore by two passing fishermen in a rowboat and placed on an old blanket where he spent the rest of the afternoon. Occasionally he accepted small sips of water, but otherwise was too shocked to speak. From head to toe, he was covered with deep red bruises. ... It was the best... Why did Mr. Milton suddenly start swinging his arms and legs during the dive? A) He thought it was the best way to slow his fall. B) He lost his confidence and started to panic. C) He was signalling the crowd for help. D) He wanted to show his courage.
B

Alice Wilder, a 17-year-old student at Northwest School of the Arts in North Carolina, considers herself a feminist  . She is one of 26 bloggers for SPARK, an international group founded in 2010. The group fights the use of the female body as a marketing tool in the media. Alice found out about SPARK when the organization launched a campaign demanding Seventeen Magazine feature a more diverse group of models. She applied to be a blogger for the group in May and won one of the positions. Each month, Alice pitches (...) her girl -and women - centric blog post ideas via online chat to an editor at SPARK. So far, she has written about topics such as female actresses, choosing what to wear, and dealing with anger. Alice said she hopes large companies and media stop editing images of women. Increases in bust   size, decreases in waist size, smoothing and whitewashing skin are what Alice notes. "We want them to know that these images are bad for our development," Alice said. "Three out of four teen girls feel bad about themselves after reading a fashion magazine for three minutes," she said, according to SPARK's research. Alice first felt it necessary to advocate   for women in the fifth grade, after seeing a girl's T-shirt with writing on the front that read: "Who needs brains when you have these?" "I was raised with this idea that if you don't like something, you can change it," Alice said. So Alice started following feminist bloggers.  Alice juggles class work with blogging and creating videos and serves as editor-in-chief of her school's newspaper. It is amazing that she can handle everything well at the same time. She's also focused on creating projects that aim to inspire girls - like designing a "girl power bathroom" at her school. The newly designed third-floor restroom is completed with pastel paint color1s and inspirational   quotes from women around the world. "Sisterhood is powerful," Alice said. "It can make you feel less alone." This article is mainly about   _  . A) what being a feminist means in today's American society B) Alice Wilder's participation in feminist activities C) how girls and women fight for their rights in the US D) the ways that the US media misleads girls

B