(Question)
If, at the end of a conversation somebody says to me, "as soon as I know, I'll ring you up", he is talking too much for granted.  He is proposing to attempt the impossible.  So I have to say, "I'm afraid you can't.  You see.  I'm not on the telephone.  I just haven't got a telephone."                 Why don't you have a telephone? Not because I pretend to be wise or pose as unusual.  There are two chief reasons: because I don't really like the telephone and because I find I can still work and play, eat, breathe and sleep without it.  Why don't I like the telephone? Because I think it is a pest and a time-waster.  It may create unnecessary suspense and anxiety, as when you wait for an expected call that doesn't come; or irritating delay, as when you keep ringing a number that is always engaged.  As for speaking in a public telephone box, which seems to me really horrible.  You would not use it unless you were in a hurry, and because you are in a hurry you will find other people waiting before you.  When you do get into the box, you are half asphyxiated by stale, unventilated air, flavored with cheap face-powder and chain-smoking; and by the time you have begun your conversation your back is chilled by the cold look of somebody who is fidgeting  to take your place.                 If you have a telephone in your own house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you least want it to ring; when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are in your bath.  Are you strong-minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself, "Ah, well, it will all be the same in a hundred years' time.  You are not.  You think there may be some important news or message for you.  Have you never rushed dripping from the bath, or chewing from the table, or dazed from the bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number? Suppose you ignore the telephone when it rings, and suppose that, for once, somebody has an important message for you.  I can assure you that if a message is... Which of the following in the main idea of the passage? A) It is not necessary to have a telephone because ill news travels just as fast as good news B) The writer states his reasons for not having a telephone C) The writer does not like the telephone at all. D) People can live a normal life without a telephone.
(Answer)
D


(Question)
The Sauna World Championships   ended in tragedy at the weekend when one of the two finalists collapsed and died. Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy, a Russian amateur wrestler in his 60s, suffered severe burns in the bizarre  annual event in the southern Finnish town of Heinola. He was pronounced dead late on Saturday after he collapsed alongside reigning   champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland roughly six minutes into the final round. The "sport" calls on participants to sit in a 230-degree (110 Celsius) room as water was tossed onto a _ stove, officials and witnesses said. Medical workers pulled both men out of the sauna in front of nearly 1,000 horrified spectators. Both were shaking and bleeding from what appeared to be severe burns, said Hakon Eikesdal, a photographer with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet. Kaukonen, about 40, was in hospital in stable condition Sunday, contest spokesman Ossi Arvela said. The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. It will never be held again, Arvela said. A pint of water is added to the stove every 30 seconds and the last person to remain at the sauna is the winner. There was no prize other than "some small things" Arvela said. He declined to provide details. Arvela said Kaukonen -- the defending world champion -- had refused to leave the sauna despite getting sick. Sauna bathing is a popular past-time in Finland, which has an estimated 1.6 million saunas for a population of 5 million. Temperatures are normally kept around 158 to 176 degrees (70~80 degrees Celsius). "I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit," Arvela said. "It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that." Arvela said all rules in Saturday's competition were followed and the temperatures and times were similar to those in previous years. We can infer from the news that   _  . A) sauna is so popular that there are often competitions on weekdays in Finland. B) the temperatures in usual saunas are too high for most people to stand in Finland. C) the sauna contest is much too horrible even for the spectators in Finland. D) there is a sauna for more than three people on average in Finland.
(Answer)
D


(Question)
Mr. Black and Mr. White were two very famous artists in the city. Their drawings were also very popular in the city. But they tried to see who could draw the best picture. One day they asked an old man to be the judge. Mr. Black drew an apple tree. He put his picture in the field. Soon the birds came and tried to eat the apples. The old man saw it and said, "You have certainly won. Mr. White cannot draw so good a picture as yours. But we will go to see his picture." They went to Mr. White's house. There were nothing but red beautiful curtains on the wall. The old man asked, "Where is your picture, Mr. White?" He said, "Lift the curtains, and you will find my picture." The old man tried to lift the curtains but found that they were drawn there. They were Mr. White's picture. The old man said, "Birds thought the apples were real. Men thought the curtains were real. So Mr. White won. His picture is the best one." Mr. White's picture was_. A) an apple tree B) curtains C) nothing D) an old man
(Answer)

B