It was on her 14th birthday that her first book ,In the Forest of the Night, was accepted for publication. It was a huge success gaining the attention of millions of young readers. At 16, her second novel,Demon in My View, also reached the bookstores. Several books later, the teenage author still works away in her room, surrounded by shelves full of dark tales about vampires  and witches. Amelia Atwater - Rhodes is widely seen as America's finest teen writer and was named one of Teen People's "20 Teens Who Will Change the World." Born in 1984, she began making up stories when she was about three years old. "I never stopped and said, 'I want to write'," Amelia remembers. "I loved stories and created stories before I was old enough to know how to write them down." In her family, reading was basic and fun. "My parents encouraged me to read -- and to read anything I wanted, so long as I was reading," she said. "They never restricted what I read. Later, when I started writing, they never criticized what I did or said I was 'too young'. They never said it was impossible for me to achieve what I have." In her short but successful career, Amelia has tried different styles. But vampires were the first characters to really come alive in her work. From _ she has developed a whole world, one which she always enjoys learning more about. As a published teen writer, Amelia's advice to other teens who dream of being authors is: just do it! "I believe anything is possible. Don't give up your dreams just because you fear failure. Getting a book published is difficult, but if I can do it, others can too. " What do we know about Amelia's parents? A) They helped her with writing stories. B) They fully supported her. C) They thought she was too young to read. D) They chose what she read.
B


During Nelson Mandela's 19 years in the prison on Robben Island, one particular commanding officer, Badenhorst, was the cruelest of them all: "A few days before Badenhorst's leaving the prison, I was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the island and wanted to know if we had any complaints. Badenhorst was there as I went through a list of demands. When I had finished, Badenhorst spoke to me directly. He told me he would be leaving the island and added: 'I just want to wish you people good luck'. I do not know if I looked dumbfounded  , but I was amazed. He spoke these words like a human being and showed a side of himself we had never seen before. I thanked him for his good wishes and wished him good luck too. I thought about this moment for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst had perhaps been the most cold-blooded and cruelest commanding officer we had had on Robben Island. But that day in the office, he had showed that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been hidden but still existed. It was obvious that all men, even the most seemingly cold-blooded, have a heart of kindness and that, if their hearts are touched, they are able to change. Actually, Badenhorst was not evil; his inhumanity   had been encouraged by an inhuman system. He behaved cruelly because he was rewarded for cruel behavior." When did the story happen? A) Before Badenhorst left the prison. B) Before Mandela gave demands. C) After General Steyn took over the prison. D) Just when Mandela was set free.
A


Q: My grandparents were married for over half a century, and played their own special game the time they had met each other. The goal of their game was to write the word "shmily" in a surprise place for the other to find. They took turns leaving "shmily" around the house, and as soon as one of them discovered it, it was their turn to hide it once more. They dragged "shmily" with their fingers through the sugar and flour containers to await whoever was preparing the next meal. "Shmily" was written in the steam left on the mirror after a hot shower, where it would reappear bath after bath. There was no end to the places where "shmily" would _ . Little notes with "shmily" were found on car seats, or taped to steering wheels. The notes were put inside shoes and left under pillows. "Shmily" was written in the dust upon the mantel and traced in the ashes of the fireplace. This mysterious word was as much a part of my grandparents' house as the furniture. It took me a long time before I was able to fully appreciate my grandparents' game. Skepticism has kept me from believing in true love --- one that is pure and enduring  . However, I never doubted my grandparents' relationship. It was based on passionate affection which not everyone is lucky enough to experience. But there was a dark cloud in my grandparents' life: my grandmother had breast cancer. The disease had first appeared ten years earlier. As always, Grandpa was with her every step of the way. He comforted her in their yellow room, painted that way so that she could always be surrounded by sunshine, even when she was too sick to go outside. But my grandmother grew steadily weaker until, finally, she could not leave the house anymore. Then one day, what we all dreaded finally happened. Grandma was gone. "Shmily." It was written in yellow on the pink ribbons of my grandmother's funeral bouquet  . As the crowd thinned and the last mourners turned to leave, Grandpa stepped up to my grandmother's coffin and, taking a shaky breath, he began to sing to her. Through... Grandpa tried to make Grandma comfortable by   _  . A) singing songs to her every day B) painting the room yellow C) encouraging her to go outside D) helping her take a hot shower every day
A: B


(Question)
Yesterday the police were joined by more than 20 volunteers in the continuing search for the two missing teenagers, Vicky Gray and Tom Hunter, and their guide, Gavin Jones. The police said that they had disappeared during an adventure tour of Cape York Peninsula. This was the second day of the search and the police were now very worried about the safety of the three missing people. The police said that the search had covered a wide area, but the rainforest was thick and their work was made harder by the recent rain. Later on Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said, "The travelers had a radio with them. If they had been in trouble, they would have called us." The three travelers left Cooktown very early on Saturday morning in aToyota car. They took a small dirt road that runs down to the Daintree River, a dangerous river full of crocodiles  . Chief Inspector Roger Fleet said the tourists wouldn't have got into trouble if they had stayed on the main road. A photo of Vicky and Tom was found by a policeman under the "Be Careful about crocodiles" sign near the river. Why was the photo left behind? This is just one of the unanswered questions. Other questions are: Why was the photo left behind? Why was theToyotaparked and locked at the edge of the rainforest? The police said that the travelers had left a map of the area behind. Why? Why had someone drawn a cross on the point   where the car is? Is this a sign? What does it mean? If anyone can give information or has seen these three young people, contact the local police in Cooktown. This article is probably taken from   _ A) a newspaper B) a magazine C) a storybook D) a guidebook
(Answer)

A