Because I am extremely vulnerable to both slick advertising and peer pressure, I've been thinking about getting an iPad. But here's the problem: I'm cheap, and the iPad's not. If I'm going to fork over at least $499 for a new device, I want to try it out and make sure it's not just a larger, shinier version of my iPhone. But if I went to my local Apple Store, I'd get to spend only a few minutes testing out the machine. I wanted more time than that, so I rented one for $15 a day from a guy on SnapGoods. The Internet start-up in Brooklyn runs on simple reasoning: there are people who want to borrow stuff - camping equipment, food processors, robot vacuums, etc. - and there are people who have stuff they want to lend. SnapGoods helps these two groups connect over the Web. SnapGoods is one of many sites that have sprung up to facilitate offline sharing. Some sites have a narrow, obvious focus (like SwapBabyGoods.com) while others are more obscure (Neighborhood Fruit helps people share what's growing in their yards or find fruit trees on public land). But regardless of whether the sharing is free or involves a fee, these transactions often come with a stick-it-to-the-man attitude. "Borrow these things from your neighbors," reads one earnest request on neighborrow.com, "The owner-ship has SAILED!" All of these sites are encouraging something academics call collaborative consumption - in other words, peer-to-peer sharing or renting. Renting something you don't need to use very often makes a lot more sense than buying it and letting it collect dust in your garage. There's a green aspect as well, since sharing helps cut down on overall use of resources. But one of collaborative consumption's most surprising benefits turns out to be social. In an era when families are scattered around the country and we may not know the people down the street from us, sharing things - even with strangers we've just met online - allows us to make meaningful connections. "This isn't just about saving the environment or saving a dollar,"... What is Ron Williams' attitude towards collaborative consumption? A) Favorable B) Critical C) Indifferent D) Not known
A


(Question)
Play is the basic business of childhood, and more and more in recent years research has shown the great importance of play in the development of a human being.From earliest infancy  , every child needs opportunity and the right material for play, and the main tools of play are toys.The main function of toys is to suggest, encourage and assist play.To succeed in this, they must be good toys, which children will play with often, and will come back to again and again.Therefore, it is important to choose suitable toys for different stages of a child's development. In recent years research on infant development has shown that the standard a child is likely to reach, within the range of his inherited abilities, is largely determined in the first three years of his life.So a baby's ability to benefit from the right play materials should not be underestimated.A baby who is encouraged, talked to and shown things and played with, has the best chance of growing up successfully. The next stage, from three to five years old, curiosity knows no bounds.Every type of suitable toy should be made available to the child, for trying out, experimenting and learning, for discovering his own particular ability. Bricks and jigsaws and construction toys; painting, scribbling and making things; sand and water play; toys for imaginative and pretending play; the first social games for learning to play and get on with others. By the third stage of play development--from five to seven or eight years old-- the child is at school.But for a few more years play is still the best way of learning, at home or at school.It is easier to see which type of toys the child most enjoys. Until the age of seven or eight, play and work mean much the same to a child.But once reading has been mastered, then books and school become the main source of learning.Toys are still interesting and valuable, which lead up to new hobbies, but their significance has changed --to a child of nine or ten years old, toys and games mean, as to adults, relaxation and fun. 61. According to the passage, the abilities a child has inherited from his parents   _  . A) determine his character B) will not change after the age of three C) partly determine the standard he is likely to reach D) to a large extent determine the choice of toys
(Answer)
C


Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people's houses. Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, "We've been to a lot of other people's houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn't we?" "Yes, certainly," answered her husband, "A big party will be the easiest thing, won't it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month." So Mrs. Harris said, "Yes, I'll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December." "How many will that be?" Mr. Harris asked. "Don't invite too many." Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, "Party. 6.30 to 8.30 p.m." "That isn't very nice, is it?" he said. "You're telling our guests that they must go at 8.30." So Mrs. Harris just wrote "Party. 6.30 p.m." A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8.30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, "You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained." Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go. When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. "That was a surprise, wasn't it? Who complained about the noise?" "I did," Mr Harris answered in a tired voice. How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last? A) From the morning till night. B) About fourteen hours. C) About two hours. D) Till midnight

C