October 21 was a very dark day in Texas.Not only did Hurricane Hanna destroy homes,it caused the largest business damage in Texas's history.The worst thing is Hanna's destructive force nearly wiped out most power poles and power lines.According to Center Point Energy,Hurricane Hanna affected 2.15 million customers.Currently, more than 4,000 of them are still in the dark.Crews have worked 16-hour shifts to restore power to residents. Most of Houston seems to be returning to normal.Schools,restaurants,retail stores and gas stations are open.Smiles are back.But harder-hit places,including Galveston,will take much longer to recover. Hundreds of people are still missing,and coastal towns are a mess.Some ruins from storm have drifted south to other beaches in Texas.Several public schools in Galveston are closed due to water damage.Parents are registering kids in other area schools which are scheduled to begin class on November 13.Many school supplies were destroyed. Clara Barton Village is an emergency shelter located at Alamo Elementary School in Galveston,Texas.This is where Paula Reed and her family are staying.Believe it or not,Paula Reed and her family consider this hurricane a blessing.When Paula was a girl,she was an orphan,but was taken in by her stepmom,Antonia Flores.Reed lost contact with Flores and had been trying desperately to locate her for the past few years.Before the hurricane,Reed and her family moved away from Galveston to a San Antonio shelter.There,she reunited with Flores after 30 long years! The moment they saw each other, their lives were changed. Kids in public schools in other areas of Houston will have to stay at home for  _ A) at least one month B) at least three weeks C) two weeks at most D) nearly half a month
B
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Many people would interpret "the American dream" as "living like an American" --- a two-story house with a white picket fence ; a family with two cars; and two children. However, the current economic situation is affecting the American way of life for 4.4 million people living in the US, according to a new census  data. "It's going to have a long-term impact and to say it's going to end is optimitic," says Cheryl Russell, former editor-in-chief of American Demographics magazine. "We're just in the middle of a big transition." So what is the new normal? *Marrying later. The average age of the first marriage has increased to 28.7 for men and 26.7 for women, up from 27.5 and 25.9 respectively in 2006. *Fewer babies. There were 200,000 fewer births among women aged 20 to 34 in 2010 compared with two years before. This was despite the fact that the number of women of child bearing age had gone up by more than 1 million. *Breaking up is harder. The number of divorces has been falling for 25 years as people wait longer or choose to live together before tying the knot. There were about 65,000 fewer divorces in 2010 than in 2008, a 7 percent decrease. *Crowded living. Unemployment is forcing more people to live together. Ther number of households where people lived with "other  s" climbed from 6.7 percent in 2006 to 7.2 percent in 2010. *Going public. Private school enrollment decreased from 13.6 percent in 2006 to 12.8 percent in 2010. *Fewer cars. The percentage of households without a car rose again to 9.1 percent against 8.8 percent in 2006. The percentage of households with two or more cars fell from 58 percent to 57.1 percent. What is the article mainly about? A) The interpretation of "the American dream". B) The significance of the current economic crisis. C) The traditional American way of life. D) Changes to the American lifestyle.
D
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Did you know that reading can keep your mind active and engaged well into old age? Several years ago when I was working as a newspaper reporter, I interviewed a woman who was a resident at a local nursing home. She was 100 years old. She read at least one book per week, mostly novels. She was bright, intelligent and fun to talk with. "I love to read. It helps me keep up with what's going on in the world," she said. "A friend of mine brings me a new book every week. I look forward to her visits and I look forward to the books." "I can't get around much any more," said the 100-year-old woman, "but when I read, I can go anywhere, anytime I want. And no one has to help me!" Reading also sets a good example for younger generations. I have observed that the best readers are those students who see their parents reading. And I'm not talking about only reading novels. Newspapers and magazines are important too. Your actions will communicate a great deal to your children and grandchildren about what you value. But why is reading so important? In this day and age, with television to give us news, and movies and videos to keep us entertained, who needs to read? The answer is everyone. Developing good reading skills does not only mean that you can read a novel or a magazine, it also means being able to read and understand things like a credit card contract or an insurance policy, or the instructions for how to put a new printer to use with your computer. In addition, developing good reading skills means that you can think for yourself. You can read about the advantages and disadvantages of anything from homeschooling to taking a vacation to Ireland. And then you can make up your own mind about what's best for you and your family. The 100-year-old woman loved reading because   _  . A) reading helped her meet her friends B) reading could broaden her horizons C) she wanted to escape from the real world D) she taught her grandchildren to read
B
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More than a third of the babies born this year could receive a 100th birthday message from whoever happens to be on the throne in the second decade of the 22nd century, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It forecasts that 35% of the 826,000 people born in 2012 will live to become _ . But a long life is not unalloyed good news. David Sinclair, head of policy and research at the International Longevity Centre UK, warned that for many the future may mean social isolation as they live longer than friends and members of their families. "It is of course good news that so many more people are living longer," he said, "but there is a big 'but1. We will be older, but in worse health, and at high risk of living alone. The other problem is that we are very poor at forward planning. We deal with the problems that are under our noses, but even problems two or three years away seem quite distant enough to put off.When you're talking about forecasts for a time half a century away and more, I see no evidence that we are putting in place the measures to deal with it." This year there will be 14,500 centenarians in the UK, a number which is expected to increase to 110,000 in 2035. Women have higher life expectancies than men at every age: the likelihood of a girl born this year reaching her century is estimated to be 39%; for boys the figure is 32%. The estimated number of female centenarians has risen from 500 in 1961 to more than 10,000 in 2010,a figure which is projected to reach 71,000 by 2035 and 276,000 by 2060. Men are also living far longer, although their numbers are far fewer. There were an estimated 92 male centenarians in 1961 and just below 2,000 in 2010. What does this passage mainly talk about? A) A long life is not always good news. B) A long life also means social and physical isolation C) In the future, more people will live to 100 in the UK. D) It is good to live to 100.

C
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