As we all know sewing-machine  repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today. Newspapers, women's magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends. The lattes figures  show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families' clothes. Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines. So it is natural that the demand  for excellent service of sewing machines is growing. Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year. I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly. I've seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in. So I've decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home. It's not that difficult. In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine. The author wrote the passage to  _  . A) teach women to repair their sewing machines. B) explain his or her purpose in writing the book C) introduce the reasons for doing one's own sewing D) tell us that sewing-machine repair is a fast-growing business
B

For the kids in Matt Marciano's sixth-grade social studies class, Thanks-giving is a time for great ideas. "We look at different foods that people eat around the world," says Marciano. "The lesson," he explains, "teaches students to admit that some people are unlucky. And it also gets them thinking about Thanksgiving, about their lives, and about their biggest homework of the year--to find a way they can change the world."  Last year, 12-year-old Christian D. taught basic soccer skills to 63 kids with cancer. Christian's classmate Brianna used the money she had raised to buy 56 teddy bears. She donated them to a woman's shelter. Both students say the experience taught them something they'll never forget: When we give something to others, we're really giving thanks. And giving thanks feels good.   "Helping the woman smile, if just for a day, made me feel like I could make a difference," Brianna says. "And it taught me that I should always be thankful for what I have." Brianna's happiness is something Jeffrey Froh knows about. Froh studies how gratitude affects a person's mind and attitudes. Those who are thankful are more likely to help others. Grateful people and kids in particular are healthier and happier than those who are not. "Grateful kids tend to be happier and more satisfied with their lives," Froh says. "Kids who give thanks are happier with school, their families and their friends. Grateful children also feel less envy toward others, are less likely to be depressed and even do better in school."  "To experience gratitude," says Froh, "a couple of things have to happen. First you have to notice that there is goodness in your life. Then you have to admit that the reason for that goodness lies partially outside of yourself." Which word can be used to describe the grateful kids? A) Rude. B) Positive. C) Sad. D) Envious.
B

I stood outside New York's Madison Square Garden and just stared, almost speechless. I was a farm boy from County Kilkenny, a child who some thought would never walk, let alone go as far as I had in the world. From the day I was born, there was a problem. The doctors at the Dublin hospital told my parents I had phocomelia, a _ that affected both legs below the knee, which were outward and shorter than normal and each foot had just three toes. Life was tough. I couldn't stand, much less walk. I rarely, left the farmhouse---and then only in someone's arms. Mam bundled me up whenever she took me to town, no matter the season. "The world will see him when he can walk," she told Dad. "And he will walk." Mam devoted herself to helping me. She tried everything to get me on my feet. When I was three, she and Dad took me to a clinic in Dublin. A few weeks later we returned to Dublin with my artificial limbs  . Back home I practiced walking with my new limbs. "There's nothing anyone can do but you can't," Mam said. "You and I are going to walk through town." The next day Mam dressed me in my finest clothes. She wore a summer dress and fixed her hair and makeup. Dad drove us to the church. We stepped out of the car. Mam took my hand. "Hold your head up high, now, Ronan," she said. We walked 300 meters to the post office. It was the farthest I'd walked, and I was sweating from the effort. Then we left the post office and continued down the street, Mam's eyes shining with a mother's pride. That night, back on our farm, I lay exhausted on my bed. It meant nothing, though, compared to what I'd done on my walk. Then I began to pursue my dream of singing. And at every step Mam's words came back to me--Ronan, you can do anything anyone else can do--and the faith she had in God, who would help me do it. I've sung from the grandest stages in Europe, to music played by the world's finest musicians. That night, I stood at the Madison Square Garden, with Mam's words chiming in my ears. Then I began singing. I couldn't feel the... From the story we may conclude that his mother was   _  . A) determined B) stubborn C) generous D) distinguished

A