SAN FRANCISCO--A phone app in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots.City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns. In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think.Now San Francisco has found a solution -- a phone app for spot-seekers that shows information about areas with available spaces.The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up. But the system could come with serious consequences.Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road."It could be really distracting ," said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois. City officials admitted the hidden problem.They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city's iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated. San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages.If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency.On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places(blue)and which are full(red). More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco's app, which is available now only for the iPhone. What's the main idea of the passage? A) A phone app has been introduced to relieve the pressure on traffic in the city. B) Safety concerns are voiced about a phone app aimed at helping drivers find parking spots. C) Looking for parking spots contributes greatly to downtown traffic jams. D) Drivers' attention is distracted in one way or another when they are driving.
A


(Question)
Once upon a time, there was a wonderful old man who loved everything on the land ---- animals and plants. One day while walking through the woods, the old man found a cocoon of a butterfly. He took it home. A few days later, a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. Then the man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and cut the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then came out easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, or they would be smaller. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled  wings. It never was able to fly. What the man in his kindness and hurry did not understand was that the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening was nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed to go through our life without any difficulties, it would cripple   us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. And we could never fly. What does the author want to tell us by writing the passage? A) We should help others. B) Without others' help we can still succeed. C) Struggles in our life can make us stronger. D) Butterflies can fly without people's help.
(Answer)
C


Ques: One day,a poor boy who was trying to pay his way through school by sending news-papers door to door,was so hungry that he decided to beg for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his courage when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly,and then asked, "how much should I pay you?" "You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart." With these words,the boy left that house. Years later the woman became badly ill and was finally sent to the hospital in a big city. Dr. Howard Kelly,now famous,was called in. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.Dressed in his doctor's clothes,Dr.Kelly went into her room and recognized her at once. From that day on, he gave special attention to her,and de-cided to do his best to save her life. At last the woman was saved. Dr. Kelly asked the business office to pass the final bill to him. He looked at it and then wrote something on the side. The bill was sent to her room. She was afraid to open it because she was sure that it would take the rest of her life to pay it off. Finally she looked,and the note on the side of the bill caught her attention. She read these words: "Paid in full with a glass of milk, Dr. Howard Kelly."  Tears of joy flooded her eyes. After Dr. Kelly knew who the woman was,he_. A) began to feed her by himself B) told her she once gave him a glass of milk C) made up his mind to try his best to save her D) asked for her bill and paid it off at once
Ans: C


Ques:My granddaughter, Shari, owns The Berry   Factory in Sacramento, California, and her mother, Joan, and I were helping with the Valentine's Day rush. We'd dipped   hundreds of berries, arranged gift baskets and packaged orders to be shipped around the country. By the end of the day, the two middle-aged women, Joan and I, were exhausted. Shari didn't seem tired. That was typical Shari. Though she was very busy, I'd seen her give away berries to everybody -- parking attendants, mail carriers and hairdressers. "For me?" they would say, bursting into a smile. As a "thank you", Shari took us out for dinner. But there was a 45-minute wait at her favorite restaurant. "No big deal. There's another place just up the road," she said, driving us there. This time we walked right in. When the waitress came to take our drink orders, Shari reached into her handbag, pulling something out. "I want you to have these," she said, handing the waitress a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries. "She will love those berries!" I thought. But the waitress seemed _ . She only let out a "thank you" before grabbing the box and rushing into the kitchen. A few minutes later, the waitress returned with our iced tea. "I apologize," she said. "My best friend and I had promised to send each other something every Valentine's Day. But she passed away last year. I didn't know how I'd get through this day without her. Then you handed me that box.""I'm so sorry to hear that," said Shari. "It's not much, but I hope you can enjoy them.""Oh, I will," the waitress said. "See, every year we always sent each other the same thing; a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries bought from our favourite store, The Berry Factory." Which of the following words can best describe Shari? A) Talkative B) Creative C) Kind-hearted D) Well-known

Ans:
C