Americans are proud of their variety and individuality,yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform,whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a fivestar general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States? Among the arguments for uniforms,one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic  is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse,a policeman,a barber,or a waiter to lose professional identity than to step out of uniform? Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are taxdeductible .They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes. Primary  among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms,the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it,without change,until retirement. When people look alike,they tend to think,speak,and act similarly,on the job at least. Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are longlasting,often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain(,),requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering  possible with many types of civilian clothes. The chief function of a uniform is to   _  . A) provide practical benefits to the wearer B) make the wearer catch the public eye C) inspire the wearer ' s confidence in himself D) provide the wearer with a professional identity
D


(Question)
Being bored can encourage people's creativity-partly to escape the horrible, frustrated. And meaningless feeling of boredom-recent studies find. It could even be true at work. Psychologists at the University of Central Lancashire had participants copy numbers out of the telephone book for 15 minutes,while others went straight into a standard creativity task. Both groups were asked to come up with as many different uses as they could for a plastic cup. The group that felt more bored came up with more uses. Dr. Sandi Mann, one of the study's authors said. " Boredom at work has always been seen as something to he removed. hut perhaps we should be welcoming it in order to encourage our creativity. What we want LO do next is to see what the practical implications of this finding are. Do  people who are bored at work become more creative in other areas of their work-or do they go homeand write novels?" In a later study, Dr. Sandi Mann found that creativity was reduced when people were still bored but didn't have the chance to daydream. While we tend to think of boredom as something; that certainly leads to trouble-drinking, gambling. and antisocial behavior, this research suggests differer possibilities. More than anything, the feeling of boredom is a 8trong signal that we are stuck in some kind of rut and we need to seek out new goals. In the study above, this research led participants to new ideas. Usually people will do anything to avoid being bored. as it's such an _ experience. But  creative people, like writers, sometimes talk ahout seeking out boredom. Here is the comedy writer Graham Linehan talking about boredom Lo The Cuardian. "I have to use all these programs that cut off the Internet,force me to be bored, because being bored is an essential part of writing, and the Internet has made it very hard to be bored. The creative process requires a period of boredom ,of being stuck. That's actually a very uncomfortable period that a lot of people mistake for writer's block, but it's actually just part of a long... What is the author's attitude towards boredom? A) Critical. B) Cautious. C) Positive D) Unclear.
(Answer)
C


Ques: Bea, a five-year-old girl, was born with a severe illness which means she has to be kept away from other children of her age, because her body is so weak that she would be unable to fight off a common cold. Bea was diagnosed with this disease when she was five months old. Since then, the hospital has become her second home, medicines for food, and all kinds of treatments her friends. Bea received a very special treatment when she was four years old, which would allow her to be like a normal child if successful. After that, she spent two weeks in ICU before living for four months on a separate ward . Bea was allowed home in February but still needed a special tube in her nose to send in medicines every two days. Her parents clean the house from top to bottom every two days and hoover each morning to make sure Bea is free from any possible bacteria. Anna, Bea's mother, said, "she is weak but so strong. We've never seen any child stronger than her. It seems as if nothing in the world could beat her. We really hope to send her to school next year." She used to drive on the local playground, but Bea was only allowed to watch sitting in the car. "It was heartbreaking to see Bea staring at the running and laughing children there. She never stopped fighting the disease. I know she's dying for such a normal life." Hearing of Bea's story, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has paid for a play park to be built in her back garden. "Bea is very brave and she has encouraged many children like her," said the chairman of the foundation. The Make-A-Wish Foundation had a play park built for Bea to_. A) honor her bravery in fighting against her disease B) call for attention to this immune   system deficiency C) encourage more children like Bea to be optimistic D) launch a campaign against this serious disease
Ans: A


Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson. Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently. Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan. As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person. Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan. Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House. What's the aim to write the passage? A) To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson. B) To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements. C) To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded D) To introduce Benjamin Carson's life and work

D