It is probably the strangest sport anyone has ever invented.And at first sight,it looks like the easiest.Competitors have to do two things.The first is to stand still.The second is to place their hands anywhere on the body of a car,and keep it there. This is where things start getting difficult.Lots of people are doing the same thing.And the winner of the "handathon" contest is the person who can carry on doing it for the longest time.That person gets to own the car. It still seems to be an easy thing to do.At the beginning it is.Anyone can stand still.But when the contest has been going for four or five days,standing still seems like the most difficult job in the world.And keeping the hand in place over this time becomes an act of serious attention.After a few days,the hand seems to belong to someone else--someone who wants to go home and get some sleep. Competitors are allowed to take a five-minute break every hour to eat,drink or do whatever else is necessary.No one is allowed to lean on the car for support.Winners need to be able to show great powers of attention.They also need to be able to develop special skills. Maybe the popularity of the handathon is due to the fact that it is not necessary to be a trained athlete to enter.Entrants in the Longview handathon certainly don't seem to do much preparation.Most say they will prepare by "getting lots of sleep".Others say they will "eat healthy food" or "pray for success".The whole event gives ordinary people the chance to do something interesting and win something in the end. Handathons are competitions,but there is little rivalry   between competitors.They help each other out and keep each other's spirits up.People who drop out early return with food,drink and encouragement. The reason why the sport is called "handathon" is that competitors   _  . A) cover a long distance B) keep hands in place for long C) wave hands as long as possible D) do the same thing as in a marathon
D
------
Commander was my parents` cat but I knew him first. In fact, Commander was my college roommate`s cat. My roommate wanted to sell Commander, but no one would buy him. I called my parents to see if they would like to adopt him. My mom had always loved cats but my dad disliked cats very much. As predicted my dad said, "No way. No cats" Fortunately for me, my dad was out of town at a math conference. So I brought Commander home. By the time he returned, both my mom and Commander had decided that Commander was going to stay. My mom said that Commander was going to live at our house for a "trial period" while we looked for a buyer. As the months went by there was absolutely no effort to sell Commander and it became clear to my dad that Commander was there to stay. Commander started sitting by my dad as he read the newspaper and slowly my dad began to like Commander---just a little bit. By the time I came home that summer, I was surprised to see my dad carrying Commander around the house. Over the years, my parents` love for Commander grew to the point where they could not imagine life without him. Once I finished college, my parents built their dream house and they named the floor plan  The Commander! They worked with the architect to design the house so that it was perfectly suited both for them and for Commander. Commander died at the age of eighteen. My mom still talks about him often and misses him, and so does my dad, which proves that not even the most determined cat-hating human being in the world can resist the charms of a cat once the cat decides he is moving in to your heart. What did the author`s parents do when they designed their new house? A) They designed a room for Commander. B) They named the floor plan the Commander. C) They opened a door in the wall for Commander. D) They worked with the architect to build a cathouse
B
------
Australian cities can keep their native wildlife -- but only if they can kick their habit of urban sprawl  . That's the finding of a new study by leading Australian environmental researchers Jessica Sushinsky, Professor Hugh Possingham and Dr Richard Fuller of The University of Queensland. "While urban development usually reduces the number of birds in a city, building more compact   cities and avoiding urban sprawl can slow these reductions greatly," says lead author Jessica Sushinsky. "Compact housing development leaves birds' homes untouched, leading to fewer losses of birds." The researchers surveyed native and wild birds in Brisbane's urban areas, including living and industrial areas, public parks and gardens, major roadways and airports. They then used statistical modeling to find out what will happen to the birds as the city grows. The first setting was compact growth -- where multiple homes are built on land that previously had only one house. The second setting was sprawling growth -- a familiar pattern where homes are built here and there beyond the city's current boundaries.  The team's forecasts showed that a much greater diversity of species was lost over 20 years in the sprawling setting compared to the more compact setting. "Urban sprawl resulted in the disappearance of many urban-sensitive birds -- birds that only live in areas where there is native vegetation  , such as parklands and woodlands," Ms Sushinsky says.  "On the other hand, we found the city with the compact development attracted more birds because it kept more of its parks and green areas." Now the Queensland Government has adopted the more compact urban growth strategy, which, Dr Richard Fuller says, is good news for Australia's native birds. These birds are environmental specialists -- they need a particular environment to do well. "While compact development means smaller backyards, it can also make our entire cities more biodiverse," according to Dr Fuller. "The study shows that we should hold on to our green spaces instead of... Dr Richard Fuller thinks the Queensland Government's action   _  . A) is really brave B) is worth praising C) has an uncertain future D) should be performed nationwide
B
------
Self-employed private physicians who charge a fee for each patient visit are the foundation of medical practice in the United States. Most physicians have a contract relationship with one or more hospitals in the community. They send their patients to this hospital, which usually charges patients according to the number of days they stay and the facilities(operating room, tests, medicines that they use). Some hospitals belong to a city, a state or, in the case of veteran's hospitals, a federal government agency. Others are operated by religious orders  or other non-profit groups. Some medical doctors are on salary. Salaried physicians may work as hospital staff members, or residents, who are often still in training. They may teach in medical schools, be hired by corporations to care for their workers or work for the federal government's Public Health Service. Physicians are among the best paid professionals in the United States. In the 1980s, it was not uncommon for medical doctors to earn incomes of more than $ 100 000 a year. Specialists, particularly surgeons, might earn several times that amount. Physicians list many reasons why they deserve to be so well rewarded for their work. One reason is the long and expensive preparation required to become a physician in the United States. Most would be physicians first attend college for four years, which can cost nearly $ 20 000 a year at one of the best private institutions. Prospective physicians then attend medical school for four years. Tuition alone can exceed $ 10 000 a year. By the time they have obtained their medical degrees, many young physicians are deeply in debt. They still face three to five years of residency  in a hospital, the first year as an apprentice physician. The hours are long and the pay is relatively low. Setting up a medical practice is expensive, too. Sometimes several physicians will decide to establish a group practice, so they can share the expense of maintaining an office and buying equipment. These physicians also take care of... The expenses for becoming a doctor are spent on   _  . A) schooling and retraining B) practice in a hospital C) facilities he or she uses D) education he or she receives

D
------