The snow cap of Mount Kilimanjaro, famous in literature and beloved by tourists, initially formed some 11,000 years ago, but will be gone in two decades, according to researchers who say the ice fields on Africa's highest mountain shrank by 80 percent in the past century. Lonnie G. Thompson,one professor from Ohio State University, said measurements using modern navigation satellites show that the oldest ice layers on the famous mountain were deposited during an extremely wet period starting about 11,700 years ago.The mountain appears in literature, most notably Ernest Hemingway's "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and some ancient beliefs in Africa hold the mountain to be a sacred place. But a temperature rise in recent years is destroying the 150-foot-high blocks of ice that gave Kilimanjaro its unique white cap."The ice will be gone by about 2030," said Thompson. The disappearing ice already has reduced the amount of water in some Tanzanian rivers and the government fears that when Kilimanjaro is bald of snow the tourists will stop coming. "Kilimanjaro is the number one foreign currency earner for the government of Tanzania," said Thompson. "It has its own international airport and some 20,000 tourists every year. The question is how many will come if there are no ice fields on the mountain." Africa was not alone in the global drought. Thompson said other records show that civilizations during this period collapsed in India, the Middle East and South America. Researchers put markers on the ice field blocks in 1962 and Thompson said measurements using satellites show the summit of the ice has been lowered by about 56 feet in 40 years. The _ of the ice also has moved back more than six feet in the past two years, much smaller than before. "That's more than two meter's worth of ice lost from a wall 164 feet (50 meters) high," said Thompson. "That's an enormous amount of ice." Which of the following can be the best title for this passage? A) Risks of Visiting Mount Kilimanjaro B) ASacred Place-- Kilimanjaro C) Africa's Highest Mountain D) Kilimanjaro Snow Cap May Melt Soon
D

Chopsticks Brothers, China's Internet singing stars, will sing their hit Little Apple at the 2014 American Music Awards. Chopsticks Brothers are known as director Xiao Yang and musician Wang Taili. They played a middle-aged singing group in the film Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon. In the film, they sang Little Apple when they took part in an American music talent show and they succeeded. Now, life is following art. Chopsticks Brothers will really go to America to sing their song. They will join well-known singers including Taylor Swift. "I did not expect the _ in our film to come true in real life," Xiao Yang said during an interview. "It doesn't seem real. This is another story of dreams coming true for 'old boys'," said Wang Taili. This is the first time a Chinese Internet song will be on the international stage. Little Apple has been more and more popular on China's Internet. Its MP3 received 579 million hits. And people have watched the music videos 823 million times on China's Internet. The song has had at least 500 million listeners around the world. China's famous singer and songwriter Liu Huan said he liked Little Apple during an interview. "Everybody's singing and dancing with Little Apple and I think that's a good phenomenon  . And I'm glad I can see Taylor Swift and Chinese singers sing on the same stage." What can be learned from the text? A) Liu Huan will sing Little Apple. B) Taylor will appear on the same stage. C) Liu Huan asks people to dance with Little Apple. D) Taylor will sing Little Apple with Chopsticks Brothers.
B

There's always a lot to do to get the kids ready to go back to school, let alone trying to get them excited about the idea. To help your kids get ready, save a few dollars in the process and have some fun with them in the dying days of summer, try a few of these fun filled activities. ********************************************************************************* UP-CYCLING Every student needs school supplies. But a lot of what they need is already littering around your house. If you don't have reusable school supplies at home, you might have the materials to make them. Try up-cycling with your kids and change old or useless products into new ones. Here are a few ideas to get you started: *Sew blue jeans into pencil cases. *Turn shoeboxes into arts storage boxes. *Use an old belt as a books belt. *Wrap book covers in old posters. Up-cycling is a great way to develop artistic talent and creative thinking in your children. ********************************************************************************* PLAN TO PACK AHEAD Most teachers and schools reward green behavior among students. To help your kids stay green, be sure to have these items on hand so you can pack them litter-less lunches. Here's what you need: *Reusable lunch containers. *A firm lunchbox and thermos . *Reusable napkins . ********************************************************************************* MAP IT OUT Across the country, kids are thinking about how they'll get to school. Do I walk? Do I bike? Either way, avoid driving them if at all possible. Kids need to stay active and want to connect with other local kids on the way to school. Help your children map out their route or get them involved with a local walking school bus. A walking school bus is groups of children walking to school with one or more adults. ********************************************************************************* We hope these activities will help you and your kids get ready for the new school year, and that you'll have some fun in the process. Last but not... The passage is most probably intended for   _  . A) teachers B) parents C) children D) headmasters

B