Unless you bring your own thermos, paper cups are the real option for on-the-go coffee. But as we all know, producing these simple items cuts down forests of trees and contributes to mountains of waste. In fact, Starbucks alone uses 4 billion paper cups a year globally and most of these plastic-lined cups are never recycled. But a project from Reduce. Reuse. Grow. is handling the coffee industry's paper cup problem by giving these single-use coffee holders a further purpose: reforestation. A company in California has developed the world's first plantable coffee cup, which has seeds in the paper-based material. That means after you're done with the cup, you can tear it, leave it in water for a few minutes, bury it and let nature take over. To prevent the spread of invasive plants, the bottom of the cup details the seed variety and also includes instructions on how to plant it either in the northern or central coast of California. For those who don't want to get their hands dirty, the cup can be put into a Reduce. Reuse. Grow bin where it will eventually be taken to a reforestation location. The cup can biodegrade  within 180 days and offer nutrition to plants. The company is trying to put the cup into commercial production and persuade coffee shops to buy the cups. What is a Reduce. Reuse. Grow. bin used for? A) Selling plantable coffee cups. B) Making plantable coffee cups. C) Collecting plantable coffee cups. D) Recycling plantable coffee cups.
C


We know, painkillers in a tablet can make your headache go away, and antibiotic from a tube can prevent your cuts from becoming infected. Can medicine come in chicken eggs? A team of scientists from Scotland says "yes." They've kept some special chickens that lay eggs with disease-treating drugs inside.  These drugs are made of molecules called proteins. Animals make thousands of proteins--they're the main ingredients  in skin, hair, milk, and meat. Since animals can make proteins easily, they're good animals for making protein drugs.  Researchers have already made cows, sheep, and goats that pump out protein drugs in their milk. But chickens are cheaper to take care of, need less room, and grow faster than these other animals. "Those qualities could make chickens a better choice to become living drug factories." says Simon Lillico of the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland.  Lillico and a team of researchers changed chickens' DNA--the code that tells cells how to make proteins--so that the birds' cells made two protein drugs. One drug can treat skin cancer, and the other treats a nerve disease called multiple sclerosis.  The scientists changed the chickens' DNA so that the birds made these drugs only in their egg whites. This protects the chickens' bodies from the drugs' possible harmful effects and makes it easy for scientists to collect the drugs.  These special chickens can pass on their drug-laying abilities to their chicks. So far, the Scottish researchers have kept five generations of drug-producing chickens. But the scientists need to improve these chickens. The chickens don't make enough drugs to treat people yet. Once the researchers perfect their technique, you might eventually take your medicine from chicken eggs. What is the best title of the passage? A) Animals and Protein Drugs. B) Medicine Packaged in Various Forms. C) A Scotland Scientist and His Chickens. D) Chickens: a Better Choice of Living Drug Factories.
D


Q: On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to a store to buy some gifts. While looking in the toys section,.  I noticed a small boy of about five years old, pressing a doll against his chest.Keeping on touching the hair of the doll, the boy murmured sadly, "I don't have enough money.What can I do?" I walked towards him and asked him curiously who he wanted to give the doll to. " It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas.She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her." I told him that maybe Santa Claus would bring it to her after all and not to worry.However, he replied sadly, " No, Santa Claus cannot take it to where she is now.I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there." His eyes looked so sad while saying this. " My sister has gone to be with God.Daddy says that Mommy will also join God very soon so I think that she can take the doll with her to give it to my sister." My heart nearly stopped. The boy looked up at me and said, " I told Daddy to tell Mommy not to go yet.I asked him to wait until I come back from the store." Then, he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing.He told me, " I also want Mommy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me, I love my Mommy and I wish she didn't have to leave me but Daddy says that she has to go and join my little sister." Then he looked at the doll again quietly with sad eyes. I quickly reached my hand into my pocket, saying, "What if we checked again, just in case, to see if you have enough money?" We can safely say   _   . A) Santa Claus would bring the doll to the girl B) the story happened in winter C) the boy was with his father at the store D) the author met the boy accidentally
A: D


Question: The size and location of the world's deserts are always changing. Over millions of years, as climates change and mountains rise, new dry and wet areas appear. But within the last hundred years deserts have been increasing after frightful speed. This is partly because of natural changes, but most responsible for creating deserts are men.     Man can make deserts, but they can also prevent them from getting bigger. Algeria is planning a green belt of trees along the edge of the Sahara Desert to stop the sand. In China, too,  _ are being built in the northwest to keep the desert from growing.     But desert still threaten the world. Experts believe that land that is on the way to becoming deserts equals the size of Australia, Russia and US put together. Can we stop the spread of the world's deserts and save the land that is so essential to mankind? Yes, we can, and we must. The deserts still threaten the world in the way   _ A) of increasing at an unbelievable speed B) of spreading in Australia, Russia, and the US C) of appearing new dry and wet areas in every part of the world D) that they cause the changes of the climates
Answer: A


In American schools there is something called Homecoming. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a Homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation or commencement   day. Students plan Homecoming for many weeks in advance. Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation. The members of school clubs build booths   and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors. During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school. Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students _ a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen. Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering. Who can probably become Homecoming Queen or King? A) The student who is liked most by the others. B) The guest who is most popular with the students. C) The student who is most liked by the guests. D) The player who plays best in the football game.

A