Dear Customers, I love slipping   into a comfortable chair for a long read--as I relax into the chair, I also relax into the author's words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background, and what remains is the author's world. Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Mindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, magazines and newspapers. We've been working on Mindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Mindle to disappear in your hands--to get out of the way--so you can enjoy your reading. We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Mindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed--you do your reading directly from the device. We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike mobile phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install (,).  We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology. Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light, reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Mindle weighs only 10.3 ounces--less than paperback--but can carry two hundred books. Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks! Jeff Bezos Founder & CEO Different from mobile phones, Mindle  _  . A) has a much more friendly screen B) can work in the absence of electricity C) doesn't involve regular bills D) is wireless and can be used anywhere.
C


Long bus rides are like television shows. They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials   thrown in every three or four minutes. The commercials are unavoidable. They happen whether you want them or not. Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "Buy Super Clean Toothpaste." "Drink Good Wet Root Beer." "Fill up with Pacific Gas. "Only when you have fallen asleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, can you get separated from the unending cry of "You Need It! Buy It Now!" As for the ride itself, the beginning of it is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. Usually some things are keeping changing out of the windows -- various houses, crop fields, attractive bridges, ... and sometimes even a small accident. Your bus driver may have a unique style of driving and it's fun trying experience it the first hour or so. If the driver is particularly reckless   or daring, the ride can be as thrilling   as an adventurous story. Will the driver pass the truck in time? Will the driver move into the right or the left hand lane? After a while, of course, the excitement dies down. Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. Food always makes bus rides more interesting. But you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops. The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. You know the riding will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement with that. The seat, of course, has become harder for the hours having passed. By now you may sit with your legs crossed, or with your hands in your lap, or with your hands on the arms, or even with your hands crossed behind your head. That is to say that the end comes just at no more ways to sit. The writer of this passage would probably prefer   _  . A) those reckless bus drivers B) driving with no one around C) a television set on the bus D) no billboards along the road
D


Q: What is an idiom? An idiom is a group of words which, when used together, has a different meaning from the one which the individual words have. For example, "---How do you know that Sid and Nancy have separated ?" "---I heard it on the grapevine ". Of course, the second speaker does not mean he heard the news about John by putting his ear to a grapevine! He is conveying the idea visually of information spreading around a widespread network, similar to a grapevine. We use idioms to express something that other words do not express as clearly or as cleverly. We often use an image or symbol to describe something as clearly as possible and thus make our point as effectively as possible. For example, "in a nutshell" suggests the idea of having all the information contained within very few words. Idioms tend to be informal and are best used in spoken rather than written English. One of the best ways to learn an idiom is by looking at the context in which it is used. This can be done by concentrating on the rest of the sentence and try to guess the meaning. Many idioms are not that difficult to understand when considered in their context. For example: We are going to have a surprise party for Tom tomorrow. It's a secret so please don't let the cat out of the bag. 'Let the cat out of the bag' is an idiom. Imagine you don't know what this idiom means; by looking at the words preceding, it should be easy to guess that the speaker does not want you to tell Tom about the surprise party. Therefore, 'let the cat out of the bag' must mean something like' reveal a secret' or 'tell a secret'. Which of the following sentences is NOT similar to  "I heard it on the grapevine. " in figures of speech ? A) The exam was a piece of cake. B) You will be paid under the table. C) You eat with that mouth? D) It rained cats and dogs yesterday.
A: C


(Question)
According to new research,there could be a social hierarchy attached to where people stand in the lift.More senior men stand at the back,young men in the middle and women of all ages at the front. Most people know that awkward feeling when you shuffle into an elevator with other people and try not to make eye contact. But new research suggests it may be down to a subconscious power struggle being played out as you make your way up or down. A study found that people decide where they stand based on a micro social hierarchy,established within seconds of entering the lift. Rebekah Rousi,a Ph.D.student in cognitive science,conducted all ethnographic study of elevator behaviour in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide,Australia. As part of her research,she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings,and discovered there was an established order to where people tended to stand. In a blog for Ethnography Matters,she writes that more senior men seemed to direct themselves towards the back of the elevator cabins. She said,"In front of them were younger men,and in front of them were women of all ages." She also noticed there was a difference in where people directed their gaze half way through the ride. Men watched the monitors,looked in the side mirrors(in one building)to see themselves,and in the door mirrors(of the other building)to also watch others. Women would watch the monitors and avoid eye contact with other users(unless in conversation)and the mirrors,she writes. The doctorate student concluded it could be that people who are shyer stand toward the front,where they can't see other passengers,whereas bolder people stand in the back,where they have a view of everyone else. Which of following best summarizes the main idea of the passage? A) Women are more attentive than men in the lift. B) Both women and men like to watch the monitors in the lift. C) The shyer you are,the more likely you are to stand at the back in the lift. D) Why where you stand in the lift reflects your social status.
(Answer)

D