(CBS/AP)Lawyers for the stepfather of an 11-year-old girl tried to convince Massachusetts' highest court on Tuesday that he should have a say on whether his stepdaughter is removed from life support. If the girl dies, Jason Strickland could face a murder charge for illegally taking part in the beating that left her comatose . Jason Strickland is asking the court to overturn a juvenile  court judge's decision allowing the state to remove Haleigh Poutre from her ventilator   and feeding tube. Haleigh Poutre was hospitalized in September after her stepfather and adoptive mother kicked her and beat her nearly to death with a baseball bat. Within two weeks of being charged, the adoptive mother, who was also Haleigh's aunt, was found dead. Strickland is free on bail  while awaiting trial. Sharyn Alfonsi from CBS reports that the girl's biological mother, Allison Avrett, gave up her parental right years ago and now she has no say in what happens to Halleigh--but she wants life support to be relieved. "I want her to rest," Avrett told Alfonsi."Being kept alive like that, it's not a life." The state Department of Social Services wants to remove her from life support, according to opinions from her doctors that the girl is in a permanent vegetative  state.And Strickland could face a murder charge if she dies. Both of Haleigh's doctors agree that she should be removed from the ventilator, but they can't decide whether her feeding tube should be disconnected.They have said that with her feeding tube alone, Haleigh could live as long as two months. Haleigh was adopted by her aunt about five years ago her biological mother moved to Virginia with a new boyfriend.Jason Strickland never formally adopted the girl, but is arguing that as the stepfather, he should be a _ parent and allowed to have a say in whether she lives or dies. CBS/AP are most probably   _  . A) two news reporters B) a newspaper and a news reporter C) a news agency and a newspaper D) two news agencies
D


This is a dangerous world we live in. The numbers of murders goes up every year;people are dying of cancer;more people contract HIV;more teens are using drugs;etc. You know this because you've heard all the statistics on the news. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background, statistics mean very little. This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous.For example, several years ago a high school student reported dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide . This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors , is found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made the mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical's full background. The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightening strike. When you think about... What is the main idea of this passage? A) Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world. B) We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides. C) The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control. D) Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.
B


Q: The Friends of the Amazon is a nonprofit association helping to preserve the forest, its wildlife and its native cultures in the Peruvian Amazon.  We are located 3 degrees south of the equator in the Region of Loreto, which is roughly the size of Montana and is one of the richest areas in the world in terms of flora  and fauna . Our team consists of lawyers, ecologists, sociologists, medical professionals and native Amazonians working together to protect the forest and its people from destruction. We use litigation , filing lawsuits against those who seek to destroy the forest and its native cultures. In addition to legal processes, we promote health, education, and the conservation of native plants and animals. The Amazon Rainforest is commonly referred to as the "lungs of the planet" whose trees are essential for absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2, a greenhouse gas that causes global warming) and it into oxygen, thereby mitigating the rise of global temperatures and climate change.  An estimated 120 billion tons of carbon dioxide is absorbed in the Amazon Rainforest and global emissions of carbon dioxide increase with every tree of the rainforest that is cut down. That is why the survival of the Amazon Rainforest is vital for the survival of our planet, without which rising global temperatures could melt the polar icecaps and cause flooding of our coastal cities. Currently, the Amazon is under siege , with an estimated 1000 hectares being destroyed everyday.  After harvesting old growth forests, corporations are often replacing the native forest with palm oil plantations instead of reforesting with native tree species.  Palm oil trees are native to Africa, not the Amazon, and due to high profits, their promotion by international aid agencies and recent legislation in Peru, palm oil plantations represent perhaps the single greatest threat to the native Amazon Rainforest. In addition to conventional logging and deforesting to make room for crops such as palm oil and soybeans, the Amazon forest faces a new threat... We can learn from the passage that palm oil trees    _   . A) have produced much profit for the local people. B) are native to Amazon and fit in well with their surroundings C) are native to Africa and may do great harm to the native Amazon trees D) are used to replace the native forest because the local people can profit from them
A: C


*Question*
Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. Recorded background music first found its way into factories, shops and restaurants in the USA. Very soon it spread to other parts of the world. Now it is becoming difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to background music. To begin with, background music was intended simply to create a soothing   atmosphere. Recently, however, it's becoming a big business. An American marketing expert has shown that music can boost  sales or increase factory production by as much as a third. But it has to be the light music. Lively music has no effect at all on sales. Slow music can increase receipts  by 34%. This is probably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunity to spot items they would like to buy. Yet, slow music isn't always the answer. The expert found that in restaurants slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, which reduced overall sales. So restaurant owners might be well advised to play faster music to keep the customers moving-unless, of course, the resulting indigestion  leads to complaints. Background music was first used   _  . A) in the cinemas and theatres in the USA B) in the offices and hospitals in the USA C) in the schools and churches in the USA D) in the factories, shops and restaurants in the USA
**Answer**

D