Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave what they cannot finish of the fast food in the street, an environment group warned .Keep Britain Tidy said the rats were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were running across the streets, invited by burgers, pizzas and crisps left behind by man. "The rat population is on the rise and soon it'll be as common to see a rat on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat," said group Director, Sue Nelson. The practice of spreading fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the dustbin--with young men the worst group--was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain's rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24-28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a family of 2,000 a year. Around 200 people a year get Weil's Disease -an infection which can lead to liver or kidney failure and eventually death and which is carried in rats' waste. To attract people's attention to the problem, Keep Britain Tidy produced a cinema ad with a title "How close do you want them to get?" The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats--reminding people of the terrible scene from James Herbert's classic horror tale The Rats, in which rats begin to hunt for humans. What was the rat population in Britain in 2000 according to the writer? A) Around 60 million B) Around 45 million C) Around 38 million D) Around 2 million
B


"In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight." "Two full inches in the first three days!" These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device (;). The promoters (;) of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to beauty or desirability. Often such products are nothing more than money--making things for their promoter. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health. To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation  . If the product is a drug, FDA(Food Drug Administration) can require proof  under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that is safe and effective before it is put on the market . But if the product is a device, FDA. has no author to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the marker is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action , including seizure   of the product. One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device  on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life. Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings ,and new devices appear continually. Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items. The Relaxacisor is mentioned as  _  . A) a product which was designed to produce electricity B) a product whose distributor (;) was involved in a legal case C) a successful advertisement of a beauty product D) an example of a quality beauty product
B


Q: An ancient Egyptian mummy thought to be that of Pharaoh Ramses I has returned home after more than 140 years in North American museums. The body was carried off the plane in Cairo in a box covered in Egypt's flag. The Michael Carlos Museum gave it back after tests showed it was probably that of the man who ruled 3,000 years ago. The US museum acquired it three years ago from a Canadian museum, which in turn is thought to have bought it from Egyptian garve robbers in 1860. The mummy was welcomed back home with songs and military band music during a ceremony at the national museum in Cairo. Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities , traveled from the US with the body and said it would be moved next year to the Luxor Museum in southern Egypt. "We are not 100% sure that mummy is that of Ramses I," said Mr. Hawass. "But we are 100% sure that it is of a king." Atlanta's Michael Carlos Museum acquired the mummy in 1999, but offered to return it after hi-tech scanning equipment indicated it was likely to be that of Ramses I. The museum website said it had been acquired from the Niagara Falls Museum. It is thought a Canadian collector bought the mummy for the Niagara Falls Museum around 1860 from an Egyptian family which had came across a tomb filled with royal mummies at a site near Luxor. Mr. Hawass praised the handover as "a great, civilized gesture". And he appealed to other world museums to return Egypt's antiquities, particularly the Rosetta Stone in the Britain Museum and the Bust of Nefertiti in the Berlin Museum. Where was Ramses mummy kept in just before the handover? A) the Luxor Museum B) the Michael Carlos Museum C) the Niagara Falls Museum D) a Canadian Museum
A: B


There is no question that fewer teenagers are on the roads in the US. In 1978, 50% of 16-year-olds had got their first driving licence. In 2008, according to the US Transportation Department, it was just 30%. The number of those aged 19 and under with driving licences has also been _ since 1978, when 11, 989, 000 had licence. In 2010, it was 9, 932, 441, or 4.1% of American drivers. In the UK, 683, 273 teenagers have driving licences- just 1.85% of total licence holders, according to Department of Transport figures from September 2010. But the decline in the US may have more to do with tougher tests and the introduction of the new rule in many states, which force drivers aged under 16 to be with licensed drivers of 21 years and older when driving. In recent years, the annual number of journeys being made by American drivers of all ages has declined clearly for the first time ever. Car use began falling in 2007, when average petrol prices almost doubled to $4.12 a gallon, and the economy became worse. But there are signs that it is getting back to normal and American remains a country on wheels. It has a higher number of cars per head of population than any other country in the world. "Cars will always be a popular means of transportation in America. You have to take into consideration some places don't have access to public transportation. Cars are the only way some people can get around," says Kristin Nevels. This makes driving necessary in some rural states, where about twice as many teenagers are on the road than in big cities. What can be inferred from the text? A) The UK has more teenager drivers than the US. B) A 15-year-old boy cannot drive alone in the US. C) The US has very developed bus transportation system. D) Big cities have more teenager drivers than rural areas in the US.

B