Is there intelligent   life on other planets? For years, scientists said "no." or "we don't know." But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers . They believe intelligent life exists   somewhere in the universe. They also think we sill soon contact these beings(;). Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. "This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life," say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size--the universe is huge. "Tools like the Hubble Telescope  have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies," says Shostak. "And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth." In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes  allow scientists to discover smaller planets--the size of Mars or Earth--in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life. Have beings from space already visited Earth? "Probably not," says Shostak. "It's a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals . In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don't have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms  in our universe and we might help each other." Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are   _  . A) astronomers B) farmers C) singers D) drivers
A
Jack was a skilled artist with a wife and two sons. One night, his elder son had a stomachache  . Thinking it was only some common intestinal  disorders, neither Jack nor his wife took it seriously. But the boy died suddenly that night. Knowing the death could have been avoided if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Jack always felt guilty. His wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than that Jack could stand, so he turned to alcohol   for help. Later, Jack began to lose everything he had --- his land, house, etc. Finally Jack died alone in a small bar. Hearing of Jack's death, I thought, "What a totally wasted life! What a complete failure!" As time went by, I knew Jack's younger son who grew into an adult, Ernie. He is one of the kindest and most loving men I have ever known. I saw the love between Ernie and his children, thinking that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere. One day, I asked him what his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said quietly, "As a child until I left home at 18, Jack came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, 'love you, son'." Why did the elder son die? A) Because the elder son didn't want to go to the hospital. B) Because Jack and his wife did not take it seriously. C) Because the hospital was very far from their home. D) Because Jack was not at home that time.
B
Q: He was struggling  to tie his shoes. I was struggling with whether I should help him. I did, and he was grateful. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad I could help. I just thought it would be easier for me to reach," I said. He was a disabled man, and forced to look down most of the time. His arms and legs were twisted  terribly, and he couldn't do what the rest of us would consider easy tasks. He always managed to look up to see how you reacted  to his words, however. He had a big smile, making me feel comfortable. I was still on my knees by his wheelchair. " Nice shoes," he said. "Thanks. No one ever complimented   me on them before," I said. "No one has the same view of the world as I do," he replied. "Tell me about the world as you see it," I said smiling. "Most people can see if someone is comfortable with them or not in their eyes. I see it in their feet." he said. "If people keep moving their feet, I just let them go, because I know they're impatient with me. I don't want to make people uncomfortable. "What about me? I asked. "I could see your _ And then you came down to my level. I was the one who was nervous." he said. "I don't normally have someone look me in the eye." "They don't know what they're missing," I told him. "My old face is nothing to brag  about." he said. "But that smile is so big." Yes, and it's not only a big smile but an attitude. We learn that the disabled man   _  . A) had great difficulty looking after himself B) always asked people for help C) couldn't have a big smile D) liked to talk about people's shoes
A: A
There are three airports   in New York. When you arrive at one of them, you can take a bus or taxi to any place in New York. Public transport  . In New York there's a good bus and subway  service. If you are planning to use the subway a lot, you should buy a subway ticket for ten journeys because it's cheaper. But you don't have to use public transport, because there are lots of places you can go to on foot, like The Empire State Building  , 5thAvenue and Central Park. The New York taxis are a part of the city experience  , so you should take at least one taxi during your visit! Hotels. There are lots of good hotels in New York. The best is _ on 5thAvenue but you don't have to pay a lot to stay in the city; there are lots of small hotels. Eating out. There are many kinds of food in New York and you shouldn't eat at McDonalds every day. There are good restaurants in Little Italy and Chinatown, for example. Shopping in New York is fun. There are big shops on 5thAvenue. They are open seven days a week. But be careful when you look at the prices; you have to pay a special 8% tax   on everything you buy in New York. Places to see. Finally, there are a lot of places to see in New York -- Times Square, the Statue of Liberty. And you shouldn't go home without climbing the Statue of Liberty. How much do you have to pay if you buy a book of $10 in New York? A) $10.8 B) $10.08 C) $18 D) $10

A