The first time I saw Carlos I would never have believed he was going to change my life.I had my arms full of books and I was rushing into the classroom when 1 ran into something solid. It was Carlos. "My... you're tall," he said. The whole class burst out laughing . "Take that seat," Mr. McCarthy told the cocky  newcomer Carlos,pointing to the only empty one , in the back of the room. Carlos laughed widely. "But I need a couple of dictionaries." The bell rang for classes. As I stood up to go, I saw Carlos coming toward me. "I'm sorry I embarrassed you," he said . I looked straight ahead over the top of his black hair. "That's all right." "I ought to know better." He was still blocking my way. "What's your name?" "Karen Forbes." He held out his hand. Unwillingly, I shook hands with him. He looked up at me seriously with his brown eyes. " I am Carlos . I don't see why you're so _ " It was the school elections that made me think of Carlos again. Carlos was voted vice-president."How come ?"I kept asking myself, "How come this shrimp who's only been in town for a little over a month gets to be so popular?" So on that morning,I stopped Carlos and said,"It doesn't seem to bother you -- being short." He looked up at me, "Of course I mind being short.But there isn't anything I can do about it. When I realized I was going to have to spend my life in this undersized skin, I just decided to make the best of it and concentrate on being myself." "You seem to get along great," I admitted, "But what about me? The trouble with you is you're afraid to be yourself. You're smart. And you could be pretty. In fact, you might be more than pretty." I felt myself turning red... From the text, we can see Carlos is  _  . A) handsome and proud B) humorous and confident C) diligent but shy D) honest but sensitive
B
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Music is often thought of as "easy" or "play time", but it's not that at all. Music plays a very important part in our education. Students who learn music learn a lot of music history at school. This includes "modes  ",which were used in churches during the development of music. They are still used today. Students learn about the historical events that were taking place when the music they play was written. They learn what the music was used for. So much of our culture is in music and has been for centuries.  Music also helps with science. Students use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't. Students also need science to understand something called the "overtone series", which is about how music is produced by vibration   and why. Students learn a lot about languages. Many songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones. Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about. Some songs are famous poems or short works set to music. Students learn a huge amount of coordination   through music, so parts of the body can work better together. Students must use fine motor skills in order to play an instrument. Singers and players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play. Students learn about art. Some famous pieces were written about important works of art, and students learn about the artists and styles as they're playing the music.  Music education also brings higher thinking to our children. It allows them to think about complex patterns (How can I make my part sound better?How do this music and these different parts fit together?). Students have to know absolutely what every other musician does at all times. In that way, it develops teamwork. As one can see, music is very important to education besides bringing us fun. Learning music is helpful to the following subjects EXCEPT   _  . A) science B) language C) politics D) history
C
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In order to save money for a trip to Thailand to visit her family and friends, Emma White, a keeper in California, worked overtime. She saved more than 900 dollars and was planning to buy a ticket, but she lost her purse with all her money and credit cards . Emma looked through the garbage  and all the buildings where she worked but came up empty-handed. She went home heartbroken. She believed that she had lost her money forever. While Emma was at home, sad and depressed, a homeless man was searching through the garbage looking for things to sell. As he was looking through a garbage bag, he found something wrapped in a plastic bag. The homeless man, who did not want to be recognized, took the purse to Sherry Wesley, because Sherry Wesley knew him from her volunteer work at a homeless shelter. The homeless man came to Sherry Wesley with the wad of money and said, "This probably belongs to someone that you work with; can you find the owner?" Sherry Wesley works in one of the buildings that Emma cleans and she knew Emma had lost her purse. Emma was amazed when she heard the good news. "I couldn't believe it when they called me," she said. "He has a very big heart. If someone else had found the purse, the money would be gone." As a reward, Emma gave the man 100 dollars. The homeless man gave half of the money to Sherry Wesley and asked her to donate it to charity  for him. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? A) The homeless man gave 50 dollars to thank Sherry Wesley. B) Sherry Wesley worked in a building cleaned by Emma. C) The homeless man found the owner of the purse by himself. D) Emma White once worked at a volunteer shelter.
B
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In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic achievements and confident that their degree would help them to find a good job.   However, in the past four years the job market has changed greatly. This year's college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose State University, got a degree in religious studies, but he has not gotten any job offers. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don't have jobs, so it's even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.   Four years ago, the future looked bright for his class of 2006. There were many high-tech("dot com") job opportunities, graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations. However, "Times have changed. It's a new market," according to an officer of the university.   The officer says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several short-time jobs, and they majored in fields that are still paying well, such as accounting or nursing.   Even teaching is not a secure profession now. Ryan Stewart wanted to be a teacher. But instead he will probably go back to school in order to become a college teacher. He thinks college teaching could be a good career even in a bad economy.   In conclusion, these days a college degree does not automatically lead to a good job with a high salary. Some students can only hope that the value of their degree will increase in the future. What did a college degree mean to people in the past? A) It was a proof of their professional skills. B) It would guarantee their quick promotion . C) It built up their confidence in the job market. D) It would help them to start an academic career.

C
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