Ques:Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes  , never to be seen again. Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies. The nearly two-month-old spill has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life. For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking in the oily sheen and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals. "I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said. The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages. The environmental disaster was caused by  _  . A) the damage of the Mexico Gulf ecosystem B) the lack of environmental sense of BP C) the nearly two-month-old oil spill D) the crowding marine life

Ans:C
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Ques:On her first morning in America last summer, my daughter went out to explore her new neighborhood alone, without even telling my wife or me. Of course we were worried; we had just moved from Berlin, and she was just 8. But when she came home, we realized we had no reason to panic. Beaming with pride, she told us how she had discovered the little park around the corner, and had made friends with a few local dog owners. When this story comes up in conversations with American friends, we usually meet with polite disbelief. Most are horrified by the idea that their children might roam  around without adult supervision. A study by the University of California has found that American kids spend 90 per cent of their leisure time at home, often in front of the TV or playing video games. Such narrowing of children's world has happened across the developed world. But German parents are generally much more accepting of letting children take some risks. "We are depriving  them of opportunities to learn how to take control of their own lives," writes Peter Gray, a research professor at Boston College. He argues that this increases the chance that they will suffer from anxiety, depression, and various other mental disorders, which have gone up dramatically in recent decades. I am no psychologist like Professor Gray, but I know I won't be around forever to protect my girls from the challenges life holds in store for them. And by giving kids more control over their lives, they learn to have more confidence in their own capabilities. It's implied from Professor Gray's words that   _  . A) parents should always be around their children to protect them from risks B) more and more parents suffer from mental problems C) children are having more opportunities to take control of their lives D) giving children more freedom is beneficial to their mental development

Ans:D
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Ques:Thirteen, for me, was a challenging year. My parents divorced and I moved to a new town with my father, far from my old family and friends. I was terribly lonely and would cry myself to sleep each night. To ease my sadness, my father purchased an old horse for me at a local auction. I named him Cowboy. Cowboy was without a doubt the ugliest horse in the world. But I didn't care. I loved him beyond all reason. I joined a riding club and suffered rude comments and mean snickers about Cowboy's looks. I never let on about how I felt, but deep inside, my heart was breaking. The other members rode beautiful, registered horses. When Cowboy and I entered the events where the horse is judged on appearance, we were quickly _ . No amount of preparation and love would turn Cowboy into a beauty. My only chance to compete would be in the speed events. I chose the jumping race. One girl named Becky rode a big brown horse in the race events. She always won the blue ribbons.  Needless to say, she didn't feel threatened when I competed against her at the next show. She didn't need to. I came in next to last. The stinging memory of Becky's smirks made me determined to beat her. For the whole next month I woke up early every day and rode Cowboy five miles to the arena  . We practiced running and jumping for hours in the hot sun and then I would walk Cowboy home totally exhausted. All of our hard work didn't make me feel confident by the time the show came. I sat at the gate and sweated it out while I watched Becky and her horse charge through the course and finish in first place. My turn finally came. I put on my hat, rubbed Cowboy's neck and entered the arena. At the signal, we dashed toward the first fence, jumped it without trouble and raced on to the next one. Cowboy then flew over the second, third and fourth fences like a bird and I turned him toward the finish line. As we crossed the line the crowd was shocked into silence. Cowboy and I had beaten Becky and her fancy horse by two seconds! I gained much more than a blue... When the final race finished, nobody cheered because  _  . A) the audience didn't like Cowboy B) people envied the writer C) the win was unexpected D) the writer bad run out of time

Ans:C
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Ques:Oprah Winfrey is not just a very successful TV personality  in the US, she is also a woman who has encouraged millions. For those people, her life and her success are a good example. She has struggled with many of the challenges that we all face, and she has changed her life. Her message is powerful: I did it, and so can you. Oprah Winfrey is a black woman whose becoming famous is an encouraging story. She was born on January 29, 1954 in a small village in America. Her patents were very poor. For her family, life seemed to hold no promise. But there was nothing that could stop Oprah. She was an extremely bright girl at school. She asked her kindergarten teacher to let her go to school sooner and she also skipped  the second grade of primary school . Her life from the age of six till about fourteen was very hard. For many women such difficulty would be too heavy to bear . But not for Oprah. When she was fourteen, Oprah went to live with her father. Her father showed her how hard work and discipline  could lead to self-improvement. Oprah listened to her father, and a few years later she won a college scholarship that allowed her to go to university. Two years later, after graduation, she started working for television. For more than ten years she worked for different TV stations across the country. In 1984, she moved to Chicago, where she became the host of a talk show called "AM Chicago". When Oprah started, "AM Chicago" had few listeners. By September of the next year, the show was so successful that it was given a new name: 'The Oprah Winfrey Show". Oprah Winfrey's story encourages many people to believe that success and happiness in life are within reach for everyone. Which of the following statements is WRONG according to the passage? A) Oprah's father had a great effect  on her. B) AM Chicago was a local newspaper in Chicago. C) Oprah worked for different TV stations in the US. D) Oprah suffered a lot when she was young.

Ans:
B
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