Q: Can you remember a morning when you've woken up to the ring of your alarm clock and wished you could stay in bed? You haven't slept well, your hair is a mess. Worse, you can't stop yawning. Yawning is universal to humans and many animals. Cats, dogs and fish yawn just like humans do! Yawning is an involuntary(,) action during which you open your mouth and breathe deeply. The average duration of a yawn is about 6 seconds. The purpose and cause of yawning are still a mystery. Scientists are not sure what causes a yawn. People yawn when they are tired or bored, but they also yawn when they aren't. There are many ideas explaining why we yawn. One idea is that yawning is a way for the body to become more alert by taking in more oxygen. A yawn increases the heart rate, forces carbon dioxide out of the lungs and blood stream, and brings oxygen to the brain. But one study showed that volunteers given a lot of oxygen did not yawn any less than before, while those given a lot of carbon dioxide did not yawn more. Another idea is that early humans used yawning as a form of communication. If one decided it was time to sleep, they would tell the others by yawning and they would do it in return to show they agreed. A third explanation comes from psychology professor Gordon Gallup of University at Albany in New York. He said that as people yawn, they cool off their brains. "Brains are like computers." he said. "They only operate efficiently and effectively when they're cool. Many things connected to yawning, like being tired, make the brain hot, and yawning can reduce the heat." Scientists have sent people into space, and created terrible nuclear weapons, but there are lots of seemingly simple things, such as why we yawn, or hiccup , that they can't figure out. Next time you are in class in the morning, let out a big yawn and watch to see how many of your classmates yawn in response! What can we learn from the passage? A) The real reason why humans and most animals yawn. B) Hiccups are an involuntary human action similar to yawns. C) The more an action can be studied, the easier it is to research. D) Finding out why humans yawn should be easier than sending people into space.
A: B


Q: If you watch British television on March 15, you might be surprised to see celebrities  wearing funny red noses and joking; around. But don't worry. They're not mad. It's all part of a money raising event called Red Nose Day. Founded in 1985 by two British comedians, the aim of the event is to raise money to fight poverty and injustice in the UK and Africa. Celebrities and public figures support the event by making appearances on comic TV shows. For example, UK Prime Minister David Cameron once appeared in a music video by One Direction, which the band produced for the event. Britons don't just raise money for charitable causes on one day a year, but they do it all year round. One way of doing so is by shopping in charity shops. These small shops sell clothes, books and household goods just like any other shop except that it's all secondhand. There are nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK. Their business model is simple: Anybody who has things they don't want anymore can donate them to a charity shop, where they are checked for damage, cleaned and priced. The money that is made by selling them is used for a charitable cause. The idea of buying used clothes may sound unpleasant, but for shoppers who have less spending money, it has been a welcome option. Now, shopping at charity shops is also becoming popular with young people looking for alternative fashion. "You can find very unique clothes for a very cheap price. It doesn't bother me that other people may have worn them. I simply wash them before I wear them." said Anne Marie, a 19-year-old from the US. So next time you spot a charity shop, why not go inside? Who knows, you might find a lovely dress for just a few pounds. Even better, you can enjoy wearing it in the knowledge tha t your money helped a good cause. Where are the goods of charity shops from? A) Local bands. B) People's donation. C) British comedians. D) The UK government.
A: B


Q: Imperial College London Tanaka Business School 10 New Professors, Readers, Senior Lecturers or Lecturers Imperial College is among the top ten universities of the world, according to the 2008 Times Higher Education. Having doubled its size in the last 4 years and hired world--class scholars during that period, Imperial's Tanaka Business School wishes to make a further 10 academic appointments in its drive to become a leading research--led business school.Only applicants who have published in top international magazines will be considered.Excellent ones from any field of management are welcome, but the school particularly wishes to appoint in the fields of marketing, technology management and healthcare. International salaries will be offered. An application form and further details may be downloaded from www.imperial.ac.uk/tanaka (About Us, job opportunities). An application form, 2 of your best papers should be sent to tbs.applications@imperial.ac.uk. First review of application will be on 2 April 2009. Which of the following statements does NOT agree with the passage? A) Imperial College offers good salary. B) Imperial College is a famous university in the world. C) Imperial College is very strict with job hunters. D) Imperial College is a business school.
A: D


Q: Box jellyfish  are the most poisonous marine animals known to man. They measure 3 meters long and weigh up to 2 kilograms. They are pale blue and transparent in color, and get their name from the cube--like shape of their body, Box jellyfish have 6 eyes on all 4 sides of their body, although it is uncertain how they process what they see as they do not have a central nervous system. They also have up to 15 tentacles  growing from each corner of their body that have about 5,000 stinging cells each. Box jellyfish can be found primarily in the coastal waters off Northern Australia as well as throughout the Indo--Pacific. They prefer to live at river mouths. They do not have any organs to breathe, and will sleep on the ocean floor from 3 pm to dawn. Unlike other jellyfish that merely move along with the current, box jellyfish have developed a way to travel wherever they want to go. _ will shoot themselves in a jet-like fashion, reaching speeds of up to 7.4 kilometers per hour. The diet of box jellyfish consists of thing like fish, small animals, and even other jellyfish. They use their venom, a chemical which causes heart, skin, and breath failure, to kill their prey . Since box jellyfish have eyes, some scientists believe that they actively hunt their prey while others insist that they are just passive opportunists that will wait and catch anything that wanders into their tentacles. Box jellyfish are responsible for more human deaths in Australia than snakes, sharks, and salt-water crocodiles combined. It is best to avoid them as most stings  will result in death. Hopefully, humans and box jellyfish can find a way to live with one another while keeping conflicts to a bare minimum. After all, such a unique species of jellyfish deserves to live and grow just as humans do. The text is mainly about   _  . A) a kind of sea animal B) some poisonous animals C) scientists' research into box jellyfish D) the relationship between humans and jellyfish

A: A