As I made my way to my office last Thursday, I noticed an A4 poster stuck to the lift door. Then I noticed one on the wall, one on the noticeboard, and then one on my classroom door. In fact, they were stuck to nearly every available surface along the corridor. And they all had the same statement:"All I'm asking for is a little respect seeing I pay you PS9,000 a year." I still don't know what led to this flyer campaign -- it is said that it's linked to a group of students who were not given extra assignment grade for their examination -- but I could not help but become annoyed at the impolite language. I started to think about the ways that my students act and speak, and the way I acted and spoke during my time at university. I will admit that I didn't do all of the readings, and yes, I may have missed a couple of lectures throughout the year, but I completed all assignments and followed the guidelines presented to me, without expecting my lecturers to chase after me. I wish I could say the same for my students. As I walked through the car park with a colleague at the end of the day, we discussed the unrest that the posters had caused:"If you ask me,"he said,"all universities are going to need a customer services department before long."And there it was, plain and simple, the issue that I hadn't been able to explain: these young people weren't behaving like university students, they were behaving like customers. I recalled the student who told me he was disappointed with his low grade because he had"paid so much money". My colleague topped it: when one of his students was asked to leave a seminar for not completing the reading, he responded:"I pay you to teach me what's in the article, not the other way around." Last week I sent out the first round of grades for a module and had 12 emails of complaint within an hour. One in particular stood out for its misunderstanding of what it means to be a scholar. The student said the grade must be incorrect because he had turned up to all the lectures -- as if simply... How does the author feel about the students' words in those posters? A) Angry. B) Excited. C) Relieved. D) Moved.
A


Here are some of the strangest buildings in the world. Please look at them and tell us your impressions. Stone House, Portugal The stone house in Portugal is really similar to the famous home of the Flintstones (<<>> ). It is built between two rocks and its architecture  has impressed some of the greatest architects. The house was attacked by some bad people. The house is pretty comfortable inside, with a fireplace and every- thing necessary, so it is a wonderful example of modern architecture in Stone Age style! Dancing Building, Czech Republic The Dancing House, or "Fred and Ginger", is situated in Prague, the Czech Republic. It is an amazing masterpiece of architecture which has its own romantic charm. There is something so sweet in the way the buildings hug each other for a dance! It has become a symbol of the city! The Crooked   House, Poland The crooked house in Poland has an extraordinary and amazing structure. It was built in 2003 with its design based on the pictures of Jan Marcin Szancer and Per Dahlberg. It looks as if it has been taken from a cartoon: its design is "crooked", but it is balanced, so it is not ugly at all, just strange! The interesting part is how builders managed to create this genius idea, but the house is a fact and everyone admires their creativity! Habitat 67, Montreal, Canada Habitat 67 in Canada is a very interesting arrangement of cubes,which looks like the building blocks that children play with. It is pretty interesting how it was designed -- it looks so original, and at the same time the building is completely stable  and comfortable for living! It was created as a main attraction for Expo  67, where it was officially exposed! What is a common feature of the Stone Houseand the Dancing Building? A) They all appear very modern. B) They are the symbols of their own cities. C) They are all for people to live in. D) They are both examples of great architecture.
D


Q: A new Australian research indicates that children with a stutter   do not suffer disadvantages at school, More than ten percent of children have a stutter by the age of four but they score just as high as other children on tests designed to judge their language, thinking skills and character. Professor Reilly's team studied over 1600 children from Melbourne, Australia. Their mothers had been filling out regular questionnaires since their babies were eight months old and the children were judged by a range of language and behaviour tests when they reached the age of four. Reilly and her colleagues asked the parents to call the study group if their children started showing signs of stuttering. Diagnoses were confirmed by a researcher, who then visited the homes of children with a stutter every month to check on their progress. By the age of four, 181 of the children studied had been diagnosed with a stutter. Follow-up visits to the 181 children who were judged after diagnoses showed just nine no longer had a stutter one year later. Stuttering children scored 5. 5 points higher than that of their non-stuttering children on language tests and 2. 6 points higher on the test of non-verbal intelligence. The researchers said it was possible that stuttering could improve language skills, or that stuttering could result from very fast language development among some children. The research suggests parents of children who stutter are usually advised to wait a year before looking for treatment --which can be expensive -- to see if the stutter goes away by itself, unless the children become very unhappy or stop talking. Some children may stutter probably because  _  . A) they become angry very easily B) their intelligence is very poor C) they don't have any patience at all D) their language develops very quickly
A: D


Q: A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025. A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East. P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same. Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase. The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning. The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture. The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow... All the following are true except  _  . A) Lack of water may cause conflict between countries B) Egypt now has enough fresh water C) There are solutions to the water problem D) New industries need a lot of water

A: B