*Question*
When we are unfamiliar with something, we may feel nervous and fearful. The help of others is a good way to make us pull through.   I write for a big newspaper, and I wanted to write a story about parachute  jumping. To make it a realistic as well as exciting story, I decided that I first had to make a jump myself. Unfortunately, I am not good at any sport of any kind, let alone parachute jumping.   My friend Mr. Smith was willing to give me a hand. He took me to a ground school. The first day's training included several hours of instruction but not my first drop from an airplane. For this, I had to wait until the following morning.   The next morning, after a hurried, anxious breakfast, I was taken to the airfield. There, two heavy parachutes were put on my back. Then I was asked to make my way to a small plane which had just stopped slowly on the runway.   Once on the plane, it was soon climbing. I began to feel nervous. As we reached one thousand meters, Harry, my teacher, hooked  a line from my parachute to a steel ring inside the plane. The line was to pull my parachute open after I jumped.   "Get ready, Henry," Harry said. I moved carefully to the door. I wanted to cry, "No, no, no!" but no word came.   "Jump!" Harry called out loudly. "Jump!"   To my surprise, kicking like a frog, I did jump. Away from the plane, and down, down I fell. It worked! The air seemed to hold me up. I was very happy.    Then I felt a quick pull. My big parachute had opened! It was like the best surprise I'd ever had. I looked down. There were rivers, trees, fields and houses. I heard the soft sound of the air. This was fun! The writer made a parachute jump himself   _  . A) to learn more about parachute jumping B) to make his story realistic and exciting C) to have a rest from his busy work D) to prove to others his skill and courage
**Answer**
B

*Question*
News that Microsoft was making a $44.6 billion bid to buy Yahoo was greeted with heated discussion by many Internet users on Friday. Here are some responses: Mark Galeassi of Kansas City, Missouri This is the best move for both parties. Yahoo has the ideas and Microsoft has the money to finally market these ideas correctly. Microsoft and Yahoo are a perfect fit and the deal will be good for consumers. Scott G of New Jersey I was a Yahoo user for years along with Hotmail from Microsoft. Then Google came along: Google Earth, Google Toolbar and Gmail. Google is so innovative   with everything they do. Yahoo and Microsoft... same old story... I don't think the merger   will do anything for either company except improve the Yahoo shareholders' bank accounts. Michael Glosser of Estero, Florida Right now, Yahoo offers a lot of features and tools at no cost for all different levels of Internet users. Microsoft seeks nothing but profit. Undoubtedly, they'll do nothing other than find ways to start removing Yahoo's formerly non-priced features. Microsoft's greed will ruin the great thing that Yahoo currently is. Toni Suarez of Hacienda Heights, California Perhaps it would bring better high technology innovations to e-mail and help in researching and developing a better Internet! Antonio Simmons of Parkville, Maryland Microsoft purchasing Yahoo would be nothing more than an attempt from Microsoft to further impose upon the users their poor-quality software and obtain more wealth for the company. In my opinion, they will never be able to compete with Google because Yahoo and Microsoft's current search engines are too inferior   to compete. Even if combined, they still lack. Who is in favor of the merger of Microsoft and Yahoo? A) Antonio Simmons. B) Michael Grosser. C) Scott G. D) Mark Galeassi.
**Answer**
D

*Question*
Toyota Motor Corp, Japan's biggest carmaker, said on Friday it will recall 1,489 Lexus sedans   sold in China. "It will take us some time to ship the fuel tanks and vent pipes to China to change those in these Lexus sedans for customers free of charge, if problems are found," said Yang Hongjian, a spokes- woman of Toyota's China representative office. The expected recall will affect Lexus LS430 sedans made in Japan from July 29, 2003 to January 14, 2004, the representative office said in a statement. Toyota has not received complaints from Chinese customers, according to the statement. The move will be part of Toyota's global recall of 18,200 Lexus LS430s. It will be the third car recall in China in two weeks. Although automobile recall is a common practice in developed markets, it remains new to Chinese customers. The Chinese government published long-awaited automobile recall rules on March 15, which will be officially carried out at the beginning of October. China's auto market is forecast to reach 10 million units by 2010. Automakers, especially Chinese producers, will face greater pressure from automobile recalls, which could be very costly sometimes, and should be in full preparations, according to the expert. The Japanese carmaker sold 1, 549 Lexus vehicles on the Chinese mainland during the first five months of this year, according to Yang. Lexus sales on the mainland reached 4,000 units last year, up from 1,600 units in 2002. (China Daily July 3, 2004) Which of the following is the best tide of this passage? A) Toyota to Recall Its Lexus Sedans Sold in China B) China Prepares to Recall Cars C) The Problems in China's Car Market D) Costly Japanese Car Recalls
**Answer**
A

*Question*
Imagine living locked inside a closet. You can't choose when and what to eat or how you will spend your time. You can't even decide when the lights go on and off. Think about spending your whole life like this. This is the life of lab animals. Now consider the needs of these animals. Chimpanzees ,in their natural homes, are never separated from their families. They spend hours together every day. But in a lab, chimpanzees are put in cages alone. There are no families, only cold, hard cages, and loneliness that goes on for so many years that most of them lose their minds at last. Worse yet are the experiments. Animals are given diseases they would never normally get. Experimenters force-feed(......) chemicals to them, conduct repeated surgeries ,and much more, Think of what it would be like to put up with these and then be thrown back into a cage, usually without any painkillers. Often animals see other animals being killed right in front of them. Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in product tests for shampoos, skin creams and new cancer drugs. Although more than 500 companies have stopped testing on animals, some of them still force chemicals into monkeys' stomachs and rabbits' eyes. Although some facilities are better than others at caring for animals--not every lab worker kills a mouse by cutting off its head with scissors--there are no happy animals inside laboratories. Will the lab life end? When will it end? The passage mainly tells us about  _  . A) animals' lives in laboratories B) cruel experiments on animals C) the needs of animals in labs D) facilities used to care for animals
**Answer**

A