Ques:A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck . Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea. Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee's new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him. But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition . But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls. Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: "Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent." The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the "most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears." Understandably, Sharma didn't want to _ . "He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best," Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi's journey. The passage is intended to introduce   _  . A) the thrilling escape from a shipwreck B) how an Oscar-winning movie attracts audience C) a young actor became matured when acting in a movie D) the difficulty in winning a role in a movie

Ans:C
-----
Ques:If you want to improve your child's results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive. Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan  , a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body. They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill  . The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children. Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. "We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development," he said. "If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can't really fix that, and it's not easy to do something about your economic status. But here's something that we can do something about." If you want to improve your children's result in school,   _  . A) it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise B) you can have their brain scanned C) it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise D) you can do a lot except ensuring that they do exercise

Ans:C
-----
Ques:Upon reaching an appropriate age (usually between 18 and 21 years), children are encouraged, but not forced, to "leave the nest" and begin an independent life. After children leave home, they often find social relationship and financial support outside the family. Parents do not arrange marriages for their children, nor do children usually ask permission of their parents to get married. Romantic love is most often the basis for marriage in the United States; young adults meet their future spouses through other friends, at jobs,  and in organizations and religious institutions. Although children choose their own spouses, they still hope their parents will approve of their choices. In many families, parents feel that children should make major life decisions by themselves. A parent may try to influence a child to follow a particular profession but the child is free to choose another career. Sometimes children do exactly the opposite of what their parents wish in order to be independent. A son may decide not to go into his father's business on purpose because of a fear that he will lose his autonomy  in his father's workplace. This independence from parents is not an indication that parents and children do not love each other. Strong love between parents and children is universal and this is no exception in the American family. Coexisting with such love in the American family are cultural values of self-reliance and independence. From the passage we can know that   _  . A) American young adults are likely to obey their parents B) most American people never make major decisions for their children C) American young adults possess cultural values of independence D) once a young person steps into his twenties, he will leave his home permanently

Ans:C
-----
Ques:In a very special course at Knnet School, the social-science teacher Adam Smith guides his students through the "married life". Unlike the traditional course, Adam makes his students experience the real problems married ones may face like housing and child care. "No one tells kids about money-managing problems," says Adam. Each student should act out in ten weeks what normally takes couples ten years to finish. In the first week, one member of each couple is asked to get an after school job -- a real one. During the term, the income rules their life-style. In the third week, the couples must find an apartment they can afford. In the fifth week, the couples "have a baby" and then struggle to cover the costs of baby clothes and furniture. In week eight, the marriage comes to the breaking point by such disaster as a mother-in-law's moving in or death. It's all over by week ten (the tenth year of marriage). After serious discussion with lawyers about alimony   and child support, the students get divorced   . Adam's course, which has "married" 1,000 students since its beginning six years ago, is widely supported by parents and students. Some of the students have found the experience making them realize their real life marry plans are wrong. Marianne Baldrica, 16, who tried "marriage" last term with her boyfriend Eric Zook, 15, said, " Eric and I used to get along pretty well before we took the course together. But I wanted to live in the city, he wanted the country. He wanted lots of kids, I wanted no kids. It's been four weeks since the course ended and Eric and I are just starting to talk to each other again." What is the aim of Adam's course? A) To tell students how to find a good partner. B) To teach students how to manage their money. C) To help students act as wives and husbands well. D) To show students the problems in real marriage life.

Ans:
D
-----