A young father was visiting an old neighbor. They were standing in the old man's garden,and talking about children. The young man said,"How strict should parents be with their children?" The old man pointed to a string between a big strong tree and a thin young one."Please untie that string," he said.The young man untied it,and the young tree bent over to one side. "Now tie it again,please," said the old man,"but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again." The young man did so.Then the old man said,"There,it is the same with children.You must be strict with them,but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on. If they are not yet able to stand alone,you must tie the string tight again.But when you find that they are ready to stand alone,you can take the string away." The young man untied the string   _  . A) in order to throw it away B) so that both of the trees would grow straight C) only to find that the thinner one bent over to one side D) in order to let the old man teach him
C


Do successful businessmen need an office? Increasingly the answer seems to be no. Chris Ward, author of the book Out of Office explains how President Barack Obama's first inauguration  speech was written by 27-year-old Jon Favreau sitting in Starbucks ; how Richard Tait, creator of Cranium, started the board game in a coffee shop; how Michael Acton Smith invented the children's virtual world Moshi Monsters in his local cafe Nero; and how JK Rowling, the novelist behind Harry Potter, believes a cafe is the best place to write. It is a convincing view, and for basic start-ups it makes much more sense to work from home and public spaces such as cafes than renting an expensive office. Offices are hard to find, costly to decorate and involve much tiring administration. Moreover, by staying independent you avoid the misery  of a daily commute , which for many is the worst part of a job. Thanks to mobile communications, WiFi  and cloud storage, together with the increasing heavy-duty equipment such as photocopiers, fax machines and desktop PCs, the traditional office is becoming redundant  for many sorts of organizations and workers. Of course, factory managers, surgeons, chefs and industrial chemists are still tied to specialist locations. But many of us---from software engineers and copywriters to architects and fashion designers---can operate almost anywhere. That freedom, and a willingness to adapt, can make one's career more enjoyable and, sometimes, more efficient. The traditional office is becoming redundant due to the following EXCEPT_. A) mobile communications B) the misery of a daily commute C) heavy-duty equipment D) WiFi and cloud storage
B


Q: "Hey, do you know what?  Today is May Day!" my sister announced. "Do you remember the May Day baskets we used to make with colored paper and paste?" I recalled that my sisters and I would run around our neighborhood delivering the baskets brimming with spring flowers. We would place them on a doorstep, knock on the door, then run away. It was delightful to look around a bush and watch our friends open their doors and pick up the colorful gift,wondering who had left it out for them. I clearly remember the May Day of the year that I was in fifth grade. That year I was faced with a challenge involving one of my dearest friends. She lived right across the road from our family, and we had walked together to school nearly every day since first grade. Her interests were starting to change from the interests that we had shared together. A new family had recently moved into our small town,and Pam was spending more and more time at their house. When my mother asked me if I was going to take a May Day basket to Pam's house, I responded angrily, "Absolutely not!" My mom told me that I would have many other friends throughout my lifetime. "But Pam was my very best friend ever," I cried. Mom wiped away my tears and told me that circumstances change and people change. She explained that one of the greatest things friends can do is to give each other a chance to grow, to change and to develop into what we want to be. And sometimes that would mean that friends would choose to spend time with other people. I could express my forgiveness by giving her a May Day basket. It was a hard decision, but I made an extra special basket of flowers with lots of yellow because that was Pam's favorite color. I asked my two sisters to help me deliver my basket of forgiveness. As we watched from our hiding place, Pam picked up the flowers, and said loudly enough for us to hear, "Thank you, Susie, I hoped you wouldn't forget me!". What lesson can we learn from the story? A) Friends won't forget each other in life. B) We can grow up even without friends. C) There is no forgiveness in true friendship. D) We can't expect too much from our friends.
A: D


Question: A young man was walking through a supermarket to pick up a few things when he noticed an old lady following him around. Thinking nothing of it,he ignored her and continued on. Finally, he went to the checkout line, but she got in front of him. "Pardon me," she said, " I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son who just died recently." "I'm very sorry," replied the young man, "Is there anything I can do for you?"  "Yes," she said, "As I'm leaving, can you say 'Goodbye mother'? It would make me feel much better". "Sure," answered the young man. As the old lady was leaving the counter, he called out from behind her, "Goodbye mother!" As he stepped up to the checkout counter and put what he bought on the counter, he saw that his total was $127.5. "How can that be?" he asked, "I only bought a few things!" " Your mother said that you would pay for her." said the clerk. Which of the following would be the best title? A) An Unexpected Meeting at the Supermarket B) A Foolish Mother C) A Total of $ 127.5 at the Supermarket D) A Mother and Her Son
Answer: A


(Question)
With just a few minutes left before school was to start, my six-year-old, Dustin, was crying. "I don't want to go," he said. Ever since he'd entered first grade, he had hated school. What's going on? If he hates school this much now, how bad will it be later on? Every kid sometimes complains about school. But five to ten percent of kids dislike it so much they don't want to attend. "If a child seems worried or anxious about school, pretends illness to stay home, or refuses to talk about things of the school day, you should be concerned," says a school psychologist, Michael Martin. Fortunately, you can usually solve the problem--sometimes very easily. In our case, my husband and I visited Dustin's class and noticed that the teacher, just out of college, called only on kids who sat right under her nose. Dustin, who often sat near the back, was ignored . We simply told him to move up front. He did, and he was happy again. What's the reason that Dustin dislikes going to school? A) He is laughed at by his classmates. B) He can't answer the teacher's question. C) He is afraid of his teacher. D) He feels like being ignored in class.
(Answer)

D