Ques: Rumor   is the most primitive  way of spreading stories--- by passing them on from mouth to mouth, but civilized countries in normal times have better sources  of news than rumor. They have radio, television, and newspapers. In times of confusion (  ), however, rumor appears and becomes widespread. At such times the different kinds of news are in competition: the press, television, and radio against the . Especially do rumors spread when war requires control on many important matters. The normal news sources no longer give out enough information. Since the people can not learn through legal channels all that they are anxious to learn, they pick up "news" wherever they can and when this happens, rumor grows. Rumors are often repeated even by those who do not believe the tales. There is an interest about them. The reason is that the cleverly designed rumor gives expression to something deep in the hearts of the victims -- the fears, doubts, forbidden hopes, or daydreams which they hesitate to voice directly. Pessimistic rumors about defeat and disasters show that the people who repeat them are worried and anxious. Optimistic rumors about record production or peace soon come point to self- satisfaction or confidence--and often to over-confidence. Which of the following statements is mentioned as a reason for people to repeat a rumor? A) They are too willing to believe. B) They take an interest in rumor. C) They have a strong desire to make a fool of other people. D) They find some rumors reflect their own unexpressed beliefs.
Ans: D

Ques: 2010 was the year the Earth struck back. Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards  , landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 - the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined. "It just seemed like it was back-to-back  and it came in waves," said Craig Fugate, who heads the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010. "The term "100-year event' really lost its meaning this year." And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say. Even though many disasters have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and strange year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes. Poor construction and development practices make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable buildings  in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river floods, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die. Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes "are pretty much constant," said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. "All the change that's made is man-made." The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people - many of them living in poverty- and more poorly built shanties  ,than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010; total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University. Climate scientists say Earth's climate also is changing thanks to man-made global warming, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding. The excessive  amount of extreme weather... The author gives the example of the big earthquake in Haiti to show that  _  . A) poor construction largely accounts for more deaths than expected B) man's behaviours are to blame for the constant occurrence of natural disasters C) the extreme weather mainly contributes to the disaster of the quake D) the country's poverty and over- crowdedness results in the disaster
Ans: B

Ques: Strange it may sound, this is a true story about a lesson of honesty happening between a lucky thief and a worthy professor. Once a thief won a lottery ticket but left it at his crime  scene when he stole a suitcase from a professor. To his great surprise, his victim, who picked up the ticket and took the prize money of PS25 000, managed to get in touch with him in order to return him the case. The robbery took place when John Smith, a math professor was changing a tyre on the motorway. The thief happened to pass by. He appeared to be a warm-hearted guy and stopped "to help". When the professor found his suitcase in the car missing, the thief had driven off as fast as he could. The professor picked up the dropped ticket on the floor and put it in his pocket before driving home. John Smith didn't realize it was a winner until he knew the lottery results on TV. He got the prize money and _ . At last,he decided not to keep the money although he just had been robbed of his suitcase by the owner of the ticket. He set out to advertise in newspapers and on radio for finding the owner, " Don't be surprised that I'm trying to find the man who robbed me in order to returned him the PS25 000--a lottery win. Please meet me without telling me your real name if you don't want to. ". Later John received tens of hundreds of calls from people around the country trying to trick him into handing them the cash. But he didn't arrange to meet the right person in the park until he recognized the voice. The robber, was moved into tears when he returned the suitcase. "Why didn't you keep the money?"he asked, not believing what was happening.  The honest professor replied simply, "Because it's not mine." With these words, he walked off, _ the thief's offer of a reward. Hundreds of people phoned the professor because they   _  . A) lost their lottery ticket B) hoped to take the money C) knew who the robber was D) wanted to make fun of him
Ans: B

Ques: I'm a Chinese student studying in Canada. I have been a boarder  with the Carsons for more than a year and a half.     The Carsons live in their own house, which has four bedrooms including the one in the basement  which I live in. Judy does all the work in the house and Andrew is responsible for the work in the garden. When they go out in they evening, they often ask me to look after their children.     Judy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Morris, lived in another city. Judy was their only child and naturally they doted on Judy's children. They often sent the children presents.     Last April Mr. Morris died. Now that Mrs. Morris was quite alone, I expected that Judy would want her to come and live with them. One day, Margaret, Judy's daughter, told me grandma was coming to live with them and her daddy and mummy would want my room back. The news didn't surprise me and the next day I went to Judy and asked her about it. I said I couldn't think of living in their basement room any longer if it was needed for Mrs. Morris. Judy seemed surprised at first. Then she told me there was no deed for me to move, for they hadn't yet come to any decision about her mother coming to live with them. "Naturally I'm worried about my mother. She has been in poor health." She smiled sadly and added. "To be honest, Andrew and my mother have never got on well. We'll wait a bit and see what happens. Perhaps Mohter will be all right living herself, or perhaps they will both change their minds."     That was six months ago. During this time I've heard that Mrs. Morris has had two illnesses and that her health has got worse. A nursing home was mentioned once but Mrs. Morris refused to go there. So up to now she's still living alone and I'm still living in the basement room. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? A) Family relationship in Canada. B) The Boarder in Canada. C) Nursing Homes in Canada. D) The children in Canada.
Ans:
A