Ques:For most teenagers, swapping   an old mobile phone with a friend for the latest album or movie ticket might be considered a good trade.But 17-year-old Steven Ortiz set his sights a little higher, and -- after a series of swaps -- is now driving himself to school in a Porsche.The youngster started exchanging items two years ago after a schoolmate gave him an unwanted phone.Through a series of online swaps, Steven worked his way up through newer phones, laptop computers, and street bikes before landing the prized Porsche.  Steven developed a love for online trading long before taking up the swaps that led to the Porsche.As a young teenager, he would buy his friends' unwanted mobile phones for around PS20, clean them up and sell them over the Internet for three times that amount.  His father, Esteban Ortiz, said Steven was also useful to have around when the family needed something like a new washing machine, as he would use his nose for a bargain to pick up somebody's discarded appliance for next to nothing and fix it up cheaply."I think this is teaching him something.I want him to go to college, and make something of his life.He is learning the value of things, responsibility and negotiation skills."  Steven got his first car at 15, but he was too young to drive, so he traded for a golf cart before moving back into cars when he got his license a year ago.Steven said swapping the Bronco, worth about PS10,000 at the time, for the Porsche was actually a trade down because the car was valued at PS6,000.Another downside is the running costs.He must pay PS100 every time the Porsche needs an oil change, and $1,000 for a routine service.  Steven, however, still has some way to go before matching the achievement of Canadian Kyle MacDonald, who became famous four years ago for turning a single red paperclip   into a two-storey farmhouse through a series of trade. What can be inferred from the passage?  _  . A) A schoolmate encouraged Steven to trade online. B) Steven learned a lot from his father's negotiation skills. C) Steven got his driving license before trading his first car. D) Kyle MacDonald was more successful than Steven in terms of swapping.

Ans:D
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Ques:Weekend one-day out A walk along the Wall -- Beijing Hikers is organizing a hike in a village along the Great Wall in Changping District, north of downtown Beijing. The walk will take around three hours covering a distance of 10 kilometres. Time: 8:30 a.m-4:30p.m, Dec.4 Cost: 200 yuan (US $25) per adult, 150 yuan (US $18.50) for under-12s. Meeting place: 8:30a.m. in front of Starbucks at Lido Holiday Inn, Jiangtai Lu To sign-up (one day before the hike) and more information, contact Huijie at info@beijinghikers.com or 139-1002-5516. Skiing and hot springs -- Cycle China plans a day's skiing fun at a resort  around Beijing followed by an outdoor hot spring bath for your sore body. Cost: 350 yuan (US $43.40) & Time: 8:30 a.m-6:30p.m, Dec.4 Location: Meet at the office of Cycle China, opposite to the east gate of Jingshan Park, Xicheng District. For more information and reservation, email reserve@cyclechina.com or call 139-1188-6524. Horse riding -- This is a trip to a professional horse-riding club with well-trained bilingual instructors, offering lessons to people who love riding and those willing to learn more. The club is located in Hebei Province next to the Kangxi Grassland. Time: 1:30 a.m-4:30p.m, Dec.4 Cost: 330yuan (US $40.74) including one hour's riding, transportation, guide, lunch To sign-up and more information, contact Lucy at 8580-5080, 130-1117-1326 or Lucy@highclub.net. If you are interested in the knowledge about horse-riding, you'll contact   _ A) reserve@cyclechina.com B) 139-1188-6524 C) 130-1117-1326 D) 139-1002-5516

Ans:C
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Ques:English is an important global language, but that doesn't mean it's easy to learn. Many experts have tried to make English easier for students to learn--but they weren't always successful. In 1930, Professor CK Ogden of Cambridge University invented Basic English. It had only 850 words (and just eighteen verbs) and Ogden said most people could learn it in just thirty hours. The problem was that people who learned Basic English could write and say simple messages, but they couldn't understand the answers in "real" English! It was also impossible to explain a word if it wasn't in the Basic English word list. For example, if you wanted a watermelon, you asked for "a large green fruit with the form of an egg, which has a sweet red inside and a good taste"! RE Zachrisson, a university professor in Sweden, decided that the biggest problem for learners of English was spelling, so he invented a language called Anglic. Anglic was similar to English, but with much simpler spelling. "Father" became "faadher", "new" became "nue' and "years" became "yeerz". Unfortunately for some students of English, Anglic never became popular. Even easier is the language which ships' captains use: it's called "Seaspeak". Seaspeak uses a few simple phrases for every possible situation. In Seaspeak, for example, you don't say, "I'm sorry what did you say?" or "I didn't understand, can you repeat that?" It's just "Say again." No more grammar! In the age of international communication through the Internet who knows? ... a new form of English might appear. A large number of the world's e-mails are in English and include examples of "NetLingo" like OIC (Oh, I see) and TTYL (Talk to you later). In another fifty years, English might not exist ... we will probably all speak fluent Internetish! What might happen to English in another fifty years? A) It might be replaced by Internetish. B) It might become a global language. C) It might take the place of all other languages. D) It might become more and more difficult.

Ans:
A
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