Question: Kindergarten outside? Yes, indeed. It's part of a growing worldwide trend toward outdoor education. The schools are called forest kindergartens. The numbers are small so far in the U.S., but the idea is well established in Europe, with schools in Scotland, England, and Switzerland. By far the most such schools are in Germany, which has more than 400 forest kindergartens. Some schools feature several hours of outdoor schooling. This is certainly the case with the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs. Children there will be venturing out on the nearby Hemlock Trail to learn more about the natural world. Some lessons are focused on nature; others are academic topics delivered in a natural setting. In all cases, students are active-not sitting at desks or on mats on the floor but walking, running, jumping, solving problems like how to get the mud off the bottoms of their shoes before their parents find out. Seriously, the focus is on activity at these schools. Studies have shown that children's immune systems actually get stronger after all of the outdoor activity, and that graduates of forest kindergartens show a higher ability to learn when they progress through their academic careers. Other schools are all outdoors, all the time. This is the case with the Cedar Song Nature School, on Vashon Island, Washington. Students at this school spend their whole three-hour day outdoors, in a private five-acre forest, doing all kinds of physical activities. At these forest kindergartens, students learn science by observing and doing it, learn math by applying it to the natural world around them, learn letters and words by putting them together using sights and sounds. These students learn how to get along with one another, individually and in a group. They also develop healthy levels of self-confidence. Nowadays many children become obese  because of sedentary  activities like watching television and playing video games. These outdoor schools give children chances to learn just as much, if not more, from opening their eyes... What do we know about forest kindergartens? A) The first one was created in England. B) They are very popular in Germany. C) There are 400 all over the world. D) Their number is huge in the U.S.
Answer: B

Question: When I was an official of a school in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board, wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly's son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as the educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents knew his difficulties, but they always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper. "Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known that the last time I had talked to him would be the last time. If I had only known that, I would have said to him, 'Jim, I love you and I'm always so proud of you.' I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he had brought to the lives of the people who loved him. I would have taken the time to appreciate his beautiful smile, his laughter, and his genuine love to other people. "When I put all the good things on the scale and try to balance them with all the irritating   things such as the radio that was always too loud, the haircut that wasn't to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., I find that the irritations really don't amount to much. "I won't get another chance to tell my son all that I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear as if it may be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the morning of the day when he died. He called me to say, 'Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. You have to go to work now. Bye.' That day, he gave me something to treasure forever. " If there is any purpose at all for Jim's death, maybe it is to make others appreciate life more and to tell people, especially family... What did Polly think of Jim? A) He was a lovely boy with a beautiful smile who always loved others. B) He was physically sick but always happy. C) He was an irritating boy with some bad habits. D) He seldom expressed his love for his parents.
Answer: A

Question: (2013*,B)On a sunny day last August,Tim heard some shouting.Looking out to the sea carefully,he saw a couple of kids in a rowboat were being pulled out to sea. Two 12yearold boys,Christian and Jack,rowed out a boat to search for a football.Once they'd rowed beyond the calm waters,a beach umbrella tied to the boat caught the wind and pulled the boat into open water.The pair panicked and tried to row back to shore.But they were no match for _ and the boat was out of control. Tim knew it would soon be swallowed by the waves. "Everything went quiet in my head,"Tim recalls ."I was trying to figure out how to swim to the boys in a straight line." Tim took off his clothes and jumped into the water.Every 500 yards or so,he raised his head to judge his progress."At one point,I considered turning back," he says."I wondered if I was putting my life at risk."After 30 minutes of struggling,he was close enough to yell to the boys,"Take down the umbrella!" Christian made much effort to take down the umbrella.Then Tim was able to catch up and climb aboard the boat.He took over rowing,but the waves were almost too strong for him. "Let's aim for the pier ,"Jack said.Tim turned the boat toward it.Soon afterward,waves crashed over the boat,and it began to sink."Can you guys swim?"he cried."A little bit,"the boys said. Once they were in the water,Tim decided it would be safer and faster for him to pull the boys toward the pier.Christian and Jack were wearing life jackets and floated on their backs.Tim swam toward land as water washed over the boys'faces. "Are we almost there?"they asked again and again."Yes,"Tim told them each time. After 30 minutes,they reached the pier. Why did Tim raise his head regularly? A) To take in enough fresh air. B) To consider turning back or not. C) To check his distance from the boys. D) To ask the boys to take down the umbrella.
Answer:
C