*Question*
England has a longstanding problem with youngsters dropping out of training. Almost half of 17-year-olds in some parts of England have dropped out of fulltime education or training. The statistics show 49% in Thurrock and 44% in Salford have dropped out of school or job training.     Across England,31%of 17-year-olds are not in education or training.     The figures also reveal deep regional divides,with wealthier areas such as Richmon and Harrow recording18% of 17-year-olds out of official education.     The statistics confirm England's poor international standing for staying-on rates in education.     The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development considers England's drop-out rates as among the worst among the industrialised countries.     Regionally,the statistics show Yorkshire and the Humber have the highest rate of 17-year-olds not in full-time education or work-based training at 35%.     Outer London has the highest staying-on rate,with l3%of 17-year-olds having dropped out of official learning.     In the east of England this figure stands at 31%and at 29%in the South West.     Edward Davey,Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary,said the government "should be ashamed"that so many youngsters were dropping out of school.     A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills said the government had carried out a series of reforms,with aPS2.5 billion rise in funding for further education. In this text,"staying-on"is opposite to"  _  "in meaning. A) longstanding B) dropping out of C) work-based training D) staying at home
**Answer**
B

*Question*
Outside our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a seemingly ancient woman waited beside the door with her hand outstretched. Every day I put my hand in hers as our eyes met. She never failed to return my smile, my grasp, and my greeting. On the last day of our visit, I found myself alone on a busy corner across the street from our hotel. Bicycles and motorbikes rushed in front of me. As I hesitated on the sidewalk, I felt a hand on my elbow and looked down to see the smile of my small beggar friend looking up at me. She nodded her head toward the street, indicating that she would take me across. Together, we moved slowly into the chaos. Then we moved on toward the sidewalk, where she pulled my face down to hers, kissed me on both cheeks, and then left, still smiling and waving back to me. Traveling in poorer nations, I have witnessed a variety of ways to deal with beggars. The most common response of tourists faced with the poverty-stricken is to ignore them and focus their eyes elsewhere. I have seen people push away an outstretched hand in angry annoyance. A few may drop a few coins into the hand in a hurry, hoping that other ragged pursuers won't immediately appear on the scene. For many reasons, giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. Many world travelers have discovered that the greatest gift they can give is their time and respect. Everyone needs recognition, to be seen as worthy of being known, to feel appreciated and loved. And I believe that everyone is worthy and worth knowing. The purpose of the passage is to   _  . A) show how poor the beggars are in Vietnam B) offer some advice on dealing with begging C) express what we should offer the beggars D) describe an experience with a beggar
**Answer**
C

*Question*
The 4-year-old boy was mentally disabled, unable to speak in complete sentences and unable to play with other children because of his violent fits  of hitting and biting. The decision facing one Brooklyn jury was how much a landlord should pay in damages to the boy -- named "G.M.M." in court documents -- after an investigation showed he had been living in an apartment illegally coated with lead paint. Attorneys  representing G.M.M. said $3.4 million was the right number, arguing that the boy would have had a bright career ahead of him; both of his parents had graduated from college and his mother received a master's degree. But the landlord's defense put the figure at less than half that -- $1.5 million. Attorney Roger Archibald noted that because the boy was Hispanic, G.M.M. was unlikely to attain the advanced education that would provide to such a large income. The 4-year-old's case is a rare public look at one corner of the American legal system that explicitly uses race and gender to determine how much victims or their families should receive in compensation  when they are seriously injured or killed. As a result, white and male victims often receive larger awards than people of color and women in similar cases. These differences largely derive from _ of how much more money individuals would have earned over their lifetimes had they not been injured -- projections that take into account average earnings and employment levels by race and gender. What is the passage mainly about? A) Description of the boy's damage. B) Situation of the boy's family. C) Compensation for the boy's damage. D) Advantages of American legal system.
**Answer**
C

*Question*
Teens are more likely to behave badly if their parents expect them to,a new US study has found. "Parents who believe they are simply being realistic might actually be having a bad effect on their children," Christy Buchanan,a teacher at Wake Forest University and one of the authors of the study,said. "Bad expectations on the part of both parents and children predict more rebellious   behaviors later on." The finding came from a study of more than 250 sixth and seventhgraders and their mothers. They were examined at the start of the study and again one year later. If kids' mothers expected them to take more risks and be more rebellious,higher chances of risky behavior were seen.   _     _     _   when kids had bad expectations of themselves. "Sometimes parents expect more negative behavior from their children than they should based on the children's history of behavior," Buchanan said.Parents shouldn't be naive   about the possibility of bad behavior,she said,but it's also a mistake to think that children who are wellbehaved will naturally become rebellious at the age of 13. "By thinking risktaking or rebelliousness is normal for teenagers and showing that to their children,parents might add to other messages from society that make teenagers feel that they are strange if they are not willing to take risks or break laws," she said."This can mean,for example,that when parents expect teens to drink before they turn 21 or to do other risky behaviors,kids are less likely to refuse to do so later in their lives." On the other hand,parents' expectations that teens can exhibit good behaviors and refuse to behave badly or to take risks could help reduce the possibility of bad behavior,Buchanan said."As a parent,you should put expectations on your children carefully." What might be the most suitable title for the passage? A) Risktaking is normal for teens. B) Why are my teens behaving badly? C) Don't expect too much from your teens. D) Bad expectations lead to badbehaving teens.
**Answer**

D