Question:
The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Which choice describes a scenario in which Hodick and Sievers's model predicts that a Venus flytrap will NOT close around an insect?
 A. A large insect's second contact with the plant's trigger hairs results in a total calcium ion concentration above the trap's threshold.
 B. A large insect makes contact with a second trigger hair after a period of inactivity during which calcium ion concentrations have diminished appreciably.
 C. A large insect's contact with the plant's trigger hairs causes calcium channels to open in the trap.
 D. A large insect's contact with a second trigger hair occurs within ten seconds of its contact with the first trigger hair.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Which choice describes a scenario in which Hodick and Sievers's model predicts that a Venus flytrap will NOT close around an insect?
 A. A large insect's second contact with the plant's trigger hairs results in a total calcium ion concentration above the trap's threshold.
 B. A large insect makes contact with a second trigger hair after a period of inactivity during which calcium ion concentrations have diminished appreciably.
 C. A large insect's contact with the plant's trigger hairs causes calcium channels to open in the trap.
 D. A large insect's contact with a second trigger hair occurs within ten seconds of its contact with the first trigger hair.
Answer: B


Question:
The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Based on the passage, what potential criticism might be made of Volkov's testing of Hodick and Sievers's model?
 A. Volkov's understanding of Hodick and Sievers's model was incorrect.
 B. Volkov's measurements did not corroborate a central element of Hodick and Sievers's model.
 C. Volkov's direct application of an electrical current would have been objectionable to Hodick and Sievers.
 D. Volkov's technology was not available to Hodick and Sievers.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Based on the passage, what potential criticism might be made of Volkov's testing of Hodick and Sievers's model?
 A. Volkov's understanding of Hodick and Sievers's model was incorrect.
 B. Volkov's measurements did not corroborate a central element of Hodick and Sievers's model.
 C. Volkov's direct application of an electrical current would have been objectionable to Hodick and Sievers.
 D. Volkov's technology was not available to Hodick and Sievers.
Answer: B


Question:
Large competitors are often viewed as a major.threat for startups and small companies; big.companies have more financial resources and greater.scale, market power and brand awareness than.smaller ones. However, our research finds that a.smaller brand can actually benefit if consumers can.see the competitive threat it faces from a larger.organization..When a U.S.-based ice cream chain with about 1,400 stores moved within 50 steps of a J.P. Licks ice.cream store in Newton, Massachusetts, some people.expected that J.P. Licks, a small, locally owned.company, would be beaten out of the Newton market..But consumers rallied around J.P. Licks, and the.national chain later closed its nearby location. When.the owner of the Los Angeles-based coffee store chain.The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf could not stop a large.coffee shop chain from moving in next door, he was.surprised to see his sales shoot up—so much so that.he started proactively colocating new stores next to.large chain ones..These examples are not anomalies. In six lab and.field studies, we explored the effects of having a large,.dominant competitor and found that highlighting a.large competitor’s size and close proximity can help.smaller brands, instead of harming them. Compared.to when they are in competition with brands that are.similar to them in size or when consumers view them.outside of a competitive context, small brands see.consumer support go up when they are faced with a.competitive threat from large brands. This support.translates into higher purchase intention, more.purchases and more favorable online reviews..As part of our research, we conducted a field study.at an independent bookstore in Cambridge,.Massachusetts. Upon entering the bookstore, 163.prospective shoppers were exposed to one of three.versions of an in-store ad, emphasizing either the.store’s large competitors, small competitors or no.competition. Shoppers who read the “large.competitors” version were told that the store’s main.competitors are large corporations that have the.ability to put small businesses such as this bookstore.out of business. The “small competitors” version.indicated the store’s main competitors are other.locally owned small bookstores in Cambridge. In the.“no competition” version, participants were given no.information about the competitive environment..Shoppers were then given a $5 coupon, coded with.the in-store ad version they read. Analyzing.shoppers’ sales receipts and the number of redeemed.coupons, we found that shoppers were significantly.more likely to make a purchase after reading the.“large competitors” version of the in-store ad,.compared to the “small competitors” version or the.“no competition” version. They also purchased more.items and spent more money at the store, compared.to shoppers reading the “small competitors” or “no.competition” versions. These results suggest that.framing the competitive game and emphasizing a.competitive narrative against a larger company can.help a small establishment—and spur consumers to.make a purchase that supports the smaller.competitor..In subsequent studies, we tested this “framing-.the-game” effect in various contexts and product.categories and further found that support for a large.brand decreases when consumers view it as being in.competition with a smaller brand. In one study, we.asked participants to assess two hypothetical rival tire.shops, “Tire World” and “Tire Planet,” under three.conditions—small vs. large, small vs. small or large.vs. large competitors. While participants indicated no.preference for the small or large shop when it was.competing against a competitor of similar size, the.small vs. large competitive context elicited a strong.preference for the small rather than large shop.
Question: Which choice best describes the overall structure of the passage?
 A. A popular belief about a particular industry is explained, experiments supporting that belief are described, and the implications of the experiments are identified.
 B. An unexpected claim about consumer behavior is introduced, examples supporting the claim are detailed, and experiments confirming the claim are discussed.
 C. A debate about an economic theory is outlined, two opposing views on the debate are explained in more detail, and research supporting one of those views is recounted.
 D. A negative impact of a common business practice is presented, two stories are used as an illustration, and research suggesting improvements is summarized.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

Large competitors are often viewed as a major.threat for startups and small companies; big.companies have more financial resources and greater.scale, market power and brand awareness than.smaller ones. However, our research finds that a.smaller brand can actually benefit if consumers can.see the competitive threat it faces from a larger.organization..When a U.S.-based ice cream chain with about 1,400 stores moved within 50 steps of a J.P. Licks ice.cream store in Newton, Massachusetts, some people.expected that J.P. Licks, a small, locally owned.company, would be beaten out of the Newton market..But consumers rallied around J.P. Licks, and the.national chain later closed its nearby location. When.the owner of the Los Angeles-based coffee store chain.The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf could not stop a large.coffee shop chain from moving in next door, he was.surprised to see his sales shoot up—so much so that.he started proactively colocating new stores next to.large chain ones..These examples are not anomalies. In six lab and.field studies, we explored the effects of having a large,.dominant competitor and found that highlighting a.large competitor’s size and close proximity can help.smaller brands, instead of harming them. Compared.to when they are in competition with brands that are.similar to them in size or when consumers view them.outside of a competitive context, small brands see.consumer support go up when they are faced with a.competitive threat from large brands. This support.translates into higher purchase intention, more.purchases and more favorable online reviews..As part of our research, we conducted a field study.at an independent bookstore in Cambridge,.Massachusetts. Upon entering the bookstore, 163.prospective shoppers were exposed to one of three.versions of an in-store ad, emphasizing either the.store’s large competitors, small competitors or no.competition. Shoppers who read the “large.competitors” version were told that the store’s main.competitors are large corporations that have the.ability to put small businesses such as this bookstore.out of business. The “small competitors” version.indicated the store’s main competitors are other.locally owned small bookstores in Cambridge. In the.“no competition” version, participants were given no.information about the competitive environment..Shoppers were then given a $5 coupon, coded with.the in-store ad version they read. Analyzing.shoppers’ sales receipts and the number of redeemed.coupons, we found that shoppers were significantly.more likely to make a purchase after reading the.“large competitors” version of the in-store ad,.compared to the “small competitors” version or the.“no competition” version. They also purchased more.items and spent more money at the store, compared.to shoppers reading the “small competitors” or “no.competition” versions. These results suggest that.framing the competitive game and emphasizing a.competitive narrative against a larger company can.help a small establishment—and spur consumers to.make a purchase that supports the smaller.competitor..In subsequent studies, we tested this “framing-.the-game” effect in various contexts and product.categories and further found that support for a large.brand decreases when consumers view it as being in.competition with a smaller brand. In one study, we.asked participants to assess two hypothetical rival tire.shops, “Tire World” and “Tire Planet,” under three.conditions—small vs. large, small vs. small or large.vs. large competitors. While participants indicated no.preference for the small or large shop when it was.competing against a competitor of similar size, the.small vs. large competitive context elicited a strong.preference for the small rather than large shop.
Question: Which choice best describes the overall structure of the passage?
 A. A popular belief about a particular industry is explained, experiments supporting that belief are described, and the implications of the experiments are identified.
 B. An unexpected claim about consumer behavior is introduced, examples supporting the claim are detailed, and experiments confirming the claim are discussed.
 C. A debate about an economic theory is outlined, two opposing views on the debate are explained in more detail, and research supporting one of those views is recounted.
 D. A negative impact of a common business practice is presented, two stories are used as an illustration, and research suggesting improvements is summarized.
Answer: B


Question:
The Alcazar Restaurant was on Sheridan Road near Devon Avenue. It was long and narrow, with tables for two along the walls and tables for four  down the middle. The decoration was art moderne,except for the series of murals depicting the four seasons, and the sick ferns in the front window. Lymie sat down at the second table from the cash register, and ordered his dinner. The history book, which he propped against the catsup and the glass 10 sugar bowl, had been used by others before him. Blank pages front and back were filled in with maps, drawings, dates, comic cartoons, and organs of the body; also with names and messages no longer clear and never absolutely legible. On nearly every other15 page there was some marginal notation, either in ink or in very hard pencil. And unless someone had upset a glass of water, the marks on page 177 were from tears.While Lymie read about the Peace of Paris, signed 20 on the thirtieth of May, 1814, between France and the Allied powers, his right hand managed again and again to bring food up to his mouth. Sometimes he chewed, sometimes he swallowed whole the food that he had no idea he was eating. The Congress of25 Vienna met, with some allowance for delays, early in November of the same year, and all the powers engaged in the war on either side sent plenipotentiaries. It was by far the most splendid and important assembly ever convoked to discuss and 30 determine the affairs of Europe. The Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia, the Kings of Bavaria, Denmark, and Wurttemberg, all were present in person at the court of the Emperor Francis I in the Austrian capital. When Lymie put down his fork and 35 began to count them off, one by one, on the fingers of his left hand, the waitress, whose name was Irma, thought he was through eating and tried to take his plate away. He stopped her. Prince Metternich (his right thumb) presided over the Congress, and40 Prince Talleyrand (the index finger) represented France.A party of four, two men and two women, came into the restaurant, all talking at once, and took possession of the center table nearest Lymie.45 The women had shingled hair and short tight skirts which exposed the underside of their knees when they sat down. One of the women had the face of a young boy but disguised by one trick or another (rouge, lipstick, powder, wet bangs plastered against 50 the high forehead, and a pair of long pendent earrings) to look like a woman of thirty-five, which as a matter of fact she was. The men were older. They laughed more than there seemed any occasion for, while they were deciding between soup and shrimp 55 cocktail, and their laughter was too loud. But it was the women's voices, the terrible not quite sober pitch of the women's voices which caused Lymie to skim over two whole pages without knowing what was on them. Fortunately he realized this and went back. 60 Otherwise he might never have known about the secret treaty concluded between England, France, and Austria, when the pretensions of Prussia and Russia, acting in concert, seemed to threaten a renewal of the attack. The results of the Congress65 were stated clearly at the bottom of page 67 and at the top of page 68 , but before Lymie got halfway through them, a coat that he recognized as his father's was hung on the hook next to his chair. Lymie closed the book and said, "I didn't think you 70 were coming."Time is probably no more unkind to sporting characters than it is to other people, but physical decay unsustained by respectability is somehow more noticeable. Mr. Peters' hair was turning gray and his75 scalp showed through on top. He had lost weight also; he no longer filled out his clothes the way he used to. His color was poor, and the flower had disappeared from his buttonhole. In its place was an American Legion button.80 Apparently he himself was not aware that there had been any change. He straightened his tie self-consciously and when Irma handed him a menu, he gestured with it so that the two women at the next table would notice the diamond ring on the fourth85 finger of his right hand. Both of these things, and also the fact that his hands showed signs of the manicurist, one can blame on the young man who had his picture taken with a derby hat on the back of his head, and also sitting with a girl in the curve of 90 the moon. The young man had never for one second deserted Mr. Peters. He was always there, tugging at Mr. Peters' elbow, making him do things that were not becoming in a man of forty-five.
Question: book") The narrator indicates that Lymie finally closes the history book because
 A. his father has joined him at the table.
 B. the people at the other table are too disruptive.
 C. he has finished the chapter about the Congress.
 D. he is preparing to leave the restaurant.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

The Alcazar Restaurant was on Sheridan Road near Devon Avenue. It was long and narrow, with tables for two along the walls and tables for four  down the middle. The decoration was art moderne,except for the series of murals depicting the four seasons, and the sick ferns in the front window. Lymie sat down at the second table from the cash register, and ordered his dinner. The history book, which he propped against the catsup and the glass 10 sugar bowl, had been used by others before him. Blank pages front and back were filled in with maps, drawings, dates, comic cartoons, and organs of the body; also with names and messages no longer clear and never absolutely legible. On nearly every other15 page there was some marginal notation, either in ink or in very hard pencil. And unless someone had upset a glass of water, the marks on page 177 were from tears.While Lymie read about the Peace of Paris, signed 20 on the thirtieth of May, 1814, between France and the Allied powers, his right hand managed again and again to bring food up to his mouth. Sometimes he chewed, sometimes he swallowed whole the food that he had no idea he was eating. The Congress of25 Vienna met, with some allowance for delays, early in November of the same year, and all the powers engaged in the war on either side sent plenipotentiaries. It was by far the most splendid and important assembly ever convoked to discuss and 30 determine the affairs of Europe. The Emperor of Russia, the King of Prussia, the Kings of Bavaria, Denmark, and Wurttemberg, all were present in person at the court of the Emperor Francis I in the Austrian capital. When Lymie put down his fork and 35 began to count them off, one by one, on the fingers of his left hand, the waitress, whose name was Irma, thought he was through eating and tried to take his plate away. He stopped her. Prince Metternich (his right thumb) presided over the Congress, and40 Prince Talleyrand (the index finger) represented France.A party of four, two men and two women, came into the restaurant, all talking at once, and took possession of the center table nearest Lymie.45 The women had shingled hair and short tight skirts which exposed the underside of their knees when they sat down. One of the women had the face of a young boy but disguised by one trick or another (rouge, lipstick, powder, wet bangs plastered against 50 the high forehead, and a pair of long pendent earrings) to look like a woman of thirty-five, which as a matter of fact she was. The men were older. They laughed more than there seemed any occasion for, while they were deciding between soup and shrimp 55 cocktail, and their laughter was too loud. But it was the women's voices, the terrible not quite sober pitch of the women's voices which caused Lymie to skim over two whole pages without knowing what was on them. Fortunately he realized this and went back. 60 Otherwise he might never have known about the secret treaty concluded between England, France, and Austria, when the pretensions of Prussia and Russia, acting in concert, seemed to threaten a renewal of the attack. The results of the Congress65 were stated clearly at the bottom of page 67 and at the top of page 68 , but before Lymie got halfway through them, a coat that he recognized as his father's was hung on the hook next to his chair. Lymie closed the book and said, "I didn't think you 70 were coming."Time is probably no more unkind to sporting characters than it is to other people, but physical decay unsustained by respectability is somehow more noticeable. Mr. Peters' hair was turning gray and his75 scalp showed through on top. He had lost weight also; he no longer filled out his clothes the way he used to. His color was poor, and the flower had disappeared from his buttonhole. In its place was an American Legion button.80 Apparently he himself was not aware that there had been any change. He straightened his tie self-consciously and when Irma handed him a menu, he gestured with it so that the two women at the next table would notice the diamond ring on the fourth85 finger of his right hand. Both of these things, and also the fact that his hands showed signs of the manicurist, one can blame on the young man who had his picture taken with a derby hat on the back of his head, and also sitting with a girl in the curve of 90 the moon. The young man had never for one second deserted Mr. Peters. He was always there, tugging at Mr. Peters' elbow, making him do things that were not becoming in a man of forty-five.
Question: book") The narrator indicates that Lymie finally closes the history book because
 A. his father has joined him at the table.
 B. the people at the other table are too disruptive.
 C. he has finished the chapter about the Congress.
 D. he is preparing to leave the restaurant.
Answer: A


Question:
\section{Passage 1}Follow the money and you will end up in space. That's the message from a first-of-its-kind forum on mining beyond Earth.Convened in Sydney by the Australian Centre for 5 Space Engineering Research, the event brought together mining companies, robotics experts, lunar scientists, and government agencies that are all working to make space mining a reality.The forum comes hot on the heels of the 102012 unveiling of two private asteroid-mining firms. Planetary Resources of Washington says it will launch its first prospecting telescopes in two years, while Deep Space Industries of Virginia hopes to be harvesting metals from asteroids by 2020 . Another15 commercial venture that sprung up in 2012, Golden Spike of Colorado, will be offering trips to the moon, including to potential lunar miners.Within a few decades, these firms may be meeting earthly demands for precious metals, such as20 platinum and gold, and the rare earth elements vital for personal electronics, such as yttrium and lanthanum. But like the gold rush pioneers who transformed the western United States, the first space miners won't just enrich themselves. They also hope25 to build an off-planet economy free of any bonds with Earth, in which the materials extracted and processed from the moon and asteroids are delivered for space-based projects.In this scenario, water mined from other 30 worlds could become the most desired commodity. "In the desert, what's worth more: a kilogram of gold or a kilogram of water?" asks Kris Zacny of HoneyBee Robotics in New York. "Gold is useless. Water will let you live."35 Water ice from the moon's poles could be sent to astronauts on the International Space Station for drinking or as a radiation shield. Splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen makes spacecraft fuel, so ice-rich asteroids could become interplanetary 40 refuelling stations. Companies are eyeing the iron, silicon, and aluminium in lunar soil and asteroids, which could be used in 3D printers to make spare parts or machinery. Others want to turn space dirt into 45 concrete for landing pads, shelters, and roads.\section{Passage 2}The motivation for deep-space travel is shifting from discovery to economics. The past year has seen a flurry of proposals aimed at bringing celestial riches down to Earth. No doubt this will make a few0 billionaires even wealthier, but we all stand to gain: the mineral bounty and spin-off technologies could enrich us all.But before the miners start firing up their rockets, we should pause for thought. At first glance, space55 mining seems to sidestep most environmental concerns: there is (probably!) no life on asteroids, and thus no habitats to trash. But its consequences -both here on Earth and in space -merit careful consideration.60 Part of this is about principles. Some will argue that space's "magnificent desolation" is not ours to despoil, just as they argue that our own planet's poles should remain pristine. Others will suggest that glutting ourselves on space's riches is not an65 acceptable alternative to developing more sustainable ways of earthly life.History suggests that those will be hard lines to hold, and it may be difficult to persuade the public that such barren environments are worth preserving.70 After all, they exist in vast abundance, and even fewer people will experience them than have walked through Antarctica's icy landscapes.There's also the emerging off-world economy to consider. The resources that are valuable in orbit and 75 beyond may be very different to those we prize on Earth. Questions of their stewardship have barely been broached-and the relevant legal and regulatory framework is fragmentary, to put it mildly.Space miners, like their earthly counterparts, are 80 often reluctant to engage with such questions.One speaker at last week's space-mining forum in Sydney, Australia, concluded with a plea that regulation should be avoided. But miners have much to gain from a broad agreement on the for-profit 85 exploitation of space. Without consensus, claims will be disputed, investments risky, and the gains made insecure. It is in all of our long-term interests to seek one out
Question: Which point about the resources that will be highly valued in space is implicit in Passage 1 and explicit in Passage 2 ?
 A. They may be different resources from those that are valuable on Earth.
 B. They will be valuable only if they can be harvested cheaply.
 C. They are likely to be primarily precious metals and rare earth elements.
 D. They may increase in value as those same resources become rare on Earth.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

\section{Passage 1}Follow the money and you will end up in space. That's the message from a first-of-its-kind forum on mining beyond Earth.Convened in Sydney by the Australian Centre for 5 Space Engineering Research, the event brought together mining companies, robotics experts, lunar scientists, and government agencies that are all working to make space mining a reality.The forum comes hot on the heels of the 102012 unveiling of two private asteroid-mining firms. Planetary Resources of Washington says it will launch its first prospecting telescopes in two years, while Deep Space Industries of Virginia hopes to be harvesting metals from asteroids by 2020 . Another15 commercial venture that sprung up in 2012, Golden Spike of Colorado, will be offering trips to the moon, including to potential lunar miners.Within a few decades, these firms may be meeting earthly demands for precious metals, such as20 platinum and gold, and the rare earth elements vital for personal electronics, such as yttrium and lanthanum. But like the gold rush pioneers who transformed the western United States, the first space miners won't just enrich themselves. They also hope25 to build an off-planet economy free of any bonds with Earth, in which the materials extracted and processed from the moon and asteroids are delivered for space-based projects.In this scenario, water mined from other 30 worlds could become the most desired commodity. "In the desert, what's worth more: a kilogram of gold or a kilogram of water?" asks Kris Zacny of HoneyBee Robotics in New York. "Gold is useless. Water will let you live."35 Water ice from the moon's poles could be sent to astronauts on the International Space Station for drinking or as a radiation shield. Splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen makes spacecraft fuel, so ice-rich asteroids could become interplanetary 40 refuelling stations. Companies are eyeing the iron, silicon, and aluminium in lunar soil and asteroids, which could be used in 3D printers to make spare parts or machinery. Others want to turn space dirt into 45 concrete for landing pads, shelters, and roads.\section{Passage 2}The motivation for deep-space travel is shifting from discovery to economics. The past year has seen a flurry of proposals aimed at bringing celestial riches down to Earth. No doubt this will make a few0 billionaires even wealthier, but we all stand to gain: the mineral bounty and spin-off technologies could enrich us all.But before the miners start firing up their rockets, we should pause for thought. At first glance, space55 mining seems to sidestep most environmental concerns: there is (probably!) no life on asteroids, and thus no habitats to trash. But its consequences -both here on Earth and in space -merit careful consideration.60 Part of this is about principles. Some will argue that space's "magnificent desolation" is not ours to despoil, just as they argue that our own planet's poles should remain pristine. Others will suggest that glutting ourselves on space's riches is not an65 acceptable alternative to developing more sustainable ways of earthly life.History suggests that those will be hard lines to hold, and it may be difficult to persuade the public that such barren environments are worth preserving.70 After all, they exist in vast abundance, and even fewer people will experience them than have walked through Antarctica's icy landscapes.There's also the emerging off-world economy to consider. The resources that are valuable in orbit and 75 beyond may be very different to those we prize on Earth. Questions of their stewardship have barely been broached-and the relevant legal and regulatory framework is fragmentary, to put it mildly.Space miners, like their earthly counterparts, are 80 often reluctant to engage with such questions.One speaker at last week's space-mining forum in Sydney, Australia, concluded with a plea that regulation should be avoided. But miners have much to gain from a broad agreement on the for-profit 85 exploitation of space. Without consensus, claims will be disputed, investments risky, and the gains made insecure. It is in all of our long-term interests to seek one out
Question: Which point about the resources that will be highly valued in space is implicit in Passage 1 and explicit in Passage 2 ?
 A. They may be different resources from those that are valuable on Earth.
 B. They will be valuable only if they can be harvested cheaply.
 C. They are likely to be primarily precious metals and rare earth elements.
 D. They may increase in value as those same resources become rare on Earth.
Answer: A


Question:
The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Based on the passage, in studying the Venus flytrap, Volkov and his colleagues made the most extensive use of which type of evidence?
 A. Mathematical models to predict the electrical charge required to close the Venus flytrap
 B. Analysis of data collected from previous researchers' work involving the Venus flytrap's response to electricity
 C. Information obtained from monitoring the Venus flytrap's response to varying amounts of electrical current
 D. Published theories of scientists who developed earlier models of the Venus flytrap
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

The Venus flytrap [Dionaea muscipula] needs to know when an ideal meal is crawling across its leaves. Closing its trap requires a huge expense of energy,  and reopening the trap can take several hours, soDionaea only wants to spring closed when it's sure that the dawdling insect visiting its surface is large enough to be worth its time. The large black hairs on their lobes allow the Venus flytraps to literally feel their prey, and they act as triggers that spring thetrap closed when the proper prey makes its way across the trap. If the insect touches just one hair, the trap will not spring shut; but a large enough bug will likely touch two hairs within about twenty seconds, and that signal springs the Venus flytrap into action.We can look at this system as analogous to short-term memory. First, the flytrap encodes the information (forms the memory) that something (it doesn't know what) has touched one of its hairs. Then it stores this information for a number of 20 seconds (retains the memory) and finally retrieves this information (recalls the memory) once a second hair is touched. If a small ant takes a while to get from one hair to the next, the trap will have forgotten the first touch by the time the ant brushes up against25 the next hair. In other words, it loses the storage of the information, doesn't close, and the anthappily meanders on. How does the plant encode and store the information from the unassuming bug's encounter with the first hair? How does it30 remember the first touch in order to react upon the second?Scientists have been puzzled by these questions ever since John Burdon-Sanderson's early report on the physiology of the Venus flytrap in 1882 . A35 century later, Dieter Hodick and Andreas Sievers at the University of Bonn in Germany proposed that the flytrap stored information regarding how many hairs have been touched in the electric charge of its leaf. Their model is quite elegant in its simplicity.40 In their studies, they discovered that touching a trigger hair on the Venus flytrap causes an electric action potential [a temporary reversal in the electrical polarity of a cell membrane] that induces calcium channels to open in the trap (this 45 coupling of action potentials and the opening of calcium channels is similar to the processes that occur during communication between human neurons), thus causing a rapid increase in the concentration of calcium ions.They proposed that the trap requires a relatively high concentration of calcium in order to close and that a single action potential from just one trigger hair being touched does not reach this level. Therefore, a second hair needs to be stimulated to 55 push the calcium concentration over this threshold and spring the trap. The encoding of the information requires maintaining a high enough level of calcium so that a second increase (triggered by touching the second hair) pushes the total concentration of 60 calcium over the threshold. As the calcium ion concentrations dissipate over time, if the second touch and potential don't happen quickly, the final concentration after the second trigger won't be high enough to close the trap, and the memory is lost.65 Subsequent research supports this model. Alexander Volkov and his colleagues at Oakwood University in Alabama first demonstrated that it is indeed electricity that causes the Venus flytrap to close. To test the model they rigged up very fine70 electrodes and applied an electrical current to the open lobes of the trap. This made the trap close without any direct touch to its trigger hairs (while they didn't measure calcium levels, the current likely led to increases). When they modified this 75 experiment by altering the amount of electrical current, Volkov could determine the exact electrical charge needed for the trap to close. As long as fourteen microcoulombs-a tiny bit more than the static electricity generated by rubbing two balloons80 together-flowed between the two electrodes, the trap closed. This could come as one large burst or as a series of smaller charges within twenty seconds. If it took longer than twenty seconds to accumulate the total charge, the trap would remain open
Question: Based on the passage, in studying the Venus flytrap, Volkov and his colleagues made the most extensive use of which type of evidence?
 A. Mathematical models to predict the electrical charge required to close the Venus flytrap
 B. Analysis of data collected from previous researchers' work involving the Venus flytrap's response to electricity
 C. Information obtained from monitoring the Venus flytrap's response to varying amounts of electrical current
 D. Published theories of scientists who developed earlier models of the Venus flytrap
Answer: C


Question:
At last, Old Widow Lau was done haggling with the driver and we stepped inside Father's shop. It was north-facing, quite dim inside, and perhaps this was  why Father did not see us at first. He was busy with a 5 customer, a man who was distinguished-looking, like the scholars of two decades before. The two men were bent over a glass case, discussing the different qualities of inksticks. Big Uncle welcomed us and invited us to be seated. From his formal tone, I knew10 he did not recognize who we were. So I called his name in a shy voice. And he squinted at me, then laughed and announced our arrival to Little Uncle, who apologized many times for not rushing over sooner to greet us. They rushed us to be seated at one15 of two tea tables for customers. Old Widow Lau refused their invitation three times, exclaiming that my father and uncles must be too busy for visitors. She made weak efforts to leave. On the fourth insistence, we finally sat. Then Little Uncle brought20 us hot tea and sweet oranges, as well as bamboo latticework fans with which to cool ourselves.I tried to notice everything so I could later tell GaoLing what I had seen, and tease out her envy. The floors of the shop were of dark wood, polished and 25 clean, no dirty footprints, even though this was during the dustiest part of the summer. And along the walls were display cases made of wood and glass. The glass was very shiny and not one pane was broken. Within those glass cases were our silk-30 wrapped boxes, all our hard work. They looked so much nicer than they had in the ink-making studio at Immortal Heart village.I saw that Father had opened several of the boxes. He set sticks and cakes and other shapes on a silk 35 cloth covering a glass case that served as a table on which he and the customer leaned. First he pointed to a stick with a top shaped like a fairy boat and said with graceful importance, "Your writing will flow as smoothly as a keel cutting through a glassy lake."40 He picked up a bird shape: "Your mind will soar into the clouds of higher thought." He waved toward a row of ink cakes embellished with designs of peonies and bamboo: "Your ledgers will blossom into abundance while bamboo surrounds your quiet 45 mind."As he said this, Precious Auntie came back into mind. I was remembering how she taught me that everything, even ink, had a purpose and a meaning: Good ink cannot be the quick kind, ready to pour out 50 of a bottle. You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem of modern ink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply write what is swimming on the top of your brain. And the top is nothing but pond scum, dead 55 leaves, and mosquito spawn. But when you push an inkstick along an inkstone, you take the first step to cleansing your mind and your heart. You push and you ask yourself, What are my intentions? What is in my heart that matches my mind? 60 I remembered this, and yet that day in the ink shop, I listened to what Father was saying, and his words became far more important than anything Precious Auntie had thought. "Look here," Father said to his customer, and I looked. He held up an65 inkstick and rotated it in the light. "See? It's the right hue, purple-black, not brown or gray like the cheap brands you might find down the street. And listen to this." And I heard a sound as clean and pure as a small silver bell. "The high-pitched tone tells you that 70 the soot is very fine, as smooth as the sliding banks of old rivers. And the scent-can you smell the balance of strength and delicacy, the musical notes of the ink's perfume? Expensive, and everyone who sees you using it will know that it was well worth the high 75 price."I was very proud to hear Father speak of our family's ink this way.
Question: The narrator indicates that the contrast between the ink-making studio at Immortal Heart village and her family's ink shop is that the ink shop
 A. displays the family's ink more impressively.
 B. is more conveniently located for the public.
 C. provides greater individual attention to customers.
 D. offers a larger space for presenting products.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

At last, Old Widow Lau was done haggling with the driver and we stepped inside Father's shop. It was north-facing, quite dim inside, and perhaps this was  why Father did not see us at first. He was busy with a 5 customer, a man who was distinguished-looking, like the scholars of two decades before. The two men were bent over a glass case, discussing the different qualities of inksticks. Big Uncle welcomed us and invited us to be seated. From his formal tone, I knew10 he did not recognize who we were. So I called his name in a shy voice. And he squinted at me, then laughed and announced our arrival to Little Uncle, who apologized many times for not rushing over sooner to greet us. They rushed us to be seated at one15 of two tea tables for customers. Old Widow Lau refused their invitation three times, exclaiming that my father and uncles must be too busy for visitors. She made weak efforts to leave. On the fourth insistence, we finally sat. Then Little Uncle brought20 us hot tea and sweet oranges, as well as bamboo latticework fans with which to cool ourselves.I tried to notice everything so I could later tell GaoLing what I had seen, and tease out her envy. The floors of the shop were of dark wood, polished and 25 clean, no dirty footprints, even though this was during the dustiest part of the summer. And along the walls were display cases made of wood and glass. The glass was very shiny and not one pane was broken. Within those glass cases were our silk-30 wrapped boxes, all our hard work. They looked so much nicer than they had in the ink-making studio at Immortal Heart village.I saw that Father had opened several of the boxes. He set sticks and cakes and other shapes on a silk 35 cloth covering a glass case that served as a table on which he and the customer leaned. First he pointed to a stick with a top shaped like a fairy boat and said with graceful importance, "Your writing will flow as smoothly as a keel cutting through a glassy lake."40 He picked up a bird shape: "Your mind will soar into the clouds of higher thought." He waved toward a row of ink cakes embellished with designs of peonies and bamboo: "Your ledgers will blossom into abundance while bamboo surrounds your quiet 45 mind."As he said this, Precious Auntie came back into mind. I was remembering how she taught me that everything, even ink, had a purpose and a meaning: Good ink cannot be the quick kind, ready to pour out 50 of a bottle. You can never be an artist if your work comes without effort. That is the problem of modern ink from a bottle. You do not have to think. You simply write what is swimming on the top of your brain. And the top is nothing but pond scum, dead 55 leaves, and mosquito spawn. But when you push an inkstick along an inkstone, you take the first step to cleansing your mind and your heart. You push and you ask yourself, What are my intentions? What is in my heart that matches my mind? 60 I remembered this, and yet that day in the ink shop, I listened to what Father was saying, and his words became far more important than anything Precious Auntie had thought. "Look here," Father said to his customer, and I looked. He held up an65 inkstick and rotated it in the light. "See? It's the right hue, purple-black, not brown or gray like the cheap brands you might find down the street. And listen to this." And I heard a sound as clean and pure as a small silver bell. "The high-pitched tone tells you that 70 the soot is very fine, as smooth as the sliding banks of old rivers. And the scent-can you smell the balance of strength and delicacy, the musical notes of the ink's perfume? Expensive, and everyone who sees you using it will know that it was well worth the high 75 price."I was very proud to hear Father speak of our family's ink this way.
Question: The narrator indicates that the contrast between the ink-making studio at Immortal Heart village and her family's ink shop is that the ink shop
 A. displays the family's ink more impressively.
 B. is more conveniently located for the public.
 C. provides greater individual attention to customers.
 D. offers a larger space for presenting products.
Answer: A


Question:
In the early 1990s, textbooks acknowledged that humans had slow-conducting nerves, but asserted that those nerves only responded to two types of  stimuli: pain and temperature. Sensations of pressureand vibration were believed to travel only along myelinated, fast-signaling nerve fibers, which also give information about location. Experiments blocking nerve fibers supported this notion. Preventing fast fibers from firing (either by clamping 10 the relevant nerve or by injecting the local anesthetic lidocaine) seemed to eliminate the sensation of pressure altogether, but blocking slow fibers only seemed to reduce sensitivity to warmth or a small painful shock.15 Håkan Olausson and his Gothenburg University colleagues Åke Vallbo and Johan Wessberg wondered if slow fibers responsive to gentle pressure might be active in humans as well as in other mammals. In 1993, they corralled 28 young20 volunteers and recorded nerve signals while gently brushing the subjects' arms with their fingertips. Using a technique called microneurography, in which a fine filament is inserted into a single nerve to capture its electrical impulses, the scientists were able25 to measure how quickly-or slowly-the nerves fired. They showed that soft stroking prompted two different signals, one immediate and one delayed. The delay, Olausson explains, means that the signal from a gentle touch on the forearm will30 reach the brain about a half second later. This delay identified nerve impulses traveling at speeds characteristic of slow, unmyelinated fibers-about 1 meter/second-confirming the presence of these fibers in human hairy skin. (In contrast, fast-35 conducting fibers, already known to respond to touch, signal at a rate between 35 and $75 \mathrm{~m} / \mathrm{s}$.)Then, in 1999, the group looked more closely at the characteristics of the slow fibers. They named these "low-threshold" nerves "C-tactile," or CT,40 fibers, said Olausson, because of their "exquisite sensitivity" to slow, gentle tactile stimulation, but unresponsiveness to noxious stimuli like pinpricks.But why exactly humans might have such fibers, which respond only to a narrow range of rather45 subtle stimuli, was initially mystifying. Unlike other types of sensory nerves, CT fibers could be found only in hairy human skin-such as the forearm and thigh. No amount of gentle stroking of hairless skin, such as the palms and soles of the feet, prompted50 similar activity signatures. Olausson and his colleagues decided that these fibers must be conveying a different dimension of sensory information than fast-conducting fibers.Although microneurography can give55 information about how a single nerve responds to gentle brushing and pressure, it cannot tease out what aspect of sensation that fiber relays, says Olausson. He wanted to know if that same slow nerve can distinguish where the brush touches the$60 \mathrm{arm}$, and whether it can discern the difference between a goat-hair brush and a feather. Most importantly, could that same fiber convey a pleasant sensation?To address the question, Olausson's group sought65 out a patient known as G.L. who had an unusual nerve defect. More than 2 decades earlier, she had developed numbness across many parts of her body after taking penicillin to treat a cough and fever. Testing showed that she had lost responsiveness to 70 pressure, and a nerve biopsy confirmed that G.L.'s quick-conducting fibers were gone, resulting in an inability to sense any pokes, prods, or pinpricks below her nose. But she could still sense warmth, suggesting that her slow-conducting unmyelinated 75 fibers were intact.Upon recruiting G.L., Olausson tested her by brushing her arm gently at the speed of between 2-10 centimeters per second. She had more trouble distinguishing the direction or pressure of the brush80 strokes than most subjects, but reported feeling a pleasant sensation. When the researchers tried brushing her palm, where CT fibers are not found, she felt nothing.Olausson used functional MRI studies to examine 85 which areas of the brain lit up when G.L.'s arm was gently brushed to activate CT fibers. In normal subjects, both the somatosensory and insular cortices were activated, but only the insular cortex [which processes emotion] was active when researchers90 brushed G.L.'s arm. This solidified the notion that CT fibers convey a more emotional quality of touch, rather than the conscious aspect that helps us describe what we are sensing. CT fibers, it seemed, specifically provide pleasurable sensations
Question: It can reasonably be inferred that one of the intended goals of the 1999 experiment was to determine the
 A. precise nature of sensations that CT fibers can convey.
 B. relationship between body hair and CT fiber function.
 C. role played by CT fibers in the perception of pain.
 D. effect of microneurography on CT fiber signaling.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

In the early 1990s, textbooks acknowledged that humans had slow-conducting nerves, but asserted that those nerves only responded to two types of  stimuli: pain and temperature. Sensations of pressureand vibration were believed to travel only along myelinated, fast-signaling nerve fibers, which also give information about location. Experiments blocking nerve fibers supported this notion. Preventing fast fibers from firing (either by clamping 10 the relevant nerve or by injecting the local anesthetic lidocaine) seemed to eliminate the sensation of pressure altogether, but blocking slow fibers only seemed to reduce sensitivity to warmth or a small painful shock.15 Håkan Olausson and his Gothenburg University colleagues Åke Vallbo and Johan Wessberg wondered if slow fibers responsive to gentle pressure might be active in humans as well as in other mammals. In 1993, they corralled 28 young20 volunteers and recorded nerve signals while gently brushing the subjects' arms with their fingertips. Using a technique called microneurography, in which a fine filament is inserted into a single nerve to capture its electrical impulses, the scientists were able25 to measure how quickly-or slowly-the nerves fired. They showed that soft stroking prompted two different signals, one immediate and one delayed. The delay, Olausson explains, means that the signal from a gentle touch on the forearm will30 reach the brain about a half second later. This delay identified nerve impulses traveling at speeds characteristic of slow, unmyelinated fibers-about 1 meter/second-confirming the presence of these fibers in human hairy skin. (In contrast, fast-35 conducting fibers, already known to respond to touch, signal at a rate between 35 and $75 \mathrm{~m} / \mathrm{s}$.)Then, in 1999, the group looked more closely at the characteristics of the slow fibers. They named these "low-threshold" nerves "C-tactile," or CT,40 fibers, said Olausson, because of their "exquisite sensitivity" to slow, gentle tactile stimulation, but unresponsiveness to noxious stimuli like pinpricks.But why exactly humans might have such fibers, which respond only to a narrow range of rather45 subtle stimuli, was initially mystifying. Unlike other types of sensory nerves, CT fibers could be found only in hairy human skin-such as the forearm and thigh. No amount of gentle stroking of hairless skin, such as the palms and soles of the feet, prompted50 similar activity signatures. Olausson and his colleagues decided that these fibers must be conveying a different dimension of sensory information than fast-conducting fibers.Although microneurography can give55 information about how a single nerve responds to gentle brushing and pressure, it cannot tease out what aspect of sensation that fiber relays, says Olausson. He wanted to know if that same slow nerve can distinguish where the brush touches the$60 \mathrm{arm}$, and whether it can discern the difference between a goat-hair brush and a feather. Most importantly, could that same fiber convey a pleasant sensation?To address the question, Olausson's group sought65 out a patient known as G.L. who had an unusual nerve defect. More than 2 decades earlier, she had developed numbness across many parts of her body after taking penicillin to treat a cough and fever. Testing showed that she had lost responsiveness to 70 pressure, and a nerve biopsy confirmed that G.L.'s quick-conducting fibers were gone, resulting in an inability to sense any pokes, prods, or pinpricks below her nose. But she could still sense warmth, suggesting that her slow-conducting unmyelinated 75 fibers were intact.Upon recruiting G.L., Olausson tested her by brushing her arm gently at the speed of between 2-10 centimeters per second. She had more trouble distinguishing the direction or pressure of the brush80 strokes than most subjects, but reported feeling a pleasant sensation. When the researchers tried brushing her palm, where CT fibers are not found, she felt nothing.Olausson used functional MRI studies to examine 85 which areas of the brain lit up when G.L.'s arm was gently brushed to activate CT fibers. In normal subjects, both the somatosensory and insular cortices were activated, but only the insular cortex [which processes emotion] was active when researchers90 brushed G.L.'s arm. This solidified the notion that CT fibers convey a more emotional quality of touch, rather than the conscious aspect that helps us describe what we are sensing. CT fibers, it seemed, specifically provide pleasurable sensations
Question: It can reasonably be inferred that one of the intended goals of the 1999 experiment was to determine the
 A. precise nature of sensations that CT fibers can convey.
 B. relationship between body hair and CT fiber function.
 C. role played by CT fibers in the perception of pain.
 D. effect of microneurography on CT fiber signaling.
Answer: A


Question:
Close at hand is a bridge over the River Thames, an admirable vantage ground for us to make a survey. The river flows beneath; barges pass, laden  with timber, bursting with corn; there on one side are 5 the domes and spires of the city; on the other, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. It is a place to stand on by the hour, dreaming. But not now. Now we are pressed for time. Now we are here to consider facts; now we must fix our eyes upon the10 procession-the procession of the sons of educated men.There they go, our brothers who have been educated at public schools and universities, mounting those steps, passing in and out of those15 doors, ascending those pulpits, preaching, teaching, administering justice, practising medicine, transacting business, making money. It is a solemn sight always - a procession, like a caravanserai crossing a desert. ... But now, for the past twenty20 years or so, it is no longer a sight merely, a photograph, or fresco scrawled upon the walls of time, at which we can look with merely an esthetic appreciation. For there, trapesing along at the tail end of the procession, we go ourselves. And that25 makes a difference. We who have looked so long at the pageant in books, or from a curtained window watched educated men leaving the house at about nine-thirty to go to an office, returning to the house at about six-thirty from an office, need look passively30 no longer. We too can leave the house, can mount those steps, pass in and out of those doors, ... make money, administer justice. ... We who now agitate these humble pens may in another century or two speak from a pulpit. Nobody will dare contradict us35 then; we shall be the mouthpieces of the divine spirit-a solemn thought, is it not? Who can say whether, as time goes on, we may not dress in military uniform, with gold lace on our breasts, swords at our sides, and something like the old40 family coal-scuttle on our heads, save that that venerable object was never decorated with plumes of white horsehair. You laugh-indeed the shadow of the private house still makes those dresses look a little queer. We have worn private clothes so 45 long. ... But we have not come here to laugh, or to talk of fashions-men's and women's. We are here, on the bridge, to ask ourselves certain questions. And they are very important questions; and we have very little time in which to answer them. The0 questions that we have to ask and to answer about that procession during this moment of transition are so important that they may well change the lives of all men and women for ever. For we have to ask ourselves, here and now, do we wish to join that55 procession, or don't we? On what terms shall we join that procession? Above all, where is it leading us, the procession of educated men? The moment is short; it may last five years; ten years, or perhaps only a matter of a few months longer. ... But, you will60 object, you have no time to think; you have your battles to fight, your rent to pay, your bazaars to organize. That excuse shall not serve you, Madam. As you know from your own experience, and there are facts that prove it, the daughters of educated men65 have always done their thinking from hand to mouth; not under green lamps at study tables in the cloisters of secluded colleges. They have thought while they stirred the pot, while they rocked the cradle. It was thus that they won us the right to our70 brand-new sixpence. It falls to us now to go on thinking; how are we to spend that sixpence? Think we must. Let us think in offices; in omnibuses; while we are standing in the crowd watching Coronations and Lord Mayor's Shows; let us think ... in the75 gallery of the House of Commons; in the Law Courts; let us think at baptisms and marriages and funerals. Let us never cease from thinking-what is this "civilization" in which we find ourselves? What are these ceremonies and why should we take part in80 them? What are these professions and why should we make money out of them? Where in short is it leading us, the procession of the sons of educated men?
Question: According to the passage, Woolf chooses the setting of the bridge because it
 A. is conducive to a mood of fanciful reflection.
 B. provides a good view of the procession of the sons of educated men.
 C. is within sight of historic episodes to which she alludes.
 D. is symbolic of the legacy of past and present sons of educated men.
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

Close at hand is a bridge over the River Thames, an admirable vantage ground for us to make a survey. The river flows beneath; barges pass, laden  with timber, bursting with corn; there on one side are 5 the domes and spires of the city; on the other, Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. It is a place to stand on by the hour, dreaming. But not now. Now we are pressed for time. Now we are here to consider facts; now we must fix our eyes upon the10 procession-the procession of the sons of educated men.There they go, our brothers who have been educated at public schools and universities, mounting those steps, passing in and out of those15 doors, ascending those pulpits, preaching, teaching, administering justice, practising medicine, transacting business, making money. It is a solemn sight always - a procession, like a caravanserai crossing a desert. ... But now, for the past twenty20 years or so, it is no longer a sight merely, a photograph, or fresco scrawled upon the walls of time, at which we can look with merely an esthetic appreciation. For there, trapesing along at the tail end of the procession, we go ourselves. And that25 makes a difference. We who have looked so long at the pageant in books, or from a curtained window watched educated men leaving the house at about nine-thirty to go to an office, returning to the house at about six-thirty from an office, need look passively30 no longer. We too can leave the house, can mount those steps, pass in and out of those doors, ... make money, administer justice. ... We who now agitate these humble pens may in another century or two speak from a pulpit. Nobody will dare contradict us35 then; we shall be the mouthpieces of the divine spirit-a solemn thought, is it not? Who can say whether, as time goes on, we may not dress in military uniform, with gold lace on our breasts, swords at our sides, and something like the old40 family coal-scuttle on our heads, save that that venerable object was never decorated with plumes of white horsehair. You laugh-indeed the shadow of the private house still makes those dresses look a little queer. We have worn private clothes so 45 long. ... But we have not come here to laugh, or to talk of fashions-men's and women's. We are here, on the bridge, to ask ourselves certain questions. And they are very important questions; and we have very little time in which to answer them. The0 questions that we have to ask and to answer about that procession during this moment of transition are so important that they may well change the lives of all men and women for ever. For we have to ask ourselves, here and now, do we wish to join that55 procession, or don't we? On what terms shall we join that procession? Above all, where is it leading us, the procession of educated men? The moment is short; it may last five years; ten years, or perhaps only a matter of a few months longer. ... But, you will60 object, you have no time to think; you have your battles to fight, your rent to pay, your bazaars to organize. That excuse shall not serve you, Madam. As you know from your own experience, and there are facts that prove it, the daughters of educated men65 have always done their thinking from hand to mouth; not under green lamps at study tables in the cloisters of secluded colleges. They have thought while they stirred the pot, while they rocked the cradle. It was thus that they won us the right to our70 brand-new sixpence. It falls to us now to go on thinking; how are we to spend that sixpence? Think we must. Let us think in offices; in omnibuses; while we are standing in the crowd watching Coronations and Lord Mayor's Shows; let us think ... in the75 gallery of the House of Commons; in the Law Courts; let us think at baptisms and marriages and funerals. Let us never cease from thinking-what is this "civilization" in which we find ourselves? What are these ceremonies and why should we take part in80 them? What are these professions and why should we make money out of them? Where in short is it leading us, the procession of the sons of educated men?
Question: According to the passage, Woolf chooses the setting of the bridge because it
 A. is conducive to a mood of fanciful reflection.
 B. provides a good view of the procession of the sons of educated men.
 C. is within sight of historic episodes to which she alludes.
 D. is symbolic of the legacy of past and present sons of educated men.
Answer: B


Question:
\section{Passage 1}Fellow-Citizens: It is a noble land that God has given us; a land that can feed and clothe the world; a land whose coast lines would enclose half the  countries of Europe; a land set like a sentinel between 5 the two imperial oceans of the globe; a greater England with a nobler destiny. It is a mighty people that $\mathrm{He}$ has planted on this soil; a people sprung from the most masterful blood of history; a people perpetually revitalized by the virile ... working-folk10 of all the earth; a people imperial by virtue of their power, by right of their institutions, by authority of their heaven-directed purposes-the propagandists and not the misers of liberty. It is a glorious history our God has bestowed upon His chosen people; a15 history whose keynote was struck by Liberty Bell; a history heroic with faith in our mission and our future; a history of statesmen, who flung the boundaries of the Republic out into unexplored lands ... a history of soldiers, who carried the flag20 across blazing deserts and through the ranks of hostile mountains, even to the gates of sunset; a history of a multiplying people, who overran a continent in half a century ... a history divinely logical, in the process of whose tremendous 25 reasoning we find ourselves to-day....Think of the thousands of Americans who will pour into Hawaii and Porto Rico when the Republic's laws cover those islands with justice and safety! Think of the tens of thousands of Americans30 who will invade ... the Philippines when a liberal government ... shall establish order and equity there! Think of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who will build a . . civilization of energy and industry in Cuba, when a government of law35 replaces the double reign of anarchy and tyranny!think of the prosperous millions that Empress of Islands will support when, obedient to the law of political gravitation, her people ask for the highest honor liberty can bestow, the sacred Order of the40 Stars and Stripes, the citizenship of the Great Republic!\section{Passage 2}If it is right for the United States to hold the Philippine Islands permanently and imitate European empires in the government of colonies, the45 Republican party ought to state its position and defend it, but it must expect the subject races to protest against such a policy and to resist to the extent of their ability.The Filipinos do not need any encouragement 50 from Americans now living. Our whole history has been an encouragement not only to the Filipinos, but to all who are denied a voice in their own government. If the Republicans are prepared to censure all who have used language calculated tomake the Filipinos hate foreign domination, let them condemn the speech of Patrick Henry. When he uttered that passionate appeal, "Give me liberty or give me death," he exprest a sentiment which still echoes in the hearts of men.60 Let them censure Jefferson; of all the statesmen of history none have used words so offensive to those who would hold their fellows in political bondage. Let them censure Washington, who declared that the colonists must choose between liberty and slavery.$65 \mathrm{Or}$, if the statute of limitations has run against the sins of Henry and Jefferson and Washington, let them censure Lincoln, whose Gettysburg speech will be quoted in defense of popular government when the present advocates of force and conquest are 70 forgotten.Some one has said that a truth once spoken can never be recalled. It goes on and on, and no one can set a limit to its ever-widening influence. But if it were possible to obliterate every word written or 75 spoken in defense of the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, a war of conquest would still leave its legacy of perpetual hatred, for it was God himself who placed in every human heart the love of liberty. He never made a race of people so80 low in the scale of civilization or intelligence that it would welcome a foreign master.Those who would have this Nation enter upon a career of empire must consider, not only the effect of imperialism on the Filipinos, but they must also85 calculate its effects upon our own nation. We cannot repudiate the principle of self-government in the Philippines without weakening that principle here
Question: In developing their respective arguments, Beveridge (Passage 1) and Bryan (Passage 2) both express admiration for the
 A. founding and history of the United States.
 B. vibrancy and diversity of American culture.
 C. worldwide history of struggles for independence.
 D. idealism that permeates many aspects of American society
Answer:

Choices:
- A
- B
- C
- D

\section{Passage 1}Fellow-Citizens: It is a noble land that God has given us; a land that can feed and clothe the world; a land whose coast lines would enclose half the  countries of Europe; a land set like a sentinel between 5 the two imperial oceans of the globe; a greater England with a nobler destiny. It is a mighty people that $\mathrm{He}$ has planted on this soil; a people sprung from the most masterful blood of history; a people perpetually revitalized by the virile ... working-folk10 of all the earth; a people imperial by virtue of their power, by right of their institutions, by authority of their heaven-directed purposes-the propagandists and not the misers of liberty. It is a glorious history our God has bestowed upon His chosen people; a15 history whose keynote was struck by Liberty Bell; a history heroic with faith in our mission and our future; a history of statesmen, who flung the boundaries of the Republic out into unexplored lands ... a history of soldiers, who carried the flag20 across blazing deserts and through the ranks of hostile mountains, even to the gates of sunset; a history of a multiplying people, who overran a continent in half a century ... a history divinely logical, in the process of whose tremendous 25 reasoning we find ourselves to-day....Think of the thousands of Americans who will pour into Hawaii and Porto Rico when the Republic's laws cover those islands with justice and safety! Think of the tens of thousands of Americans30 who will invade ... the Philippines when a liberal government ... shall establish order and equity there! Think of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who will build a . . civilization of energy and industry in Cuba, when a government of law35 replaces the double reign of anarchy and tyranny!think of the prosperous millions that Empress of Islands will support when, obedient to the law of political gravitation, her people ask for the highest honor liberty can bestow, the sacred Order of the40 Stars and Stripes, the citizenship of the Great Republic!\section{Passage 2}If it is right for the United States to hold the Philippine Islands permanently and imitate European empires in the government of colonies, the45 Republican party ought to state its position and defend it, but it must expect the subject races to protest against such a policy and to resist to the extent of their ability.The Filipinos do not need any encouragement 50 from Americans now living. Our whole history has been an encouragement not only to the Filipinos, but to all who are denied a voice in their own government. If the Republicans are prepared to censure all who have used language calculated tomake the Filipinos hate foreign domination, let them condemn the speech of Patrick Henry. When he uttered that passionate appeal, "Give me liberty or give me death," he exprest a sentiment which still echoes in the hearts of men.60 Let them censure Jefferson; of all the statesmen of history none have used words so offensive to those who would hold their fellows in political bondage. Let them censure Washington, who declared that the colonists must choose between liberty and slavery.$65 \mathrm{Or}$, if the statute of limitations has run against the sins of Henry and Jefferson and Washington, let them censure Lincoln, whose Gettysburg speech will be quoted in defense of popular government when the present advocates of force and conquest are 70 forgotten.Some one has said that a truth once spoken can never be recalled. It goes on and on, and no one can set a limit to its ever-widening influence. But if it were possible to obliterate every word written or 75 spoken in defense of the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence, a war of conquest would still leave its legacy of perpetual hatred, for it was God himself who placed in every human heart the love of liberty. He never made a race of people so80 low in the scale of civilization or intelligence that it would welcome a foreign master.Those who would have this Nation enter upon a career of empire must consider, not only the effect of imperialism on the Filipinos, but they must also85 calculate its effects upon our own nation. We cannot repudiate the principle of self-government in the Philippines without weakening that principle here
Question: In developing their respective arguments, Beveridge (Passage 1) and Bryan (Passage 2) both express admiration for the
 A. founding and history of the United States.
 B. vibrancy and diversity of American culture.
 C. worldwide history of struggles for independence.
 D. idealism that permeates many aspects of American society
Answer: A