The cause for nobody’s existing on

One of the strangest sea stories is that of the sailing ship Mary Celeste. On November 5th 1872, she left New York bound for Genoa with a cargo of industrial alcohol and eleven people on board. A month later, she was seen
by another ship, but the captain noticed that the Mary Celeste was sailing strangely, and decided to investigate. He found the ship to be
completely deserted. The sails were set and in good condition, there was plenty of food and water, all the crew’s personal possessions were on board, and there was food and drink on the cabin table. No one has ever been able
to explain what happened, though there have been explanations varying from a mutiny among the crew to aliens in a spaceship taking everyone away.
The cause for nobody’s existing on
board the Mary Celeste. . .
A) has never been found
B) was the mutiny among the crew
C) is that aliens took the captain and crew away in a spaceship
D) was discovered by the captain of another ship

Which of the following is most likely

reason for the ship’s sailing strangely?
A) It was not big enough to resist the giant ocean waves.
B) The ship was too heavy because of the crew’s personal possessions.
C) Her cargo of industrial alcohol was above her capacity.
D) There was no one on board to sail the ship
We can understand from the passage
that . . .
A) the Mary Celeste was not well equipped fora long voyage
B) the crew of the Mary Celeste had been hit by an epidemic
C) the people on board the Mary Celeste disappeared inexplicably
D) the Mary Celeste was one of the finest sailing vessels of her day

When did this event happen?

A) in the early XIX century
B) in the late XIX century
C) in the last XIX century
D) in the late XVIII century

Chen Lee was a school teacher in Honan, in China. Chen had a beautiful white cat, and he loved her very much. But a very sad thing

happened one day. A rich man’s car ran over the cat; and that was the end of her. Chen ran out on to the road.
“Oh, you poor, dear!” he cried. “What shall I do without you? You were the light of my life.”
People stopped and cried with Chen. The rich man stopped his car and came back. He put his arms around Chen and said: “I’m very, very sorry about this accident. Please, let me
give you some money.”
“You couldn’t buy that cat for all the money in China!” Chen exclaimed. “She was a wonderful pupil. I taught her once a day. That cat could talk, sir!”
“Will you forgive me if I give you three
hundred pounds. Is it enough? Can we be friends now?” the man said.
Chen took the money. “Thank you,” he said.
“I’ll get another cat.”
The rich man went away in his car.
What was Chen’s job?
A) He was a rich businessman
B) He taught cats.
C) He bought and sold cats.
D) He was a teacher.
What was “the end” of Chen’s cat?
A) She died in an accident
B) She began to learn
C) Chen sold her to a rich man
D) Her lessons stopped

Why did the people stop and cry with

Chen? Because ...
A) They didn’t like the rich man.
B) His cat was dead.
C) The cat was a wonderful pupil.
D) they were poor.

How many lessons did the cat have?

A) no lessons at all
B) many difficult lessons
C) one lesson every day
D) three hundred

Ten years ago, studies concluded that players of video games were very intelligent and motivated people. They got good results at school and at work. In those days, video games were quite simple, so what about the more complex games of today? Many

children start to play video games at seven. For most of them this is not a problem, but some of them become addicts. A recent study of children aged 13 and 14 found that almost
a third played video games daily. Seven per cent spent at least 30 hours playing every week. Addiction to games can lead to other problems such as stealing money to buy new
games, failing to do homework or not going to school. In another study, scientists at Japan’s Tohoku University looked at the brain
activity of hundreds of students as they played a Nintendo game. They compared this with the brain activity of other students doing maths. The results were surprising. The computer game only stimulated those parts of
the brain related to vision and movement, but not parts of the brain which are important for behavior, memory, and learning.
The word “complex” in the passage is
closest in meaning to . . .
A) recent B) intricate
C) easy D) beautiful
What did the scientists at Japan’s
Tohoku University identify by their study?
A) Vision and movement related brain parts are badly affected by computer games.
B) Both computer games and mathematics influence on peoples’ brain similarly.
C) Nintendo game strengthens the brain activity of its hundreds players.
D) People’s behaviour, memory and learning are not inspired by computer games.

Which of the following is the best title

for the passage?
A) Brain activity and its results
B) Studies on games
C) The youth motivation
D) Video games among the youth