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walkways currently protect it from pedestrian traffic around its trunk and roots. As it has grown, its outlying branches have rooted themselves around the parent tree. This has repeated until there are now three layers of daughter trees encircling the mother stem, with 13 distinct trunks, covering a 50-metre area.
In California, close to the Church of San Marcos, stands the famous Dragon Tree (22 m high, lower trunk diameter 10 m, estimated weight 70 t), which is reputed to be a thousand years old (hence its local name, El Drago Milenario: the Thousand-Year-Old Dragon). While no study seems to have confirmed such longevity for the tree because it does not produce annual rings with which to tell their ages, it is the long-time symbol. 21. The tree which has a special relationship with sport is ________. A. the Lost Tree B. the Cotton Tree C. Wonder Tree D. the Dragon Tree 22. The Cotton Tree is on the list of four notable trees because ________. A. it serves as a landmark for sailors B. C. it stands in a unique natural reserve B. it’s attached a historic significance D. it’s well-known for its longevity 23. The Dragon Tree’s exact age hasn’t been identified because ________ . A. its trunk is too thick C. it has no growth rings B. it’s too old to be measured D. it doesn’t produce any fruit B We shouldn’t be asking what happened with Trump. What happened to The Atlantic? I’ve been a reader for years, after abandoning Time and Newsweek because of their People-like superficiality. The appearance of considered thoughts at The Atlantic is what kept me there. But since you decided to take sides in the presidential election, stinging hysterical writing is all I find, especially on November 9.
That’s perhaps understandable The Day After, but, folks, the sky won’t fall. It won’t fall
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because the U.S. government’s institutions are designed to prevent irrational outcomes to a good degree. Trust the system a little, if you learned anything from history.
I probably do not feel the pain to the same degree as you do, though I am concerned, and on pins and needles. I admit it: I voted for Trump—at the limit of my tolerance for bad taste and unhinged statements. But I did so not because I am an uneducated, violent, intolerant, gun-waving guy—as the press has made habit of defining Trump supporters. I made my decision based on sensible thinking. I have an MBA. I refuse violence and support gun control. And I’m an immigrant, now a citizen after obtaining green cards twice, all by the legal process.
The direct reason to drive me to abandon Hillary Clinton is the fear of the possibility of corruption: the history of all countries around the world, since World War II, where an immediate relative followed a president or PM (see my list below). In all cases, either the ―succession‖ was made possible by local corruption, or advanced it as a result, or both. This is to be expected when the vested interests supporting one person get to take advantage of continued control of the government from behind the scenes by electing the relative.
I voted for Trump only because of the smell of corruption resulting from the Clinton Machine. That smell is well documented by Wikileaks and Podesta’s emails depicting the Clinton Foundation / State Department connections. To that you can add the past four decades of continuous scandals—why only them with so many? 24. What do you infer from the first paragraph?
A. Time and Newsweek greatly appealed to the writer. B. The writer shared the same stand with the Atlantic. C. The Atlantic lacks for thought and deepness. D. The writer and The Atlantic vary in election stand.
25. Based on the writer’s account, newspapers think of Trump’s supporters __________ .
A. positively B. negatively C. rationally D. objectively
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26. The writer refused to vote for Hillary because _________ .
A. he didn’t trust the American system B. Hillary Clinton was corrupted C. he was afraid corruption would occur D. Hillary had a corrupted history 27. We can learn from the passage that _________ .
A. the writer’s stand was affected by internet B. Trump won the support of newspapers C. Trump’s supporters had a positive image D. the writer lacked for rational thinking
C
New Zealand performs well in many measures of well-being relative to most other countries in the Better Life Index. New Zealand ranks at the top in health status. It ranks above the average, environmental quality, civic engagement, housing, subjective well-being, education and skills, jobs and earnings, and social connections but below average in income and wealth, work-life balance, and personal security. These rankings are based on available selected data.
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In New Zealand, the average household disposable income is lower than the OECD average of USD 30 563 a year. In terms of employment, 76% of people aged 15 to 64 in New Zealand have a paid job, above the OECD employment average of 67%. Some 81% of men are in paid work, compared with 71% of women.
Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In New Zealand, 77% of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, higher than the OECD average of 74%. In terms of the quality of its educational system, the average student scored 506 in reading literacy, maths and science. This score is higher than the OECD average of 486. On average in New Zealand, girls outperformed boys by 6 points, wider than the average OECD gap of 2 points.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in New Zealand is 82 years, two years higher than
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the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 83 years, compared with 80 for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 – tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and cause damage to the lungs – is 4.9 micrograms per cubic meter, considerably lower than the OECD average of 13.9 micrograms per cubic meter. New Zealand also does well in terms of water quality, as 90% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, higher than the OECD average of 81%.
In general, New Zealanders are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, New Zealanders gave it a 7.3 grade on average, higher than the OECD average of 6.5.
28. As for major index, New Zealand is far ahead of other countries in __________ .
A. health status B. civil engagement C. national education D. average income 29. How does the writer think of the function of money?
A. Money can bring happiness. B. Money is symbol of social status. C. It’s a key tool to improve your life. D. It’s a short cut to get employed. 30. We can infer from the passage that _________ .
A. boys perform better at school than girls in New Zealand B. men usually live a even longer life than most women C. New Zealand’s environment is even better than before D. New Zealanders are content with their lives as a whole
31. Which of the following can best show the structure of the passage?
A. Topic + coordinate evidences. B. Topic + evidences+ conclusion. C. Comparative evidences + conclusion. D. Topic + comparison + conclusion.
D
One of the most complicated aspects of completing an argumentative essay is separating the writer’s opinion from credible facts. Many students find it difficult to keep their own opinions out
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