The word "drastically" in line 21 is closest in meaning to __________ .
A.frequently   
B.exactly        
C.severely
D.easily

Mickey Mantle was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. He played for the New York Yankees in their years of glory. From the time Mantle began to play professionally in 1951 to his last year in 1968, baseball was the most popular game in the United States. For many people, Mantle symbolized the hope, prosperity, and confidence of America at that time.
Mantle was a fast and powerful player, a “switch-hitter” who could bat both right-handed and left-handed. He won game after game, one World Series championship after another, for his team. He was a wonderful athlete, but this alone cannot explain America’s fascination with him.
Perhaps it was because he was a handsome, red-haired country boy, the son of a poor miner from Oklahoma. His career, from the lead mines of the West to the heights of success and fame, was a fairy-tale version of the American dream. Or perhaps it was because America always loves a “natural”: a person who wins without seeming to try, whose talent appears to come from an inner grace. That was Mickey Mantle.
But like many celebrities, Mickey Mantle had a private life that was full of problems. He played without complaint despite constant pain from injuries. He lived to fulfill his father’s dreams and drank to forget his father’s early death.
It was a terrible addiction that finally destroyed his body. It gave him cirrhosis of the liver and accelerated the advance of liver cancer. Even when Mickey Mantle had turned away from his old life and warned young people not to follow his example, the destructive process could not be stopped. Despite a liver transplant operation that had all those who loved and admired him hoping for a recovery, Mickey Mantle died of cancer at the age of 63.
The word “fulfill” in paragraph 4 mostly means ______.
A.achieve what is hoped for, wished for, or expected
B.do something in the way that you have been told
C.do what you have promised or agreed to do
D.get closer to something that you are chasing

Overeating is a cause of several deadly diseases. Physical inactivity is another cause of several deadly diseases.
A.Not only overeating but also physical inactivity may lead to several deadly diseases.
B.Apart from physical activities, eating too much also contributes to several deadly diseases.
C.Both overeating and physical inactivity result from several deadly diseases.
D.Overeating and physical inactivity are caused by several deadly diseases.

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
I haven’t read any medical books or articles on the subject for a long time, so I’m ________with recent developments.
A.out of reach    
B.out of the condition 
C.out of touch   
D.out of the question

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.
He built up a successful business but it was all done ______ of his health.
A.at the price    
B.by the expense
C.at all cost    
D.at the expense

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of sentences in the following questions.
“What a boring lecture!” – “_______”
A.Yes, it was dull, wasn’t it?        
B.I don’t agree. It’s dull.
C.It’s interesting, wasn’t it?      
D.I’m sorry not.

Neil Armstrong was the first astronaut set foot _________ the moon _________ 1969
A.on, in
B.on, since
C.in, in
D.in, since

A more electricity you use, the higher your bill will be.
A.a
B.you use
C.higher
D.will be

The writer advises that gifted children should be allowed to follow ______.
A. only their interests in computer games  
B.only their interests in musical instruments
C.their own interests     
D.their parents’ interests

Fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
Have you ever used a magnifying glass to make something melt or burn? If yes, you were using solar power!  "Solar" is the Latin word for "sun" - and it's a powerful (26)________ of energy. In fact, the sunlight that shines on the Earth in just one hour could meet world energy demand (27)__________ an entire year! We can use solar power in two different ways: as a heat source, and as an energy source. People have used the sun as a heat source for thousands of years. Families in ancient Greece built their homes to get the most sunlight (28)________ the cold winter months. In the 1830s, explorer John Herschel used a solar collector to cook food during an adventure in Africa. You can even try this at home! (29)___________, we can use solar collectors for heating water and air in our homes. If you've seen a house with big shiny panels (30)____________, that family is using solar power.
(27)
A.over                                    
B.with                                    
C.as  
D. for