6. The function of the quotation mark in the last sentence of the 1st paragraph is to _________.
(A) quote what somebody has said
(B) emphasize the threats
(C) achieve sarcasm
(D) create a sense of humor
7. The 17 states the candidates would visit in the campaign are those _____.
(A) locked up by one of the parties
(B) offering many electoral votes
(C) that could easily fall by the wayside
(D) where the competition could easily way
8. The word “rub” in the 3rd paragraph most probably means____.
(A) the act of rubbing
(B) the trouble
(C) the solution
(D) the conflicting idea
9. Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?
(A) some popular votes may carry more weight than others.
(B) the outcome of the election depends on the electoral votes.
(C) one can win the election only by getting more popular votes.
(D) the electoral system prevents the most populous states from deciding every election.
10. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
   (A) is popular Vote More Democratic?
   (B) our Election System: A True Democracy
   (C) How to Battle Threats to Our Democracy
   (D) How Much Does Your Vote Really Count?

Questions 11-15
Americans are far more sophisticated about beverages than they were 20 years ago. Witness the Starbucks revolution and you’ll know where the trend goes. Now, spurred on by recent studied suggesting that it can cut the risk of cancer and heart disease and retard the aging process, tea is enjoying a similar jolt. Enough chic tea salons are springing up to make even die-hard coffee drinkers consider switching beverages.
Tea is available in more places than ever. “tea was one of the most prolific beverage categories in 1999.” With 24 percent more products offered over the previous year, reports Tom Vierhile of Marketing Intelligence Service, which tracks food and beverage trends. And the tea Association of the United States reports that from 1990 to 1999, annual sales of the drink grew to $4.6 billion from $1.8 billion. “Green tea is seen by consumers as a ‘functional food’-delivering health benefits beyond sustenance,” says Vierhile.
Recently published studies point out that not all brews are created equal. Only teas that come from the leaves of the plant Camellia sinensis -Which, in their raw state are brewed to make green tea, and, with curing, can be turned into oolong and black tea leaves-have been shown to contain health benefits. Other herbal teas and infusions may taste good, yet they do little more than warm up the drinker. But for Camellia sinensis, the evidence is powerful. In a 1998 study, Harvard University researchers found that drinking one cup of black tea a day lowered the risk of heart attack by as much as 44percent compared with non-tea drinkers, and other studies have suggested that the antioxidants in these so-called real teas can also prevent cancer.
One such antioxidant in green tea is ECGC, a compound 20 times as powerful as vitamin E and 200 times as powerful as vitamin C. “When people ask me for something good and cheep they can do to reduce their cancer risk, I tell them drink real tea.” Says Mitchell Gaynor, director of medical oncology at New York City’s Strang-Cornell Cancer Prevention Centre.
Among those inspired to become a green-tea drinker is Tess Ghilaga. A new York Writer who took it up after consulting a nutritionist six years ago. “I’ve never been a coffee drinker..” says Ghilage, 33, “she told me to start drinking green tea for the antioxidant properties.” Now Ghilaga and her husband routinely brew tea –they order theirs from Inpursuitoftea.com, an internet tea company, which sells a variety of ready-made and raw t

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