ause of last night, we were much more observant than usually, keeping a watchful eye on her. I thought it odd that she didn't seem that uncomfortable being here, when even me and the guys tensed whenever a man stepped up to the bar—though she didn't. Instead, she smiled and got right on to mixing drinks. It was like she'd forgotten event yesterday or chose to ignore it. If it had been anyone else, they would've at the very least taken a day off. The question was, why didn't she? We all knew there was something more to the story than a simple break-in in her neighborhood, mostly because it had proven to be false, but we didn't know exactly what, or more specifically who the added security was for, and not knowing was pissing me off. I was...protective of her, and the whole not knowing what to protect her from was messing with my head.1A guy stepped up to the bar while Emma was reaching for a bottle on a shelf and something in me reacted instantly. My muscles coiled and I was ready to jump up from the seat in a fucking flash if it was needed. And yet, I didn't need to, because the guy simply walked away and quickly disappeared into the crowd.6My mind was playing tricks on me, seeing threats where there weren't any, all because my head was so intricately obsessed with my baby that I couldn't stand anything happening to her.5Emma turned back around and mixed the drink in front of her current customer before serving it to the woman.Fuck, our girl was pretty. It was like the air was knocked from my lungs whenever I set my eyes on her. Her smooth skin that felt soft against my rough one; hair perfect to grip in my fist; a smile that even at half volume made my own lips want to tug at the corners. I usually hated pretty things. All my life I'd found satisfaction in breaking the pretty because the ugly spoke the truth. Until Emma. Emma made me realize that not everything needed to be ugly to be genuine.13Sometimes beauty wasn't a mask to hide the ugliness.Sometimes...beauty could be beautiful without it being dishonest.4Another man was at the bar trying to get Emma's attention, waving what looked to be a slip of paper in his hands. The guy better not be trying to hit on our girl. If the note contained his phone number he better believe I wouldn't hesitate to kick him out, no matter how irrational that was.1She noticed him after a short while and leaned slightly over the bar so she could presumably hear what he had to say. The guy pointed at the bar top, as if he was explaining something and handed her the note.1Emma accepted the piece of paper and looked over at it. My eyes narrowed as I observed the way her hand began to shake, rattling the paper just enough to be noticeable from our position. There was a stillness to her that I didn't like, and when her face paled as she looked up sharply, searching the club with terrified eyes, I was already up from my seat and hurried to her side. The guys were right behind me.4Call us overprotective, but after yesterday we didn't take any damn chances.I didn't register that the crowd parted for us as they instinctually stepped away; I was all too focused on getting to Emma. The scared look on her face was like a beacon to me, urging me to take care of her.3Customers shouted orders at her, but it was like she couldn't even hear them; her eyes still frantically searching the nightclub as if she was looking for someone."What's going on?" Callan asked Emma when we got to the bar, forcing the patrons to get lost. Rather than waiting for her answer, I snatched her paper from her stiff hand, and quickly turned it around to see what was on it.

-Once she spoke, why do you think the chairman responded to her as he did?Because he realized that he had made a mistake by letting his cultural bias influence his professional interaction.Because he had been reprimanded for his behaviour.Because all the decision making powers lay with her.Because it was the need of the hour else he could have lost the deal.Because he was smitten by her grace and charm.

Select the correct answer.Which excerpt helps refine the idea that Bertha gets joy from little moments? A. "Mary brought in the fruit on a tray and with it a glass bowl, and a blue dish, very lovely, with a strange sheen on it as though it had been dipped in milk." (paragraph 11) B. "'We went to the park and I sat down on a chair and took her out of the pram and a big dog came along and put its head on my knee and she clutched its ear, tugged it. Oh, you should have seen her.' Bertha wanted to ask if it wasn't rather dangerous to let her clutch at a strange dog's ear. But she did not dare to." (paragraphs 20–21) C. "Some yellow pears, smooth as silk, some white grapes covered with a silver bloom and a big cluster of purple ones. These last she had bought to tone in with the new dining-room carpet. Yes, that did sound rather far-fetched and absurd, but it was really why she had bought them. She had thought in the shop: 'I must have some purple ones to bring the carpet up to the table.'" (paragraph 14) D. "[The baby] ate delightfully, holding up her lips for spoon and then waving her hands. Sometimes she wouldn't let the spoon go; and sometimes, just as Bertha had filled it, she waved it away to the four winds. When the soup was finished Bertha turned round to the fire." (paragraphs 31–32)

Since it made her too dizzy to look down, she didn't turn to glare at him. Instead, with a deep, fortifying breath, she braced herself and aimed her gaze up at the last few holds.

Traci couldn't figure out why the date had gone poorly. She had invested in the best facial analysis technology to apply her makeup and style her hair. Her outfit had been carefully coordinated by a program that had scanned Bob's browser history and personal photos to respond to his preferences. Throughout the date, she followed the prompting of her auditory implant exactly in order to sound sophisticated, witty, and flirtatious. Why couldn't she get a man to show interest in her? That's it, Traci decided. Tomorrow I'm buying myself a subliminal idea implanter to take on dates.Which two central ideas in this story are most closely related?A.Fear of rejection and the danger of unchecked powerB.Societal dysfunction and the need for romantic connectionC.The abuse of technology and the need for acceptanceD.The limits of technology and the importance of self-worthSUBMITarrow_backPREVIOUS

Feeling a mix of butterflies and nervous knots, Lianna wondered if going to her college reunion was a good idea.On the one hand, she was anxious to see old friends, but on the other hand, she’d been quite shy and reserving in college. After moving to London, she rarely got in touch with any of the few friends she’d made.After taking a deep breath, Lianna headed to the reunion a little hesitantly in the reception room downstairs. In the elevator, a million thoughts raced through her head; she wasn’t even sure anyone would remember her.The elevator door opened to a nameless sea of faces in the lobby where people were wearing name tags, but Lianna didn’t recognize anyone.A woman with long red hair tapped her on the shoulder. It took her a few seconds, but then Lianna realized that it was her old roommate, Cassie. Before Lianna could say a word, Cassie whisked her into the room and shouted to a group of women at a nearby table to see who she had found.The rest of the night was like a dream, a good dream. Lianna got the chance to hear all about her old friends, no one seemed to remember her the way she had remembered herself.After the reunion, the women went back to Lianna’s room, and they stayed up talking until dawn. Before they left, everyone exchanged social media accounts and phone numbers and vowed to never lose touch again. Lianna’s fears had been replaced by memories, and she realized that it had indeed been worth going back, even though she had moved ahead.9What change, if any, is necessary with the underlined portion of the following sentence?The elevator door opened to a nameless sea of faces in the lobby where people were wearing name tags, but Lianna didn’t recognize anyone.Aa sea of nameless facesBa sea of names and facesCa face and name-filled seaDcorrect as is