The average Irish person honored

　March 17 quietly. Attending church services was the main activity. In fact, most businesses that served alcohol would close in honor of the day.

　In the early 1900s, Ireland's government made St. Patrick's Day an official holiday. By the 1960s,towns across Ireland started celebrating the holiday with parades and music. In Ireland today, St. Patrick's Day is a four-day public celebration that includes parades, music, food, and games.

　For Irish people living outside Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day became a chance to celebrate their Irish identity and culture. Now, countries and cities around the world celebrate March 17 in creative ways.

　Many countries hold Saint Patrick's Day parades. Famous monuments, including the Great Wall of China, the Niagara Falls, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai will all be colored by green light for the day.

　Cronin says that the worldwide popularity of Saint Patrick's Day has helped the Irish government,which uses the holiday as a form of diplomacy. And for a small island of 4.5 to 5 million people it's quite remarkable that they have that kind of soft power.

24. How did average Irish people celebrate Saint Patrick's Day in the 17 th century?

A. Drinking alcohol. B. Parading in the streets.

C. Attending church services peacefully. D. Coloring well-known monuments green.

25. What can we learn from the passage?

A. Saint Patrick's Day is the most significant day in the US.

B. Saint Patrick's Day plays a role in foreign affairs in Ireland today.

C. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated worldwide today as in the 17 th century.

D. On Saint Patrick's Day, parades and parties are held throughout America.

26. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The origin of Saint Patrick's Day.

B. The celebration of Saint Patrick's Day.

C. The influence of Saint Patrick's Day on the world.

D. The role of Saint Patrick's Day in Irish diplomacy.

27. What is Cronin's attitude towards the popularity of Saint Patrick's Day?

A. Unclear. B. Neutral. C. Negative. D. Positive.

　Underneath the Greenland ice sheet lies a body of water covering an area larger than West Virginia,and until just a few years ago, scientists had no idea that it existed.

　First discovered in 2011, scientists now believe it covers some 27, 000 square miles and contains more than 100 billion tons of liquid water.

　The melt-water reservoir (蓄水池) was discovered under the ice, in a south-eastern part of

Greenland, by researchers from the University of Utah about two years ago. According to the BBC, at first the researchers expected to find waters stored in small spaces between the rocks. What they actually found was a massive reservoir of water trapped in the ice, kind of like the liquid in a snow-cone. Newser quotes lead study author