Split (1)

train · 99.8k rows

train dict
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Do what interests them.", "Never give up and they will succeed.", "Share their ideas with many other people.", "Receive training long before they succeed." ], "question": "A typical day at work for Cesar Millan might include putting on his running shoes and taking a fourhour jog with 40 dogs--large and small, young and old. Amazingly, most of those dogs belong to him. The rest are at the heart of his work; they are troubled dogs sent to Millan to learn good behavior. Obviously Millan, star of the TV show \"Dog Whisperer\" and author of the bestselling book Cesar's Way,has a special gift for working with these animals. Growing up on a farm in Mexico, Millan knew he wanted to work with dogs. His first job, at age 15,was helping a veterinarian .He was so good at calming scared dogs and handling all kinds of situations that people started calling him \"el perrero\", Spanish for \"the dog boy\".Since then, he has built a rewarding career around his favorite animal. \"My grandfather taught me at an early age not to work against nature,\"he explains. In nature, _ . They form a group and follow one leader. Millan's specialty is teaching people to be pack leaders for their dogs. Studying dogs on the farm where he grew up,Millan realized they need lots of exercise to be calm. He explains his approach,\"Exercise and discipline first,and then affection!\"He says a lot of people get it backwards because they don't realize what dogs really need. Therefore, while he trains dogs, he teaches owners to understand that their pets need rules. He's helped famous people like Oprah Winfrey and movie star Will Smith and everyday people too. To find the right career, Millan encourages kids to do what they enjoy. \"A lot of people don't realize I've been working with dogs for more than 20 years--long before my TV show or book. Success followed me because I was following my dream of being the best dog trainer in the world.\" What does Millan advise children to do when it comes to choosing a job?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "blocking unwanted calls", "sensing the caller's mood", "showing body temperature", "detecting the owner's mood" ], "question": "American scientists are developing an \"intelligent\" mobile phone capable of blocking incoming calls depending on the owner's mood. Using \"context aware\" technology, the \"Sensay\" phone will monitor calls and send back polite messages saying the user may be contacted later. A research team at the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems at Carragie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, are developing body temperature and electrical skin monitors to help the device understand the emotional state of its user. If the phone senses that the user is busy -- for instance, involved in a conversation -- it might block an incoming call and turn it onto voicemail. The phone would send back a text message saying the user is unavailable, but advising that if the matter is urgent the caller can try again in three minutes. If a call from the same person came in again, the phone would put it through. The researchers are interested in four basic different states -- busy and not to be interrupted, physically active, idle, and \"normal.\" Most people are said to change between these states, an average of 6 to 12 times a day. Professor Asim Smailagic, a leading member of the Carnegic Mellon team, told The Engineer magazine, \"Today's computers are pretty dumb compared with the device. We got to work at the beginning of May and since then have been improving it. The next stage is to make it smarter, adding various intelligence systems so it can learn about the user. The phone also employs four primary sensors -- two microphones to pick up conversations and monitor local noise, a light detector and an accelerometer .The light sensor shows if the phone is being carried in a bag or pocket, while the accelerometer determines whether the user is walking, running or standing still. In the future, the sensor box, phone and personal organizer will be combined into one device.\" According to the passage, the \"Sensay\" phone is capable of _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "where the mobile phone is", "where the mobile phone user is", "whether the mobile phone user is busy", "whether the mobile phone is within reach" ], "question": "American scientists are developing an \"intelligent\" mobile phone capable of blocking incoming calls depending on the owner's mood. Using \"context aware\" technology, the \"Sensay\" phone will monitor calls and send back polite messages saying the user may be contacted later. A research team at the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems at Carragie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, are developing body temperature and electrical skin monitors to help the device understand the emotional state of its user. If the phone senses that the user is busy -- for instance, involved in a conversation -- it might block an incoming call and turn it onto voicemail. The phone would send back a text message saying the user is unavailable, but advising that if the matter is urgent the caller can try again in three minutes. If a call from the same person came in again, the phone would put it through. The researchers are interested in four basic different states -- busy and not to be interrupted, physically active, idle, and \"normal.\" Most people are said to change between these states, an average of 6 to 12 times a day. Professor Asim Smailagic, a leading member of the Carnegic Mellon team, told The Engineer magazine, \"Today's computers are pretty dumb compared with the device. We got to work at the beginning of May and since then have been improving it. The next stage is to make it smarter, adding various intelligence systems so it can learn about the user. The phone also employs four primary sensors -- two microphones to pick up conversations and monitor local noise, a light detector and an accelerometer .The light sensor shows if the phone is being carried in a bag or pocket, while the accelerometer determines whether the user is walking, running or standing still. In the future, the sensor box, phone and personal organizer will be combined into one device.\" According to Professor Smailagic, the detector will show _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Sensay, Your Personal Organizer", "Sensay, the Future Mobile Phone", "How to Tell a Person's Mood", "How to Block Incoming Calls" ], "question": "American scientists are developing an \"intelligent\" mobile phone capable of blocking incoming calls depending on the owner's mood. Using \"context aware\" technology, the \"Sensay\" phone will monitor calls and send back polite messages saying the user may be contacted later. A research team at the Institute for Complex Engineering Systems at Carragie Mellon University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, are developing body temperature and electrical skin monitors to help the device understand the emotional state of its user. If the phone senses that the user is busy -- for instance, involved in a conversation -- it might block an incoming call and turn it onto voicemail. The phone would send back a text message saying the user is unavailable, but advising that if the matter is urgent the caller can try again in three minutes. If a call from the same person came in again, the phone would put it through. The researchers are interested in four basic different states -- busy and not to be interrupted, physically active, idle, and \"normal.\" Most people are said to change between these states, an average of 6 to 12 times a day. Professor Asim Smailagic, a leading member of the Carnegic Mellon team, told The Engineer magazine, \"Today's computers are pretty dumb compared with the device. We got to work at the beginning of May and since then have been improving it. The next stage is to make it smarter, adding various intelligence systems so it can learn about the user. The phone also employs four primary sensors -- two microphones to pick up conversations and monitor local noise, a light detector and an accelerometer .The light sensor shows if the phone is being carried in a bag or pocket, while the accelerometer determines whether the user is walking, running or standing still. In the future, the sensor box, phone and personal organizer will be combined into one device.\" The best title for this passage is _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Weather forecasting is a way of telling what the weather will be like.", "Weather forecasting is a report about the weather.", "Weather forecasting is a sign of coming rain.", "People can change the weather forecasting." ], "question": "No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting . For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting. Which is true about weather forecasting?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "clear and fine", "warm", "rainy", "cold" ], "question": "No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting . For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting. When you see the stars twinkle clearly at night, the weather will be _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "Some birds fly high.", "A rainbow appears in the morning.", "The sunset is mostly red in colour.", "Fogs appear in the morning just above a river." ], "question": "No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting . For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting. Which of the following signs can tell the weather will probably be rainy?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "use our eyes and brains", "study the weather hard", "read correctly the signs", "All of the above" ], "question": "No one can change the weather. Nobody can control the weather. But if we read correctly the signs around us, we can tell what the more important changes in the weather will be. This way of telling what the weather will be like on the following day or two is called weather forecasting . For many centuries and in all countries, people have studied the weather and tried to make weather forecasting. Rings around the sun are a sign of coming rain. That many people feel their joints hurt is a sign of wet weather. Some birds fly high if fine weather is coming, but they fly near the ground if rainy or stormy weather is on the way. If you see a rainbow during rainy weather, this is a sign that the weather will become clear and fine. Such rainbows come in the evening. If the stars twinkle clearly at night, then fine weather will continue. If a fog appears in the morning just above a river, then the day will be warm. If the sunset is mostly red in colour, then the following day will be fine. If a rainbow appears in the morning, rainy weather will probably come. Most of the above sayings have been made by the people who have used their eyes and brains to make weather forecasting. We must _ to make weather forecasting.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "seek solutions to the world economic crisis", "remove the misunderstanding between world leaders", "build up new regulatory systems in each country", "strengthen the economic relationship between countries" ], "question": "prefix = st1 /London 01 April 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are calling for global unity as world leaders gather in London for an emergency economic summit . The president says no one country can fix the economic crisis. Mr. Obama stressed the need for all participants to seek common ground to deal with the economic crisis. \"I am ly confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work together to deal with these problems,\" said Mr. Obama. There are signs of tension, as the G20 summit prepares to begin its work in London. Some countries are blaming the United States for sparking the economic crisis through the deregulation of its financial scene - a move that sparked an economic recession . The president says the United Stateshas made mistakes, but so did other countries whose regulatory systems could not keep pace with a changing financial sector. He says it is time to look for solutions. \"At this point, I am less interested in identifying blame, than in fixing the problem,\" he said. President says differences are overstated. France and Germanysay the emphasis should be on regulatory reform. French President Nicholas Sarkozy even told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit, if nations fail to agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets. Brown predicts no walkouts. President Obama says reports of differences are overstated. And, Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit and its important work.\" I am confident President Sarkozy will not be here for the first course of our dinner, but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this evening,\" said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown says \"Never before has the world come together in this way to talk about an economic crisis,\" he said. \"Any of the crises we have seen since the second World War, you have not had this level of international cooperation.\" According to the news report, the aim of the summit in Londonis mainly to _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "importance of the USAtaking part in the summit", "effort to reach an agreement on the economic recession", "need for all the members at the summit to work together.", "the necessary reform in the regulatory systems" ], "question": "prefix = st1 /London 01 April 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are calling for global unity as world leaders gather in London for an emergency economic summit . The president says no one country can fix the economic crisis. Mr. Obama stressed the need for all participants to seek common ground to deal with the economic crisis. \"I am ly confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work together to deal with these problems,\" said Mr. Obama. There are signs of tension, as the G20 summit prepares to begin its work in London. Some countries are blaming the United States for sparking the economic crisis through the deregulation of its financial scene - a move that sparked an economic recession . The president says the United Stateshas made mistakes, but so did other countries whose regulatory systems could not keep pace with a changing financial sector. He says it is time to look for solutions. \"At this point, I am less interested in identifying blame, than in fixing the problem,\" he said. President says differences are overstated. France and Germanysay the emphasis should be on regulatory reform. French President Nicholas Sarkozy even told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit, if nations fail to agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets. Brown predicts no walkouts. President Obama says reports of differences are overstated. And, Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit and its important work.\" I am confident President Sarkozy will not be here for the first course of our dinner, but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this evening,\" said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown says \"Never before has the world come together in this way to talk about an economic crisis,\" he said. \"Any of the crises we have seen since the second World War, you have not had this level of international cooperation.\" When President Obama says no one country can fix the economic crisis, he wants to stress the _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "President Obama says differences are overstated.", "French President told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit.", "Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit.", "nations do not agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets." ], "question": "prefix = st1 /London 01 April 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are calling for global unity as world leaders gather in London for an emergency economic summit . The president says no one country can fix the economic crisis. Mr. Obama stressed the need for all participants to seek common ground to deal with the economic crisis. \"I am ly confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work together to deal with these problems,\" said Mr. Obama. There are signs of tension, as the G20 summit prepares to begin its work in London. Some countries are blaming the United States for sparking the economic crisis through the deregulation of its financial scene - a move that sparked an economic recession . The president says the United Stateshas made mistakes, but so did other countries whose regulatory systems could not keep pace with a changing financial sector. He says it is time to look for solutions. \"At this point, I am less interested in identifying blame, than in fixing the problem,\" he said. President says differences are overstated. France and Germanysay the emphasis should be on regulatory reform. French President Nicholas Sarkozy even told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit, if nations fail to agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets. Brown predicts no walkouts. President Obama says reports of differences are overstated. And, Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit and its important work.\" I am confident President Sarkozy will not be here for the first course of our dinner, but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this evening,\" said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown says \"Never before has the world come together in this way to talk about an economic crisis,\" he said. \"Any of the crises we have seen since the second World War, you have not had this level of international cooperation.\" Differences between leaders at the summit can be seen from the fact that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "the only way to solve the world problems", "an unhappy gathering for the world leaders", "a high-level international cooperation", "a meeting with too many differences" ], "question": "prefix = st1 /London 01 April 2009 U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown are calling for global unity as world leaders gather in London for an emergency economic summit . The president says no one country can fix the economic crisis. Mr. Obama stressed the need for all participants to seek common ground to deal with the economic crisis. \"I am ly confident that this meeting will reflect enormous consensus about the need to work together to deal with these problems,\" said Mr. Obama. There are signs of tension, as the G20 summit prepares to begin its work in London. Some countries are blaming the United States for sparking the economic crisis through the deregulation of its financial scene - a move that sparked an economic recession . The president says the United Stateshas made mistakes, but so did other countries whose regulatory systems could not keep pace with a changing financial sector. He says it is time to look for solutions. \"At this point, I am less interested in identifying blame, than in fixing the problem,\" he said. President says differences are overstated. France and Germanysay the emphasis should be on regulatory reform. French President Nicholas Sarkozy even told an interviewer that he might walk out of the summit, if nations fail to agree on stricter regulation of global financial markets. Brown predicts no walkouts. President Obama says reports of differences are overstated. And, Prime Minister Brown predicts no one will walk away from the summit and its important work.\" I am confident President Sarkozy will not be here for the first course of our dinner, but will still be sitting as we complete our dinner this evening,\" said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown says \"Never before has the world come together in this way to talk about an economic crisis,\" he said. \"Any of the crises we have seen since the second World War, you have not had this level of international cooperation.\" Mr Brown seems to see the summit as _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Leaders should be good at making right decisions.", "Leaders should be good at doing things right.", "Leaders should be good at ignoring distinctions.", "Leaders should be skilled in predicting future." ], "question": "Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style.Experts on leadership will quickly point out that\"how things get done\" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things.When a noted leader on the art of management,Peter Drucker,coined the phrase\"Management is doing things right;leadership is doing the right things,\"he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms. When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute,explored leadership styles in the past decade,he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals.His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example,which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic and the personality ethic.The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments; To achieve a desired _ for your business, it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to\"put first things first,\" which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy. What does Peter Drucker's phrase infer?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "When people have little determination, they will be successful.", "When people have good behavior, they will gain success.", "If people have positive mental attitude, they are likely to succeed.", "If people have negative mental attitude, they are certain to succeed." ], "question": "Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style.Experts on leadership will quickly point out that\"how things get done\" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things.When a noted leader on the art of management,Peter Drucker,coined the phrase\"Management is doing things right;leadership is doing the right things,\"he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms. When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute,explored leadership styles in the past decade,he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals.His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example,which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic and the personality ethic.The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments; To achieve a desired _ for your business, it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to\"put first things first,\" which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy. Under what condition are people likely to succeed, in terms of what the personality ethic suggests?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Firstly they have to think highly of themselves.", "They are supposed to benefit themselves.", "They can not adjust themselves.", "First they must manage themselves." ], "question": "Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style.Experts on leadership will quickly point out that\"how things get done\" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things.When a noted leader on the art of management,Peter Drucker,coined the phrase\"Management is doing things right;leadership is doing the right things,\"he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms. When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute,explored leadership styles in the past decade,he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals.His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example,which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic and the personality ethic.The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments; To achieve a desired _ for your business, it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to\"put first things first,\" which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy. How Can leaders enjoy outstanding success in their work environments,according to Stephen Covey?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "Universal principles of effectiveness.", "Values,abilities and strengths.", "Good qualities such as modesty.", "Courage as well as patience." ], "question": "Leadership is the most significant word in today's competitive business environment because it directs the manager of a business to focus inward on their personal abilities and style.Experts on leadership will quickly point out that\"how things get done\" influences the success of the outcomes and indicates a right way and a wrong way to do things.When a noted leader on the art of management,Peter Drucker,coined the phrase\"Management is doing things right;leadership is doing the right things,\"he was seeking to clarify the distinctions he associates with the terms. When Stephen Covey, founder and director of the Leadership Institute,explored leadership styles in the past decade,he focused on the habits of a great number of highly effective individuals.His Seven Habits of Highly Effective People became a popular bestseller very quickly. His ideas forced a reexamination of the early leadership example,which centered on the feature that was found in the character ethic and the personality ethic.The former ethic suggested success was founded on modesty, loyalty, courage, patience, and so on. The personality ethic suggested it was one's attitude, not behavior, that inspired success, and this ethic was founded on a belief of positive mental attitude. In contrast to each of these ideas, Covey advocates that leaders need to understand universal principles of effectiveness, and he highlights how vital it is for leaders to first personally manage themselves if they are to enjoy any hope of outstanding success in their work environments; To achieve a desired _ for your business, it is essential that you have a personal vision of where you are headed and what you value. Business leadership means that managers need to\"put first things first,\" which implies that before leading others, you need to be clear on your own values, abilities, and strengths and be seen as trustworthy. To be good leaders, what must managers pay close attention to?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "It still uses chopsticks.", "It is well decorated.", "The business hour is long.", "The business is not promising." ], "question": "When we walked into Papillon Bleu, a Chinese restaurant around the corner from Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal's Old Port, the sole waiter on duty looked surprised to see us. At 7:45 on a Saturday night, at the height of tourist season, just one young white family sat in the dining room. We walked past them to a table in the back, Chopin drifting quietly from the speakers into the certain shade of dim light that only Chinese restaurants seem to have. At our seats, bright yellow napkins, folded into fans, rested on a blue tablecloth next to cutlery . Sometime in the last 18 years of operation, Papillon Bleu stopped bothering with chopsticks. \"How did you find out about us?\"our waiter politely asked. I told him that my family used to own a Chinese restaurant that served peanut butter dumplings and I wanted to taste them again. Papillon Bleu came up when I googled\"Best Peanut Butter Dumplings in Montreal\". He shook his head and told us that while it might have been the case a few years ago, they had switched peanut butter brands to cut costs. But the significance for me wasn't which brand they used, it was that they served peanut butter dumplings. Commonly known as Hunan dumplings, this specialty exists neither in China, nor anywhere else in North America. Instead, Hunan dumplings are a unique Quebecois tradition, and a slowly dying one, found in the second-generation Chinese family restaurants. Peanut butter dumplings taste exactly how they sound, but also unlike anything else. It is a kind of dumpling that coats your mouth with a distinct store-brand quality, a little too sweet, but buttery, and luxuriously warm, perfectly suited to resist the bone-chilling effects of the Montreal winter. What can we infer about the restaurant?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "By coincidence.", "By frequent visits.", "By searching online.", "By others' recommendation." ], "question": "When we walked into Papillon Bleu, a Chinese restaurant around the corner from Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal's Old Port, the sole waiter on duty looked surprised to see us. At 7:45 on a Saturday night, at the height of tourist season, just one young white family sat in the dining room. We walked past them to a table in the back, Chopin drifting quietly from the speakers into the certain shade of dim light that only Chinese restaurants seem to have. At our seats, bright yellow napkins, folded into fans, rested on a blue tablecloth next to cutlery . Sometime in the last 18 years of operation, Papillon Bleu stopped bothering with chopsticks. \"How did you find out about us?\"our waiter politely asked. I told him that my family used to own a Chinese restaurant that served peanut butter dumplings and I wanted to taste them again. Papillon Bleu came up when I googled\"Best Peanut Butter Dumplings in Montreal\". He shook his head and told us that while it might have been the case a few years ago, they had switched peanut butter brands to cut costs. But the significance for me wasn't which brand they used, it was that they served peanut butter dumplings. Commonly known as Hunan dumplings, this specialty exists neither in China, nor anywhere else in North America. Instead, Hunan dumplings are a unique Quebecois tradition, and a slowly dying one, found in the second-generation Chinese family restaurants. Peanut butter dumplings taste exactly how they sound, but also unlike anything else. It is a kind of dumpling that coats your mouth with a distinct store-brand quality, a little too sweet, but buttery, and luxuriously warm, perfectly suited to resist the bone-chilling effects of the Montreal winter. How did the author find the restaurant?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Freezing.", "Mild.", "Cool.", "Warm." ], "question": "When we walked into Papillon Bleu, a Chinese restaurant around the corner from Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal's Old Port, the sole waiter on duty looked surprised to see us. At 7:45 on a Saturday night, at the height of tourist season, just one young white family sat in the dining room. We walked past them to a table in the back, Chopin drifting quietly from the speakers into the certain shade of dim light that only Chinese restaurants seem to have. At our seats, bright yellow napkins, folded into fans, rested on a blue tablecloth next to cutlery . Sometime in the last 18 years of operation, Papillon Bleu stopped bothering with chopsticks. \"How did you find out about us?\"our waiter politely asked. I told him that my family used to own a Chinese restaurant that served peanut butter dumplings and I wanted to taste them again. Papillon Bleu came up when I googled\"Best Peanut Butter Dumplings in Montreal\". He shook his head and told us that while it might have been the case a few years ago, they had switched peanut butter brands to cut costs. But the significance for me wasn't which brand they used, it was that they served peanut butter dumplings. Commonly known as Hunan dumplings, this specialty exists neither in China, nor anywhere else in North America. Instead, Hunan dumplings are a unique Quebecois tradition, and a slowly dying one, found in the second-generation Chinese family restaurants. Peanut butter dumplings taste exactly how they sound, but also unlike anything else. It is a kind of dumpling that coats your mouth with a distinct store-brand quality, a little too sweet, but buttery, and luxuriously warm, perfectly suited to resist the bone-chilling effects of the Montreal winter. What does the author think of the Montreal winter?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Humorous.", "Curious.", "Disappointed.", "Affectionate." ], "question": "When we walked into Papillon Bleu, a Chinese restaurant around the corner from Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal's Old Port, the sole waiter on duty looked surprised to see us. At 7:45 on a Saturday night, at the height of tourist season, just one young white family sat in the dining room. We walked past them to a table in the back, Chopin drifting quietly from the speakers into the certain shade of dim light that only Chinese restaurants seem to have. At our seats, bright yellow napkins, folded into fans, rested on a blue tablecloth next to cutlery . Sometime in the last 18 years of operation, Papillon Bleu stopped bothering with chopsticks. \"How did you find out about us?\"our waiter politely asked. I told him that my family used to own a Chinese restaurant that served peanut butter dumplings and I wanted to taste them again. Papillon Bleu came up when I googled\"Best Peanut Butter Dumplings in Montreal\". He shook his head and told us that while it might have been the case a few years ago, they had switched peanut butter brands to cut costs. But the significance for me wasn't which brand they used, it was that they served peanut butter dumplings. Commonly known as Hunan dumplings, this specialty exists neither in China, nor anywhere else in North America. Instead, Hunan dumplings are a unique Quebecois tradition, and a slowly dying one, found in the second-generation Chinese family restaurants. Peanut butter dumplings taste exactly how they sound, but also unlike anything else. It is a kind of dumpling that coats your mouth with a distinct store-brand quality, a little too sweet, but buttery, and luxuriously warm, perfectly suited to resist the bone-chilling effects of the Montreal winter. How does the author sound when telling the story?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "the less pressure it is, the less carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid", "the deeper one dives into the ocean, the less gas is dissolved in the water", "the greater pressure it is, the more carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid", "the deeper one dives into the ocean, the more gas is dissolved in the water" ], "question": "Alan Izhar-Bodner, an Israeli inventor, has developed a swimming suit for divers to breathe underwater without carrying heavy oxygen tanks. His suit makes use of the air that is dissolved in water, just like fish do. The system uses the Henry Law which states that the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the pressure on the liquid. Raise the pressure ---more gas can be dissolved in the liquid. Decrease the pressure --- less gas dissolved in the liquid releases the gas. This is exactly what happens when you open a can of soda; carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid and is under pressure in the can. Open the can, releasing the pressure, and the gas fizzes out. Bodner's System obviously uses a special machine to lower pressure in part of a small amount of seawater taken into the system; dissolved gas is taken out. The patent reads: A self-contained open-circuit breathing instrument for use within a body of water naturally containing dissolved air. The instrument is adapted to provide breathable air. The instrument contains an inlet for taking out a quantity of water from the body of water. It further contains a separator for separating the dissolved air from the quantity of water, thus gaining the breathable air. The instrument further contains an outlet for expelling the separated water back into the body of water, and another outlet for removing the breathable air and supplying it for breathing. The air is supplied so as to enable it to be expelled back into the body of water after it has been breathed . Human beings have been thinking about how to breathe underwater since they started swimming. This long-held desire plays an important part in one of the first great science fiction novels, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It can be inferred from the passage that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "how Bodner invented the instrument for breathing underwater", "why Bodner invented the instrument for breathing underwater", "how Bodner's instrument for breathing underwater works", "how Bodner's instrument is used by divers for breathing underwater" ], "question": "Alan Izhar-Bodner, an Israeli inventor, has developed a swimming suit for divers to breathe underwater without carrying heavy oxygen tanks. His suit makes use of the air that is dissolved in water, just like fish do. The system uses the Henry Law which states that the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the pressure on the liquid. Raise the pressure ---more gas can be dissolved in the liquid. Decrease the pressure --- less gas dissolved in the liquid releases the gas. This is exactly what happens when you open a can of soda; carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid and is under pressure in the can. Open the can, releasing the pressure, and the gas fizzes out. Bodner's System obviously uses a special machine to lower pressure in part of a small amount of seawater taken into the system; dissolved gas is taken out. The patent reads: A self-contained open-circuit breathing instrument for use within a body of water naturally containing dissolved air. The instrument is adapted to provide breathable air. The instrument contains an inlet for taking out a quantity of water from the body of water. It further contains a separator for separating the dissolved air from the quantity of water, thus gaining the breathable air. The instrument further contains an outlet for expelling the separated water back into the body of water, and another outlet for removing the breathable air and supplying it for breathing. The air is supplied so as to enable it to be expelled back into the body of water after it has been breathed . Human beings have been thinking about how to breathe underwater since they started swimming. This long-held desire plays an important part in one of the first great science fiction novels, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This passage is mainly about _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "a separator is used to expel breathable air back into the body of water", "a separator is used to separate the air from the water so as to make use of the water", "The breathable air removed from an outlet will eventually go back to the body of water.", "The breathable air removed from an outlet will immediately go back to the body of water." ], "question": "Alan Izhar-Bodner, an Israeli inventor, has developed a swimming suit for divers to breathe underwater without carrying heavy oxygen tanks. His suit makes use of the air that is dissolved in water, just like fish do. The system uses the Henry Law which states that the amount of gas that can be dissolved in a liquid is proportional to the pressure on the liquid. Raise the pressure ---more gas can be dissolved in the liquid. Decrease the pressure --- less gas dissolved in the liquid releases the gas. This is exactly what happens when you open a can of soda; carbon dioxide gas is dissolved in the liquid and is under pressure in the can. Open the can, releasing the pressure, and the gas fizzes out. Bodner's System obviously uses a special machine to lower pressure in part of a small amount of seawater taken into the system; dissolved gas is taken out. The patent reads: A self-contained open-circuit breathing instrument for use within a body of water naturally containing dissolved air. The instrument is adapted to provide breathable air. The instrument contains an inlet for taking out a quantity of water from the body of water. It further contains a separator for separating the dissolved air from the quantity of water, thus gaining the breathable air. The instrument further contains an outlet for expelling the separated water back into the body of water, and another outlet for removing the breathable air and supplying it for breathing. The air is supplied so as to enable it to be expelled back into the body of water after it has been breathed . Human beings have been thinking about how to breathe underwater since they started swimming. This long-held desire plays an important part in one of the first great science fiction novels, Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. From the passage we learn that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "They can be found in most big bookstores.", "They are much cheaper than printed books.", "They can be listened to anywhere you like.", "They can be borrowed from libraries." ], "question": "Reading books has long been a way to relax.However,in this modern age of computers,the Internet,DVD movies and MP3 players,the simple act of reading a book has taken a back seat.People want something more interactive than just pages to turn.We seem to be turning away from the joy of reading a good book,but there is an answer. Audio books have been around for a long time.But most people think that audio books are just for people with eyesight problems.This is one of their uses,of course,but it is far from the full story. Audio books are in the form of either cassette tapes or CDs.The beauty of them is that the whole story is read often by well-known actors and actresses.It is like having your own play.There are many kinds of audio books,so you are sure to find one that suits your tastes.The really good thing of listening to an audio book is that you can listen to it wherever you want to. Audio books do not just tell stories--they also provide language lessons.Imagine learning to speak a number of key Japanese phrases while you do the ironing,or learning basic French while doing the housework.Audio books can be found in most big bookstores,as well as over the Internet.There are books for people of all ages,including kids.If you are a member of a local library,you will also find audio books to borrow,so you can try one and decide if you really want to buy one. In the writer's opinion,which of the following is a really good thing of audio books?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "to take part in competitions", "to cheer for their favorite teams", "to be quick and strong", "to be good high jumpers" ], "question": "Cheerleaders arc part of athletic competitions throughout the United States. As their name says they lead the crowd in cheering for the team it likes best. About five years ago. cheerleaders were considered to be simply entertainers. Today there is much more Cheerleading in America which has become another form of athletic competition. Cheerleaders today are expected to be gymnasts and dancers. They 'are expected to be quick and strong. Many . cheerleaders are better athletes than the boys and girls on sports teams. High school cheerleading especially has become more difficult. The students must be in top physical shape. They must be able to jump high, turn circles in the air and lift each other. Teachers say this is the result of the influence of college cheerleaders. High school students watch college football and basketball games on TV. They see how the cheerleaders throw each other into the air and perform difficult athletic movements. They want to do the same thing. There is one big difference between the two groups. however. College cheerleaders in America are young men and women. The men do most of the lifting. At most high schools only girls are cheerleaders. It's very difficult for them to hold others on their shoulders and throw them into the air. There are a number of ways high school cheerleaders are improving their skills. They are exercising and lifting weights to increase their strength. And they are attending camps during the summer holidays to learn new techniques. Cheerleaders test their skills by taking part in competitions against cheerleaders from other schools. just like other athletes. Coaches at some high schools say this new kind of athletic cheer leading has caused some problems . They say girls who were soccer and basketball players are now competing for places on a cheer leading team. As more girls attempt to become cheerleaders, sports teams suffer from a lack of good players. Whatcheerleaders should do is to lead the crowd _", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "They should be quick and strong.", "They are expected to be dancers and singers.", "They must be in top physical shape.", "They must be able to jump high." ], "question": "Cheerleaders arc part of athletic competitions throughout the United States. As their name says they lead the crowd in cheering for the team it likes best. About five years ago. cheerleaders were considered to be simply entertainers. Today there is much more Cheerleading in America which has become another form of athletic competition. Cheerleaders today are expected to be gymnasts and dancers. They 'are expected to be quick and strong. Many . cheerleaders are better athletes than the boys and girls on sports teams. High school cheerleading especially has become more difficult. The students must be in top physical shape. They must be able to jump high, turn circles in the air and lift each other. Teachers say this is the result of the influence of college cheerleaders. High school students watch college football and basketball games on TV. They see how the cheerleaders throw each other into the air and perform difficult athletic movements. They want to do the same thing. There is one big difference between the two groups. however. College cheerleaders in America are young men and women. The men do most of the lifting. At most high schools only girls are cheerleaders. It's very difficult for them to hold others on their shoulders and throw them into the air. There are a number of ways high school cheerleaders are improving their skills. They are exercising and lifting weights to increase their strength. And they are attending camps during the summer holidays to learn new techniques. Cheerleaders test their skills by taking part in competitions against cheerleaders from other schools. just like other athletes. Coaches at some high schools say this new kind of athletic cheer leading has caused some problems . They say girls who were soccer and basketball players are now competing for places on a cheer leading team. As more girls attempt to become cheerleaders, sports teams suffer from a lack of good players. Which of the following sentences is NOT true about cheerleaders?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Cheerleaders are part of athletic competitions.", ". Why cheerleaders are so important.", "What makes good cheerleaders and how they work.", "Differences between college and high school cheerleaders" ], "question": "Cheerleaders arc part of athletic competitions throughout the United States. As their name says they lead the crowd in cheering for the team it likes best. About five years ago. cheerleaders were considered to be simply entertainers. Today there is much more Cheerleading in America which has become another form of athletic competition. Cheerleaders today are expected to be gymnasts and dancers. They 'are expected to be quick and strong. Many . cheerleaders are better athletes than the boys and girls on sports teams. High school cheerleading especially has become more difficult. The students must be in top physical shape. They must be able to jump high, turn circles in the air and lift each other. Teachers say this is the result of the influence of college cheerleaders. High school students watch college football and basketball games on TV. They see how the cheerleaders throw each other into the air and perform difficult athletic movements. They want to do the same thing. There is one big difference between the two groups. however. College cheerleaders in America are young men and women. The men do most of the lifting. At most high schools only girls are cheerleaders. It's very difficult for them to hold others on their shoulders and throw them into the air. There are a number of ways high school cheerleaders are improving their skills. They are exercising and lifting weights to increase their strength. And they are attending camps during the summer holidays to learn new techniques. Cheerleaders test their skills by taking part in competitions against cheerleaders from other schools. just like other athletes. Coaches at some high schools say this new kind of athletic cheer leading has caused some problems . They say girls who were soccer and basketball players are now competing for places on a cheer leading team. As more girls attempt to become cheerleaders, sports teams suffer from a lack of good players. What is the main idea of this passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "start her own company", "teach her children at home", "stay at home to raise her children", "help her husband with his business" ], "question": "Cherie Blair has attacked \"yummy mummies\" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to \"marry a rich husband and retire\" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who \"put all their effort into their children\" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. \"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me.\" The term \"yummy mummy\" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: \"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby.\" Often in the headlines during her husband's premiership, Mrs Blair has taken a more active public role since he left office in 2007, setting up a charitable foundation to support women setting up their own firms in developing countries. If some one is a yummy mummy, she is most likely to _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "try to balance their work and their family life", "try to find rich husbands and make life easier", "sacrifice their own careers to look after their children", "devote most of their time to their careers" ], "question": "Cherie Blair has attacked \"yummy mummies\" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to \"marry a rich husband and retire\" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who \"put all their effort into their children\" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. \"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me.\" The term \"yummy mummy\" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: \"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby.\" Often in the headlines during her husband's premiership, Mrs Blair has taken a more active public role since he left office in 2007, setting up a charitable foundation to support women setting up their own firms in developing countries. Mrs Blair might support the women who _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "The number of working mothers has dropped since 1996.", "Mrs. Blair worked even when her husband was Prime Minister", "Most women in Britain would like to be yummy mommies.", "Mrs. Blair was worried about those working mothers." ], "question": "Cherie Blair has attacked \"yummy mummies\" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to \"marry a rich husband and retire\" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who \"put all their effort into their children\" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. \"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me.\" The term \"yummy mummy\" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: \"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby.\" Often in the headlines during her husband's premiership, Mrs Blair has taken a more active public role since he left office in 2007, setting up a charitable foundation to support women setting up their own firms in developing countries. We know from the passage that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Mrs Blair didn't attract much media's attention when her husband was Prime Minister", "Mrs Blair must have had a happy and quiet childhood.", "Mrs Blair hasn't appear much in public since her husband left office in 2007", "Mrs Blair has been helping women to be independent." ], "question": "Cherie Blair has attacked \"yummy mummies\" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to \"marry a rich husband and retire\" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who \"put all their effort into their children\" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. \"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me.\" The term \"yummy mummy\" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: \"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby.\" Often in the headlines during her husband's premiership, Mrs Blair has taken a more active public role since he left office in 2007, setting up a charitable foundation to support women setting up their own firms in developing countries. Which of the following statements is true about Mrs. Blair?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "a fashion book", "a text book", "a newspaper", "a science magazine" ], "question": "Cherie Blair has attacked \"yummy mummies\" who focus on raising their children at the expense of their careers, suggesting their children lack a sense of independence. The wife of the then British Prime Minister also accused some young women of seeking to \"marry a rich husband and retire\" instead of working. Mrs Blair, a QC and mother of four, criticized women who \"put all their effort into their children\" instead of working. Mothers who go out to work are setting a better example for their children, she said. Some women regard motherhood as an acceptable alternative to a career. Instead, women should strive for both. \"Every woman needs to be self-sufficient and in that way you really don't have a choice-for your own satisfaction; you hear these yummy mummies talk about being the best possible mother and they put all their effort into their children. I also want to be the best possible mother, but I know that my job as a mother includes bringing my children up so actually they can live without me.\" The term \"yummy mummy\" is generally used to refer to a woman whose husband's wealth allows her to devote herself full-time to her children and her appearance. In fact, despite Mrs Blair's worries about non-working mothers, official statistics show that the proportion of mothers who work has actually risen steadily in recent years. According to the Office for National Statistics, 66 percent of mothers are now in some form of paid work. In 1996, the figure was 61 percent. The number of working mothers is now around 5.3 million, up from 4.5 million in 1996. Speaking to Fortune magazine's Most Powerful Women event in Claridge's, Mrs Blair appeared to accuse some young women of lacking professional ambition, focusing on their prospective partner's career instead of their own. Mrs Blair said her view was informed by her own experience of her father abandoning her mother when she was a child. But she insisted that all women should make sure they can provide for themselves: \"Even good men could have an accident or die and you're left holding the baby.\" Often in the headlines during her husband's premiership, Mrs Blair has taken a more active public role since he left office in 2007, setting up a charitable foundation to support women setting up their own firms in developing countries. The passage might be taken from _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "drinking hot tea and smoking", "drinking alcohol and smoking", "working in the kitchen and smoking", "taking sunbaths and drinking alcohol" ], "question": "Residents of Golestan Province in northern Iran have one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world. They don't drink alcohol or smoke--the two primary risk factors for the disease in the west--but they do consume tea, nearly 1.2 liters per day, on average. So local researchers set out looking for a connection. They employed 300 esophageal cancer patients who were diagnosed in the eastern part of Golestan and matched them up with 571 healthy controls who shared their age, gender and place of residence. All but one of them drank tea, and they gave interviewers information about their tea consumption and brewing habits. Teaming up with investigators from the U.S., England, France and Sweden, the researchers calculated that people who said they drank \"hot\" tea (149 to 156 degrees Fahrenheit) were more than twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer as people who said they drank the beverage \"warm\" or \"lukewarm\" (less than 140 degrees). Those who said they took their tea \"very hot\" (at least 158 degrees) were more than eight times as likely to get esophageal cancer, according to the study, published online Thursday in the British Medical Journal. The scientists have now connected it with esophageal cancer. The problem doesn't appear to be the tea itself, but the temperature at which it is consumed, their study found. The researchers also asked people how long they waited to drink their tea after pouring it. Those who said they waited two to three minutes were nearly 2.5 times more likely to develop the cancer compared with people who said they waited at least four minutes. Impatient tea drinkers who waited less than two minutes were 5.4 times as likely to be diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the study found. The study didn't assess the mechanism linking hot tea to esophageal cancer, but the researchers said the temperature of the liquid was almost certainly to blame rather than the compounds in the tea itself. According to the passage, _ were thought to be two main causes of esophageal cancer.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Drinking Tea with Patience", "An Esophageal Cancer Stricken Area", "Temperature and Esophageal Cancer", "Various Causes of Cancer" ], "question": "Residents of Golestan Province in northern Iran have one of the highest rates of esophageal cancer in the world. They don't drink alcohol or smoke--the two primary risk factors for the disease in the west--but they do consume tea, nearly 1.2 liters per day, on average. So local researchers set out looking for a connection. They employed 300 esophageal cancer patients who were diagnosed in the eastern part of Golestan and matched them up with 571 healthy controls who shared their age, gender and place of residence. All but one of them drank tea, and they gave interviewers information about their tea consumption and brewing habits. Teaming up with investigators from the U.S., England, France and Sweden, the researchers calculated that people who said they drank \"hot\" tea (149 to 156 degrees Fahrenheit) were more than twice as likely to develop esophageal cancer as people who said they drank the beverage \"warm\" or \"lukewarm\" (less than 140 degrees). Those who said they took their tea \"very hot\" (at least 158 degrees) were more than eight times as likely to get esophageal cancer, according to the study, published online Thursday in the British Medical Journal. The scientists have now connected it with esophageal cancer. The problem doesn't appear to be the tea itself, but the temperature at which it is consumed, their study found. The researchers also asked people how long they waited to drink their tea after pouring it. Those who said they waited two to three minutes were nearly 2.5 times more likely to develop the cancer compared with people who said they waited at least four minutes. Impatient tea drinkers who waited less than two minutes were 5.4 times as likely to be diagnosed with esophageal cancer, the study found. The study didn't assess the mechanism linking hot tea to esophageal cancer, but the researchers said the temperature of the liquid was almost certainly to blame rather than the compounds in the tea itself. Which would be the best title for this passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Conflicts between students of different races are unavoidable.", "Students of different races are prejudiced against each other.", "Interracial lodging does more harm than good.", "Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes." ], "question": "Several recent studies have found that being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict. Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and compel students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships. An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure. In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye - the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that \"if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove.\" Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences. According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out. An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester. Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. \"This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race,\" she said. At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing. \"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly,\" said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. \"This is the definition of integration.\" \"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes and reinforced stereotypes,\" said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts \"provided more multicultural acceptance and melding ,\" there were also \"jarring cultural confrontations.\" The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race. Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained. What can we learn from some recent studies?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "White students tend to look down upon their black peers.", "Black students can compete with their white peers academically.", "Black students feel somewhat embarrassed among white peers during the freshman year.", "Being surrounded by white peers motivates a black student to work harder to succeed." ], "question": "Several recent studies have found that being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict. Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and compel students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships. An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure. In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye - the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that \"if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove.\" Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences. According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out. An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester. Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. \"This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race,\" she said. At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing. \"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly,\" said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. \"This is the definition of integration.\" \"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes and reinforced stereotypes,\" said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts \"provided more multicultural acceptance and melding ,\" there were also \"jarring cultural confrontations.\" The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race. Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained. What does Sam Boakye's remark mean?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race.", "Students of different races are required to share a room.", "Interracial lodging is arranged by the school for freshmen.", "Lodging is assigned to students of different races without exception." ], "question": "Several recent studies have found that being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict. Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and compel students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships. An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure. In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye - the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that \"if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove.\" Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences. According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out. An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester. Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. \"This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race,\" she said. At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing. \"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly,\" said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. \"This is the definition of integration.\" \"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes and reinforced stereotypes,\" said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts \"provided more multicultural acceptance and melding ,\" there were also \"jarring cultural confrontations.\" The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race. Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained. What does Alec Webley consider to be the \"definition of integration\"?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "are growing in numbers", "are also found in middle-class neighborhoods", "watch too much television during the day", "suffer problems from being left alone" ], "question": "For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They're children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern. Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, \"We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys, it never came to my mind what they meant.\" Slowly, she learned they were house keys. She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety. The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volume. It's hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone. The main idea about \"latchkey children\" is that they _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "tiredness", "freedom", "loneliness", "fear" ], "question": "For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They're children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern. Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, \"We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys, it never came to my mind what they meant.\" Slowly, she learned they were house keys. She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety. The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volume. It's hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone", "latchkey children try to hide their feeling", "latchkey children often watch TV with their parents", "it's difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are" ], "question": "For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They're children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern. Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, \"We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys, it never came to my mind what they meant.\" Slowly, she learned they were house keys. She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety. The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volume. It's hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone. We may draw a conclusion that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "The girl got over her disease just by imagining.", "It was because of her strong determination and constant efforts that she got walking again.", "The girl was on top of the world when she moved the bed in her room.", "Doctors believe imagining being healthy helps patients recover." ], "question": "Eleven-year-old Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system.She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well.The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness.They predicted she'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.They said that few,if any,were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease.The little girl was _ .There,lying in her hospital bed,she would vow to anyone who'd listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday. She was transferred to a specialized hospital in the San Francisco Bay area.Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used.The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit.They taught her about imaging--about seeing herself walking.If it would do nothing else,it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed.Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy,in whirlpools and in exercise sessions.But she worked just as hard lying there faithfully doing her imaging;visualizing herself moving,moving,moving! One day,as she was staining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again,it seemed as though a miracle happened:The bed moved!It began to move around the room!She screamed out,\"Look what I'm doing!Look!Look!I can do it!I moved,I moved!\" Of course,at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming,too,and running for cover.People were screaming,equipment was falling and glass was breaking.You see,it was the recent San Francisco earthquake.But don't tell that to Angela.She's convinced that she did it.And now only a few years later,she's back in school. _ Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Did The Earth Move For You?", "A Miracle Made by a Young Girl", "A Young Girl Conquered Disease", "Strong Will Defeats Illness" ], "question": "Eleven-year-old Angela was stricken with a debilitating disease involving her nervous system.She was unable to walk and her movement was restricted in other ways as well.The doctors did not hold out much hope of her ever recovering from this illness.They predicted she'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.They said that few,if any,were able to come back to normal after contracting this disease.The little girl was _ .There,lying in her hospital bed,she would vow to anyone who'd listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday. She was transferred to a specialized hospital in the San Francisco Bay area.Whatever therapies could be applied to her case were used.The therapists were charmed by her undefeatable spirit.They taught her about imaging--about seeing herself walking.If it would do nothing else,it would at least give her hope and something positive to do in the long waking hours in her bed.Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy,in whirlpools and in exercise sessions.But she worked just as hard lying there faithfully doing her imaging;visualizing herself moving,moving,moving! One day,as she was staining with all her might to imagine her legs moving again,it seemed as though a miracle happened:The bed moved!It began to move around the room!She screamed out,\"Look what I'm doing!Look!Look!I can do it!I moved,I moved!\" Of course,at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming,too,and running for cover.People were screaming,equipment was falling and glass was breaking.You see,it was the recent San Francisco earthquake.But don't tell that to Angela.She's convinced that she did it.And now only a few years later,she's back in school. _ What might be a good title for the text?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "when she was just a little child", "when she was at school four years ago", "after she was at school four years ago", "when she began to study in a big hospital" ], "question": "My friend Alice decided to be a nurse when she was four years old. She always to play at \"doctors and nurses\" with her playmates. When she left school last year, she still wanted to be a real nurse. Late September she started her studies in a big hospital in Newcastle. She had to work very hard. She went to classes every day and studied late at night. Then a really important day came: her first day in a ward . At last she was really helping sick people, not just sitting in classes or learning from books. At first, student nurses do lots of odd jobs in the ward. They help to serve meals, or wash the patients. They also keep the ward tidy and make the beds. But they cannot give injections or help the doctors. One of Alice's first jobs was in a ward of old people. She was told to clean all the patients' false teeth. She collected all the teeth and took them to the bathroom. Instead of cleaning each set of teeth one by one, she put them all into a big bowl. \"It'll be quicker this way,\" she said to herself. \"Then I can give back everyone's teeth in a few minutes.\" Give back everyone's teeth! Alice stood in the middle of the ward with her big bowl of teeth. She had no idea which teeth belonged to which old man! You can imagine the confusion of the next half-hour when each patient came to find his own teeth! Alice made up her mind to be a nurse _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "from the second day", "before her studies of nursing", "as a student nurse", "late at night" ], "question": "My friend Alice decided to be a nurse when she was four years old. She always to play at \"doctors and nurses\" with her playmates. When she left school last year, she still wanted to be a real nurse. Late September she started her studies in a big hospital in Newcastle. She had to work very hard. She went to classes every day and studied late at night. Then a really important day came: her first day in a ward . At last she was really helping sick people, not just sitting in classes or learning from books. At first, student nurses do lots of odd jobs in the ward. They help to serve meals, or wash the patients. They also keep the ward tidy and make the beds. But they cannot give injections or help the doctors. One of Alice's first jobs was in a ward of old people. She was told to clean all the patients' false teeth. She collected all the teeth and took them to the bathroom. Instead of cleaning each set of teeth one by one, she put them all into a big bowl. \"It'll be quicker this way,\" she said to herself. \"Then I can give back everyone's teeth in a few minutes.\" Give back everyone's teeth! Alice stood in the middle of the ward with her big bowl of teeth. She had no idea which teeth belonged to which old man! You can imagine the confusion of the next half-hour when each patient came to find his own teeth! At the hospital Alice began to work in a ward _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "do dangerous jobs", "give sick people injections", "do lots of small jobs", "help the doctors" ], "question": "My friend Alice decided to be a nurse when she was four years old. She always to play at \"doctors and nurses\" with her playmates. When she left school last year, she still wanted to be a real nurse. Late September she started her studies in a big hospital in Newcastle. She had to work very hard. She went to classes every day and studied late at night. Then a really important day came: her first day in a ward . At last she was really helping sick people, not just sitting in classes or learning from books. At first, student nurses do lots of odd jobs in the ward. They help to serve meals, or wash the patients. They also keep the ward tidy and make the beds. But they cannot give injections or help the doctors. One of Alice's first jobs was in a ward of old people. She was told to clean all the patients' false teeth. She collected all the teeth and took them to the bathroom. Instead of cleaning each set of teeth one by one, she put them all into a big bowl. \"It'll be quicker this way,\" she said to herself. \"Then I can give back everyone's teeth in a few minutes.\" Give back everyone's teeth! Alice stood in the middle of the ward with her big bowl of teeth. She had no idea which teeth belonged to which old man! You can imagine the confusion of the next half-hour when each patient came to find his own teeth! Student nurses usually _ in the ward at first.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "to serve meals", "to clean the patients' false teeth", "to wash the patients", "to keep the ward tidy" ], "question": "My friend Alice decided to be a nurse when she was four years old. She always to play at \"doctors and nurses\" with her playmates. When she left school last year, she still wanted to be a real nurse. Late September she started her studies in a big hospital in Newcastle. She had to work very hard. She went to classes every day and studied late at night. Then a really important day came: her first day in a ward . At last she was really helping sick people, not just sitting in classes or learning from books. At first, student nurses do lots of odd jobs in the ward. They help to serve meals, or wash the patients. They also keep the ward tidy and make the beds. But they cannot give injections or help the doctors. One of Alice's first jobs was in a ward of old people. She was told to clean all the patients' false teeth. She collected all the teeth and took them to the bathroom. Instead of cleaning each set of teeth one by one, she put them all into a big bowl. \"It'll be quicker this way,\" she said to herself. \"Then I can give back everyone's teeth in a few minutes.\" Give back everyone's teeth! Alice stood in the middle of the ward with her big bowl of teeth. She had no idea which teeth belonged to which old man! You can imagine the confusion of the next half-hour when each patient came to find his own teeth! One day Alice was told _ in the ward of old people.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "the announcement", "media conference", "fast growing registered users", "the benefits of Facebook" ], "question": "Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK,about half the population. Joanna Shields,vice president of Facebook Europe,made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London. She said: \"We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK,which we are really excited about.\" Globally,Facebook has more than 500 million registered users,a milestone it hit last summer.Last July,it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users.In the last eight months,it has attracted four million extra UK users,bringing the UK total to 30 million,while in January 2009,Facebook had only 150 million registered users. Last year,Zuckerberg,Facebook's founder,said it was \"almost a guarantee\" that the site would hit one billion users.He explained: \"If we succeed in innovating,there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people...it will be interesting to see how it comes true.\" One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up,before even going to the toilet,according to research.Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night,while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network,a study by Oxygen Media found. Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites,such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis.\"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits\",Shields said. Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was \"silly\" that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends. What is Joanna Shields content with?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "negative", "optimistic", "cold", "pessimistic" ], "question": "Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK,about half the population. Joanna Shields,vice president of Facebook Europe,made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London. She said: \"We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK,which we are really excited about.\" Globally,Facebook has more than 500 million registered users,a milestone it hit last summer.Last July,it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users.In the last eight months,it has attracted four million extra UK users,bringing the UK total to 30 million,while in January 2009,Facebook had only 150 million registered users. Last year,Zuckerberg,Facebook's founder,said it was \"almost a guarantee\" that the site would hit one billion users.He explained: \"If we succeed in innovating,there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people...it will be interesting to see how it comes true.\" One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up,before even going to the toilet,according to research.Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night,while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network,a study by Oxygen Media found. Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites,such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis.\"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits\",Shields said. Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was \"silly\" that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends. Zuckerberg,Facebook's founder,take a more _ view about the future of Facebook.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "teenagers", "middle-aged people", "old people", "young people" ], "question": "Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK,about half the population. Joanna Shields,vice president of Facebook Europe,made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London. She said: \"We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK,which we are really excited about.\" Globally,Facebook has more than 500 million registered users,a milestone it hit last summer.Last July,it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users.In the last eight months,it has attracted four million extra UK users,bringing the UK total to 30 million,while in January 2009,Facebook had only 150 million registered users. Last year,Zuckerberg,Facebook's founder,said it was \"almost a guarantee\" that the site would hit one billion users.He explained: \"If we succeed in innovating,there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people...it will be interesting to see how it comes true.\" One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up,before even going to the toilet,according to research.Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night,while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network,a study by Oxygen Media found. Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites,such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis.\"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits\",Shields said. Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was \"silly\" that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends. What kind of people are more interested in Facebook according to the passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system", "Google didn't allow its users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends", "Shields refused to admit the power Facebook's referrals could bring", "Google was always silly" ], "question": "Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK,about half the population. Joanna Shields,vice president of Facebook Europe,made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London. She said: \"We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK,which we are really excited about.\" Globally,Facebook has more than 500 million registered users,a milestone it hit last summer.Last July,it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users.In the last eight months,it has attracted four million extra UK users,bringing the UK total to 30 million,while in January 2009,Facebook had only 150 million registered users. Last year,Zuckerberg,Facebook's founder,said it was \"almost a guarantee\" that the site would hit one billion users.He explained: \"If we succeed in innovating,there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people...it will be interesting to see how it comes true.\" One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up,before even going to the toilet,according to research.Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night,while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network,a study by Oxygen Media found. Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites,such as newspapers and TV services. She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis.\"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits\",Shields said. Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was \"silly\" that Google had recently disabled the feature which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends. From the passage we know that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "have a good exercise for their brain", "lose their short memory of its plots", "are willing to pay a high price for tickets", "react the same way as those watching it in 2D" ], "question": "Paying a higher price than usual for a ticket to see a film in 3D is the annoyance of many a cinema-goer's life. But there may be a benefit to doing so, as a study has found that 3D films exercise the brain and improve short-term functioning in a similar way to brain-training tests. The research found that people who watched a movie in 3D improved cognitive skills, compared to those who watched it in 2D. The research was led by neuroscientist Dr Patrick Fagan from Goldsmiths University in London. More than 100 people took part in the experiment, where participants watched Disney filmBig Hero 6in either standard format or RealD 3D. They also carried out a brain-training-style test before and after seeing a section from the film. The test covered memory, reaction times and cognitive function and the results were compared later. According to the research, which was carried out in partnership with science group Thrill Laboratory, participants experienced a 23 percent increase in cognitive processing, as well as an 11 percent increase in reaction times. Dr Fagan said that the results showed enough of an improvement in brain function to suggest that 3D could play a part in improving brain power in the future. \"These findings are more significant than you might think,\" he said. \"It is a fact that people are living longer and there is a noticeable decline in cognitive brain function in old age which can worsen future quality of life. There has never been a better time to look at ways to improve brain function. The initial results of this study show that 3D films may potentially play a role in slowing this decline.\" A second part of the experiment involved those watching the film being fitted with headsets that scanned brain activity and this too showed heightened activity when watching 3D. According to the results, participants were seven percent more engaged with what they were watching, adding to argument that 3D movies are more like watching real-life--something Professor Brendan Walker from Thrill Laboratory agreed with. \"As Professor Brendan Walker's test concluded, 3D films are more attractive and heighten the senses -- this, in turn, makes the brain run at quicker speeds,\" Dr Fagan said. According to the research, people watching a movie in 3D _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "Watching 2D films limits brain function.", "3D would be a contributing factor in improving brain power.", "The test was carried out after the whole film was viewed.", "The participants took the brain-training-style test once." ], "question": "Paying a higher price than usual for a ticket to see a film in 3D is the annoyance of many a cinema-goer's life. But there may be a benefit to doing so, as a study has found that 3D films exercise the brain and improve short-term functioning in a similar way to brain-training tests. The research found that people who watched a movie in 3D improved cognitive skills, compared to those who watched it in 2D. The research was led by neuroscientist Dr Patrick Fagan from Goldsmiths University in London. More than 100 people took part in the experiment, where participants watched Disney filmBig Hero 6in either standard format or RealD 3D. They also carried out a brain-training-style test before and after seeing a section from the film. The test covered memory, reaction times and cognitive function and the results were compared later. According to the research, which was carried out in partnership with science group Thrill Laboratory, participants experienced a 23 percent increase in cognitive processing, as well as an 11 percent increase in reaction times. Dr Fagan said that the results showed enough of an improvement in brain function to suggest that 3D could play a part in improving brain power in the future. \"These findings are more significant than you might think,\" he said. \"It is a fact that people are living longer and there is a noticeable decline in cognitive brain function in old age which can worsen future quality of life. There has never been a better time to look at ways to improve brain function. The initial results of this study show that 3D films may potentially play a role in slowing this decline.\" A second part of the experiment involved those watching the film being fitted with headsets that scanned brain activity and this too showed heightened activity when watching 3D. According to the results, participants were seven percent more engaged with what they were watching, adding to argument that 3D movies are more like watching real-life--something Professor Brendan Walker from Thrill Laboratory agreed with. \"As Professor Brendan Walker's test concluded, 3D films are more attractive and heighten the senses -- this, in turn, makes the brain run at quicker speeds,\" Dr Fagan said. What can be learned from the research?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "a sports newspaper", "a biology textbook", "a science magazine", "a film review" ], "question": "Paying a higher price than usual for a ticket to see a film in 3D is the annoyance of many a cinema-goer's life. But there may be a benefit to doing so, as a study has found that 3D films exercise the brain and improve short-term functioning in a similar way to brain-training tests. The research found that people who watched a movie in 3D improved cognitive skills, compared to those who watched it in 2D. The research was led by neuroscientist Dr Patrick Fagan from Goldsmiths University in London. More than 100 people took part in the experiment, where participants watched Disney filmBig Hero 6in either standard format or RealD 3D. They also carried out a brain-training-style test before and after seeing a section from the film. The test covered memory, reaction times and cognitive function and the results were compared later. According to the research, which was carried out in partnership with science group Thrill Laboratory, participants experienced a 23 percent increase in cognitive processing, as well as an 11 percent increase in reaction times. Dr Fagan said that the results showed enough of an improvement in brain function to suggest that 3D could play a part in improving brain power in the future. \"These findings are more significant than you might think,\" he said. \"It is a fact that people are living longer and there is a noticeable decline in cognitive brain function in old age which can worsen future quality of life. There has never been a better time to look at ways to improve brain function. The initial results of this study show that 3D films may potentially play a role in slowing this decline.\" A second part of the experiment involved those watching the film being fitted with headsets that scanned brain activity and this too showed heightened activity when watching 3D. According to the results, participants were seven percent more engaged with what they were watching, adding to argument that 3D movies are more like watching real-life--something Professor Brendan Walker from Thrill Laboratory agreed with. \"As Professor Brendan Walker's test concluded, 3D films are more attractive and heighten the senses -- this, in turn, makes the brain run at quicker speeds,\" Dr Fagan said. The text is most likely to appear in _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "analyzes the cause of disappointment", "describes his personal experience in dealing with disappointment", "criticizes Helen and Kevin's negative responses to disappointment", "offers specific examples of the ways people deal with disappointment" ], "question": "No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and \"good times\". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. In this passage, the author _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "way", "choice", "place", "job" ], "question": "No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and \"good times\". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. From the context, the word \"option\" (Para.4) means _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "work even harder to get better than her promoted co-worker", "stand the pressure and competition", "win a good opinion from the boss by seeking his advice", "move into another department to have her talent and hard work appreciated" ], "question": "No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and \"good times\". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. In the author's opinion, Helen should _ instead of feeling depressed.", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Disappointment is an inevitable part of life and we have to handle it in a positive way.", "Life is made up of a series of disappointments. We have to accept them.", "There are two kinds of reactions to disappointment.", "Most people react to disappointment in negative ways." ], "question": "No one gets through life without experiencing many disappointments. Strangely, though, most people seem unprepared for disappointment and react to it in negative ways. They feel depressed or try to escape from their troubles instead of using disappointment as an opportunity for growth. One negative reaction to disappointment is depression. A woman trying to win a promotion, for example, works hard for over a year in her department. Helen is so sure she will get the promotion. However, the boss names one of Helen's co-workers for the spot. Deeply depressed, Helen loses her enthusiasm for her job and can barely force herself to show up every day. Helen tells herself that she is a failure and that doing a good job just isn't worth the work. Another negative reaction to disappointment is the desire to escape. Kevin fails to get into the college his brother is attending, the college that was the focus of all his dreams, and decides to escape his disappointment. Why worry about college at all? Instead, he covers up his real feelings by giving up on his school-work and getting completely involved with friends, parties, and \"good times\". The positive way to react to disappointment is to use it as a chance for growth. This isn't easy, but it's the only useful way to deal with an inevitable part of life. Helen, the woman who was not promoted, could have handled her disappointment by looking at other options. If her boss did not recognize her talent and hard work, perhaps she could transfer to another department. Or she could ask the boss how to improve her performance so that she could prepare for the next promotion. Kevin, the boy who didn't get into the college of his choice, should look into other schools. Going to another college may encourage him to be his own person, step out of his brother's shadow, and realize that being turned down by one college isn't a final judgment on his abilities or potential. Disappointments are unwelcome, but regular visitors to everyone's life. We can feel depressed about them or we can try to escape from them. The best thing, though, is to accept a disappointment and then try to use it somehow: Step over the unwelcome visitor on the doorstep and get on with life. Which of the following best expresses the main ides of this selection?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "He told her not to pay any attention to what her\" enemy\" had said.", "He criticized her and told her to overcome her shortcomings.", "He told her to write down all that her\" enemy\" had said about her and payattention only to the things that were true.", "He refused to take the list and have a look at it." ], "question": "When I was 11, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. In the end, I became so angry that I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, then he asked. \"Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.\" I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could--and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Dad. He refused to take it.\" That's just for you,\" he said. \"You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.\" Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I'veneverhadabetterpieceofadvice. What did the father do after he had heard his daughter's complaint?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Week by week, my shortcomings grew more serious.", "She had made a list of my shortcomings and she kept on adding new ones to it so that it was growing longer and longer.", "I was having more and more shortcomings as time went on.", "Week by week she discovered more shortcomings of mine and pointed them out to me." ], "question": "When I was 11, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. In the end, I became so angry that I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, then he asked. \"Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.\" I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could--and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Dad. He refused to take it.\" That's just for you,\" he said. \"You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.\" Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I'veneverhadabetterpieceofadvice. What does \"Week by week her list grew\" mean?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Because he wasn't quite sure which girl was telling the truth.", "Because he had been so angry with his daughter's shortcomings that he wantedto show this by keeping silent for a while.", "Because he knew that his daughter would not listen to him at that moment.", "Because he believed that what her daughter's \"enemy\" said was mostly true." ], "question": "When I was 11, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. In the end, I became so angry that I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, then he asked. \"Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.\" I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could--and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Dad. He refused to take it.\" That's just for you,\" he said. \"You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.\" Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I'veneverhadabetterpieceofadvice. Why did her father listen to her quietly?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "The Best Advice I've Ever Had", "NotanEnemy,buttheBestFriend", "My Father", "MyChildhood" ], "question": "When I was 11, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings . Week by week her list grew: I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, I talked too much, I was too proud, and so on. I tried to hear all this as long as I could. In the end, I became so angry that I ran to my father with tears in my eyes. He listened to me quietly, then he asked. \"Are the things she says true or not? Janet, didn't you ever wonder what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's opinion. Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.\" I did as he told me. To my great surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't change (like being very thin), but a good number I could--and suddenly I wanted to change. For the first time I go to fairly clear picture of myself. I brought the list back to Dad. He refused to take it.\" That's just for you,\" he said. \"You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. But you have to learn to listen, not just close your ears in anger and feeling hurt. When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be of help to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you know is the right thing to do.\" Daddy's advice has returned to me at many important moments. In my life, I'veneverhadabetterpieceofadvice. Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Emotions Affect Our Bodies", "What Happens to A Frightened Cat", "What Happens to An Excited Person", "Feelings That People Have" ], "question": "Sometimes people call each other \"freaked-cat\", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can. Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely. Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.) Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. The best title for this article is _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "excited", "scared", "angry", "shocked" ], "question": "Sometimes people call each other \"freaked-cat\", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can. Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely. Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.) Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. What does the word \"freaked\" mean in the first sentence?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "have fewer problems than animals", "have the same problems as animals", "have more problems than animals", "have cleverer problems than animals" ], "question": "Sometimes people call each other \"freaked-cat\", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can. Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely. Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.) Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. According to the passage, we may conclude that we human beings _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "gradually they'll disappear", "they won't exist any more", "they will fly all over", "your body stays tense" ], "question": "Sometimes people call each other \"freaked-cat\", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can. Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely. Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.) Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. If you hold in your feelings, _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "tell us that it isn't good to keep feelings inside", "give us some advice on how to express our feelings", "make us face the problem that we have to deal with feelings", "make us know that it isn't always wise to express our feelings freely" ], "question": "Sometimes people call each other \"freaked-cat\", but have you ever thought about this expression? When a cat is frightened, its heart starts beating faster, its muscles get tense, and there are changes in the chemicals in its bloodstream.Although the cat doesn't realize this, its body is getting ready for action.If the danger continues, the animal will do one of two things.It will defend itself, or it will run away as fast as it can. Something like this also happens to people.When we are excited, angry, scared, or aroused by other emotions (feelings), our bodies go through many physical changes.Our hearts beat faster, and our muscles get tense.All of these changes make us more alert and ready to react.We, too.get ready to defend ourselves or run. Human beings, however, have a problem that animals never face.If we give way to our feelings and let them take over, we can get into trouble.Have you ever said something in anger --or hit somebody--and regretted it later? Have you ever shouted at a teacher, told somebody you were lonely, or said you were in love, and then wished later you had kept your mouth shut? It isn't always clever to express your feelings freely. Does this mean that it's smarter always to hide our feelings? No! If you keep feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness hidden away or bottled up inside, your body stays tense.Physical illness can develop.It can actually be bad for your health.(It isn't good to keep pleasant feelings inside either; all feelings need to be expressed.) Feelings that you keep all bottled up inside don't just go away.It's as if you bought some bananas and stuck them in a cupboard.You might not be able to see them.but before long you' d smell them.And if you opened the cupboard, chances are that you'd see little fruit flies flying all over them.They'd be rotten. You can try to treat emotions as if they were bananas in the cupboard.You can hide them and you can pretend they don't exist, but they'll still be around.And at last you'll have to deal with them.just like those bananas. The author wrote this article in order to _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "parents", "high school students", "university students", "teachers" ], "question": "Thinking about taking a year out before going to university?Check out your gap year choices here and decide if it's the right decision for you... What is it? It's a year out between finishing senior high school and starting university in which you can travel, work and generally do mind-broadening stuff you will never forget. I don't want to travel, but I don't know what I want to do at university. You will have a good three months between finishing your A Levels and university Clearing (when last-minute vacancies on courses for the coming academic year are advertised): surely enough time to decide what to do. You don't need to take a year for that. I need to take some money before starting university. Fair enough. But don't get comfortable and decide not to get a full-time job. Spending a year on income support will be depressing; you'll have nothing to say when future employers ask what you did in your gap year, and you'll have to put up with smug post-gap year students comparing notes when you start university. I'd love to travel, but I can't afford it. Most gap year students work for the first six months and then travel, using the money they've earned in the second six months. I'm scared. Try not to let fear of the unknown put you off seeing the world. Earth is a big planet, but when you travel it seems much smaller (even the remotest countries have email access). The potential readers of the text are _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "from their parents", "by borrowing from their friends", "from the government", "by working themselves" ], "question": "Thinking about taking a year out before going to university?Check out your gap year choices here and decide if it's the right decision for you... What is it? It's a year out between finishing senior high school and starting university in which you can travel, work and generally do mind-broadening stuff you will never forget. I don't want to travel, but I don't know what I want to do at university. You will have a good three months between finishing your A Levels and university Clearing (when last-minute vacancies on courses for the coming academic year are advertised): surely enough time to decide what to do. You don't need to take a year for that. I need to take some money before starting university. Fair enough. But don't get comfortable and decide not to get a full-time job. Spending a year on income support will be depressing; you'll have nothing to say when future employers ask what you did in your gap year, and you'll have to put up with smug post-gap year students comparing notes when you start university. I'd love to travel, but I can't afford it. Most gap year students work for the first six months and then travel, using the money they've earned in the second six months. I'm scared. Try not to let fear of the unknown put you off seeing the world. Earth is a big planet, but when you travel it seems much smaller (even the remotest countries have email access). Most students get money for their gap year trip _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "his neighbor's donation", "his community", "having got the job", "others' trust" ], "question": "The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life. My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life -- everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my _ were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me -- a young woman -- with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people's children, too. I have since moved 300 miles fromprefix = st1 /Boise,Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don't know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I'd like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity. If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about. Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one...it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two...it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner . The writer was grateful mainly for _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "A Thank-You Note to Trusting Neighbor", "You Are a Winner, Not a Whiner", "Gratefulness Brings a Great Fullness to Life", "Be Grateful to Life in Advance" ], "question": "The choice to adopt and hold gratefulness is the one that is different from those who suffer misfortune and those who enjoy a full life. My mother died when I was 24. It was a very difficult time in my life -- everything seemed to fall apart. I lost my job, and then my _ were turned off. I had to take cold showers for six months. A neighbor who knew about my situation came to my house and made me an offer. I took care of her children as a job, and I no longer went hungry. I was surprised that someone would trust me -- a young woman -- with her children. And it was with the very confidence that before long I began taking care of other people's children, too. I have since moved 300 miles fromprefix = st1 /Boise,Idaho. For more than 23 years I have made every effort to reach out to all the kind-hearted people who helped me when I was down and out. Without their trust, I don't know what I would have done. I am very involved in my community and volunteer at the local food bank, and I help out whenever I can. I'd like to owe what I am to whoever has offered me generosity. If you are grateful for what you already have, the world will work together to give you more to be grateful for. Otherwise, the world will give you more to complain about. Moreover, the true master learns to be grateful, in advance, for the things that are desired, because, being grateful in advance for some attainment or accomplishment does two very important things: one...it tricks your subconscious into believing that the goal is certain and two...it convinces other people, with whom you must interact to achieve your desires, that you know what you are about, that you are a winner, not a whiner . The best title for the passage would be _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "we rely on e-mails and tweets too much.", "we are busier than before", "we have to read faster to get more information", "we do not enjoy reading any more" ], "question": "Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation. A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones. Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life. Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. \"Aim for 30 minutes a day,\" advises Kelly from The Atlantic. \"You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments - whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time - you pick up a meaningful work of literature,\" Kelly said. \"Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive , and also ensure you'll never lose your place.\" We prefer speed -reading because _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "share their ideas about a certain book", "read old-fashioned books", "read as many books as possible", "to enjoy slow reading" ], "question": "Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation. A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones. Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life. Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. \"Aim for 30 minutes a day,\" advises Kelly from The Atlantic. \"You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments - whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time - you pick up a meaningful work of literature,\" Kelly said. \"Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive , and also ensure you'll never lose your place.\" The aim of setting theSlow Reading Clubis to encourage people to _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "the benefits of regular reading hasn't been proved", "for elderly people ,a good reading habit helps slow memory loss", "speed reading can improve concentration and reduce stress levels", "more elderly people enjoy slow reading now" ], "question": "Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation. A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones. Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life. Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. \"Aim for 30 minutes a day,\" advises Kelly from The Atlantic. \"You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments - whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time - you pick up a meaningful work of literature,\" Kelly said. \"Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive , and also ensure you'll never lose your place.\" We can learn from the passage that _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "Enjoy Speed-reading", "Enjoy Slow-Reading", "Enjoy Effective Reading", "Enjoy Online Reading" ], "question": "Speed-reading is an indispensable skill in the Internet age. We skim over articles, e-mails and tweets to try to grasp key words and the essential meaning of a certain text. Bombarded with information from our electronic devices, it would be impossible to cope if we read word by word, line by line. But a new trend calls on people to unplug and enjoy reading slowly, listing benefits beyond intellectual stimulation. A recent story from The Wall Street Journal reported on a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into cozy chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike traditional book clubs, the point of the Slow Reading Club isn't exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from electronic devices and read in a quiet, relaxed environment. According to the Journal, the Wellington book club is just one example of a movement initiated by book lovers who miss the old-fashioned way of reading before the Internet and smart phones. Slow readers, such as The Atlantic's Maura Kelly, say a regular reading habit sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to empathize. Some of these benefits have been backed up by science. For example, a study of 300 elderly people published by the journal Neurology last year showed that regular engagement in intellectually strenuous activities like reading slowed the rate of memory loss later in life. Slow reading means a return to an uninterrupted pattern in a quiet environment free of distractions. \"Aim for 30 minutes a day,\" advises Kelly from The Atlantic. \"You can squeeze in that half hour pretty easily if only during your free moments - whenever you find yourself automatically firing up your laptop to check your favorite site, or scanning Twitter for something to pass the time - you pick up a meaningful work of literature,\" Kelly said. \"Reach for your e-reader, if you like. Kindles make books like War and Peace less heavy, not less substantive , and also ensure you'll never lose your place.\" What can be the best title of the passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "Confused.", "Angry.", "Satisfied.", "Proud." ], "question": "Annie sometimes felt puzzled by the relationship between her parents. They never seemed to show much love for each other. Annie believed that people who were in love would show it. They would hold hands, speak sweet words to each other and give each other nice gifts. Annie's parents did none of these things. So, she doubted whether they really loved each other. It was Annie's plan to ask her parents about their feelings for each other. But it was hard to find the right moment. One Saturday afternoon, she noticed that her dad was in the garage, doing some work on the engine of his sports car. Annie's dad was always in a good mood when he was near his sports car, so she decided to ask him the question that had been bothering her.\" Dad, do you and Mom really love each other?\" \"Of course,\" her father replied. \"Why do you ask?\" \"Well, you never seem to show it.\" Annie's father was silent for a while, he spoke again. \"Look at the engine of this car,\" he said. \"It is oily and messy, and the car looks much better when the hood is down. Don't you agree?\" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. \"If I took out the engine and put the hood back down, the car would look just as beautiful, right? But it wouldn't be a car anymore. The engine is its beating heart. You don't usually see it, but it has to be there. It's the same with your Mom and me. Our love for each other is the beating heart of this family. Don't worry just because it isn't on show all the time. \" About six months later, Annie's father lost his job. The family had to cut back on many things to make ends meet. And he had to sell his beloved sports car. But Annie noticed another change. Because he had more free time, her father spent more of it with her mother. They seemed to grow closer together, and showed their love more often. Their love, which Annie had been afraid did not exist, was plain to see. Annie was sad that the sports car had gone, but at least she understood what her father had told her that day. How did Annie feel about her parents' relationship at the beginning of the article?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "A job.", "A story.", "A gift.", "An engine." ], "question": "Annie sometimes felt puzzled by the relationship between her parents. They never seemed to show much love for each other. Annie believed that people who were in love would show it. They would hold hands, speak sweet words to each other and give each other nice gifts. Annie's parents did none of these things. So, she doubted whether they really loved each other. It was Annie's plan to ask her parents about their feelings for each other. But it was hard to find the right moment. One Saturday afternoon, she noticed that her dad was in the garage, doing some work on the engine of his sports car. Annie's dad was always in a good mood when he was near his sports car, so she decided to ask him the question that had been bothering her.\" Dad, do you and Mom really love each other?\" \"Of course,\" her father replied. \"Why do you ask?\" \"Well, you never seem to show it.\" Annie's father was silent for a while, he spoke again. \"Look at the engine of this car,\" he said. \"It is oily and messy, and the car looks much better when the hood is down. Don't you agree?\" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. \"If I took out the engine and put the hood back down, the car would look just as beautiful, right? But it wouldn't be a car anymore. The engine is its beating heart. You don't usually see it, but it has to be there. It's the same with your Mom and me. Our love for each other is the beating heart of this family. Don't worry just because it isn't on show all the time. \" About six months later, Annie's father lost his job. The family had to cut back on many things to make ends meet. And he had to sell his beloved sports car. But Annie noticed another change. Because he had more free time, her father spent more of it with her mother. They seemed to grow closer together, and showed their love more often. Their love, which Annie had been afraid did not exist, was plain to see. Annie was sad that the sports car had gone, but at least she understood what her father had told her that day. What did Annie's father compare his love to?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "It no longer existed.", "It became easier to see.", "It grew weaker.", "It changed completely." ], "question": "Annie sometimes felt puzzled by the relationship between her parents. They never seemed to show much love for each other. Annie believed that people who were in love would show it. They would hold hands, speak sweet words to each other and give each other nice gifts. Annie's parents did none of these things. So, she doubted whether they really loved each other. It was Annie's plan to ask her parents about their feelings for each other. But it was hard to find the right moment. One Saturday afternoon, she noticed that her dad was in the garage, doing some work on the engine of his sports car. Annie's dad was always in a good mood when he was near his sports car, so she decided to ask him the question that had been bothering her.\" Dad, do you and Mom really love each other?\" \"Of course,\" her father replied. \"Why do you ask?\" \"Well, you never seem to show it.\" Annie's father was silent for a while, he spoke again. \"Look at the engine of this car,\" he said. \"It is oily and messy, and the car looks much better when the hood is down. Don't you agree?\" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. \"If I took out the engine and put the hood back down, the car would look just as beautiful, right? But it wouldn't be a car anymore. The engine is its beating heart. You don't usually see it, but it has to be there. It's the same with your Mom and me. Our love for each other is the beating heart of this family. Don't worry just because it isn't on show all the time. \" About six months later, Annie's father lost his job. The family had to cut back on many things to make ends meet. And he had to sell his beloved sports car. But Annie noticed another change. Because he had more free time, her father spent more of it with her mother. They seemed to grow closer together, and showed their love more often. Their love, which Annie had been afraid did not exist, was plain to see. Annie was sad that the sports car had gone, but at least she understood what her father had told her that day. What happened to the love between Annie's parents after her father lost his job?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Children should pay attention to parents' love.", "It's not good to show the feelings on the outside.", "Love may not be seen, but it doesn't mean it isn't there.", "We don't truly appreciate what we have until it is gone." ], "question": "Annie sometimes felt puzzled by the relationship between her parents. They never seemed to show much love for each other. Annie believed that people who were in love would show it. They would hold hands, speak sweet words to each other and give each other nice gifts. Annie's parents did none of these things. So, she doubted whether they really loved each other. It was Annie's plan to ask her parents about their feelings for each other. But it was hard to find the right moment. One Saturday afternoon, she noticed that her dad was in the garage, doing some work on the engine of his sports car. Annie's dad was always in a good mood when he was near his sports car, so she decided to ask him the question that had been bothering her.\" Dad, do you and Mom really love each other?\" \"Of course,\" her father replied. \"Why do you ask?\" \"Well, you never seem to show it.\" Annie's father was silent for a while, he spoke again. \"Look at the engine of this car,\" he said. \"It is oily and messy, and the car looks much better when the hood is down. Don't you agree?\" Without waiting for a reply, he went on. \"If I took out the engine and put the hood back down, the car would look just as beautiful, right? But it wouldn't be a car anymore. The engine is its beating heart. You don't usually see it, but it has to be there. It's the same with your Mom and me. Our love for each other is the beating heart of this family. Don't worry just because it isn't on show all the time. \" About six months later, Annie's father lost his job. The family had to cut back on many things to make ends meet. And he had to sell his beloved sports car. But Annie noticed another change. Because he had more free time, her father spent more of it with her mother. They seemed to grow closer together, and showed their love more often. Their love, which Annie had been afraid did not exist, was plain to see. Annie was sad that the sports car had gone, but at least she understood what her father had told her that day. What is the main idea of the article?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "how he can meet their needs", "why they have such demands", "what problems the hotels has", "who is the best person to go to" ], "question": "You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, \"No problem. What color1 do you want?\" There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however, _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted. Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say \"Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, \"I do wish they would leave me alone at this place.\" According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. \"Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago.\" When guests ask for something strange, the manager of a good hotel would think _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "They sell tickets for concerts", "They can complete difficult tasks", "They know the history of hotels", "They usually work in a hotel for a long time" ], "question": "You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, \"No problem. What color1 do you want?\" There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however, _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted. Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say \"Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, \"I do wish they would leave me alone at this place.\" According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. \"Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago.\" Why are the porters considered the most powerful people in expensive hotels?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "The hotel bought a ring for a young lady", "A Japanese married the woman he loved", "The manager once acted as a captain", "A young lady agreed to marry her boyfriend" ], "question": "You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, \"No problem. What color1 do you want?\" There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however, _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted. Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say \"Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, \"I do wish they would leave me alone at this place.\" According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. \"Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago.\" Which of the following examples explains \"we did help out?\"", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "showed that he disliked such people at the hotel", "gave the impression that he was a constant guest", "tried to make his clients feel sorry for him", "sounded as if he was tired of such greeting" ], "question": "You get all sorts of demands, and the mark of a good hotel is to supply whatever is asked for without sounding surprised. If a guest asks for rubbers gloves, you don't ask why. You say, \"No problem. What color1 do you want?\" There have been some demands which, much as I would have liked to fill, I couldn't. A Japanese businessman, for example, thought the manager of a hotel was like his girlfriend so he asked me to marry him to the woman he loved. There was one time, however, _ . A young man thought that if he asked his girlfriend to marry him at the Ritz she would say yes. He asked us to put the ring in a cake, and she accepted. Top hotels are used more and more to impress. They are used for doing business. If you've got something to sell, take your clients to the best hotel where the surroundings are quite helpful. A friend of mine working at Savoy Hotel tells the story about a man who gave him 5 pounds to say \"Good morning, Mr. Smith saying, \"I do wish they would leave me alone at this place.\" According to Julian Payne, the most powerful people in any hotel are the porters, who carry bags for hotel guests. \"Porters can do almost anything. They can get you tables at the best restaurants or tickets for a popular concert. Don't ask me how they do it or what their deal is because I don't know. Most of them have been there for years. They know more about the history of the hotel and the guests than anyone else. They are invaluable. A head porter will come in even on his day off so he can say hello to someone he remembers visiting the hotel years ago.\" By saying \"I do wish they would leave me alone at this place\", Mr. Smith _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "To see whether one's feeling can be unconsciously affected.", "To see whether one's facial expressions can be altered.", "To see whether laughter comes before happiness.", "To replace the mirrors in future clothing-store fitting rooms." ], "question": "\"Does my smile look big in this?\" Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look - and hence feel - happier, encouraging you to like what you see. That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face. The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones - that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around - is a well-established idea. The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face - as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown . Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy. Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely. The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on. \"It's certainly an interesting area,\" says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. \"Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,\" he says. Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. \"You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?\" says Creed. \"But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out.\" What's the main purpose of the Emotion Evoking System?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "It recorded the volunteers' performance in the task.", "It gave the volunteers a false image.", "It attempted to make the volunteers feel happier.", "It beautified the volunteers' appearance in the mirror." ], "question": "\"Does my smile look big in this?\" Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look - and hence feel - happier, encouraging you to like what you see. That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face. The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones - that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around - is a well-established idea. The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face - as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown . Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy. Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely. The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on. \"It's certainly an interesting area,\" says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. \"Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,\" he says. Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. \"You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?\" says Creed. \"But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out.\" What can we learn about the web-camera image in the study?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "It only changes the areas around the mouth and the eyes.", "It only works in clothing stores.", "It only makes subtle changes to people's expressions.", "It only deals with a limited number of facial expressions." ], "question": "\"Does my smile look big in this?\" Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look - and hence feel - happier, encouraging you to like what you see. That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face. The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones - that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around - is a well-established idea. The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face - as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown . Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy. Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely. The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on. \"It's certainly an interesting area,\" says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. \"Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,\" he says. Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. \"You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?\" says Creed. \"But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out.\" What does Creed mention as a limitation of the technology?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Nothing is more important than happiness.", "Technology is unable to manipulate people.", "People should make their decisions independently.", "People should neglect the harm of the technology." ], "question": "\"Does my smile look big in this?\" Future fitting-room mirrors in clothing stores could subtly adjust your reflection to make you look - and hence feel - happier, encouraging you to like what you see. That's the idea behind the Emotion Evoking System developed by Shigeo Yoshida and colleagues at the University of Tokyo in Japan. The system can manipulate, or in other word, control your emotions and personal preferences by presenting you with an image of your own smiling or frowning face. The principle that physiological changes can drive emotional ones - that laughter comes before happiness, rather than the other way around - is a well-established idea. The researchers wanted to see if this idea could be used to build a computer system that manipulates how you feel. The system works by presenting the user with a web-camera image of his or her face - as if they were looking in a mirror. The image is then subtly altered with software, turning the corners of the mouth up or down and changing the area around the eyes, so that the person appears to smile or frown . Without telling them the aim of the study, the team recruited 21 volunteers and asked them to sit in front of the screen while performing an unrelated task. When the task was complete the participants rated how they felt. When the faces on screen appeared to smile, people reported that they felt happier. On the other hand, when the image was given a sad expression, they reported feeling less happy. Yoshida and his colleagues tested whether manipulating the volunteers' emotional state would influence their preferences. Each person was given a scarf to wear and again presented with the altered webcam image. The volunteers that saw themselves smiling while wearing the scarf were more likely to report that they liked it, and those that saw themselves not smiling were less likely. The system could be used to manipulate consumers' impressions of products, say the researchers. For example, mirrors in clothing-store fitting rooms could be replaced with screens showing altered reflections. They also suggest people may be more likely to find clothes attractive if they see themselves looking happy while trying them on. \"It's certainly an interesting area,\" says Chris Creed at the University of Birmingham, UK. But he notes that using such technology in a shop would be harder than in the lab, because people will use a wide range of expressions. \"Attempting to make slight differences to these and ensuring that the reflected image looks believable would be much more challenging,\" he says. Of course, there are also important moral questions surrounding such subtly manipulative technology. \"You could argue that if it makes people happy what harm is it doing?\" says Creed. \"But I can imagine that many people may feel manipulated, uncomfortable and cheated if they found out.\" What does Creed's comment on the moral issues with this technology imply?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "to stop the drought in 1967", "to support government officials", "to pass a special law in the state", "to save water and electricity" ], "question": "Today about 70 countries use Daylight Saving Time (DST). Daylight Saving was first introduced during World War I in Australia. During the world wars, DST was used for the late summers beginning January 1917 and 1942, and the full summers beginning September 1942 and 1943. In 1967, Tasmania experienced a drought . The State Government introduced one hour of daylight saving that summer as a way of saving power and water. Tasmanians liked the idea of daylight saving and the Tasmanian Government has declared daylight saving each summer since 1968. Persuaded by the Tasmanian Government, all states except two passed a law in 1971, for a test use of daylight saving. In 1972, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria joined Tasmania for regular daylight saving, but Queensland did not do so until 1989. Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia have had irregular plans, often changing their dates due to politics or festivals . For example, in 1992, Tasmania extended daylight saving by an extra month while South Australia began extending daylight saving by two weeks for the Adelaide Festival. Special daylight saving plans were made during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The differences in daylight saving in Australia continue to cause serious problems in transport and many other social activities. It also reduces the number of hours in the working day that are common to all centers in the country. In particular, time differences along the east coast cause major differences, especially for the broadcasters of national radio and television. Daylight Saving Time was introduced in Tasmania _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "It doesn't have fixed dates.", "It is not used in festivals.", "Its plan was changed in 2000.", "It lasts for two weeks" ], "question": "Today about 70 countries use Daylight Saving Time (DST). Daylight Saving was first introduced during World War I in Australia. During the world wars, DST was used for the late summers beginning January 1917 and 1942, and the full summers beginning September 1942 and 1943. In 1967, Tasmania experienced a drought . The State Government introduced one hour of daylight saving that summer as a way of saving power and water. Tasmanians liked the idea of daylight saving and the Tasmanian Government has declared daylight saving each summer since 1968. Persuaded by the Tasmanian Government, all states except two passed a law in 1971, for a test use of daylight saving. In 1972, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria joined Tasmania for regular daylight saving, but Queensland did not do so until 1989. Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia have had irregular plans, often changing their dates due to politics or festivals . For example, in 1992, Tasmania extended daylight saving by an extra month while South Australia began extending daylight saving by two weeks for the Adelaide Festival. Special daylight saving plans were made during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The differences in daylight saving in Australia continue to cause serious problems in transport and many other social activities. It also reduces the number of hours in the working day that are common to all centers in the country. In particular, time differences along the east coast cause major differences, especially for the broadcasters of national radio and television. What can we learn about DST in some Australian states?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "No one in the writer's family is good at telling jokes.", "Mark is the best at telling jokes in his family.", "Mitch is very sensitive to all kinds of jokes.", "A typically classic joke should cover all the details." ], "question": "A classic joke goes like this: A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\" The doctor says, \"Tell him I can't see him.\" Pretty simple, right? Here's how I tell it: \"A nurse--her name is Joyce--feels a presence in the waiting room. She looks around but sees nothing. She jumps up from her desk, carefully replaces her chair, and runs down the lavender-hued hallway to the doctor's office. She knocks on the door. No response. He's not there. Where can he be? She continues down the hall, admiring a lithograph of an 18th-century Mississippi paddleboat along the way.\" By this time, my audience has left, but I soldier on. \"She bursts into the exam room and says, 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor, I should mention, is a urologist with a degree from Ohio State, which is where my nephew ...\" You get the idea. I'm an embellisher. I can't leave a simple gag alone. I'm not the only joke-challenged member of the family. My sister's worse than I am. Her problem: She can't remember them. \"'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says...'Uh, let me start all over again. 'A nurse rushes into a waiting...'No, it's not the waiting room. She just came from the waiting room. Let me start all over again. 'A doctor rushes into...' No, wait...\" My uncle's different. He's guilty of taking a perfectly fine joke and selling it as the second coming of Oscar Wilde, \"Okay, this is a good one. Ready? No, really, ready? Okay, fasten your seat belts. Ready?'A nurse...'Got it? A nurse? Okay, ready?'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\"' Now, this is where it gets funny. Ready?\" No one is ever ready, so they leave before he gets to the punch line. My father's on Wall Street, so he hears all the jokes before they hit the Web. And he lets you know he knows them all by telling you all of them. He also knows that most people don't like jokes. So he slips them in under the radar: \"I was chatting with Ben Bernanke the other day. You know Ben, don't you? The Fed chief? Anyway, we were reviewing the Fed's policy on long-term interest rates, and he told me it had evolved into its current iteration only after a nurse rushed into an exam room and said, 'Doctor, doctor, there's...' Hey, where are you going?\" My brother Mark understands that the secret to good joke telling is to know your audience. When he entertained my grandmother's bridge club one evening, he made it a point to adapt the joke to them: \"A beautiful blonde nurse rushes into a consulting room...\" No one in my family has ever finished this joke. But as bad as it is not to be able to tell a joke, there's something worse: not being able to listen to one. Take my cousin Mitch for example. \"Why couldn't the doctor see him?\" he asked. \"Because he's invisible,\" I said. \"Now, I didn't get that. I thought the doctor couldn't see him because he was with a patient.\" \"Well, yeah, okay, but the fact that the guy was invisible...\" \"Could the nurse see him?\" \"No. She's the one who said he was invisible...\" \"How'd she know he was there?\" \"Because he...\" \"When you say he was invisible, does that mean his clothes were invisible too?\" Here's where I tried to walk away. \"Because if his clothes weren't invisible,\" Mitch said, stepping between me and the exit, \"then the doctor could see him, right?\" \"Yeah, but ...\" \"At least his clothes.\" \"I guess...\" \"Unless he was naked.\" \"Okay, he was naked!\" \"Why would he go to his doctor naked?\" Next time you see my family and someone is telling a joke, do yourself a favor: Make yourself invisible. Which of the following is true according to this article?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "He knows the audience very well.", "He shouldn't have entertained a bridge club.", "He shouldn't have begun the story with a beautiful blond nurse.", "He shouldn't have told old people jokes." ], "question": "A classic joke goes like this: A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\" The doctor says, \"Tell him I can't see him.\" Pretty simple, right? Here's how I tell it: \"A nurse--her name is Joyce--feels a presence in the waiting room. She looks around but sees nothing. She jumps up from her desk, carefully replaces her chair, and runs down the lavender-hued hallway to the doctor's office. She knocks on the door. No response. He's not there. Where can he be? She continues down the hall, admiring a lithograph of an 18th-century Mississippi paddleboat along the way.\" By this time, my audience has left, but I soldier on. \"She bursts into the exam room and says, 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor, I should mention, is a urologist with a degree from Ohio State, which is where my nephew ...\" You get the idea. I'm an embellisher. I can't leave a simple gag alone. I'm not the only joke-challenged member of the family. My sister's worse than I am. Her problem: She can't remember them. \"'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says...'Uh, let me start all over again. 'A nurse rushes into a waiting...'No, it's not the waiting room. She just came from the waiting room. Let me start all over again. 'A doctor rushes into...' No, wait...\" My uncle's different. He's guilty of taking a perfectly fine joke and selling it as the second coming of Oscar Wilde, \"Okay, this is a good one. Ready? No, really, ready? Okay, fasten your seat belts. Ready?'A nurse...'Got it? A nurse? Okay, ready?'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\"' Now, this is where it gets funny. Ready?\" No one is ever ready, so they leave before he gets to the punch line. My father's on Wall Street, so he hears all the jokes before they hit the Web. And he lets you know he knows them all by telling you all of them. He also knows that most people don't like jokes. So he slips them in under the radar: \"I was chatting with Ben Bernanke the other day. You know Ben, don't you? The Fed chief? Anyway, we were reviewing the Fed's policy on long-term interest rates, and he told me it had evolved into its current iteration only after a nurse rushed into an exam room and said, 'Doctor, doctor, there's...' Hey, where are you going?\" My brother Mark understands that the secret to good joke telling is to know your audience. When he entertained my grandmother's bridge club one evening, he made it a point to adapt the joke to them: \"A beautiful blonde nurse rushes into a consulting room...\" No one in my family has ever finished this joke. But as bad as it is not to be able to tell a joke, there's something worse: not being able to listen to one. Take my cousin Mitch for example. \"Why couldn't the doctor see him?\" he asked. \"Because he's invisible,\" I said. \"Now, I didn't get that. I thought the doctor couldn't see him because he was with a patient.\" \"Well, yeah, okay, but the fact that the guy was invisible...\" \"Could the nurse see him?\" \"No. She's the one who said he was invisible...\" \"How'd she know he was there?\" \"Because he...\" \"When you say he was invisible, does that mean his clothes were invisible too?\" Here's where I tried to walk away. \"Because if his clothes weren't invisible,\" Mitch said, stepping between me and the exit, \"then the doctor could see him, right?\" \"Yeah, but ...\" \"At least his clothes.\" \"I guess...\" \"Unless he was naked.\" \"Okay, he was naked!\" \"Why would he go to his doctor naked?\" Next time you see my family and someone is telling a joke, do yourself a favor: Make yourself invisible. What is inappropriate about Mark's adaptation of the joke?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "he wanted to go out with me", "he wanted to block my way out", "he was trying to repay the situation in the consulting room", "he wanted to show that the doctor could see the patient" ], "question": "A classic joke goes like this: A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\" The doctor says, \"Tell him I can't see him.\" Pretty simple, right? Here's how I tell it: \"A nurse--her name is Joyce--feels a presence in the waiting room. She looks around but sees nothing. She jumps up from her desk, carefully replaces her chair, and runs down the lavender-hued hallway to the doctor's office. She knocks on the door. No response. He's not there. Where can he be? She continues down the hall, admiring a lithograph of an 18th-century Mississippi paddleboat along the way.\" By this time, my audience has left, but I soldier on. \"She bursts into the exam room and says, 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor, I should mention, is a urologist with a degree from Ohio State, which is where my nephew ...\" You get the idea. I'm an embellisher. I can't leave a simple gag alone. I'm not the only joke-challenged member of the family. My sister's worse than I am. Her problem: She can't remember them. \"'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says...'Uh, let me start all over again. 'A nurse rushes into a waiting...'No, it's not the waiting room. She just came from the waiting room. Let me start all over again. 'A doctor rushes into...' No, wait...\" My uncle's different. He's guilty of taking a perfectly fine joke and selling it as the second coming of Oscar Wilde, \"Okay, this is a good one. Ready? No, really, ready? Okay, fasten your seat belts. Ready?'A nurse...'Got it? A nurse? Okay, ready?'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\"' Now, this is where it gets funny. Ready?\" No one is ever ready, so they leave before he gets to the punch line. My father's on Wall Street, so he hears all the jokes before they hit the Web. And he lets you know he knows them all by telling you all of them. He also knows that most people don't like jokes. So he slips them in under the radar: \"I was chatting with Ben Bernanke the other day. You know Ben, don't you? The Fed chief? Anyway, we were reviewing the Fed's policy on long-term interest rates, and he told me it had evolved into its current iteration only after a nurse rushed into an exam room and said, 'Doctor, doctor, there's...' Hey, where are you going?\" My brother Mark understands that the secret to good joke telling is to know your audience. When he entertained my grandmother's bridge club one evening, he made it a point to adapt the joke to them: \"A beautiful blonde nurse rushes into a consulting room...\" No one in my family has ever finished this joke. But as bad as it is not to be able to tell a joke, there's something worse: not being able to listen to one. Take my cousin Mitch for example. \"Why couldn't the doctor see him?\" he asked. \"Because he's invisible,\" I said. \"Now, I didn't get that. I thought the doctor couldn't see him because he was with a patient.\" \"Well, yeah, okay, but the fact that the guy was invisible...\" \"Could the nurse see him?\" \"No. She's the one who said he was invisible...\" \"How'd she know he was there?\" \"Because he...\" \"When you say he was invisible, does that mean his clothes were invisible too?\" Here's where I tried to walk away. \"Because if his clothes weren't invisible,\" Mitch said, stepping between me and the exit, \"then the doctor could see him, right?\" \"Yeah, but ...\" \"At least his clothes.\" \"I guess...\" \"Unless he was naked.\" \"Okay, he was naked!\" \"Why would he go to his doctor naked?\" Next time you see my family and someone is telling a joke, do yourself a favor: Make yourself invisible. Mitch stepped between me and the exit because _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "Learn to Amuse Others", "Where to Find a Doctor", "How to Ruin a Classic Joke", "A Story about a Funny Family" ], "question": "A classic joke goes like this: A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\" The doctor says, \"Tell him I can't see him.\" Pretty simple, right? Here's how I tell it: \"A nurse--her name is Joyce--feels a presence in the waiting room. She looks around but sees nothing. She jumps up from her desk, carefully replaces her chair, and runs down the lavender-hued hallway to the doctor's office. She knocks on the door. No response. He's not there. Where can he be? She continues down the hall, admiring a lithograph of an 18th-century Mississippi paddleboat along the way.\" By this time, my audience has left, but I soldier on. \"She bursts into the exam room and says, 'Doctor, doctor!' The doctor, I should mention, is a urologist with a degree from Ohio State, which is where my nephew ...\" You get the idea. I'm an embellisher. I can't leave a simple gag alone. I'm not the only joke-challenged member of the family. My sister's worse than I am. Her problem: She can't remember them. \"'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says...'Uh, let me start all over again. 'A nurse rushes into a waiting...'No, it's not the waiting room. She just came from the waiting room. Let me start all over again. 'A doctor rushes into...' No, wait...\" My uncle's different. He's guilty of taking a perfectly fine joke and selling it as the second coming of Oscar Wilde, \"Okay, this is a good one. Ready? No, really, ready? Okay, fasten your seat belts. Ready?'A nurse...'Got it? A nurse? Okay, ready?'A nurse rushes into an exam room and says, \"Doctor, doctor, there's an invisible man in the waiting room.\"' Now, this is where it gets funny. Ready?\" No one is ever ready, so they leave before he gets to the punch line. My father's on Wall Street, so he hears all the jokes before they hit the Web. And he lets you know he knows them all by telling you all of them. He also knows that most people don't like jokes. So he slips them in under the radar: \"I was chatting with Ben Bernanke the other day. You know Ben, don't you? The Fed chief? Anyway, we were reviewing the Fed's policy on long-term interest rates, and he told me it had evolved into its current iteration only after a nurse rushed into an exam room and said, 'Doctor, doctor, there's...' Hey, where are you going?\" My brother Mark understands that the secret to good joke telling is to know your audience. When he entertained my grandmother's bridge club one evening, he made it a point to adapt the joke to them: \"A beautiful blonde nurse rushes into a consulting room...\" No one in my family has ever finished this joke. But as bad as it is not to be able to tell a joke, there's something worse: not being able to listen to one. Take my cousin Mitch for example. \"Why couldn't the doctor see him?\" he asked. \"Because he's invisible,\" I said. \"Now, I didn't get that. I thought the doctor couldn't see him because he was with a patient.\" \"Well, yeah, okay, but the fact that the guy was invisible...\" \"Could the nurse see him?\" \"No. She's the one who said he was invisible...\" \"How'd she know he was there?\" \"Because he...\" \"When you say he was invisible, does that mean his clothes were invisible too?\" Here's where I tried to walk away. \"Because if his clothes weren't invisible,\" Mitch said, stepping between me and the exit, \"then the doctor could see him, right?\" \"Yeah, but ...\" \"At least his clothes.\" \"I guess...\" \"Unless he was naked.\" \"Okay, he was naked!\" \"Why would he go to his doctor naked?\" Next time you see my family and someone is telling a joke, do yourself a favor: Make yourself invisible. Which is the best title of the passage?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "the UK", "Finland", "the USA", "Korea" ], "question": "Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. The students spend the least time in school in _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "students spend more time in studying", "students are tired of studying in class", "students leave their school early", "students are always top scorers" ], "question": "Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. According to the text, we think in Korea _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 0, "choices": [ "the attitude", "the schooling time", "star pupils", "new teaching approach" ], "question": "Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6. In Korea the school day is long--typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. _ leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 p.m. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of selfstudy a night. The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cutthroat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different. However, there are some similarities between Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the 1970s, Finland's education system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation. According to the author, the key to improving education is _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Less than a quarter of the population.", "About forty percent of the population.", "Only half of the population.", "Nearly sixty percent of the population." ], "question": "Singapore is a country with 42% of its population foreign born. Singaporeans, even those of the same ethnic group , have many different first languages and cultures. For example, within the Singaporean Chinese group, nearly a third speak English as their home language while almost half speak Standard Chinese as their home language and the rest speak various Chinese dialects as their home language. Due to these reasons, the English fluency level of people in Singapore varies vastly from person to person. Most reasonably educated Singaporeans do speak Singapore Standard English, alternatively known as Educated Singapore English, which, grammatically, is not different from standard British English, with changes being limited to accent and a few borrowed words, causing few challenges to any native Britons. Singapore English derives its roots from the 146 years of British colonial rule over Singapore until its independence in 1965. Before 1965, the standard form of English in Singapore had always been British English. After Singapore declared independence, English in Singapore began to take a life of its own, leading to the development of modern Singapore English. English had been the official language of the colonial government, and when Singapore gained self-government in 1959, the local government decided to keep English as the main language in order to help develop economy. The use of English as the nation's first language serves to bridge the gap between different ethnic groups in Singapore. English is the global language for commerce, technology and science, and improvement of English also helps to expedite Singapore's development and it becomes important part of the global economy. There is an increasing trend of Singaporeans speaking English at home. For children who started primary school in 2009, 60% of Chinese along with 60% Indian pupils and 35% of Malay pupils mainly speak English at home. Because many Singaporeans grew up with English as their first language in school, some Singaporean Chinese may not be able to speak Standard Chinese. How many people in Singapore are native?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "In 146", "In 1819", "In 1959", "In 1965." ], "question": "Singapore is a country with 42% of its population foreign born. Singaporeans, even those of the same ethnic group , have many different first languages and cultures. For example, within the Singaporean Chinese group, nearly a third speak English as their home language while almost half speak Standard Chinese as their home language and the rest speak various Chinese dialects as their home language. Due to these reasons, the English fluency level of people in Singapore varies vastly from person to person. Most reasonably educated Singaporeans do speak Singapore Standard English, alternatively known as Educated Singapore English, which, grammatically, is not different from standard British English, with changes being limited to accent and a few borrowed words, causing few challenges to any native Britons. Singapore English derives its roots from the 146 years of British colonial rule over Singapore until its independence in 1965. Before 1965, the standard form of English in Singapore had always been British English. After Singapore declared independence, English in Singapore began to take a life of its own, leading to the development of modern Singapore English. English had been the official language of the colonial government, and when Singapore gained self-government in 1959, the local government decided to keep English as the main language in order to help develop economy. The use of English as the nation's first language serves to bridge the gap between different ethnic groups in Singapore. English is the global language for commerce, technology and science, and improvement of English also helps to expedite Singapore's development and it becomes important part of the global economy. There is an increasing trend of Singaporeans speaking English at home. For children who started primary school in 2009, 60% of Chinese along with 60% Indian pupils and 35% of Malay pupils mainly speak English at home. Because many Singaporeans grew up with English as their first language in school, some Singaporean Chinese may not be able to speak Standard Chinese. According to the text, when did the British begin to rule Singapore?", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 1, "choices": [ "go home alone first", "keep walking in the snow", "draw pictures in the snow", "light a fire on the ice" ], "question": "When I was a kid, I always used to wonder how in the world my father work outside in the winter without a coat. It could be minus 20 degrees centigrade and there'd be Dad, removing snow, or perhaps chopping some wood --- his coat thrown aside--- wearing a shirt , a cap, and a pair of gloves. \"Aren't you cold, Dad?\" I'd ask. \"No,\" Dad would reply. \"I'm not cold--- working too hard to be cold.\" Many times I wondered whether my father was an extremely tough man, or whether he was foolish. One time when I was quite young, perhaps five or so, I went ice fishing with Dad. It was a bright, clear day--and bitterly cold. After we'd been out on the ice for a little while, my feet started getting cold. \"Daddy, my feet are cold.\" I said. \"Yeah, it's cold out here today,\" he replied. \"Tell you what,\" he said. \"Walk around. Make some circles in the snow. See how many different patterns you can make. That will get your feet warm.\" Now, I was just a little girl at the time but I remember thinking, \"How in the world will walking around in the snow make my feet warm? Dad must be out of mind. But he was my father, after all. I made circles in the snow. I made squares. Pretty soon I was having so much fun making patterns in the snow. I forgot about my feet being cold. Now, all these years later, I know, too, from personal experience how my father was able to take his coat off and work outside in the winter wearing just a shirt, a cap and gloves. Because I do it, too. \"Aren't you cold?\" my husband asked one winter day. \"No,\" I replied. \"I'm not cold--working too hard to be cold.\" I hope my husband has decided I'm both tough and smart. But I guess quite a bit of the time he thinks I'm foolish. Wherever Dad is in that great big farm in the sky--I'm sure he can't help but smile whenever I take my coat off while I'm working outside in the winter. When the author's feet felt cold, her father advised her to _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 2, "choices": [ "forgettable", "warm-hearted", "crazy", "cruel" ], "question": "When I was a kid, I always used to wonder how in the world my father work outside in the winter without a coat. It could be minus 20 degrees centigrade and there'd be Dad, removing snow, or perhaps chopping some wood --- his coat thrown aside--- wearing a shirt , a cap, and a pair of gloves. \"Aren't you cold, Dad?\" I'd ask. \"No,\" Dad would reply. \"I'm not cold--- working too hard to be cold.\" Many times I wondered whether my father was an extremely tough man, or whether he was foolish. One time when I was quite young, perhaps five or so, I went ice fishing with Dad. It was a bright, clear day--and bitterly cold. After we'd been out on the ice for a little while, my feet started getting cold. \"Daddy, my feet are cold.\" I said. \"Yeah, it's cold out here today,\" he replied. \"Tell you what,\" he said. \"Walk around. Make some circles in the snow. See how many different patterns you can make. That will get your feet warm.\" Now, I was just a little girl at the time but I remember thinking, \"How in the world will walking around in the snow make my feet warm? Dad must be out of mind. But he was my father, after all. I made circles in the snow. I made squares. Pretty soon I was having so much fun making patterns in the snow. I forgot about my feet being cold. Now, all these years later, I know, too, from personal experience how my father was able to take his coat off and work outside in the winter wearing just a shirt, a cap and gloves. Because I do it, too. \"Aren't you cold?\" my husband asked one winter day. \"No,\" I replied. \"I'm not cold--working too hard to be cold.\" I hope my husband has decided I'm both tough and smart. But I guess quite a bit of the time he thinks I'm foolish. Wherever Dad is in that great big farm in the sky--I'm sure he can't help but smile whenever I take my coat off while I'm working outside in the winter. Hearing her father's advice, the author thought her father _ .", "subject": "" }
{ "answer": 3, "choices": [ "Tough", "Smart", "Brave", "Foolish" ], "question": "When I was a kid, I always used to wonder how in the world my father work outside in the winter without a coat. It could be minus 20 degrees centigrade and there'd be Dad, removing snow, or perhaps chopping some wood --- his coat thrown aside--- wearing a shirt , a cap, and a pair of gloves. \"Aren't you cold, Dad?\" I'd ask. \"No,\" Dad would reply. \"I'm not cold--- working too hard to be cold.\" Many times I wondered whether my father was an extremely tough man, or whether he was foolish. One time when I was quite young, perhaps five or so, I went ice fishing with Dad. It was a bright, clear day--and bitterly cold. After we'd been out on the ice for a little while, my feet started getting cold. \"Daddy, my feet are cold.\" I said. \"Yeah, it's cold out here today,\" he replied. \"Tell you what,\" he said. \"Walk around. Make some circles in the snow. See how many different patterns you can make. That will get your feet warm.\" Now, I was just a little girl at the time but I remember thinking, \"How in the world will walking around in the snow make my feet warm? Dad must be out of mind. But he was my father, after all. I made circles in the snow. I made squares. Pretty soon I was having so much fun making patterns in the snow. I forgot about my feet being cold. Now, all these years later, I know, too, from personal experience how my father was able to take his coat off and work outside in the winter wearing just a shirt, a cap and gloves. Because I do it, too. \"Aren't you cold?\" my husband asked one winter day. \"No,\" I replied. \"I'm not cold--working too hard to be cold.\" I hope my husband has decided I'm both tough and smart. But I guess quite a bit of the time he thinks I'm foolish. Wherever Dad is in that great big farm in the sky--I'm sure he can't help but smile whenever I take my coat off while I'm working outside in the winter. What might the author's husband think of her?", "subject": "" }

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