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If the court supports Nelson's lawyers' claim, _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Filmmaker Jennifer Nelson had to pay $1,500 to have "Happy Birthday to You" sung in the movie she's making. The money went to Warner Music Group, a company that claims to own the copyright on the song. A copyright is the legal right to use or sell a creative product such as a song, a TV show, a book, or a work of art. Warner has claimed the copyright for "Happy Birthday to You" since 1988.
"I never thought the song was owned by anyone," Nelson said in an e-mail to The New York Times. "I thought it belonged to everyone."
Nelson's movie is a documentary -- a film that uses pictures and/or interviews with people to create a factual report of real-life events -- and is actually about the history of the "Happy Birthday" song itself.
Two sisters named Mildred and Patty Hill wrote a song called "Good Morning to All" in 1893. Over a short period of time, people began to sing the words "happy birthday to you" in place of the original lyrics to the tune of the Hill sisters' song.
A number of history experts say that there is no record of who actually wrote the "Happy Birthday to You" lyrics . Historians also say there is no way to know when the general public began singing the "Happy Birthday" song, but they believe it was being sung by the public long before it was printed and owned by a company.
Nelson's lawyers say this piece of music's history proves that "Happy Birthday to You" belongs to everyone in the general public. That would mean Warner Music Group has no right to charge anyone a fee to sing the song in any setting.
Experts estimate that Warner/ Chappell, the publishing division of the Warner Music Group, has made about $2 million a year from licensing fees for "Happy Birthday to You."
Nelson's lawyers are asking a court in New York City to order Warner/Chappell to return fees they have collected over the past four years for use of the "Happy Birthday" song.
Question:
If the court supports Nelson's lawyers' claim, _ .
Choices:
A. she can obtain the copyright on the song
B. Warner will return about $8 million
C. Warner will have to pay her for her damages
D. she only needs to pay a little money to use the song
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high11511.txt
|
Filmmaker Jennifer Nelson had to pay $1,500 to have "Happy Birthday to You" sung in the movie she's making. The money went to Warner Music Group, a company that claims to own the copyright on the song. A copyright is the legal right to use or sell a creative product such as a song, a TV show, a book, or a work of art. Warner has claimed the copyright for "Happy Birthday to You" since 1988.
"I never thought the song was owned by anyone," Nelson said in an e-mail to The New York Times. "I thought it belonged to everyone."
Nelson's movie is a documentary -- a film that uses pictures and/or interviews with people to create a factual report of real-life events -- and is actually about the history of the "Happy Birthday" song itself.
Two sisters named Mildred and Patty Hill wrote a song called "Good Morning to All" in 1893. Over a short period of time, people began to sing the words "happy birthday to you" in place of the original lyrics to the tune of the Hill sisters' song.
A number of history experts say that there is no record of who actually wrote the "Happy Birthday to You" lyrics . Historians also say there is no way to know when the general public began singing the "Happy Birthday" song, but they believe it was being sung by the public long before it was printed and owned by a company.
Nelson's lawyers say this piece of music's history proves that "Happy Birthday to You" belongs to everyone in the general public. That would mean Warner Music Group has no right to charge anyone a fee to sing the song in any setting.
Experts estimate that Warner/ Chappell, the publishing division of the Warner Music Group, has made about $2 million a year from licensing fees for "Happy Birthday to You."
Nelson's lawyers are asking a court in New York City to order Warner/Chappell to return fees they have collected over the past four years for use of the "Happy Birthday" song.
|
[
"she can obtain the copyright on the song",
"Warner will return about $8 million",
"Warner will have to pay her for her damages",
"she only needs to pay a little money to use the song"
] |
Which of the following may be the title of the passage?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.Over the phone ,his mother told him,"Mr.Belser died last night ,The funeral is Wednesday."Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
When Jack was very young ,his father died.Mr Belser,who lived in the same neighborhood with them,spent as much time as he could to make sure Jack had a man's influence in his life.He spent a lot of time teachimg Jack he thought what was important in his following life.If Mr.Belser hadn' taught him how to weave,he wouldn't be in this business now.So he promised his mother he would attend Mr.Belser's funeral.
"You'd better not drive your car.It's a long way."his mother warned him.
Busy as he was,he kept his word.Though tired from the earliest flight,Jack tried his best to help.Mr.Belser's funeral was small because he had no children of his own and most of his s had passed away.
The night before he had to return home,Jack and his mother stopped by to see the old house Mr.Belser once lived.Now it belonged to him.He bought the house from one of his s.
The house was exactly as he remembered.Every step held memories.Every picture,every piece of furniture... Jadk stopped suddenly.
The box on his desk was gone!He once asked the old man what was inside.He just smiled and said it was the most valuable thing to him,though it almost cost nothing to others.He figured that someone from the Belser family had taken it ."I will never know what was so valuable to him."Jack thought disappotntedly.
Three days later returning home from work,Jack discovered a small package in his mailbox.
The handwriting was difficult to read,but the return address caught his attention."Mr.Harold Belser"it read.
Jack couldn't wait to open it .Inside lay the familiar small box.His heart racing,Jack unlocked the box.Inside he found a gold pocket watch with these words engraved:"Jack,Thanks for your time!Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was my time."Jack held the watch before his chest,tears filling his eyes.
Question:
Which of the following may be the title of the passage?
Choices:
A. A Special Funeral.
B. A Kind Old Man.
C. A Thankful Young Man.
D. A Precious Gift.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high23736.txt
|
It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.Over the phone ,his mother told him,"Mr.Belser died last night ,The funeral is Wednesday."Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
When Jack was very young ,his father died.Mr Belser,who lived in the same neighborhood with them,spent as much time as he could to make sure Jack had a man's influence in his life.He spent a lot of time teachimg Jack he thought what was important in his following life.If Mr.Belser hadn' taught him how to weave,he wouldn't be in this business now.So he promised his mother he would attend Mr.Belser's funeral.
"You'd better not drive your car.It's a long way."his mother warned him.
Busy as he was,he kept his word.Though tired from the earliest flight,Jack tried his best to help.Mr.Belser's funeral was small because he had no children of his own and most of his s had passed away.
The night before he had to return home,Jack and his mother stopped by to see the old house Mr.Belser once lived.Now it belonged to him.He bought the house from one of his s.
The house was exactly as he remembered.Every step held memories.Every picture,every piece of furniture... Jadk stopped suddenly.
The box on his desk was gone!He once asked the old man what was inside.He just smiled and said it was the most valuable thing to him,though it almost cost nothing to others.He figured that someone from the Belser family had taken it ."I will never know what was so valuable to him."Jack thought disappotntedly.
Three days later returning home from work,Jack discovered a small package in his mailbox.
The handwriting was difficult to read,but the return address caught his attention."Mr.Harold Belser"it read.
Jack couldn't wait to open it .Inside lay the familiar small box.His heart racing,Jack unlocked the box.Inside he found a gold pocket watch with these words engraved:"Jack,Thanks for your time!Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was my time."Jack held the watch before his chest,tears filling his eyes.
|
[
"A Special Funeral.",
"A Kind Old Man.",
"A Thankful Young Man.",
"A Precious Gift."
] |
What is the process whereby excess water and waste is removed from the body?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What is the process whereby excess water and waste is removed from the body?
|
excretion
|
science
| null | null | null |
exhalation
|
filtration
|
diffusion
|
excretion
|
Excretion is any process in which excess water or wastes are removed from the body. Excretion is the job of the excretory system. Besides the kidneys, other organs of excretion include the large intestine, liver, skin and lungs.
| null | null | null |
What may the jointed appendages of arthropods be used for?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What may the jointed appendages of arthropods be used for?
|
walking
|
science
| null | null | null |
digging
|
jumping
|
crawling
|
walking
|
The jointed appendages of arthropods may be used as legs for walking. Being jointed makes them more flexible. Try walking or climbing stairs without bending your knees, and you’ll see why joints are helpful. In most arthropods, the appendages on the head have been modified for other functions. Figure below shows some of the head appendages found in arthropods. Sensory organs such as eyes are also found on the head.
| null | null | null |
Luisa's pen pal likes _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
,A,B,C,D,. Luisa is from the USA. She lives in New York. She is twenty-one years old. She likes her teaching job. Now she is a teacher in Beijing. From Monday to Friday, she is very busy and gives classes every day. She likes her students a lot and often plays games with them in the afternoon. Her favorite sport is tennis. Sometimes she reads in the reading room in the afternoon. On weekends, she often goes to see Beijing Opera . She thinks it is very interesting and fun. She collects many pictures of Beijing Opera. Sometimes she goes to see her friends. She like singing, dancing and drawing.
She has a pen pal in China. The pen pal is a boy, he is from Shanghai. He likes sports and Beijing Opera. They talk about Beijing Opera in the letters. Luisa wants to go to Shanghai to see the pen pal one day.
Question:
Luisa's pen pal likes _ .
Choices:
A. sports
B. Beijing opera
C. drawing
D. A and B
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle6867.txt
|
,A,B,C,D,. Luisa is from the USA. She lives in New York. She is twenty-one years old. She likes her teaching job. Now she is a teacher in Beijing. From Monday to Friday, she is very busy and gives classes every day. She likes her students a lot and often plays games with them in the afternoon. Her favorite sport is tennis. Sometimes she reads in the reading room in the afternoon. On weekends, she often goes to see Beijing Opera . She thinks it is very interesting and fun. She collects many pictures of Beijing Opera. Sometimes she goes to see her friends. She like singing, dancing and drawing.
She has a pen pal in China. The pen pal is a boy, he is from Shanghai. He likes sports and Beijing Opera. They talk about Beijing Opera in the letters. Luisa wants to go to Shanghai to see the pen pal one day.
|
[
"sports",
"Beijing opera",
"drawing",
"A and B"
] |
David likes _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
My name is David Green. I am an English boy. My family are in Beijing. My father and mother work there. I have a sister but no brothers. We have a nice house in Beijing. There is a TV, a radios, a telephone, a computer, two small beds, a big bed and a soccer ball in it. The computer is next to the TV. The telephone is in the big bed. The football is under one of the small beds. I like playing football , but my sister likes watching TV.
Question:
David likes _ .
Choices:
A. watching TV
B. playing football
C. playing tennis
D. taking photos
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle8103.txt
|
My name is David Green. I am an English boy. My family are in Beijing. My father and mother work there. I have a sister but no brothers. We have a nice house in Beijing. There is a TV, a radios, a telephone, a computer, two small beds, a big bed and a soccer ball in it. The computer is next to the TV. The telephone is in the big bed. The football is under one of the small beds. I like playing football , but my sister likes watching TV.
|
[
"watching TV",
"playing football",
"playing tennis",
"taking photos"
] |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Street art is very popular around the world. You can find it on buildings, street signs and trash cans from Tokyo to Paris, from Moscow to Cape Town. Street art has become a global culture and even art museums are collecting the works of street artists.
People have different opinions about street art. Some think it is bad, but others think it is a very beautiful new culture.
Street art began in New York in the 1960s. This style of drawing and writing became know as graffiti. Graffiti art showed that young people wanted to rebel against the rules. They traveled around cities to make paintings that everyone could see.
One well-known New York street artist is Swoon. She cuts paper pictures of people and puts them on walls. Swoon didn't start as street artist. She studied art but, later, got bored with the works she saw in museums. Then she fell in love with graffiti. The people in New York enjoy Swoon's style. Some museums have already bought some of her works.
Street artists do their work for some reasons. A number of them choose street art because it is closer to the everyday life.
Nowadays the Internet has a big influence on street art. Artists can show their pictures to people around the world. Many people in the city, however, say that seeing a picture on the Internet is never as good as seeing it live .
Question:
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
Choices:
A. The people in New York like Swoon's works.
B. The Internet has little influence on street art.
C. Young people all think street art is a very beautiful new culture.
D. Lots of street artists choose street art because it can help them become rich.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle6336.txt
|
Street art is very popular around the world. You can find it on buildings, street signs and trash cans from Tokyo to Paris, from Moscow to Cape Town. Street art has become a global culture and even art museums are collecting the works of street artists.
People have different opinions about street art. Some think it is bad, but others think it is a very beautiful new culture.
Street art began in New York in the 1960s. This style of drawing and writing became know as graffiti. Graffiti art showed that young people wanted to rebel against the rules. They traveled around cities to make paintings that everyone could see.
One well-known New York street artist is Swoon. She cuts paper pictures of people and puts them on walls. Swoon didn't start as street artist. She studied art but, later, got bored with the works she saw in museums. Then she fell in love with graffiti. The people in New York enjoy Swoon's style. Some museums have already bought some of her works.
Street artists do their work for some reasons. A number of them choose street art because it is closer to the everyday life.
Nowadays the Internet has a big influence on street art. Artists can show their pictures to people around the world. Many people in the city, however, say that seeing a picture on the Internet is never as good as seeing it live .
|
[
"The people in New York like Swoon's works.",
"The Internet has little influence on street art.",
"Young people all think street art is a very beautiful new culture.",
"Lots of street artists choose street art because it can help them become rich."
] |
The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?
Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.
To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron . He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm.
In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it's on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)
While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.
Question:
The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about _ .
Choices:
A. 20 mw. / sq. cm.
B. 40 mw. / sq. cm.
C. 60 mw. / sq. cm.
D. 85 mw. / sq. cm.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high3533.txt
|
Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?
Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.
To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron . He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm.
In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it's on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)
While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.
|
[
"20 mw. / sq. cm.",
"40 mw. / sq. cm.",
"60 mw. / sq. cm.",
"85 mw. / sq. cm."
] |
How many countries took part in the parade?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
When we interviewed what the life was like more than 70 years ago, many old soldiers were full of tears in their eyes. They told us that they never forgot those days when they were in the army, during which they lived hard lives but spared no effort to fight against the enemies.
Now in the year 2015 comes the first great parade in the 21stcentury. September 3rdis the 70thanniversary of the victory of the anti-fascist war. This day is considered as an important moment for China, as well as the world. 49 countries from all over the world, including South Korea and some European countries attended this special occasion.
In preparation for the parade, the soldiers worked hard every day. In order to walk well in the three hundred meters distance on the Tian'anmen Square, they had to receive extremely strict training. Each day, they got up early in the morning and started the 10 hours' practice.
When a reporter arrived, it was raining heavily outside, but none of the soldiers stopped training. Nothing can stop their training, and no one can stop their deep love to their motherland.
The reporter asked, "The training is so hard but why does nobody give up?" "It's the first time for me to join in such an important ceremony. I consider it a great honor. I must try my best." One of the participants answered. In fact, everyone takes pride in taking part in this big parade because they want to show the spirit of Chinese army, the power of Chinese army, as well as the determination of keeping the world in peace.
From the soldiers, we learned the power of dreams. If one has a dream, he will get over any difficulties that get in the way to make the dream come true.
Question:
How many countries took part in the parade?
Choices:
A. 20
B. 49
C. 40
D. 70
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle6267.txt
|
When we interviewed what the life was like more than 70 years ago, many old soldiers were full of tears in their eyes. They told us that they never forgot those days when they were in the army, during which they lived hard lives but spared no effort to fight against the enemies.
Now in the year 2015 comes the first great parade in the 21stcentury. September 3rdis the 70thanniversary of the victory of the anti-fascist war. This day is considered as an important moment for China, as well as the world. 49 countries from all over the world, including South Korea and some European countries attended this special occasion.
In preparation for the parade, the soldiers worked hard every day. In order to walk well in the three hundred meters distance on the Tian'anmen Square, they had to receive extremely strict training. Each day, they got up early in the morning and started the 10 hours' practice.
When a reporter arrived, it was raining heavily outside, but none of the soldiers stopped training. Nothing can stop their training, and no one can stop their deep love to their motherland.
The reporter asked, "The training is so hard but why does nobody give up?" "It's the first time for me to join in such an important ceremony. I consider it a great honor. I must try my best." One of the participants answered. In fact, everyone takes pride in taking part in this big parade because they want to show the spirit of Chinese army, the power of Chinese army, as well as the determination of keeping the world in peace.
From the soldiers, we learned the power of dreams. If one has a dream, he will get over any difficulties that get in the way to make the dream come true.
|
[
"20",
"49",
"40",
"70"
] |
When all the family members work together, they feel _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
The Black family often do housework together at the weekend. Pam often cleans bedrooms. Her father buys _ for the next week. Her mother washes the clothes. John, Pam's brother, helps to cut the grass in the garden.
The Blacks often ride bikes to the park nearby. In the park, they can play basketball and football. They always have a good time there. They say they like working and playing together.
Question:
When all the family members work together, they feel _ .
Choices:
A. happy
B. tired
C. angry
D. sad
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle4067.txt
|
The Black family often do housework together at the weekend. Pam often cleans bedrooms. Her father buys _ for the next week. Her mother washes the clothes. John, Pam's brother, helps to cut the grass in the garden.
The Blacks often ride bikes to the park nearby. In the park, they can play basketball and football. They always have a good time there. They say they like working and playing together.
|
[
"happy",
"tired",
"angry",
"sad"
] |
What's the best title for this passage?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Seated in a convertible with the top down at 60 miles an hour,Mary looked at the flies that sat on top of Mark's hair.How could they stay there?She wondered.
Mary had not seen Mark in years,until the other day when he came into the cafe where she worked.His appearance was different from when he was in high school.Now,he was a bit fat and thick glasses covered his eyes.However,that didn't change Mary's feelings for him at all.He had just bought a brand new red sports car and asked her if she would like to go for a ride and then have dinner with him.Her heart beat with excitement as he opened the door for her.She noticed something very strange as Mark got into the car started to drive away.On the hair was a group of flies just sitting there.
Mary stared in amazement.It seemed the faster they drove,the more determined the flies were to stick to his hair.
Mary remained silent.She leaned forward and turned the radio on,to try to divert her attention away from the flies,but she couldn't help thinking about them.She looked up at Mark,who was completely devoted to what was going on and continued to sing to the music while driving merrily along.
Finally,Mark pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road beside a diner and looked in the mirror and said,"May,I would like to comb my hair before we get something to cat.Could you reach under the seat and give me my hair cream?"
Mary reached under the seat and pulled cut a camping backpack,which contained a round jar and started to laugh wildly as she pointed to the label .
"That's not hair cream on your hair,Mark!It says it's Fly Trap Glue !"
Question:
What's the best title for this passage?
Choices:
A. A wonderful ride
B. Unchanged love
C. A hair trick
D. A funny mistake
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high19689.txt
|
Seated in a convertible with the top down at 60 miles an hour,Mary looked at the flies that sat on top of Mark's hair.How could they stay there?She wondered.
Mary had not seen Mark in years,until the other day when he came into the cafe where she worked.His appearance was different from when he was in high school.Now,he was a bit fat and thick glasses covered his eyes.However,that didn't change Mary's feelings for him at all.He had just bought a brand new red sports car and asked her if she would like to go for a ride and then have dinner with him.Her heart beat with excitement as he opened the door for her.She noticed something very strange as Mark got into the car started to drive away.On the hair was a group of flies just sitting there.
Mary stared in amazement.It seemed the faster they drove,the more determined the flies were to stick to his hair.
Mary remained silent.She leaned forward and turned the radio on,to try to divert her attention away from the flies,but she couldn't help thinking about them.She looked up at Mark,who was completely devoted to what was going on and continued to sing to the music while driving merrily along.
Finally,Mark pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road beside a diner and looked in the mirror and said,"May,I would like to comb my hair before we get something to cat.Could you reach under the seat and give me my hair cream?"
Mary reached under the seat and pulled cut a camping backpack,which contained a round jar and started to laugh wildly as she pointed to the label .
"That's not hair cream on your hair,Mark!It says it's Fly Trap Glue !"
|
[
"A wonderful ride",
"Unchanged love",
"A hair trick",
"A funny mistake"
] |
The author leads in the topic of the passage with _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
The displays of bad temper are nothing new in kindergarten and first grade, but the behavior of a 6-year-old girl this fall at a school in Fort Worth, Texas, had even the most experienced staff members wanting to run for cover. Asked to put a toy away, the youngster began to scream. Told to calm down, she knocked over her desk and crawled under the teacher's desk, kicking it and throwing out the contents of the drawers. Then things really began to worsen. Still screaming, the child stood up and began casting books at her terrified classmates, who had to be accompanied to safety.
Just a bad day at school? More like a bad season. The desk-throwing incident followed scores of other crazy acts by some of the youngest Fort Worth students at schools across the district, and even the country. There have been an increasing number of kindergartners and first-graders with violent behavior and it has become an alarming trend.
The youngest school kids are acting out in really ridiculous ways and violence is getting younger and younger. Why? Educators and psychologist argue that they are witnessing the result of a number of social trends that have come together in a most unfortunate way. Many mention economic stress, which has parents working longer hours than ever before, kids spending more time in day care and everyone coming home too tired to engage in the kind of relationships that build social skills. In addition, many educators worry about rising academic pressure in kindergarten and first grade as the students have to take the yearly tests demanded by the No Child Left Behind Act. They believe that even more important than early reading is the learning of play skills. Other experts also point out that violent behavior in children has been closely linked to exposure to violence on TV and in movies, video games and other media. They insist schools try to teach kids what they have failed to learn at home, for example, having varieties of anti-violence and character-education programs, instructing children to interact with people who love them and teaching them how to behave.
Question:
The author leads in the topic of the passage with _ .
Choices:
A. detailed examples
B. scientific analysis
C. satisfactory evidence
D. rich imagination
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high7155.txt
|
The displays of bad temper are nothing new in kindergarten and first grade, but the behavior of a 6-year-old girl this fall at a school in Fort Worth, Texas, had even the most experienced staff members wanting to run for cover. Asked to put a toy away, the youngster began to scream. Told to calm down, she knocked over her desk and crawled under the teacher's desk, kicking it and throwing out the contents of the drawers. Then things really began to worsen. Still screaming, the child stood up and began casting books at her terrified classmates, who had to be accompanied to safety.
Just a bad day at school? More like a bad season. The desk-throwing incident followed scores of other crazy acts by some of the youngest Fort Worth students at schools across the district, and even the country. There have been an increasing number of kindergartners and first-graders with violent behavior and it has become an alarming trend.
The youngest school kids are acting out in really ridiculous ways and violence is getting younger and younger. Why? Educators and psychologist argue that they are witnessing the result of a number of social trends that have come together in a most unfortunate way. Many mention economic stress, which has parents working longer hours than ever before, kids spending more time in day care and everyone coming home too tired to engage in the kind of relationships that build social skills. In addition, many educators worry about rising academic pressure in kindergarten and first grade as the students have to take the yearly tests demanded by the No Child Left Behind Act. They believe that even more important than early reading is the learning of play skills. Other experts also point out that violent behavior in children has been closely linked to exposure to violence on TV and in movies, video games and other media. They insist schools try to teach kids what they have failed to learn at home, for example, having varieties of anti-violence and character-education programs, instructing children to interact with people who love them and teaching them how to behave.
|
[
"detailed examples",
"scientific analysis",
"satisfactory evidence",
"rich imagination"
] |
The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Maybe you don't think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this.
Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like "coward"! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table.
I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home.
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning!
Question:
The reason why the author was puzzled and angry with the dog was that _ .
Choices:
A. Howard had a strange behavior
B. Howard should be afraid of the metal poles
C. Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning
D. Howard bit his trousers in his teeth
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high7145.txt
|
Maybe you don't think animals have certain mental powers which human beings do not have. But the truth is that some of them have instincts, and besides this, I am sure they can feel certain things we humans cannot. A personal experience showed me this.
Some years ago, I had a dog named Howard. From the time when he was a puppy, he was timid, so we named him Howard, sounding like "coward"! He was especially afraid of thunderstorms. At the first flash of lightning or crash of thunder, he would run whining into his house and hide under a table.
I often went for a walk with Howard. Once, as we were walking along a road, it began to rain. I quickly ran to a bus stop for shelter. The bus stop had a roof supported by metal poles. Soon after I had got there, Howard caught my trousers in his teeth and tried to pull me away. At first I was puzzled and a little angry at his behavior. But I decided to humor him and walked away from the shelter into the rain and started to go home.
When I was about two hundred metres from the shelter, there came a flash of lightning and soon after, there was thunder which nearly deafened me. Howard stopped walking and began whining. Thinking he was afraid, I bent to pick him up. As I straightened up, I glanced at the bus shelter we had just left. I was shocked to see that two of the poles were bent and the roof was lying on the ground, broken. The shelter had been struck by the bolt of lightning!
|
[
"Howard had a strange behavior",
"Howard should be afraid of the metal poles",
"Howard should know the approaching of the terrible lightning",
"Howard bit his trousers in his teeth"
] |
Bob grew corn in his garden this year and ended up with 50 bushels. This is way too much for him to eat, so he gave some of it away to his friends. His friend Terry took 8 bushels, while Jerry only took 3. He gave 12 bushels to his friend Linda, who runs a food pantry. His neighbor Stacy doesn't eat much corn, but she still accepted 21 ears of corn from him. If each bushel contained 14 ears of corn, how many ears of corn does Bob have left?
|
Stacy took 21 ears of corn, there are 14 ears to a bushel, so she took 21 ears / 14 ears/bushel = <<21/14=1.5>>1.5 bushels of corn.
In all, Bob gave away 8 bushels + 3 bushels + 12 bushels + 1.5 bushels = <<8+3+12+1.5=24.5>>24.5 bushels of corn.
This leaves him with 50 bushels - 24.5 bushels = <<50-24.5=25.5>>25.5 bushels of corn.
At 14 ears of corn per bushel, Bob has 25.5 bushels * 14 ears per bushel = <<25.5*14=357>>357 ears of corn.
#### 357
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
Bob grew corn in his garden this year and ended up with 50 bushels. This is way too much for him to eat, so he gave some of it away to his friends. His friend Terry took 8 bushels, while Jerry only took 3. He gave 12 bushels to his friend Linda, who runs a food pantry. His neighbor Stacy doesn't eat much corn, but she still accepted 21 ears of corn from him. If each bushel contained 14 ears of corn, how many ears of corn does Bob have left?
|
Stacy took 21 ears of corn, there are 14 ears to a bushel, so she took 21 ears / 14 ears/bushel = <<21/14=1.5>>1.5 bushels of corn.
In all, Bob gave away 8 bushels + 3 bushels + 12 bushels + 1.5 bushels = <<8+3+12+1.5=24.5>>24.5 bushels of corn.
This leaves him with 50 bushels - 24.5 bushels = <<50-24.5=25.5>>25.5 bushels of corn.
At 14 ears of corn per bushel, Bob has 25.5 bushels * 14 ears per bushel = <<25.5*14=357>>357 ears of corn.
#### 357
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
According to the passage, which of the following might ruin the tourists' fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or other historic remains . Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money for the sun because they have so little of it. People of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year are in the rain. This is the reason why the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economics of Mediterranean countries. Italy's 30, 000 hotels are booked without a break every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit there yearly, or _
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can deal with. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. None of these, however, is ruining anyone's fun. Obviously, they don't go there for clean water. They allow traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don't even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it's still better than sitting in the cold, rainy in Berlin, London, or Oslo.
Question:
According to the passage, which of the following might ruin the tourists' fun at Mediterranean resorts and beaches?
Choices:
A. Polluted water.
B. Crowded buses.
C. Rainy weather.
D. Traffic jams.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high8606.txt
|
People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or other historic remains . Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken in front of famous places. Most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money for the sun because they have so little of it. People of cities like London, Copenhagen and Amsterdam spend much of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year are in the rain. This is the reason why the Mediterranean has always attracted them. Every summer many people travel to Mediterranean resorts and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economics of Mediterranean countries. Italy's 30, 000 hotels are booked without a break every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides. Spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit there yearly, or _
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can deal with. The Mediterranean is already one of the most polluted seas on earth. None of these, however, is ruining anyone's fun. Obviously, they don't go there for clean water. They allow traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. They don't even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as the sun shines, it's still better than sitting in the cold, rainy in Berlin, London, or Oslo.
|
[
"Polluted water.",
"Crowded buses.",
"Rainy weather.",
"Traffic jams."
] |
A rancher owns a mixture of 8 sheep and 5 cattle that graze on his land. In a typical year, the rancher will allow his animals to feed off his pastures for as long as possible before they run out of grass. After the pastures run out of grass, he must buy feed corn for $10 per bag. Each cow eats 2 acres of grass per month, and each sheep eats 1 acre of grass per month. Additionally, a bag of feed corn can feed each cow for 1 month and each sheep for 2 months. If the rancher's pasture contains 144 acres of grass, how much will the rancher need to spend on feed corn to feed his animals each year?
|
First, the 144 acres of grass will be eaten according to the equation 5*2*T + 8*1*T = 144.
Solving this equation for T, we find 18*T = 144, or T = 8 months of food are covered by the animals grazing on the rancher's pasture.
This means the farmer must buy feed corn for the remaining 12 - 8 = <<12-8=4>>4 months.
Next, the rancher's 8 sheep will require 4/2 = 2 bags of feed corn each, or 8*2 = <<8*2=16>>16 bags of feed corn in total for the 4 month period.
The rancher's 5 cows will require 4/1 = 4 bags of feed corn each, or 5*4 = <<5*4=20>>20 bags of feed corn in total for the month.
Therefore, the rancher needs 16+20 = <<16+20=36>>36 bags of feed corn for all of his animals.
So, the rancher will need to spend 36*10 = $<<36*10=360>>360 per year on feed corn.
#### 360
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
A rancher owns a mixture of 8 sheep and 5 cattle that graze on his land. In a typical year, the rancher will allow his animals to feed off his pastures for as long as possible before they run out of grass. After the pastures run out of grass, he must buy feed corn for $10 per bag. Each cow eats 2 acres of grass per month, and each sheep eats 1 acre of grass per month. Additionally, a bag of feed corn can feed each cow for 1 month and each sheep for 2 months. If the rancher's pasture contains 144 acres of grass, how much will the rancher need to spend on feed corn to feed his animals each year?
|
First, the 144 acres of grass will be eaten according to the equation 5*2*T + 8*1*T = 144.
Solving this equation for T, we find 18*T = 144, or T = 8 months of food are covered by the animals grazing on the rancher's pasture.
This means the farmer must buy feed corn for the remaining 12 - 8 = <<12-8=4>>4 months.
Next, the rancher's 8 sheep will require 4/2 = 2 bags of feed corn each, or 8*2 = <<8*2=16>>16 bags of feed corn in total for the 4 month period.
The rancher's 5 cows will require 4/1 = 4 bags of feed corn each, or 5*4 = <<5*4=20>>20 bags of feed corn in total for the month.
Therefore, the rancher needs 16+20 = <<16+20=36>>36 bags of feed corn for all of his animals.
So, the rancher will need to spend 36*10 = $<<36*10=360>>360 per year on feed corn.
#### 360
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
Compared to free-floating bacteria, bacteria in biofilms often show increased resistance to what?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
Compared to free-floating bacteria, bacteria in biofilms often show increased resistance to what?
|
antibiotics and detergents
|
science
| null | null | null |
acid and antibiotics
|
acid and detergents
|
alcohol and detergents
|
antibiotics and detergents
|
Compared to free-floating bacteria, bacteria in biofilms often show increased resistance to antibiotics and detergents. Why do you think this might be the case?.
| null | null | null |
We can learn from the text that _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
People have always been dreaming of going to the moon. As long as the year 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book vividly describing a trip to the moon. On landing there, the explorers discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. Words failed to express their surprise when they spotted so many "moon people". The "moon people" felt even more surprised. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?"
H. G. Wells could only imagine a travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really left their footsteps on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about _ .
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Channel", a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities". The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development argue that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells' "moon people" would second it. Would you?
Question:
We can learn from the text that _ .
Choices:
A. H. G. Wells once went to moon himself.
B. Underground cities are more comfortable.
C. The solar dome is a necessary part of underground cities.
D. More underground systems will be in place in 2013.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high4903.txt
|
People have always been dreaming of going to the moon. As long as the year 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book vividly describing a trip to the moon. On landing there, the explorers discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. Words failed to express their surprise when they spotted so many "moon people". The "moon people" felt even more surprised. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?"
H. G. Wells could only imagine a travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really left their footsteps on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about _ .
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Channel", a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities". The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development argue that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells' "moon people" would second it. Would you?
|
[
"H. G. Wells once went to moon himself.",
"Underground cities are more comfortable.",
"The solar dome is a necessary part of underground cities.",
"More underground systems will be in place in 2013."
] |
From the short story we know that _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Two strangers were sitting together in a plane . They were on a long journey . One of the men was a teacher . The other was a farmer .
They sat without talking for a while , then the farmer said , " Let's do something to pass the time ."
" What do you want to do ?" the teacher asked .
" We can ask each other riddles ( )," the farmer said, " You start."
" Let's make the rules first ," the teacher said . " And to make the game more interesting , let's play it for money . If we don't know the answer to the riddle , we have to pay a dollar ."
The farmer thought about this for a while , then he said , " That's not fair( . You are a teacher , an educated ( ) man . You know more things than I do . I am just a farmer ."
" That's true ," the teacher said , " What do you think we should do ?"
The farmer said , " If you don't know the answer to a riddle ,you pay me 100 dollars .If I don't know the answer to the riddle , I'll pay you 50 dollars."
The teacher thought for a while , then he said , " OK. That's fair . Who'll go first ?"
"I will ," the farmer said . " Here's my riddle . What has three legs when it walks , but only two legs when it flies ?"
The teacher thought and thought , " What has three legs when it walks, but only two when it flies ?" Then he said , " That's a good one . I don't know the answer ." He gave the farmer 100 dollars and said , " Tell me the answer . What is it ?"
" I don't know , either ." The farmer said , and gave him 50 dollars .
Question:
From the short story we know that _ .
Choices:
A. the teacher was cleverer than the farmer .
B. an educated man is not always clever.
C. both of the two men could know the answer
D. Neither of the two men was clever.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle1116.txt
|
Two strangers were sitting together in a plane . They were on a long journey . One of the men was a teacher . The other was a farmer .
They sat without talking for a while , then the farmer said , " Let's do something to pass the time ."
" What do you want to do ?" the teacher asked .
" We can ask each other riddles ( )," the farmer said, " You start."
" Let's make the rules first ," the teacher said . " And to make the game more interesting , let's play it for money . If we don't know the answer to the riddle , we have to pay a dollar ."
The farmer thought about this for a while , then he said , " That's not fair( . You are a teacher , an educated ( ) man . You know more things than I do . I am just a farmer ."
" That's true ," the teacher said , " What do you think we should do ?"
The farmer said , " If you don't know the answer to a riddle ,you pay me 100 dollars .If I don't know the answer to the riddle , I'll pay you 50 dollars."
The teacher thought for a while , then he said , " OK. That's fair . Who'll go first ?"
"I will ," the farmer said . " Here's my riddle . What has three legs when it walks , but only two legs when it flies ?"
The teacher thought and thought , " What has three legs when it walks, but only two when it flies ?" Then he said , " That's a good one . I don't know the answer ." He gave the farmer 100 dollars and said , " Tell me the answer . What is it ?"
" I don't know , either ." The farmer said , and gave him 50 dollars .
|
[
"the teacher was cleverer than the farmer .",
"an educated man is not always clever.",
"both of the two men could know the answer",
"Neither of the two men was clever."
] |
How many ways of travelling in Holland does the writer tell us?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
I come from Holland . In our country, there are plenty of _ . There are more than 2,000 windmills in Holland. These windmills make electricity for the country.
It is a small country in Europe. About 20% of its land comes from the sea. The population of Holland is only 16,000,000.
The weather is very nice, so the flowers can grow very well. Maybe you like roses, kapoks or lilies. However, the tulip is a symbol of the country. People celebrate Tulip Festival every year. There are a lot of cows in this country. You can enjoy good milk and cheese here.
You can go everywhere by train, taxi, underground or ship. They are fast and convenient. People here also love to ride bikes. Riding a bike is free and relaxing.
What do children do when they pass their exam? They often hang a schoolbag and a national flag at the gate! Come and have a good time in Holland!
Question:
How many ways of travelling in Holland does the writer tell us?
Choices:
A. 3
B. 4
C. 5
D. 6
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle4139.txt
|
I come from Holland . In our country, there are plenty of _ . There are more than 2,000 windmills in Holland. These windmills make electricity for the country.
It is a small country in Europe. About 20% of its land comes from the sea. The population of Holland is only 16,000,000.
The weather is very nice, so the flowers can grow very well. Maybe you like roses, kapoks or lilies. However, the tulip is a symbol of the country. People celebrate Tulip Festival every year. There are a lot of cows in this country. You can enjoy good milk and cheese here.
You can go everywhere by train, taxi, underground or ship. They are fast and convenient. People here also love to ride bikes. Riding a bike is free and relaxing.
What do children do when they pass their exam? They often hang a schoolbag and a national flag at the gate! Come and have a good time in Holland!
|
[
"3",
"4",
"5",
"6"
] |
Noah, who loves his Grammy, calls her every week to talk about his day. If each call lasts 30 minutes and he is charged $0.05 per call minute, how much would he be billed if he makes the calls for a year?
|
A year has 52 weeks, so if he talks for 30 minutes every week, the total number of call hours is 52*30 = <<52*30=1560>>1560 minutes.
Since he is charged 0.05 cents per call, the total cost is 1560*.05 = <<1560*.05=78>>78 dollars
#### 78
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
Noah, who loves his Grammy, calls her every week to talk about his day. If each call lasts 30 minutes and he is charged $0.05 per call minute, how much would he be billed if he makes the calls for a year?
|
A year has 52 weeks, so if he talks for 30 minutes every week, the total number of call hours is 52*30 = <<52*30=1560>>1560 minutes.
Since he is charged 0.05 cents per call, the total cost is 1560*.05 = <<1560*.05=78>>78 dollars
#### 78
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
Which vitamin is made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
Which vitamin is made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight?
|
vitamin d
|
science
| null | null | null |
Riboflavin
|
Vitamin C
|
Vitamin B1
|
vitamin d
|
Some sunlight is good for your health. Vitamin D is made in the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. But getting too much sun can be unhealthy. A sunburn is a burn to the skin that is caused by overexposure to UV radiation from the sun's rays or tanning beds.
| null | null | null |
For which of the following problems would one call New York P & H?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
NEW YORK PLUMBING & HEATING
Since 1968
Plumbing and Heating Fixing
LARGE OR SMALL
24 Hours 7 Days Service
Tel: 56568833
268 Pine Street 5
Avenue
Question:
For which of the following problems would one call New York P & H?
Choices:
A. Rainwater drops from the roof.
B. A refrigerator stops working.
C. The floor of the bathroom is covered with water.
D. There's something wrong with the furniture.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high15714.txt
|
NEW YORK PLUMBING & HEATING
Since 1968
Plumbing and Heating Fixing
LARGE OR SMALL
24 Hours 7 Days Service
Tel: 56568833
268 Pine Street 5
Avenue
|
[
"Rainwater drops from the roof.",
"A refrigerator stops working.",
"The floor of the bathroom is covered with water.",
"There's something wrong with the furniture."
] |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a shining hotel uncovered a bejeweled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday.
It is "the most expensive Christmas tree ever" with "a value of over 11 million dollars", said Hans Olbertz, general of Emirates Palace Hotel, at its inauguratuion .
The 13-metre (40-foot) evergreen, located in the gold hall of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped decorations and small white lights. But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery hung around the tree's branches are what give it a record value. "It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones," said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery.
"The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars--I think $1,141,150."
"This will probably be an entry into the Guinness book of world records," Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organization about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year.
Asked whether the tree might be against religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population are Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It is a liberal country," he said.
The hotel has had a Christmas tree up in previous years, but this year "we have to do something different", and the hotel's marketing team _ the plan, said Olbertz.
Question:
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
Choices:
A. Christmas coming in extravagant fashion
B. The precious jewellery hung around a tree
C. The most expensive Christmas tree ever
D. the United Arab Emirates, a liberal country
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high21104.txt
|
Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a shining hotel uncovered a bejeweled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday.
It is "the most expensive Christmas tree ever" with "a value of over 11 million dollars", said Hans Olbertz, general of Emirates Palace Hotel, at its inauguratuion .
The 13-metre (40-foot) evergreen, located in the gold hall of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped decorations and small white lights. But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery hung around the tree's branches are what give it a record value. "It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones," said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery.
"The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars--I think $1,141,150."
"This will probably be an entry into the Guinness book of world records," Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organization about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year.
Asked whether the tree might be against religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population are Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It is a liberal country," he said.
The hotel has had a Christmas tree up in previous years, but this year "we have to do something different", and the hotel's marketing team _ the plan, said Olbertz.
|
[
"Christmas coming in extravagant fashion",
"The precious jewellery hung around a tree",
"The most expensive Christmas tree ever",
"the United Arab Emirates, a liberal country"
] |
By saying the last sentence "Really, we are heroes." the writer wants to express that _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Gadgets can be wildly expensive and quickly out-of-date, but Steven Poole is still the first to buy them. Technological innovations are often quite stupid. The idea that you might want to walk down the street holding a mobile phone in front of your face, just to experience the wonders of video calling, is clearly ridiculous. Luckily for the tech companies, however, there are some people who jump at the chance to buy into new gadgets before they are fully ready and cheap enough for the mass-market. They are called early adopters, and their fate is a terrible one. I should know, since I am one myself.
Early adopters have a Mecca: it's Tokyo's Akihabara district, also known as "Electric City". There, in 1999, I bought a digital camera, a gizmo that few people in Britain had heard of. Over the next few years I watched in great sadness as digital cameras became more popular, cheaper and more powerful, until better models could be had for a quarter of the price I had paid. Did I feel stupid? What I actually did was this: I splashed out more money last year for a new one, one that let me feel pleasantly ahead of the curve once again. But I know that cannot last, and I'll probably have to buy another in a few years.
Thus early adopters are betting on other people eventually feeling the same desires. And it's worse if that future never arrives. Early adopters of the Betamax home-video format in the 1970s could only look on in sadness when their investment was nullified by the success of VHS. All sorts of apparently splendid inventions, such as videogame consoles like the Atari Jaguar have been abandoned to the dustbin of history right after a few early adopters bought in. Those who invested thousands in a Segway motorized scooter on the wave of ridiculous advertising campaigns that accompanied its launch a couple of years ago can join the club.
You might think we should just stop being so silly, save our money, and wait to see what really catches on. But the logic of the industry is such that, if everyone did that, no innovation would become popular. Imagine the third person to buy an ordinary telephone soon after Alexander Graham Bell had invented it. Who was he going to call? Maybe he simply bought two phones, one for a special friend. But still, the usefulness and eventual popularity of the device wasn't clear at the time. Nobody dreamed of the possibility of being able to speak to any one of millions of people. And yet if he, and the hundreds and thousands of early adopters after him, had not bought into the idea, the vast communication networks that we all take for granted today would never have been built.
The same goes, indeed, for all new technologies. Those guys holding bricks to their ears that we laughed at in the 1980s made the current mobile phone possible. People who bought DVD players when they still cost a fortune, instead of today's cheap one at the local supermarket, made sure that the new format succeeded. Early adopters' desire for desires supported the future financially. And what did they get for their pains? They got a hole in their bank accounts and inferior, unperfected technology. But still, they got it first. And today they are still at work, buying overpriced digital radios, DVD recorders and LCD televisions, and even 3G phones, so that you will be eventually be able to buy better and less expensive ones.
So next time you see a gadget-festooned geek and feel tempted to sneer , think for a minute. Without early adopters, there would be no cheap mobile phones or DVD players; there would be no telephone or television either. We are the tragic, unsung foot soldiers of the technology revolution. We're the desire-addicted pioneers, pure in heart, dreaming of a better future. We make expensive mistakes so you don't have to. Really, we are heroes.
Question:
By saying the last sentence "Really, we are heroes." the writer wants to express that _ .
Choices:
A. early adopters are likely to get addicted to modern technology
B. early adopters bravely spend much money buying new technology
C. early adopters are as a matter of fact clever investors of technology
D. early adopters help promote the development of technology
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high21970.txt
|
Gadgets can be wildly expensive and quickly out-of-date, but Steven Poole is still the first to buy them. Technological innovations are often quite stupid. The idea that you might want to walk down the street holding a mobile phone in front of your face, just to experience the wonders of video calling, is clearly ridiculous. Luckily for the tech companies, however, there are some people who jump at the chance to buy into new gadgets before they are fully ready and cheap enough for the mass-market. They are called early adopters, and their fate is a terrible one. I should know, since I am one myself.
Early adopters have a Mecca: it's Tokyo's Akihabara district, also known as "Electric City". There, in 1999, I bought a digital camera, a gizmo that few people in Britain had heard of. Over the next few years I watched in great sadness as digital cameras became more popular, cheaper and more powerful, until better models could be had for a quarter of the price I had paid. Did I feel stupid? What I actually did was this: I splashed out more money last year for a new one, one that let me feel pleasantly ahead of the curve once again. But I know that cannot last, and I'll probably have to buy another in a few years.
Thus early adopters are betting on other people eventually feeling the same desires. And it's worse if that future never arrives. Early adopters of the Betamax home-video format in the 1970s could only look on in sadness when their investment was nullified by the success of VHS. All sorts of apparently splendid inventions, such as videogame consoles like the Atari Jaguar have been abandoned to the dustbin of history right after a few early adopters bought in. Those who invested thousands in a Segway motorized scooter on the wave of ridiculous advertising campaigns that accompanied its launch a couple of years ago can join the club.
You might think we should just stop being so silly, save our money, and wait to see what really catches on. But the logic of the industry is such that, if everyone did that, no innovation would become popular. Imagine the third person to buy an ordinary telephone soon after Alexander Graham Bell had invented it. Who was he going to call? Maybe he simply bought two phones, one for a special friend. But still, the usefulness and eventual popularity of the device wasn't clear at the time. Nobody dreamed of the possibility of being able to speak to any one of millions of people. And yet if he, and the hundreds and thousands of early adopters after him, had not bought into the idea, the vast communication networks that we all take for granted today would never have been built.
The same goes, indeed, for all new technologies. Those guys holding bricks to their ears that we laughed at in the 1980s made the current mobile phone possible. People who bought DVD players when they still cost a fortune, instead of today's cheap one at the local supermarket, made sure that the new format succeeded. Early adopters' desire for desires supported the future financially. And what did they get for their pains? They got a hole in their bank accounts and inferior, unperfected technology. But still, they got it first. And today they are still at work, buying overpriced digital radios, DVD recorders and LCD televisions, and even 3G phones, so that you will be eventually be able to buy better and less expensive ones.
So next time you see a gadget-festooned geek and feel tempted to sneer , think for a minute. Without early adopters, there would be no cheap mobile phones or DVD players; there would be no telephone or television either. We are the tragic, unsung foot soldiers of the technology revolution. We're the desire-addicted pioneers, pure in heart, dreaming of a better future. We make expensive mistakes so you don't have to. Really, we are heroes.
|
[
"early adopters are likely to get addicted to modern technology",
"early adopters bravely spend much money buying new technology",
"early adopters are as a matter of fact clever investors of technology",
"early adopters help promote the development of technology"
] |
What was the finding of the study published in Psychological Science in 2008?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
FROM dogs and cats to pandas and penguins, lists of adorable animals can be very varied. However, when it comes to scary animals, the answers are often more or less the same - snakes and spiders are among the most dreadful ones for the majority of us.
However, most of us have never been bitten by a snake or a spider. So does this mean we are born with a fear of certain things?
Scientists have been actively looking into it for a long time. For example, studies have suggested that babies find live animals much more interesting than stuffed ones. This interest continues even if those animals are snakes and spiders.
A study published in Psychological Science in 2008 seemed to show that snakes did have a different impact on babies. When scientists presented babies with animal videos along with random sounds of happy or frightened human voices, they found that babies looked at snakes for longer than any other animal however the voices sounded.
Now, a team from Rutgers University in New Jersey, US has tried to challenge the idea that babies are born with a fear of snakes and spiders. According to the BBC, the researchers measured babies' physiological responses as they watched videos of snakes and elephants paired with both fearful and happy voices.
Scientists then set out to surprise the babies to see how they would react. They presented them with an unexpected bright flash of light as they watched a video. As the BBC explained, a surprise like this would be more intense if the babies were already scared, just like when we watch scary films and jump more if we are already scared.
However, according to their findings, published recently in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, babies' surprised responses were not bigger when watching a video of a snake, even when it was shown with a fearful voice. Their heart response was also lower, which also made it seem that babies were not scared.
"Children do not have an _ fear of snakes," concluded the study. Even if previous studies had suggested that babies have different responses to snakes, it isn't necessarily related to fear. "It's possible that paying more attention to something might make fear learning easier later on. It leads to fear learning," said research co-author Vanessa LoBue. She further explained that it was a good thing that humans didn't have an inborn fear of snakes because it would make a young infant's desire to explore new things less strong.
Instead, we have evolved to quickly learn to be afraid of something if it turns out to be dangerous.
Question:
What was the finding of the study published in Psychological Science in 2008?
Choices:
A. The longer babies looked at snakes in the video, the less scared they were.
B. The fearful voices babies heard when watching snake videos doubled their fear of snakes.
C. Babies' responses to the snake in the videos were greatly affected by the types of voices they heard.
D. Babies took more interest in snakes than the other animals in the videos regardless of which human voices they heard.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high13516.txt
|
FROM dogs and cats to pandas and penguins, lists of adorable animals can be very varied. However, when it comes to scary animals, the answers are often more or less the same - snakes and spiders are among the most dreadful ones for the majority of us.
However, most of us have never been bitten by a snake or a spider. So does this mean we are born with a fear of certain things?
Scientists have been actively looking into it for a long time. For example, studies have suggested that babies find live animals much more interesting than stuffed ones. This interest continues even if those animals are snakes and spiders.
A study published in Psychological Science in 2008 seemed to show that snakes did have a different impact on babies. When scientists presented babies with animal videos along with random sounds of happy or frightened human voices, they found that babies looked at snakes for longer than any other animal however the voices sounded.
Now, a team from Rutgers University in New Jersey, US has tried to challenge the idea that babies are born with a fear of snakes and spiders. According to the BBC, the researchers measured babies' physiological responses as they watched videos of snakes and elephants paired with both fearful and happy voices.
Scientists then set out to surprise the babies to see how they would react. They presented them with an unexpected bright flash of light as they watched a video. As the BBC explained, a surprise like this would be more intense if the babies were already scared, just like when we watch scary films and jump more if we are already scared.
However, according to their findings, published recently in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, babies' surprised responses were not bigger when watching a video of a snake, even when it was shown with a fearful voice. Their heart response was also lower, which also made it seem that babies were not scared.
"Children do not have an _ fear of snakes," concluded the study. Even if previous studies had suggested that babies have different responses to snakes, it isn't necessarily related to fear. "It's possible that paying more attention to something might make fear learning easier later on. It leads to fear learning," said research co-author Vanessa LoBue. She further explained that it was a good thing that humans didn't have an inborn fear of snakes because it would make a young infant's desire to explore new things less strong.
Instead, we have evolved to quickly learn to be afraid of something if it turns out to be dangerous.
|
[
"The longer babies looked at snakes in the video, the less scared they were.",
"The fearful voices babies heard when watching snake videos doubled their fear of snakes.",
"Babies' responses to the snake in the videos were greatly affected by the types of voices they heard.",
"Babies took more interest in snakes than the other animals in the videos regardless of which human voices they heard."
] |
How many doors are there in the woodchuck's house?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Everybody has a home. People have homes. Animals have homes. People live in many different kinds of houses. Animals have different kinds of homes, too.
Some animals live in holes under the ground . The woodchuck lives under the ground .His home has two doors. If any animal comes into one door, the woodchuck goes out through the other. Some animals live in holes in trees. Some squirrels build nests high in trees. Most of the birds live in nests in trees. But hawks build their nests high in the mountains .
Question:
How many doors are there in the woodchuck's house?
Choices:
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. None
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle6621.txt
|
Everybody has a home. People have homes. Animals have homes. People live in many different kinds of houses. Animals have different kinds of homes, too.
Some animals live in holes under the ground . The woodchuck lives under the ground .His home has two doors. If any animal comes into one door, the woodchuck goes out through the other. Some animals live in holes in trees. Some squirrels build nests high in trees. Most of the birds live in nests in trees. But hawks build their nests high in the mountains .
|
[
"One",
"Two",
"Three",
"None"
] |
We learn from the text that shoes one wears may _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes.
"Shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about their wearers," the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality."Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues with symbolic messages.People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear."
Medical Daily notes that the number of detailed personality traits detected in the study include a person's general age, their gender, income, political affiliation, and other personality traits, including someone's emotional stability.
Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color and condition of someone's shoes.In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants.Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire.
So, what do your shoes say about your personality?
Some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by extroverts .
However, some of the more specific results are intriguing.For example, "practical and functional" shoes were generally worn by more "agreeable" people, while ankle boots were more closely aligned with "aggressive" personalities.
The strangest of all may be that those who wore "uncomfortable looking" shoes tend to have "calm" personalities.
And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from "attachment _ " spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance.
There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal types wearing "shabbier and less expensive" shoes.
The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality traits, but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were revealing deep insights into their personalities.
Question:
We learn from the text that shoes one wears may _ .
Choices:
A. be used to judge others' personality accurately
B. show thick and useful information about one's personality
C. convey useful information including one's emotional stability
D. only convey some information about one's personality
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2394.txt
|
Researchers at the University of Kansas say that people can accurately judge 90 percent of a stranger's personality simply by looking at the person's shoes.
"Shoes convey a thin but useful slice of information about their wearers," the authors wrote in the new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality."Shoes serve a practical purpose, and also serve as nonverbal cues with symbolic messages.People tend to pay attention to the shoes they and others wear."
Medical Daily notes that the number of detailed personality traits detected in the study include a person's general age, their gender, income, political affiliation, and other personality traits, including someone's emotional stability.
Lead researcher Omri Gillath said the judgments were based on the style, cost, color and condition of someone's shoes.In the study, 63 University of Kansas students looked at pictures showing 208 different pairs of shoes worn by the study's participants.Volunteers in the study were photographed in their most commonly worn shoes, and then filled out a personality questionnaire.
So, what do your shoes say about your personality?
Some of the results were expected: People with higher incomes most commonly wore expensive shoes, and flashier footwear was typically worn by extroverts .
However, some of the more specific results are intriguing.For example, "practical and functional" shoes were generally worn by more "agreeable" people, while ankle boots were more closely aligned with "aggressive" personalities.
The strangest of all may be that those who wore "uncomfortable looking" shoes tend to have "calm" personalities.
And if you have several pairs of new shoes or take exceptional care of them, you may suffer from "attachment _ " spending an inordinate amount of time worrying about what other people think of your appearance.
There was even a political calculation in the mix with more liberal types wearing "shabbier and less expensive" shoes.
The researchers noted that some people will choose shoe styles to mask their actual personality traits, but researchers noted that volunteers were also likely to be unaware that their footwear choices were revealing deep insights into their personalities.
|
[
"be used to judge others' personality accurately",
"show thick and useful information about one's personality",
"convey useful information including one's emotional stability",
"only convey some information about one's personality"
] |
Carson is refilling his tires. Each tire can hold 500 cubic inches of air. Two of the tires are completely flat and empty. One tire is 40% full and the last tire is 70% full. If Carson injects 50 cubic inches of air with each pump, how many pumps will it take him to fill all the tires?
|
First, if the a full tire needs 500 cubic inches of air, then two empty tires need: 500 cubic inches/tire * 2 tires = <<500*2=1000>>1000 cubic inches.
Accordingly, the 40%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (100%-40%).
So, we find the 40%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (60%) = <<500*(60*.01)=300>>300 cubic inches.
And, the 70%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (100%-70%).
So, the 70%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (30%)= <<500*(30*.01)=150>>150 cubic inches.
Now add up the needs of all the tires to find the total number of cubic inches needed: 1000 cubic inches + 300 cubic inches + 150 cubic inches = <<1000+300+150=1450>>1450 cubic inches.
Finally, if the pumps each hold 50 cubic inches, the total number of pumps needed is 1550 cubic inches / 50 cubic inches/pump = 29 pumps.
#### 29
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
Carson is refilling his tires. Each tire can hold 500 cubic inches of air. Two of the tires are completely flat and empty. One tire is 40% full and the last tire is 70% full. If Carson injects 50 cubic inches of air with each pump, how many pumps will it take him to fill all the tires?
|
First, if the a full tire needs 500 cubic inches of air, then two empty tires need: 500 cubic inches/tire * 2 tires = <<500*2=1000>>1000 cubic inches.
Accordingly, the 40%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (100%-40%).
So, we find the 40%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (60%) = <<500*(60*.01)=300>>300 cubic inches.
And, the 70%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (100%-70%).
So, the 70%-full tire needs 500 cubic inches * (30%)= <<500*(30*.01)=150>>150 cubic inches.
Now add up the needs of all the tires to find the total number of cubic inches needed: 1000 cubic inches + 300 cubic inches + 150 cubic inches = <<1000+300+150=1450>>1450 cubic inches.
Finally, if the pumps each hold 50 cubic inches, the total number of pumps needed is 1550 cubic inches / 50 cubic inches/pump = 29 pumps.
#### 29
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
Where can this passage be found ?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Allen : I've never been a big fan of the bears , especially the vacation show . On my last trip to Disneyland (1999) we passed it by , because we didn't want to spend the time on something we didn't really enjoy. If we'd known it would be closed by our next visit , I'm sure we would have watched it one more time . I was just making the point that it wasn't until Disney announced the closing that this feeling suddenly sprang up for the Country Bear show at Disneyland .
But I think the idea of keeping some attractions open forever regardless of the number of visitors it gets is a mistake . We all have great memories of the Bears , but clearly very few kids today (or I should say families today ) are making those same memories from this show . That may be a sad fact , but it's a fact . For whatever reason , the show doesn't pull in the numbers . Isn't it right to use the Country Bear space to bring in a more popular attraction so that more kids today can make those magic memories of an attraction THEY like ? Otherwise aren't we just telling kids today that they "have to" make great memories of the Bears , when it's obvious that the kids themselves are not enjoying the Bears like we did ?
Roger : I am very disappointed that they have decided to retire the Country Bear Playhouse . I remember going to the show as a child , and still enjoyed it as a teenager ,
and now young adult . It is true that there aren't a lot of shows left at DL and with this one closing even less . Being at DL does require a lot of walking , and it is nice to have a few attractions that are a place to sit and enjoy a good show . I understand that DL has to develop , but there has to be some history to the Disneyland that Walt Disney first designed . There should be some parts of DL that just never go away , and this is one of them . By the time I have children it looks like there won't be any attractions that I can say I went to as a child at the rate they are going .
Now the Bears are leaving . What I want to say is: stop trying to compete with everyone ! DL is the best , because of attractions like the Country Bears . If DL insists on destroying all of its magic to make way for the latest , well , then it might as well be just another theme park .
Question:
Where can this passage be found ?
Choices:
A. In a Web discussion zone .
B. In a suggestion book .
C. In a report on the popularity of the Country Bears .
D. In high school students' compositions
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high10653.txt
|
Allen : I've never been a big fan of the bears , especially the vacation show . On my last trip to Disneyland (1999) we passed it by , because we didn't want to spend the time on something we didn't really enjoy. If we'd known it would be closed by our next visit , I'm sure we would have watched it one more time . I was just making the point that it wasn't until Disney announced the closing that this feeling suddenly sprang up for the Country Bear show at Disneyland .
But I think the idea of keeping some attractions open forever regardless of the number of visitors it gets is a mistake . We all have great memories of the Bears , but clearly very few kids today (or I should say families today ) are making those same memories from this show . That may be a sad fact , but it's a fact . For whatever reason , the show doesn't pull in the numbers . Isn't it right to use the Country Bear space to bring in a more popular attraction so that more kids today can make those magic memories of an attraction THEY like ? Otherwise aren't we just telling kids today that they "have to" make great memories of the Bears , when it's obvious that the kids themselves are not enjoying the Bears like we did ?
Roger : I am very disappointed that they have decided to retire the Country Bear Playhouse . I remember going to the show as a child , and still enjoyed it as a teenager ,
and now young adult . It is true that there aren't a lot of shows left at DL and with this one closing even less . Being at DL does require a lot of walking , and it is nice to have a few attractions that are a place to sit and enjoy a good show . I understand that DL has to develop , but there has to be some history to the Disneyland that Walt Disney first designed . There should be some parts of DL that just never go away , and this is one of them . By the time I have children it looks like there won't be any attractions that I can say I went to as a child at the rate they are going .
Now the Bears are leaving . What I want to say is: stop trying to compete with everyone ! DL is the best , because of attractions like the Country Bears . If DL insists on destroying all of its magic to make way for the latest , well , then it might as well be just another theme park .
|
[
"In a Web discussion zone .",
"In a suggestion book .",
"In a report on the popularity of the Country Bears .",
"In high school students' compositions"
] |
The Man died in a location that was _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Put yourself in these tourists' position. You are walking an icy mountain path in the Alps in Europe. Suddenly you spot a body on the ground,face downward and stuck to the ice. You think someone may have been murdered or in an accident. So you rush back and call the police. The police,however,quickly realize that this body is different from others they've found on the mountain. For one thing,it is mostly undamaged. For another,its skin is dried out,like a mummy's. And with it is a knife with a small stone knife.
The body turned out to be much older than the tourists could have guessed. When specialists had a chance to examine it,they discovered it had been there for about five thousand years!
How could a body stay preserved for all this time?Two things probably helped. First,the place where the man died was somewhat sheltered,so animals couldn't get at it. Then he was quickly covered by falling snow. Wind blowing through the snow probably "freezedried" his body,removing all _ from it.
Objects found with the body told something about the Iceman's life. He wore a thick fur overcoat and trousers. He clearly had been hunting,for he carried arrows,and animal bones were nearby. He also had a grass cushion for sitting or sleeping on. Perhaps he was exhausted when he lay down for the last time. The body was found in 1991,when some of the ice on the mountain melted. Searching for the cause of the Iceman's death,scientists put the body back into cold conditions and hoped...
Question:
The Man died in a location that was _ .
Choices:
A. near the base of the mountain
B. sheltered
C. surrounded by open fields
D. cold and crowded
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high23474.txt
|
Put yourself in these tourists' position. You are walking an icy mountain path in the Alps in Europe. Suddenly you spot a body on the ground,face downward and stuck to the ice. You think someone may have been murdered or in an accident. So you rush back and call the police. The police,however,quickly realize that this body is different from others they've found on the mountain. For one thing,it is mostly undamaged. For another,its skin is dried out,like a mummy's. And with it is a knife with a small stone knife.
The body turned out to be much older than the tourists could have guessed. When specialists had a chance to examine it,they discovered it had been there for about five thousand years!
How could a body stay preserved for all this time?Two things probably helped. First,the place where the man died was somewhat sheltered,so animals couldn't get at it. Then he was quickly covered by falling snow. Wind blowing through the snow probably "freezedried" his body,removing all _ from it.
Objects found with the body told something about the Iceman's life. He wore a thick fur overcoat and trousers. He clearly had been hunting,for he carried arrows,and animal bones were nearby. He also had a grass cushion for sitting or sleeping on. Perhaps he was exhausted when he lay down for the last time. The body was found in 1991,when some of the ice on the mountain melted. Searching for the cause of the Iceman's death,scientists put the body back into cold conditions and hoped...
|
[
"near the base of the mountain",
"sheltered",
"surrounded by open fields",
"cold and crowded"
] |
Kate, Wei Hua and Lily are all in Grade _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
This is No. 2 Middle School. My friend, Wei Hua is in the school. She is fifteen. She is in Class Three, Grade Two. Wei Hua has two good friends. They are Kate and Lily. Kate is from England. She is fifteen, too. But She is in No. 3 Middle School. She is in Class One, Grade Two. Lily is an American girl. She is fifteen, too. She is in No. 2 Middle School, too. She is in Class Two, Grade Two. Lily's Chinese teacher is Miss Yang. Lily likes Chinese very much. She can speak Chinese very well.
Question:
Kate, Wei Hua and Lily are all in Grade _ .
Choices:
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle3734.txt
|
This is No. 2 Middle School. My friend, Wei Hua is in the school. She is fifteen. She is in Class Three, Grade Two. Wei Hua has two good friends. They are Kate and Lily. Kate is from England. She is fifteen, too. But She is in No. 3 Middle School. She is in Class One, Grade Two. Lily is an American girl. She is fifteen, too. She is in No. 2 Middle School, too. She is in Class Two, Grade Two. Lily's Chinese teacher is Miss Yang. Lily likes Chinese very much. She can speak Chinese very well.
|
[
"One",
"Two",
"Three",
"Four"
] |
According to the passage, it seems that _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
All right! Enough cookies,cola, and chips! It seems that junk food is all that the children want to eat these days.Television controls their tastes.The kids see well-known personalities eating potato chips, candy and other processed food, and they want to be like their heroes.How do they do it?They eat the same food. I wish there were more characters like old Popeye , the sailor, who ate spinach and not French fries.
Now I don't expect my children to eat healthy food because I like brown rice, beans, and fresh vegetables. I'm glad to cook traditional meals of meat and potatoes for them. I really can't be too upset with the kids because most adults aren't careful about what they eat. The other night, my wife and I went to a party where there was plenty to drink but very little for us to eat. They served hot dogs and hamburgers. I can't eat hot dogs, with all those preservatives , and hamburgers are filled with chemicals so that they look better. Besides the meat, they had sugar-filled cookies and cake, and of course, chips. I don't want the world to change because of me, but I think people should realize that there are alternatives to eating meat. They always tell me that I probably don't get my essential proteins. I feel better than ever and I'm sure that it's because I'm a vegetarian . I would really like to see more television advertisements which show the benefits of good, healthy, natural food.
Question:
According to the passage, it seems that _ .
Choices:
A. canned food is the only one that the kids enjoy most.
B. the children like to have fried chicken only.
C. the kids prefer to have cold drinks, not junk food
D. the children like nothing better than junk food: cookies and chips
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2906.txt
|
All right! Enough cookies,cola, and chips! It seems that junk food is all that the children want to eat these days.Television controls their tastes.The kids see well-known personalities eating potato chips, candy and other processed food, and they want to be like their heroes.How do they do it?They eat the same food. I wish there were more characters like old Popeye , the sailor, who ate spinach and not French fries.
Now I don't expect my children to eat healthy food because I like brown rice, beans, and fresh vegetables. I'm glad to cook traditional meals of meat and potatoes for them. I really can't be too upset with the kids because most adults aren't careful about what they eat. The other night, my wife and I went to a party where there was plenty to drink but very little for us to eat. They served hot dogs and hamburgers. I can't eat hot dogs, with all those preservatives , and hamburgers are filled with chemicals so that they look better. Besides the meat, they had sugar-filled cookies and cake, and of course, chips. I don't want the world to change because of me, but I think people should realize that there are alternatives to eating meat. They always tell me that I probably don't get my essential proteins. I feel better than ever and I'm sure that it's because I'm a vegetarian . I would really like to see more television advertisements which show the benefits of good, healthy, natural food.
|
[
"canned food is the only one that the kids enjoy most.",
"the children like to have fried chicken only.",
"the kids prefer to have cold drinks, not junk food",
"the children like nothing better than junk food: cookies and chips"
] |
What is the best title of this passage?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Chinese people take their food and eat it extremely seriously .Eating is a communal ,social, human experience in China .Sharing a meal is a sign of friendship,and trust , Eating plays a central role in friendship ,business ,medicine ,family and love. In short, food is life.
When eating, the rice is separated into your own personal bowl, but the dishes are placed in communal bowls in the center of the table and everybody help themselves with chopsticks .It's considered polite, and sign of respect and friendship, to encourage other people to eat plenty of the good bits, even to pick up food with your chopsticks and drop it into their rice bowls for them.
Food is an important component of weddings, funerals and almost all Chinese festivals. New Year is the time for dumplings, the Dragon Boat Festival is the time for sticky rice Zongzi wrapped in leaves, and Mid -Autumn Day is the time for Moon Cakes. The dinner table is the best for forum to close business deals ,and it's the number one thing to do with friends.
Chinese women express their admiration for the opposite sex by cooking delicious meals of many courses, and these days it's the other way round too.
In short, if you want to get to know Chinese people, understand Chinese culture and thinking and get into Chinese life, you have to eat and appreciate Chinese food.
Question:
What is the best title of this passage?
Choices:
A. Eating Food in China
B. How Do Chinese People Eat Food
C. The Importance of Chinese Food
D. Different Foods for Different Chinese Food
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high15595.txt
|
Chinese people take their food and eat it extremely seriously .Eating is a communal ,social, human experience in China .Sharing a meal is a sign of friendship,and trust , Eating plays a central role in friendship ,business ,medicine ,family and love. In short, food is life.
When eating, the rice is separated into your own personal bowl, but the dishes are placed in communal bowls in the center of the table and everybody help themselves with chopsticks .It's considered polite, and sign of respect and friendship, to encourage other people to eat plenty of the good bits, even to pick up food with your chopsticks and drop it into their rice bowls for them.
Food is an important component of weddings, funerals and almost all Chinese festivals. New Year is the time for dumplings, the Dragon Boat Festival is the time for sticky rice Zongzi wrapped in leaves, and Mid -Autumn Day is the time for Moon Cakes. The dinner table is the best for forum to close business deals ,and it's the number one thing to do with friends.
Chinese women express their admiration for the opposite sex by cooking delicious meals of many courses, and these days it's the other way round too.
In short, if you want to get to know Chinese people, understand Chinese culture and thinking and get into Chinese life, you have to eat and appreciate Chinese food.
|
[
"Eating Food in China",
"How Do Chinese People Eat Food",
"The Importance of Chinese Food",
"Different Foods for Different Chinese Food"
] |
_ activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year.
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
More than 200 activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year in Russia. It has not only made Chinese culture popular in Russia, but also improved understanding and friendship between Russians and Chinese people. More and more Russians begin to enjoy Chinese food and operas, watch TV programs to leam Chinese, and travel in China.
Since the Chinese Language Year program in Russia started, so many events such as movie weeks, operas, Chinese language classes, language contests and teaching programs have been popular in Russia.
Through the activities, Russian people have had a chance to leam more about the Chinese culture, literature, history and its life today. For example, the first group of 500 Russian students visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Dalian and Qingdao. There they painted both countries' landmarks, including the Tian' anmen Square, the Great Wall, the Kremb ,the Volga River and the Red Square. When the Russian students returned, they took part in a photo contest and a writing contest to show their love for China.
And Russians, especially young people, have become more and more interested in learning Chinese. To date, more than 130 universities in Russia are offering Chinese courses. More than 20 middle and primary schools have also taught Chinese as their first foreign language.
Question:
_ activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year.
Choices:
A. Over 200
B. 130
C. Less 200
D. 200
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle3893.txt
|
More than 200 activities have been held so far during the Chinese Language Year in Russia. It has not only made Chinese culture popular in Russia, but also improved understanding and friendship between Russians and Chinese people. More and more Russians begin to enjoy Chinese food and operas, watch TV programs to leam Chinese, and travel in China.
Since the Chinese Language Year program in Russia started, so many events such as movie weeks, operas, Chinese language classes, language contests and teaching programs have been popular in Russia.
Through the activities, Russian people have had a chance to leam more about the Chinese culture, literature, history and its life today. For example, the first group of 500 Russian students visited the Chinese cities of Beijing, Dalian and Qingdao. There they painted both countries' landmarks, including the Tian' anmen Square, the Great Wall, the Kremb ,the Volga River and the Red Square. When the Russian students returned, they took part in a photo contest and a writing contest to show their love for China.
And Russians, especially young people, have become more and more interested in learning Chinese. To date, more than 130 universities in Russia are offering Chinese courses. More than 20 middle and primary schools have also taught Chinese as their first foreign language.
|
[
"Over 200",
"130",
"Less 200",
"200"
] |
The text is meant to _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Doctors fighting malaria---one of the deadliest diseases on the planet--- may soon have a new affordable weapon in their smart phones. Researchers have found a way to use the phone's camera to detect the microorganism in the patient's blood that causes the disease.
According to the World Health Organization, almost 600,000 people died of malaria in 2013, making this mosquito-borne disease one of the deadliest in the world.
The saddest aspect of this calamity is that it affects mostly young children.
Early detection of the infection is important for successful treatment. But since the first symptoms resemble ordinary flu, a microbiologist must look at a drop of a patient's blood under a microscope for a proper diagnosis.
Scientists in Britain have now developed a smart phone attachment called Xrapid, that turns the phone into a 200-power microscope, while the attached app---based on facial recognition software - quickly detects the parasitic protozoa in the blood smear .
Jean Viry-Babel is the CEO of IanXen, the company that developed the app. He says it is cheap and works on the spot. "So we take a high-definition picture of a sample of blood. We separate the red blood cells from the rest---the white blood cells, the platelets ---and we start looking at each of the red blood cells individually," said Viry-Babel.
Viry-Babel says the app is affordable, easy to use and provides reliability of up to 98 percent. The only additional equipment required is an ordinary glass lab slide - called a "slate."
"There's only one button, which is called "Diagnose". So you put it on the slate and you put it on the dried blood, and you press diagnose and it tells you yes or no," he said.
Researchers say the field-testing of the device will begin in January and February in Tanzania, Benin and Indonesia --- while commercial use is scheduled to start by the end of March.
They also plan to expand the versatility of the new device---teaching it to recognize other diseases, such as tuberculosis and Lyme Disease.
Question:
The text is meant to _ .
Choices:
A. find a new way to treat malaria.
B. recommend a new smart phone.
C. promote a new program.
D. introduce a new device to detect disease.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high9753.txt
|
Doctors fighting malaria---one of the deadliest diseases on the planet--- may soon have a new affordable weapon in their smart phones. Researchers have found a way to use the phone's camera to detect the microorganism in the patient's blood that causes the disease.
According to the World Health Organization, almost 600,000 people died of malaria in 2013, making this mosquito-borne disease one of the deadliest in the world.
The saddest aspect of this calamity is that it affects mostly young children.
Early detection of the infection is important for successful treatment. But since the first symptoms resemble ordinary flu, a microbiologist must look at a drop of a patient's blood under a microscope for a proper diagnosis.
Scientists in Britain have now developed a smart phone attachment called Xrapid, that turns the phone into a 200-power microscope, while the attached app---based on facial recognition software - quickly detects the parasitic protozoa in the blood smear .
Jean Viry-Babel is the CEO of IanXen, the company that developed the app. He says it is cheap and works on the spot. "So we take a high-definition picture of a sample of blood. We separate the red blood cells from the rest---the white blood cells, the platelets ---and we start looking at each of the red blood cells individually," said Viry-Babel.
Viry-Babel says the app is affordable, easy to use and provides reliability of up to 98 percent. The only additional equipment required is an ordinary glass lab slide - called a "slate."
"There's only one button, which is called "Diagnose". So you put it on the slate and you put it on the dried blood, and you press diagnose and it tells you yes or no," he said.
Researchers say the field-testing of the device will begin in January and February in Tanzania, Benin and Indonesia --- while commercial use is scheduled to start by the end of March.
They also plan to expand the versatility of the new device---teaching it to recognize other diseases, such as tuberculosis and Lyme Disease.
|
[
"find a new way to treat malaria.",
"recommend a new smart phone.",
"promote a new program.",
"introduce a new device to detect disease."
] |
What debated therapy offers a potential method for replacing neurons lost to injury or disease?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What debated therapy offers a potential method for replacing neurons lost to injury or disease?
|
stem cell therapy
|
science
| null | null | null |
cell duplication
|
cell production therapy
|
stem cell reduction
|
stem cell therapy
| null | null | null |
|
Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, "She said I have to go to New Orleans."
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen's fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn't sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, "Thank you," bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, "I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man."
Question:
Last Christmas the writer had a miserable time because _ .
Choices:
A. there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped
B. it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time
C. she was working all alone at the ticket counter
D. she was far away from her family and friends
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high3878.txt
|
Last Christmas was a very difficult time for me. My family and all of my close friends were back home in Florida, and I was all alone in a rather cold California. I was working too many hours and became very sick.
I was working a double shift at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter, it was about 9:00 PM on Christmas Eve, and I was feeling really miserable inside. There were a few of us working and very few customers waiting to be helped. When it was time for me to call the next person to the counter, I looked out to see the sweetest-looking old man standing with a cane. He walked very slowly over to the counter and in the faintest voice told me that he had to go to New Orleans. I tried to explain to him that there were no more flights that night and that he would have to go in the morning. He looked so confused and very worried. I tried to find out more information by asking if he had a reservation or if he remembered when he was supposed to travel, but he seemed to become more confused with each question. He just kept saying, "She said I have to go to New Orleans."
After much time, I was able to at least find out that this old man had been dropped off at the curb on Christmas Eve by his sister-in-law and told to go to New Orleans, where he had family. She had given him some cash and told him just to go inside and buy a ticket. When I asked if he could come back tomorrow, he said that she was gone and that he had no place to stay. He then said he would wait at the airport until tomorrow. Naturally, I felt a little ashamed. Here I was feeling very sorry for myself about being alone on Christmas, when this angel named Clarence MacDonald was sent to me to remind me of what being alone really meant. It broke my heart.
Immediately, I told him we would get it all straightened out, and our Customer Service agent helped to book him a seat for the earliest flight the next morning. We gave him the senior citizen's fare, which gave him some extra money for travelling. About this time he started to look very tired, and when I stepped around the counter to ask him if he was all right, I saw that his leg was wrapped in a bandage. He had been standing on it that whole time, holding a plastic bag full of clothes.
I called for a wheelchair. When the wheelchair came, we all stepped around to help him in, and I noticed a small amount of blood on his bandage. I asked how he hurt his leg, and he said that he had just had bypass surgery and an artery was taken from his leg. Can you imagine? This man had had heart surgery, and then shortly afterward, was dropped off at the curb to buy a ticket with no reservation to fly to New Orleans, alone!
I never really had a situation like this, and I wasn't sure what I could do. I went back to ask my supervisors if we could find a place for him to stay. They both said yes, and they obtained a hotel voucher for Mr. MacDonald for one night and a meal ticket for dinner and breakfast. When I came back out, we got his plastic bag of clothes and cane together and gave the porter a tip to take him downstairs to wait for the airport shuttle. I bent down to explain the hotel, food and itinerary again to Mr. MacDonald, and then patted him on the arm and told him everything would be just fine.
As he left he said, "Thank you," bent his head and started to cry. I cried too. When I went back to thank my supervisor, she just smiled and said, "I love stories like that. He is your Christmas Man."
|
[
"there were more customers than usual waiting to be helped",
"it was freezing cold in California at Christmas time",
"she was working all alone at the ticket counter",
"she was far away from her family and friends"
] |
Why did the writer never think of trying the new phone after moving to Boston?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with great interest when my mother used to talk to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person-- her name was Information Please and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anybody's number.
My first personal experience with Information Please came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. I accidentally hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally arriving at the stairway--the telephone! Climbing up I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. "Information Please," I said.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information."
"I hurt my finger..." I cried. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me." I sobbed. "Are you bleeding?" "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger."
After that I called Information Please for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said the usual things grown-ups say to comfort a child. But I was
Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers, feet up on the bottom of a cage?
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. "Information Please." "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then when I was 9 years old, we moved to Boston. I missed my friend very much. Information Please belonged to that old wooden box in former home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the hall table.
Yet as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me; often in moments of doubt and sadness I would recall the sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."
Unexpectedly, I heard again the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying, "Could you tell me please how to spell fix?" There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess that your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."
"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do; just ask of Sally."
Just three months later I was back in Seattle.... A different voice answered Information and I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" "Yes, a very old friend." "Then I'm sorry to have to tell you. Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She passed away five weeks ago." But before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?"
"Yes!"
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down. Here it is. I'll read it. "
"
I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant.
Question:
Why did the writer never think of trying the new phone after moving to Boston?
Choices:
A. He hadn't got used to the line service in Boston yet.
B. There was something wrong with the new phone.
C. He missed Information Please in the old phone so much.
D. He didn't like the tall and shiny style of the new phone.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high16420.txt
|
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with great interest when my mother used to talk to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person-- her name was Information Please and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anybody's number.
My first personal experience with Information Please came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. I accidentally hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally arriving at the stairway--the telephone! Climbing up I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. "Information Please," I said.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, "Information."
"I hurt my finger..." I cried. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's home but me." I sobbed. "Are you bleeding?" "No," I replied. "I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts." "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger."
After that I called Information Please for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said the usual things grown-ups say to comfort a child. But I was
Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers, feet up on the bottom of a cage?
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. "Information Please." "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?" I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then when I was 9 years old, we moved to Boston. I missed my friend very much. Information Please belonged to that old wooden box in former home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the hall table.
Yet as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me; often in moments of doubt and sadness I would recall the sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please."
Unexpectedly, I heard again the small, clear voice I knew so well, "Information." I hadn't planned this but I heard myself saying, "Could you tell me please how to spell fix?" There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, "I guess that your finger must have healed by now."
I laughed, "So it's really still you," I said. "I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time."
"I wonder," she said, "if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls."
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
"Please do; just ask of Sally."
Just three months later I was back in Seattle.... A different voice answered Information and I asked for Sally.
"Are you a friend?" "Yes, a very old friend." "Then I'm sorry to have to tell you. Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She passed away five weeks ago." But before I could hang up she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?"
"Yes!"
"Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down. Here it is. I'll read it. "
"
I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant.
|
[
"He hadn't got used to the line service in Boston yet.",
"There was something wrong with the new phone.",
"He missed Information Please in the old phone so much.",
"He didn't like the tall and shiny style of the new phone."
] |
While climate change in earth history was due to natural processes, what is primarily to blame for recent global warming?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
While climate change in earth history was due to natural processes, what is primarily to blame for recent global warming?
|
human actions
|
science
| null | null | null |
factories
|
wars
|
volcanos
|
human actions
|
Climate change in Earth history was due to natural processes. Recent global warming is due mainly to human actions. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the air. This creates greater greenhouse effect and global warming.
| null | null | null |
The passage mainly tells us _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
There was a time when, if a lady got onto a crowded bus or train, a gentleman would immediately stand up and offer her his seat. No more, though. Today, a gentleman will probably look out of the window, or, if he feels a bit guilty , hides behind his newspaper. Either way, the lady will have to stand until someone else gets off.
You can't entirely blame men for this change in manners. The days are gone when women could be referred to as the weaker sex. A whole generation of women has grown up demanding equality with men; not just equality in jobs or education, but in social attitudes . Hold a door open for some women and you're likely to get an angry lecture on treating women as inferiors , unable to open doors for themselves. Take a girl out for a meal and she'll probably insist on paying her share of the bill; though on second thoughts perhaps that's not such a bad idea.
It's no wonder, then, that men have given up some of the gestures of politeness and consideration which they used to show towards women. On the other hand, automatic male (men) politeness is perhaps slowly being replaced by true consideration for the needs of women, so that men can see women as equal human beings.
Maybe that's worth standing in the bus or train.
Question:
The passage mainly tells us _ .
Choices:
A. gentlemen and ladies have equal rights on a bus or train
B. ladies wonder why gentlemen offer their seats to them
C. gentlemen consider politeness to be more important than ladies do
D. the change in manners has taken place between men and women
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high12390.txt
|
There was a time when, if a lady got onto a crowded bus or train, a gentleman would immediately stand up and offer her his seat. No more, though. Today, a gentleman will probably look out of the window, or, if he feels a bit guilty , hides behind his newspaper. Either way, the lady will have to stand until someone else gets off.
You can't entirely blame men for this change in manners. The days are gone when women could be referred to as the weaker sex. A whole generation of women has grown up demanding equality with men; not just equality in jobs or education, but in social attitudes . Hold a door open for some women and you're likely to get an angry lecture on treating women as inferiors , unable to open doors for themselves. Take a girl out for a meal and she'll probably insist on paying her share of the bill; though on second thoughts perhaps that's not such a bad idea.
It's no wonder, then, that men have given up some of the gestures of politeness and consideration which they used to show towards women. On the other hand, automatic male (men) politeness is perhaps slowly being replaced by true consideration for the needs of women, so that men can see women as equal human beings.
Maybe that's worth standing in the bus or train.
|
[
"gentlemen and ladies have equal rights on a bus or train",
"ladies wonder why gentlemen offer their seats to them",
"gentlemen consider politeness to be more important than ladies do",
"the change in manners has taken place between men and women"
] |
What does Mrs. Black have for breakfast?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Mrs. Black is such a heavy woman in the world that one day she goes to see the doctor.
The doctor tells her that she should eat more vegetables and less meat. So the next morning she only has an egg and a glass of milk for breakfast. And she has some rice and vegetables for lunch.
In the evening, she feels very hungry. She begins to cook supper. She makes some hamburgers with chicken. She puts a little chicken and lots of vegetables in each hamburger. She has five hamburgers for supper. After that, she feels better and goes to bed. After a week, she goes to see the doctor again. The doctor is so surprised to find that she is heavier. But Mrs. Black tells him that she has more vegetables and less meat every day!
Question:
What does Mrs. Black have for breakfast?
Choices:
A. Chicken.
B. An egg and some milk.
C. Rice and vegetables.
D. Hamburgers.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle7633.txt
|
Mrs. Black is such a heavy woman in the world that one day she goes to see the doctor.
The doctor tells her that she should eat more vegetables and less meat. So the next morning she only has an egg and a glass of milk for breakfast. And she has some rice and vegetables for lunch.
In the evening, she feels very hungry. She begins to cook supper. She makes some hamburgers with chicken. She puts a little chicken and lots of vegetables in each hamburger. She has five hamburgers for supper. After that, she feels better and goes to bed. After a week, she goes to see the doctor again. The doctor is so surprised to find that she is heavier. But Mrs. Black tells him that she has more vegetables and less meat every day!
|
[
"Chicken.",
"An egg and some milk.",
"Rice and vegetables.",
"Hamburgers."
] |
In some universities, if you can't finish all your food, you can _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
At East China University of Science and Technology, students who finish their food in the dining hall can get a coupon when they return their tray . They can exchange coupons for small gifts, such as books, magazines, mobile phone covers and hand warmers.
"It's been a big surprise," said Liang Zhaoyun, 19, a student in the university of Shanghai. "It makes us try our best to finish the food!"
But some food in the dining hall is so poorly prepared that students are _ to finish it all. Some schools have paid some attention to it.
"The dishes in our canteen are all right, generally speaking. We've tried our best to make it tasty. But of course it's difficult to make all the students love it." said Wang.
Other universities also pay attention to the size of food. At Nanjing University, rice is divided into three different-sized bowls that students can choose from.
"I like to try different dishes at each meal. So I had to throw away a lot of food because the bowls were too big. But now the dining hall offers small sizes. It's great because I can try different dishes at half price and don't waste so much food," said Fan Peng, a student from Nanjing University.
But what if you really can't finish all your food? Some universities also provide a take-away service. If you can't finish all your food, you can get a box to take the leftovers home. Even if you feed the cat, it's not wasted.
So you see, if we call on students not to waste food, schools should also improve the service and meal quality.
Question:
In some universities, if you can't finish all your food, you can _ .
Choices:
A. leave the food on the table and go away
B. share it with your friends
C. give the food back to the dining hall
D. take it away with a box
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle2167.txt
|
At East China University of Science and Technology, students who finish their food in the dining hall can get a coupon when they return their tray . They can exchange coupons for small gifts, such as books, magazines, mobile phone covers and hand warmers.
"It's been a big surprise," said Liang Zhaoyun, 19, a student in the university of Shanghai. "It makes us try our best to finish the food!"
But some food in the dining hall is so poorly prepared that students are _ to finish it all. Some schools have paid some attention to it.
"The dishes in our canteen are all right, generally speaking. We've tried our best to make it tasty. But of course it's difficult to make all the students love it." said Wang.
Other universities also pay attention to the size of food. At Nanjing University, rice is divided into three different-sized bowls that students can choose from.
"I like to try different dishes at each meal. So I had to throw away a lot of food because the bowls were too big. But now the dining hall offers small sizes. It's great because I can try different dishes at half price and don't waste so much food," said Fan Peng, a student from Nanjing University.
But what if you really can't finish all your food? Some universities also provide a take-away service. If you can't finish all your food, you can get a box to take the leftovers home. Even if you feed the cat, it's not wasted.
So you see, if we call on students not to waste food, schools should also improve the service and meal quality.
|
[
"leave the food on the table and go away",
"share it with your friends",
"give the food back to the dining hall",
"take it away with a box"
] |
Mr. Sergio is a fruit grower producing apples, mangoes and oranges. In a particular season, the total produce of apples was twice the total produce of mangoes, and the total produce of oranges was 200 kg more than that of mangoes. If his farm produced 400 kg of mangoes and he sold the fruits at $50 per kg, calculate the total amount of money he got in that season.
|
If the total production of mangoes was 400, then orange production was 400+200 = <<400+200=600>>600 kg of oranges.
Since apple production was twice the total production of mangoes, Mr. Sergio had 2*400 = <<2*400=800>>800 kg of apples.
The total quantity of fruits produced at Mr. Sergio's farm is 800 kg of apples+600 kg of oranges + 400 kg of mangoes = <<800+600+400=1800>>1800 kg of fruits.
If Mr. Sergio sold the fruits at $50 per kg, his total income from the sales is 1800*$50 = $<<1800*50=90000>>90000.
#### 90000
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
Mr. Sergio is a fruit grower producing apples, mangoes and oranges. In a particular season, the total produce of apples was twice the total produce of mangoes, and the total produce of oranges was 200 kg more than that of mangoes. If his farm produced 400 kg of mangoes and he sold the fruits at $50 per kg, calculate the total amount of money he got in that season.
|
If the total production of mangoes was 400, then orange production was 400+200 = <<400+200=600>>600 kg of oranges.
Since apple production was twice the total production of mangoes, Mr. Sergio had 2*400 = <<2*400=800>>800 kg of apples.
The total quantity of fruits produced at Mr. Sergio's farm is 800 kg of apples+600 kg of oranges + 400 kg of mangoes = <<800+600+400=1800>>1800 kg of fruits.
If Mr. Sergio sold the fruits at $50 per kg, his total income from the sales is 1800*$50 = $<<1800*50=90000>>90000.
#### 90000
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
Emma's favorite teacher is _ teacher.
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Hello! My name is Emma. My favorite day is Friday. Do you know why? We have four classes in the morning. We have a music lesson on Friday morning. It is my favorite subject. I also like other three lessons in the morning. They are English, Chinese and math. In the afternoon we usually have three classes, but on Friday afternoon we only have two classes P.E. and oral English. P.E. teacher is my favorite teacher because her lessons are very interesting.
Question:
Emma's favorite teacher is _ teacher.
Choices:
A. music
B. P.E.
C. oral English
D. Chinese
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle4583.txt
|
Hello! My name is Emma. My favorite day is Friday. Do you know why? We have four classes in the morning. We have a music lesson on Friday morning. It is my favorite subject. I also like other three lessons in the morning. They are English, Chinese and math. In the afternoon we usually have three classes, but on Friday afternoon we only have two classes P.E. and oral English. P.E. teacher is my favorite teacher because her lessons are very interesting.
|
[
"music",
"P.E.",
"oral English",
"Chinese"
] |
What does the study in the Journal of Happiness Studies find?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Let's be honest:If you like to take lots of vacation,the United States is not the place to work.Besides a handful of national holidays,the typical American worker gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see the world--much less than what people in many other countries receive.Only 57% of the US workers use up all of the days they're entitled to,compared with 89% of workers in France, a recent research found.
So what's going on here?A big reason for the difference is that paid time off is supported by law in many parts of the world.Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries--from Australia to Slovenia to Japan--that require employers to offer four weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers,according to a 2009 study by the human resources consulting company Mercer.Finland, Brazil and France are the champions, guaranteeing six weeks of time off.
But employers in the United States have no duty under federal law to offer any paid vacation, so about a quarter of all American workers don't have access to _ ,government figures show.That makes the US the only advanced nation in the world that doesn't guarantee its workers annual leave,according to a report titled "NoVacation Nation" by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a liberal policy group.
But the fear of layoffs and the everfaster pace of work mean many Americans don't want to be absent from the office--anxious that they might look like they're not willing to work hard.Or they worry they won't be able to deal with the backlog of work waiting for them after a vacation.
Working more makes Americans happier than Europeans, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies.That may be because Americans believe more than Europeans do that hard work is associated with success, wrote Adam OkuliczKozaryn,the study's author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas."Americans increase their happiness by working, and Europeans increase their happiness through vacation," he found.
Question:
What does the study in the Journal of Happiness Studies find?
Choices:
A. Americans get more happiness from work than Europeans.
B. Americans believe happiness is the most important thing.
C. Europeans believe more hard work leads to success.
D. Europeans do not like taking long vacations.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high8676.txt
|
Let's be honest:If you like to take lots of vacation,the United States is not the place to work.Besides a handful of national holidays,the typical American worker gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see the world--much less than what people in many other countries receive.Only 57% of the US workers use up all of the days they're entitled to,compared with 89% of workers in France, a recent research found.
So what's going on here?A big reason for the difference is that paid time off is supported by law in many parts of the world.Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries--from Australia to Slovenia to Japan--that require employers to offer four weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers,according to a 2009 study by the human resources consulting company Mercer.Finland, Brazil and France are the champions, guaranteeing six weeks of time off.
But employers in the United States have no duty under federal law to offer any paid vacation, so about a quarter of all American workers don't have access to _ ,government figures show.That makes the US the only advanced nation in the world that doesn't guarantee its workers annual leave,according to a report titled "NoVacation Nation" by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a liberal policy group.
But the fear of layoffs and the everfaster pace of work mean many Americans don't want to be absent from the office--anxious that they might look like they're not willing to work hard.Or they worry they won't be able to deal with the backlog of work waiting for them after a vacation.
Working more makes Americans happier than Europeans, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies.That may be because Americans believe more than Europeans do that hard work is associated with success, wrote Adam OkuliczKozaryn,the study's author and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas."Americans increase their happiness by working, and Europeans increase their happiness through vacation," he found.
|
[
"Americans get more happiness from work than Europeans.",
"Americans believe happiness is the most important thing.",
"Europeans believe more hard work leads to success.",
"Europeans do not like taking long vacations."
] |
To join in the school, you have to apply before _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
London Summer School in Classics
Dates
The London Summer School in Classics 2008 will be held at King's College London. It will run from 8th July until 17th July. Applications close on 2nd June, 2008.
For an application form, please download either the 2-page PDF or the word format document from the foot of the page.
If you have any problems downloading the application form or any questions, please contact: London Summer School in Classics, King's College London.
Tel: 020 7848 2299
Fax: 020 7848 2545
Organization
The school is organized by the colleges of the University of London. The summer school offers eight days of intensive teaching in Greek and Latin. There are four language classes each day as well as lectures and a debate, between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. The course is not residential , and there is no teaching during the weekend of 12th to 13th July.
The fee is PS85.00. Travel grants are available as a contribution to your travel costs, but may not cover all your expenses. The travel grants are arranged during the summer school.
Teaching is generally in groups of 12-15 people and it, as far as possible, comprises of students of roughly the same level of experience. The style of teaching is friendly, but demanding: a lot of work is expected from students during the school, but they usually find the whole experience both stimulating and valuable. Some classes concentrate chiefly on reading, while others offer a mixture of grammar and translation practice. Our tutors include some of the most experienced and talented teachers of Classics in the London area and beyond.
The Summer School in Classics caters for a wide range of interests and for both school & university students as well as those who wish to learn Greek or Latin, or to revive their knowledge of the languages. Our principal concern is to provide a thorough program of language learning in a lively university environment.
Question:
To join in the school, you have to apply before _ .
Choices:
A. 8th July, 2008
B. 2nd June, 2008
C. 17th July, 2008
D. 13th July, 2008
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high7290.txt
|
London Summer School in Classics
Dates
The London Summer School in Classics 2008 will be held at King's College London. It will run from 8th July until 17th July. Applications close on 2nd June, 2008.
For an application form, please download either the 2-page PDF or the word format document from the foot of the page.
If you have any problems downloading the application form or any questions, please contact: London Summer School in Classics, King's College London.
Tel: 020 7848 2299
Fax: 020 7848 2545
Organization
The school is organized by the colleges of the University of London. The summer school offers eight days of intensive teaching in Greek and Latin. There are four language classes each day as well as lectures and a debate, between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. The course is not residential , and there is no teaching during the weekend of 12th to 13th July.
The fee is PS85.00. Travel grants are available as a contribution to your travel costs, but may not cover all your expenses. The travel grants are arranged during the summer school.
Teaching is generally in groups of 12-15 people and it, as far as possible, comprises of students of roughly the same level of experience. The style of teaching is friendly, but demanding: a lot of work is expected from students during the school, but they usually find the whole experience both stimulating and valuable. Some classes concentrate chiefly on reading, while others offer a mixture of grammar and translation practice. Our tutors include some of the most experienced and talented teachers of Classics in the London area and beyond.
The Summer School in Classics caters for a wide range of interests and for both school & university students as well as those who wish to learn Greek or Latin, or to revive their knowledge of the languages. Our principal concern is to provide a thorough program of language learning in a lively university environment.
|
[
"8th July, 2008",
"2nd June, 2008",
"17th July, 2008",
"13th July, 2008"
] |
According to the study, we can infer the fundamental substance to fight the cancer off is _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
The relationship between exercise and cancer has long both intrigued and puzzled oncologists and exercise physiologists.
Exercise is strongly associated with lowered risks for many types of cancer. At the same time, exercise involves biological stress, which typically leads to a short-term increase in inflammation which can contribute to higher risks for many cancers.
Now, a new study in mice may offer some clues into the exercise-cancer paradox. It suggests that exercise may change how the immune system deals with cancer by boosting adrenaline , certain immune cells and other chemicals that, together, can reduce the severity of cancer or fight it off altogether.
To try to better understand how exercise can both elevate inflammation and simultaneously protect the body against cancer, scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and other institutions decided to closely examine what happens inside mice at high risk for the disease.
So, for the new study, they began by gathering a group of adult lab mice. These animals generally like to run.
The scientists then implanted melanoma skin cancer cells into the mice before providing half of them with running wheels in their cages while the other animals remained sedentary. After four weeks, far fewer of the runners had developed full-blown melanoma than the sedentary mice and those that had been diagnosed with the disease showed fewer and smaller lesions.
They drew blood from both the exercising and sedentary animals and cells from any tumors in both groups. As expected, they found much higher levels of the hormone adrenaline in the blood of the exercising animals, especially right after they had been working out on the wheels but also at other times of the day. The body releases adrenaline in response to almost any type of stressful experience, including exercise.
They also found higher levels of interleukin-6 in the blood of the runners. This is a substance that is released by working muscles and is believed to both increase and decrease inflammation in the body, depending on where and how it goes to work.
Perhaps most important, they found much higher numbers in the bloodstreams of runners than in the sedentary mice of a type of immune cell named natural killer cells that are known to be strong cancer fighters.
So the scientists repeated their original experiment multiple times, inducing cancer while allowing some mice to run and others to sit. In some of these follow-up experiments, the scientists injected the runners with a substance that blocked the production of adrenaline and gave sedentary animals large doses of added adrenaline.
What they now found was that when running mice could not produce adrenaline, they developed cancer at the same rate as the sedentary animals, while the sedentary animals that had been injected with extra adrenaline fought off their tumors better than other sitting mice.
More remarkably, the scientists determined that adrenaline seemed to be sending biochemical signals to some of the animals' IL-6 cells, making them physiologically more alert, so that when a tumor began to develop in the affected animal, those IL-6 cells in turn activated the natural killer cells in the bloodstream and actually directed them to the tumors, like minute guide fish.
With these results, "we show that voluntary wheel running in mice can reduce the growth of tumors, and we have identified an exercise-dependent mobilization of natural killer cells as the underlying cause of this protection," said Pernille Hojman, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen who oversaw the new study. It perhaps provides one more incentive for us to get up and move.
Question:
According to the study, we can infer the fundamental substance to fight the cancer off is _ .
Choices:
A. adrenaline
B. interleukin-6
C. natural killer cells
D. genes
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high14580.txt
|
The relationship between exercise and cancer has long both intrigued and puzzled oncologists and exercise physiologists.
Exercise is strongly associated with lowered risks for many types of cancer. At the same time, exercise involves biological stress, which typically leads to a short-term increase in inflammation which can contribute to higher risks for many cancers.
Now, a new study in mice may offer some clues into the exercise-cancer paradox. It suggests that exercise may change how the immune system deals with cancer by boosting adrenaline , certain immune cells and other chemicals that, together, can reduce the severity of cancer or fight it off altogether.
To try to better understand how exercise can both elevate inflammation and simultaneously protect the body against cancer, scientists at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and other institutions decided to closely examine what happens inside mice at high risk for the disease.
So, for the new study, they began by gathering a group of adult lab mice. These animals generally like to run.
The scientists then implanted melanoma skin cancer cells into the mice before providing half of them with running wheels in their cages while the other animals remained sedentary. After four weeks, far fewer of the runners had developed full-blown melanoma than the sedentary mice and those that had been diagnosed with the disease showed fewer and smaller lesions.
They drew blood from both the exercising and sedentary animals and cells from any tumors in both groups. As expected, they found much higher levels of the hormone adrenaline in the blood of the exercising animals, especially right after they had been working out on the wheels but also at other times of the day. The body releases adrenaline in response to almost any type of stressful experience, including exercise.
They also found higher levels of interleukin-6 in the blood of the runners. This is a substance that is released by working muscles and is believed to both increase and decrease inflammation in the body, depending on where and how it goes to work.
Perhaps most important, they found much higher numbers in the bloodstreams of runners than in the sedentary mice of a type of immune cell named natural killer cells that are known to be strong cancer fighters.
So the scientists repeated their original experiment multiple times, inducing cancer while allowing some mice to run and others to sit. In some of these follow-up experiments, the scientists injected the runners with a substance that blocked the production of adrenaline and gave sedentary animals large doses of added adrenaline.
What they now found was that when running mice could not produce adrenaline, they developed cancer at the same rate as the sedentary animals, while the sedentary animals that had been injected with extra adrenaline fought off their tumors better than other sitting mice.
More remarkably, the scientists determined that adrenaline seemed to be sending biochemical signals to some of the animals' IL-6 cells, making them physiologically more alert, so that when a tumor began to develop in the affected animal, those IL-6 cells in turn activated the natural killer cells in the bloodstream and actually directed them to the tumors, like minute guide fish.
With these results, "we show that voluntary wheel running in mice can reduce the growth of tumors, and we have identified an exercise-dependent mobilization of natural killer cells as the underlying cause of this protection," said Pernille Hojman, a researcher at the University of Copenhagen who oversaw the new study. It perhaps provides one more incentive for us to get up and move.
|
[
"adrenaline",
"interleukin-6",
"natural killer cells",
"genes"
] |
What can we infer from the passage?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Forget famous goal celebration such as "The Robot" by Peter Crouch and "The Dive" by Juergen Klinsmann, here comes the South African "Diski dance". The Diski dance, which is performed through heading and kicking an imaginary ball, may be a goal celebration to watch in the following matches.
South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala and his teammates performed this different dance when they celebrated his goal against Mexico in the opening World Cup game on Friday. The dance is already popular on YouTube and many soccer fans may want to learn the moves.
Even South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has learnt the Diski dance which could be better than Cameroon Roger Milla's corner flag dance celebration in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. US actor John Travolta performed the dance shortly after landing his Boeing 707 at Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
Goal celebrations are now part of the biggest sporting event and players plan them in advance just in case they find the back of the net. In football, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration may be performed by the goal-scorer, his or her teammates, the manager or coaches and the supporters of the team.
The Robot goal celebration was so popular that England fans were surprised when Crouch, an English international footballer, said that he wouldn't be doing it any more unless England won the World Cup.
The word Diski is the word used by the local people for soccer and may also describe the local style of football which focuses on dribbling and other tricks.
Question:
What can we infer from the passage?
Choices:
A. All the footballers should have their own goal celebrations.
B. Goal celebrations play an important role in football games.
C. Famous goal celebrations all appeared in the World Cup games.
D. Footballers often don't plan their goal celebrations ahead of time.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high11906.txt
|
Forget famous goal celebration such as "The Robot" by Peter Crouch and "The Dive" by Juergen Klinsmann, here comes the South African "Diski dance". The Diski dance, which is performed through heading and kicking an imaginary ball, may be a goal celebration to watch in the following matches.
South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala and his teammates performed this different dance when they celebrated his goal against Mexico in the opening World Cup game on Friday. The dance is already popular on YouTube and many soccer fans may want to learn the moves.
Even South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has learnt the Diski dance which could be better than Cameroon Roger Milla's corner flag dance celebration in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. US actor John Travolta performed the dance shortly after landing his Boeing 707 at Lanseria airport, north of Johannesburg, on Wednesday morning.
Goal celebrations are now part of the biggest sporting event and players plan them in advance just in case they find the back of the net. In football, a goal celebration is the practice of celebrating the scoring of a goal. The celebration may be performed by the goal-scorer, his or her teammates, the manager or coaches and the supporters of the team.
The Robot goal celebration was so popular that England fans were surprised when Crouch, an English international footballer, said that he wouldn't be doing it any more unless England won the World Cup.
The word Diski is the word used by the local people for soccer and may also describe the local style of football which focuses on dribbling and other tricks.
|
[
"All the footballers should have their own goal celebrations.",
"Goal celebrations play an important role in football games.",
"Famous goal celebrations all appeared in the World Cup games.",
"Footballers often don't plan their goal celebrations ahead of time."
] |
What are the only truly innate behaviors in humans called?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What are the only truly innate behaviors in humans called?
|
reflexes
|
science
| null | null | null |
feats
|
automatic movements
|
flinches
|
reflexes
|
All animals have innate behaviors, even human beings. Can you think of human behaviors that do not have to be learned? Chances are, you will have a hard time thinking of any. The only truly innate behaviors in humans are called reflex behaviors . They occur mainly in babies. Like innate behaviors in other animals, reflex behaviors in human babies may help them survive.
| null | null | null |
As a student of learning Lady Gaga ,he or she should _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
The University of South Carolina has developed a sociology course dedicated to the life, work and rise to fame of pop star Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame is to be taught by Professor Mathieu Deflem, a fan of the singer.
The course, which has its own blog, is due to start in spring 2011.
The Belgian born sociologist, whose research interests also include counter-terrorism, international policing, crime control and internet technology, says he has seen Lady Gaga in concert 30 times.
"We're going to look at Lady Gaga as a social event," Prof Deflem told the USC student newspaper, the Daily Gamecock.
"So it's not the person, and it's not the music. It's more this thing out there in society that has 10 million followers on Facebook and six million on Twitter. I mean, that's a social phenomenon.".
It will look at business and marketing strategies, the role of old and new media, fans and live concerts, gay culture, religious and political themes, sex and sexuality, and the cities of New York and Hollywood, it says.
Prof Deflem said he initially planned to call the course the Sociology of Fame or the Sociology of Celebrity, and to use Lady Gaga as an example.
Also a fan of Frank Zappa, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Status Quo and Ritchie Blackmore, Prof Deflem says his interest in Lady Gaga began when he first saw her perform on television on 9 January 2009.
"They don't have to be hardcore fans. The better fan will not necessarily be the better student. But you have to have some interest in the topic. So if you really don't like her, you probably shouldn't take the course."
Question:
As a student of learning Lady Gaga ,he or she should _ .
Choices:
A. be loyal fan of Lady Gaga
B. be the best student
C. be interested in the topic
D. be a friend of Lady Gaga
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high17656.txt
|
The University of South Carolina has developed a sociology course dedicated to the life, work and rise to fame of pop star Lady Gaga.
Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame is to be taught by Professor Mathieu Deflem, a fan of the singer.
The course, which has its own blog, is due to start in spring 2011.
The Belgian born sociologist, whose research interests also include counter-terrorism, international policing, crime control and internet technology, says he has seen Lady Gaga in concert 30 times.
"We're going to look at Lady Gaga as a social event," Prof Deflem told the USC student newspaper, the Daily Gamecock.
"So it's not the person, and it's not the music. It's more this thing out there in society that has 10 million followers on Facebook and six million on Twitter. I mean, that's a social phenomenon.".
It will look at business and marketing strategies, the role of old and new media, fans and live concerts, gay culture, religious and political themes, sex and sexuality, and the cities of New York and Hollywood, it says.
Prof Deflem said he initially planned to call the course the Sociology of Fame or the Sociology of Celebrity, and to use Lady Gaga as an example.
Also a fan of Frank Zappa, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Status Quo and Ritchie Blackmore, Prof Deflem says his interest in Lady Gaga began when he first saw her perform on television on 9 January 2009.
"They don't have to be hardcore fans. The better fan will not necessarily be the better student. But you have to have some interest in the topic. So if you really don't like her, you probably shouldn't take the course."
|
[
"be loyal fan of Lady Gaga",
"be the best student",
"be interested in the topic",
"be a friend of Lady Gaga"
] |
Ford Motor Credit lengthens 45%of its lending to 60 months in order to _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Spending beyond one's means is becoming a national problem for Americans.Borrowing has become so easy that it takes great willpower for people to refuse it."I received a number of gold MasterCard and gold Visa card offers in the mail during the past two months,"said one computer engineer at AT &T Bell Laboratories in Chicago."I got three of them in one day last week."
Lenders are providing easy credit for borrowers.Many banks now offer every borrower a great variety of credit,a service once offered almost only to big companies.Norwest Bank Minneapolis offers lending programs for cars and boats that can cut monthly payments nearly m half .Carmakers,too,are lengthening easier terms.Ford Motor Credit states that 45 % of its recent lendings has been for sixty months,rather than the sixty-six-month period that was usual before.
The total consumer debt in the United States rose 73 percent between 1974 and 1984,as the debt for each man,woman,and child increased from $10,264 to $26,566.Huge debt now is present in our economy at all levels.As a nation,we are more than $7 trillion in debt,and the total keeps increasing astonishingly.
As we have over borrowed,so have we overspent.In late 986,the share of after-tax income that Americans saved sank below 2 percent for a short time,less than half the figure at which we saved only 10 years ago.Americans now are buying from foreigners between about $50 and $100 billion more Mercedes and Toyotas, Paris fashions,and tours to Europe than the Boeing 747s, agriculture machinery , or Kansas wheat that the foreigners bought from America. The country could not produce and pay for all the things it wanted.
To make a long story short, we Americans have serious problems in keeping down spending and keeping up personal savings.It is high time for us American people to learn the basics of long-term money management.
Question:
Ford Motor Credit lengthens 45%of its lending to 60 months in order to _ .
Choices:
A. help more Americans to settle their debts
B. encourage people to buy foreign cars
C. make better use of its money
D. attract more customers
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high21444.txt
|
Spending beyond one's means is becoming a national problem for Americans.Borrowing has become so easy that it takes great willpower for people to refuse it."I received a number of gold MasterCard and gold Visa card offers in the mail during the past two months,"said one computer engineer at AT &T Bell Laboratories in Chicago."I got three of them in one day last week."
Lenders are providing easy credit for borrowers.Many banks now offer every borrower a great variety of credit,a service once offered almost only to big companies.Norwest Bank Minneapolis offers lending programs for cars and boats that can cut monthly payments nearly m half .Carmakers,too,are lengthening easier terms.Ford Motor Credit states that 45 % of its recent lendings has been for sixty months,rather than the sixty-six-month period that was usual before.
The total consumer debt in the United States rose 73 percent between 1974 and 1984,as the debt for each man,woman,and child increased from $10,264 to $26,566.Huge debt now is present in our economy at all levels.As a nation,we are more than $7 trillion in debt,and the total keeps increasing astonishingly.
As we have over borrowed,so have we overspent.In late 986,the share of after-tax income that Americans saved sank below 2 percent for a short time,less than half the figure at which we saved only 10 years ago.Americans now are buying from foreigners between about $50 and $100 billion more Mercedes and Toyotas, Paris fashions,and tours to Europe than the Boeing 747s, agriculture machinery , or Kansas wheat that the foreigners bought from America. The country could not produce and pay for all the things it wanted.
To make a long story short, we Americans have serious problems in keeping down spending and keeping up personal savings.It is high time for us American people to learn the basics of long-term money management.
|
[
"help more Americans to settle their debts",
"encourage people to buy foreign cars",
"make better use of its money",
"attract more customers"
] |
Which of the following expressions is more native?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
I've been living in China for a while -- long enough to observe the long-term deterioration of my own native language abilities, as well as those of my fellow English speakers. This deterioration can take different forms, one of which is the non-standard usage of the words. Its source is, specifically, Chinese culture, and its target is native English speakers. Below I give some of the common ways that the Chinese environment strikes down the native speaker's linguistic competence .
Net bar: In Chinese, they're called "", This is fine. We generally call them "Internet cafe" in English. The Chinese seem to think that "" should be translated as "net bar" in English, and many careless foreigners have even been misled by this idea.
Name card: In the English-speaking world, business people have lots of business meetings to discuss business. On these occasions, business people exchange specially printed pieces of paper known as business cards. In China everyone calls them "name cards", because in Chinese they are called "" and "name card" is a more direct translation .
Bean curd. It's called "tofu," OK! This English word comes from Chinese. I know all dictionaries sold in China will tell you "" is "bean curd" in English and that may represent the two characters nicely, but "bean curd" is more a definition than a comfortable translation. And yet some foreigners start saying "bean curd" rather than tofu. Deplorable !
I think you see the pattern. The normal native way of saying something is replaced by a more unnatural way of saying it using other English words.
If you've been living in China for a while and find yourself using all of these, you might be on dangerous ground. You're going to start making a fool of yourself back home. Look out! Resist Chinglish attempts at destroying your own command of your mother tongue!
Question:
Which of the following expressions is more native?
Choices:
A. Bean curd
B. Tofu
C. Name card
D. Net bar
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high12619.txt
|
I've been living in China for a while -- long enough to observe the long-term deterioration of my own native language abilities, as well as those of my fellow English speakers. This deterioration can take different forms, one of which is the non-standard usage of the words. Its source is, specifically, Chinese culture, and its target is native English speakers. Below I give some of the common ways that the Chinese environment strikes down the native speaker's linguistic competence .
Net bar: In Chinese, they're called "", This is fine. We generally call them "Internet cafe" in English. The Chinese seem to think that "" should be translated as "net bar" in English, and many careless foreigners have even been misled by this idea.
Name card: In the English-speaking world, business people have lots of business meetings to discuss business. On these occasions, business people exchange specially printed pieces of paper known as business cards. In China everyone calls them "name cards", because in Chinese they are called "" and "name card" is a more direct translation .
Bean curd. It's called "tofu," OK! This English word comes from Chinese. I know all dictionaries sold in China will tell you "" is "bean curd" in English and that may represent the two characters nicely, but "bean curd" is more a definition than a comfortable translation. And yet some foreigners start saying "bean curd" rather than tofu. Deplorable !
I think you see the pattern. The normal native way of saying something is replaced by a more unnatural way of saying it using other English words.
If you've been living in China for a while and find yourself using all of these, you might be on dangerous ground. You're going to start making a fool of yourself back home. Look out! Resist Chinglish attempts at destroying your own command of your mother tongue!
|
[
"Bean curd",
"Tofu",
"Name card",
"Net bar"
] |
What broad category of animals shows adaptations from water-dwelling to land-dweller, including the ability to breathe air and legs to move on land?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What broad category of animals shows adaptations from water-dwelling to land-dweller, including the ability to breathe air and legs to move on land?
|
amphibians
|
science
| null | null | null |
herbivores
|
reptiles
|
birds
|
amphibians
|
Amphibians! In order for water-dwelling animals to adapt to life on land, many new adaptations had to take place. First, they needed to be able to breathe air instead of obtaining oxygen from water. And fins don't work well as legs! They needed to be able to move around well on land.
| null | null | null |
When is the talk on the waterways' protection?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Illustrated Talks at London Canal Museum
Illustrated talks are held at 7:30 pm, on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission to talks and museum is charged at the usual museum admission charges.
3rd September:
Protecting our Waterway Heritage by Nigel Crowe. Nigel is the Conservation Adviser to the Canal and River Trust . He undertook a comprehensive survey of the heritage of the waterways when first appointed, and now advises the CRT on its protection.
1st October:
The Canal and River Trust by John Dodwell. Founding trustee and long standing waterways enthusiast John Dodwell will detail the Trust's progress to date. He will explain the issues they face and the limits under which they work.
5th November:
The work of the Thames Ironworks Heritage Trust by Gavin Redknap. Gavin was one of the founders of the Trust that is working to save and restore some of the few surviving craft built at the Thames Ironworks Yard at the mouth of Bow Creek. The Trust plans to use the fleet of restored one-hundred-year-old lifeboats for community projects on the Lower Lee.
3rd December:
The River Thames Society and the River Thames by Peter Finch. Peter, who is Chairman of the River Thames Society, will explain the role and function of the society and then go on to talk about London's river and some of the issues it faces.
Question:
When is the talk on the waterways' protection?
Choices:
A. 5th November.
B. 1st October.
C. 3rd September.
D. 3rd December.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high14466.txt
|
Illustrated Talks at London Canal Museum
Illustrated talks are held at 7:30 pm, on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission to talks and museum is charged at the usual museum admission charges.
3rd September:
Protecting our Waterway Heritage by Nigel Crowe. Nigel is the Conservation Adviser to the Canal and River Trust . He undertook a comprehensive survey of the heritage of the waterways when first appointed, and now advises the CRT on its protection.
1st October:
The Canal and River Trust by John Dodwell. Founding trustee and long standing waterways enthusiast John Dodwell will detail the Trust's progress to date. He will explain the issues they face and the limits under which they work.
5th November:
The work of the Thames Ironworks Heritage Trust by Gavin Redknap. Gavin was one of the founders of the Trust that is working to save and restore some of the few surviving craft built at the Thames Ironworks Yard at the mouth of Bow Creek. The Trust plans to use the fleet of restored one-hundred-year-old lifeboats for community projects on the Lower Lee.
3rd December:
The River Thames Society and the River Thames by Peter Finch. Peter, who is Chairman of the River Thames Society, will explain the role and function of the society and then go on to talk about London's river and some of the issues it faces.
|
[
"5th November.",
"1st October.",
"3rd September.",
"3rd December."
] |
According to the author, great works _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?
These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack writers with little or no literary ability.
Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.
So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.
Critics often don't recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.
But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently beautiful.
Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure.
Question:
According to the author, great works _ .
Choices:
A. may be presented in different forms
B. are generally valued by critics
C. are thought valuable because of their sale price
D. will lose their value if they're not accepted
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high15602.txt
|
What is great art? On the one hand, we can all see that great art is old art which is called great. But how do we know which art of our own times is great, and which will be forgotten? And who decides?
These are important questions, for the great art of the past often was not considered great during its own time. When Shakespeare and Charles Dickens were writing, for example, most critics considered them as hack writers with little or no literary ability.
Similarly, Van Gogh and many of the other Impressionist painters of the late nineteenth century were not allowed to participate in events involving what were thought to be the "real" painters of the time, and often they were very poor. Yet today their paintings often sell for millions of dollars, while those so-called "real" painters are now barely remembered.
So what makes great art? Can, for example, rock music be great art? Music videos? Cartoons and comics? Those who call themselves critics of the fine arts often have been the last to recognize great art in the past, and we can probably expect this to be the situation today.
Critics often don't recognize great art because they tend to be prejudiced against what is popular. Popular works, whether they are novels, movies, or comics, are usually considered to be produced for the sake of money only, and not for the sake of art.
But popularity, it seems to me, is one of the three signs that a present-day work of art may come to be thought of as great. The other two are that it is groundbreaking, and that it is inherently beautiful.
Many works have one or even two of these qualities of being popular, unusual, and beautiful. But having all the three often will mean that a work of art will someday be seen to be great, though it may take a good spoonful of time, such as a century or two, to know for sure.
|
[
"may be presented in different forms",
"are generally valued by critics",
"are thought valuable because of their sale price",
"will lose their value if they're not accepted"
] |
What species do humans belong to?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What species do humans belong to?
|
homo sapiens
|
science
| null | null | null |
monkeys
|
homo erectus
|
hominids
|
homo sapiens
|
Homo sapiens is our species. We originated about 200,000 years ago in Africa. Evidence of a spiritual life appears about 32,000 years ago. The evidence includes stone figurines that probably have religious significance ( Figure below ).
| null | null | null |
According to the article, meditation is helpful mainly because _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Everyone wants to achieve true happiness in life. But the biggest factor holding most of us back is actually our ownselves. The Huffington Post released a list of seven mistakes we need to let go of in order to become happier people. Let's take a look.
1.Placing too much emphasis on fulfillment
Those who put a lot of pressure on themselves to be happy feel more lonely on a daily basis than those who do not, according to research conducted at the University of Denver, US.
2. Keeping it all in
Keeping it all together during tough times can hurt you. Crying is the body's emotional response to outside triggers .By _ it, you may be damaging your mental and physical health.
3. Looking at your smart phone all the time
Connecting with others may be the key to happiness, but a recent University of Michigan study found that the more time participants spent on social networking sites, the less happy they felt.
4. Not moving
It's no secret that a healthy lifestyle is a big part of happiness. Something as simple as a walk can help you increase your creativity and expose you to essential vitamins.
5. Not reflecting on the past
In a 2013 study on nostalgia and emotion, participants reported a higher sense of physiological comfort when they looked back on the past. Affection for heartwarming memories helps people relate their past experiences to the present in order to create a greater sense of meaning.
6. Resisting change
A study on the psychology of choices shows that the human brain naturally tries to avoid loss--but that resistance can cause stress. Whether it's fear of the unknown or fear of losing what you currently have, the pressure to hold on to the present can harm your future life satisfaction.
7. Not being mindful
Setting aside time for meditation allows your body to relax, cultivates an attitude of gratitude and lowers your stress level, according to researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, US.
Question:
According to the article, meditation is helpful mainly because _ .
Choices:
A. it increases our creativity
B. it makes us less afraid of the unknown
C. it helps us relax and thus reduce our stress
D. it allows us to relate our past experiences to the present
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high11891.txt
|
Everyone wants to achieve true happiness in life. But the biggest factor holding most of us back is actually our ownselves. The Huffington Post released a list of seven mistakes we need to let go of in order to become happier people. Let's take a look.
1.Placing too much emphasis on fulfillment
Those who put a lot of pressure on themselves to be happy feel more lonely on a daily basis than those who do not, according to research conducted at the University of Denver, US.
2. Keeping it all in
Keeping it all together during tough times can hurt you. Crying is the body's emotional response to outside triggers .By _ it, you may be damaging your mental and physical health.
3. Looking at your smart phone all the time
Connecting with others may be the key to happiness, but a recent University of Michigan study found that the more time participants spent on social networking sites, the less happy they felt.
4. Not moving
It's no secret that a healthy lifestyle is a big part of happiness. Something as simple as a walk can help you increase your creativity and expose you to essential vitamins.
5. Not reflecting on the past
In a 2013 study on nostalgia and emotion, participants reported a higher sense of physiological comfort when they looked back on the past. Affection for heartwarming memories helps people relate their past experiences to the present in order to create a greater sense of meaning.
6. Resisting change
A study on the psychology of choices shows that the human brain naturally tries to avoid loss--but that resistance can cause stress. Whether it's fear of the unknown or fear of losing what you currently have, the pressure to hold on to the present can harm your future life satisfaction.
7. Not being mindful
Setting aside time for meditation allows your body to relax, cultivates an attitude of gratitude and lowers your stress level, according to researchers at University of California, Los Angeles, US.
|
[
"it increases our creativity",
"it makes us less afraid of the unknown",
"it helps us relax and thus reduce our stress",
"it allows us to relate our past experiences to the present"
] |
What is the passage mainly about?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by the shark .
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms. Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark's ability to sense pressure. If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: "I've always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks."
"I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there's so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research."
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
Question:
What is the passage mainly about?
Choices:
A. A popular way of forecasting weather.
B. A new research effort in predicting storms.
C. Biologists' interest in the secrets of sharks.
D. Lauren Smith's devotion to scientific research.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2552.txt
|
Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by the shark .
Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms. Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark's ability to sense pressure. If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behavior of sharks to predict bad weather.
Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.
Miss Smith said: "I've always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks."
"I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there's so much more we need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research."
It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.
In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal and temperature changes on dogfish----none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.
She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.
|
[
"A popular way of forecasting weather.",
"A new research effort in predicting storms.",
"Biologists' interest in the secrets of sharks.",
"Lauren Smith's devotion to scientific research."
] |
From the passage we know that your choice affect _
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
There are many things we need to know that we do not learn at school. For example, if we want to use our money wisely, we need to shop carefully. We need to know how to compare the prices of things in different shops. We need to be able to compare the quality of different brands . We need to know how to make a choice when we shop.
Knowing how to make such choices is a "life skill", and we need these skills if we are to live useful and happy lives.
Some of these choices are small. For example, will I take an apple for lunch or a pear? Will I go to school by bus or on foot? Will I wear the red T-shirt or the blue one to the movies? Other choices are more important. For example, will I eat healthy food for lunch or will eat junk food because it is tastier? Will I work hard in all my classes or will I only work hard in the classes I enjoy? We make choices like this every day.
We have to realize that the choices we make can affect the rest of our lives. Just as importantly, our choices can also affect other people. The next time you decide to waste time in class, play a joke on someone or talk loudly at the movies, think about this: who else does your choice affect?
Question:
From the passage we know that your choice affect _
Choices:
A. you and your parents
B. you and other people
C. lots of other people
D. everybody except you
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle7274.txt
|
There are many things we need to know that we do not learn at school. For example, if we want to use our money wisely, we need to shop carefully. We need to know how to compare the prices of things in different shops. We need to be able to compare the quality of different brands . We need to know how to make a choice when we shop.
Knowing how to make such choices is a "life skill", and we need these skills if we are to live useful and happy lives.
Some of these choices are small. For example, will I take an apple for lunch or a pear? Will I go to school by bus or on foot? Will I wear the red T-shirt or the blue one to the movies? Other choices are more important. For example, will I eat healthy food for lunch or will eat junk food because it is tastier? Will I work hard in all my classes or will I only work hard in the classes I enjoy? We make choices like this every day.
We have to realize that the choices we make can affect the rest of our lives. Just as importantly, our choices can also affect other people. The next time you decide to waste time in class, play a joke on someone or talk loudly at the movies, think about this: who else does your choice affect?
|
[
"you and your parents",
"you and other people",
"lots of other people",
"everybody except you"
] |
James has 5 dozen boxes of matches. Each box contains 20 matches. How many matches does James have?
|
He has 5*12=<<5*12=60>>60 boxes of matches
That means he has 60*20=<<60*20=1200>>1200 matches
#### 1200
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
James has 5 dozen boxes of matches. Each box contains 20 matches. How many matches does James have?
|
He has 5*12=<<5*12=60>>60 boxes of matches
That means he has 60*20=<<60*20=1200>>1200 matches
#### 1200
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
For every 1 minute that Carlotta sings on stage during the final opera performance, she spends an additional 3 minutes practicing and 5 minutes throwing temper tantrums. If her final stage performance is 6 minutes long, what is the total combined amount of time, in minutes, that she spends practicing, throwing tantrums, and singing in the final stage performance?
|
For each 6 minutes she performs, Carlotta spends 6 * 3 minutes = <<6*3=18>>18 minutes practicing.
For each 6 minutes she performs, Carlotta throws tantrums for 6 * 5 minutes = <<6*5=30>>30 minutes.
Thus, in total, for each 6 minutes of performance time, she spends 18 minutes + 30 minutes + 6 minutes = 54 minutes on all three activities.
#### 54
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
For every 1 minute that Carlotta sings on stage during the final opera performance, she spends an additional 3 minutes practicing and 5 minutes throwing temper tantrums. If her final stage performance is 6 minutes long, what is the total combined amount of time, in minutes, that she spends practicing, throwing tantrums, and singing in the final stage performance?
|
For each 6 minutes she performs, Carlotta spends 6 * 3 minutes = <<6*3=18>>18 minutes practicing.
For each 6 minutes she performs, Carlotta throws tantrums for 6 * 5 minutes = <<6*5=30>>30 minutes.
Thus, in total, for each 6 minutes of performance time, she spends 18 minutes + 30 minutes + 6 minutes = 54 minutes on all three activities.
#### 54
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
For what purpose is the text written?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term "staycation" word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective . You don't have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely _ . You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
Question:
For what purpose is the text written?
Choices:
A. To introduce the general information of staycatons.
B. To compare staycatons with other vacations.
C. To persuade more people to have staycations.
D. To provide different ways of staycations.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2828.txt
|
A staycation is a vacation when you do not travel at all. Some people use a staycation to just stay at home, and others prefer to experience the attractions around them without traveling very far.
There are many choices for staycations. Any town or city has plenty of choices for things to do if you know where to look. If the weather is nice, you can visit the local gardens or forests for a hike. You can look online for several historic places and create your own history tours. Of course, you can also visit other attractions in the areas like museums, restaurants, bars, parks, beaches, and so on. Often, if you drive just a few hours, you can find a city that you can walk around and see. Then by driving home you can save the cost of a hotel and a plane ride.
Others take the term "staycation" word for word and do not leave their houses at all. Some choices for this can include taking time off to cook a great meal and enjoy it together or spending all day at a pool.
Just as a coin has two sides, staycation has its advantages as well as disadvantages.
Since you are not traveling or staying in a hotel, a staycation can be unbelievably costeffective . You don't have to pay for a hotel, so that cost has been completely _ . You are also saving by not driving very far and by not taking an airplane anywhere. Travel costs have become really high, and the farther you go, the higher they are. By staying close to home, you cut that cost by quite a bit. You are also pushing money back into your local economy by spending your money at local businesses rather than in cities that are far away from home. Finally, any stress that you feel with travel, whether that is from driving long distances or looking for an airport, will completely disappear.
|
[
"To introduce the general information of staycatons.",
"To compare staycatons with other vacations.",
"To persuade more people to have staycations.",
"To provide different ways of staycations."
] |
It can be inferred from the passage that _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
There's a story told about an elderly lady in Arkansas.The state voted to increase welfare payments to the poor.Hoping for a tear-jerker story,a television interviewer went into the back hills where many welfare recipients lived.
The old woman he chose to interview lived in a one-room shack :cold in winter;hot in summer.Her bed was a few rough planks nailed together,with a pine-needle mattress.A couple thin blankets,and a fireplace,did little to protect her from the cold.
Her furniture,a table and two chairs,were fashioned from the same rough wood as her bed.Some shelves held a few cans of food from the general store.a three mile walk down the road.Several jars of preserves and a few squash completed her larder .
She had no fridge or freezer.The fireplace provided heat for cooking.With no phone or television her only connection with the outside world was an old radio that pulled in two or three local stations on a good day.
The old woman had one convenience, running water.A crystal clear stream.flowed a short distance behind her home.
A small garden near her back door provided fresh vegetables during the summer,and some squash and turnips for the winter.A tidy flower garden brightened the front of her house.
The television crew arrived and set up their big expensive cameras.Their mobile station. broadcast pictures of the woman and the place she called home.
Eventually the interviewer asked the old woman,"If the government gave you $200 more each month,what would you do with it?"
Without hesitation the woman replied,"I'd give it to the poor."
Question:
It can be inferred from the passage that _ .
Choices:
A. the interviewer got a story beyond his expectation
B. the interviewer was very disappointed with the woman
C. the woman became famous because of the interview
D. the interview became a turning.point in the woman's life
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high20893.txt
|
There's a story told about an elderly lady in Arkansas.The state voted to increase welfare payments to the poor.Hoping for a tear-jerker story,a television interviewer went into the back hills where many welfare recipients lived.
The old woman he chose to interview lived in a one-room shack :cold in winter;hot in summer.Her bed was a few rough planks nailed together,with a pine-needle mattress.A couple thin blankets,and a fireplace,did little to protect her from the cold.
Her furniture,a table and two chairs,were fashioned from the same rough wood as her bed.Some shelves held a few cans of food from the general store.a three mile walk down the road.Several jars of preserves and a few squash completed her larder .
She had no fridge or freezer.The fireplace provided heat for cooking.With no phone or television her only connection with the outside world was an old radio that pulled in two or three local stations on a good day.
The old woman had one convenience, running water.A crystal clear stream.flowed a short distance behind her home.
A small garden near her back door provided fresh vegetables during the summer,and some squash and turnips for the winter.A tidy flower garden brightened the front of her house.
The television crew arrived and set up their big expensive cameras.Their mobile station. broadcast pictures of the woman and the place she called home.
Eventually the interviewer asked the old woman,"If the government gave you $200 more each month,what would you do with it?"
Without hesitation the woman replied,"I'd give it to the poor."
|
[
"the interviewer got a story beyond his expectation",
"the interviewer was very disappointed with the woman",
"the woman became famous because of the interview",
"the interview became a turning.point in the woman's life"
] |
The factors of telling the best place to be born don't include _ .
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013,and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong,Ireland and even Canada. The EIU,a sister company of The Economist,tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy,safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth,health and trust in public institutions,according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway,Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a'quality-of-lif e'index where it is best to be born next year.
One of the most important factors is being rich,but other factors come into play including crime,trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total,the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography,others that change slowly over time such as demography social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030,which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries,with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European,but only one,the Netherlands,is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe,including Greece,Portugal and Spain,falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly,the largest European economies-Germany,France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.
Question:
The factors of telling the best place to be born don't include _ .
Choices:
A. economy
B. geography
C. trust in public institutions
D. pollution
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2571.txt
|
Switzerland is the best place to be born in the world in 2013,and the US is just 16th. A new study made by the Economist Intelligence Unit says American babies will have a dimmer future than those born in Hong Kong,Ireland and even Canada. The EIU,a sister company of The Economist,tried to measure how well countries will provide the best opportunities for a healthy,safe and prosperous life in years to come.
People born in Switzerland will tend to be the happiest and have the best quality of life in terms of wealth,health and trust in public institutions,according to the analysis. The Scandinavian countries of Norway,Sweden and Denmark also all make the top five in a'quality-of-lif e'index where it is best to be born next year.
One of the most important factors is being rich,but other factors come into play including crime,trust in public institutions and the health of family life. In total,the index takes into account 11 factors. These include fixed factors such as geography,others that change slowly over time such as demography social and cultural characteristics, and the state of the world economy. The index also looks at income per head in 2030,which is roughly when children born in 2013 will reach adulthood. Small economies take up the top 10 countries,with Australia coming second and New Zealand and the Netherlands not too far behind.
Half of the top 10 countries are European,but only one,the Netherlands,is from the eurozone. The crisis-ridden south of Europe,including Greece,Portugal and Spain,falls behind despite the advantage of a favourable climate. Interestingly,the largest European economies-Germany,France and Britain-do not do particularly well. Nigeria has the unenviable title of being the worst country for a baby to enter the world in 2013.
|
[
"economy",
"geography",
"trust in public institutions",
"pollution"
] |
Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT _
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives . His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn't this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund . He wanted the interest from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.
Question:
Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT _
Choices:
A. choosing the winners of Nobel Prize
B. making and selling weapons
C. setting up the Nobel Prize
D. making and selling explosives
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high6381.txt
|
Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives . His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn't this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund . He wanted the interest from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.
|
[
"choosing the winners of Nobel Prize",
"making and selling weapons",
"setting up the Nobel Prize",
"making and selling explosives"
] |
What is the best title for the passage?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Dr Wiseman started "the laugh lab" project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humour. Participants are invited to log on to the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favourite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
The project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world's funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researches want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between the male and female sense of humour. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long attracted psychologists and philosophers. Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves. By December 2001 over 10, 000 jokes had been submitted. This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humour, for instance.
"Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humour, " said Dr. Wiseman. "Males use humour to appear superior to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play. "
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humour. The British enjoy what is usually called "toilet humour". But the French like their jokes short and sharp: "You're a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $500?" "Yes. What's the second question?"
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humour. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don't know, but let's say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief. Computers already seem like they can do everything. At least they should leave the funny stuff to us.
Question:
What is the best title for the passage?
Choices:
A. Funny or not?
B. Laugh louder!
C. Men laugh better.
D. Watch out for the trap in jokes!
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high16571.txt
|
Dr Wiseman started "the laugh lab" project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humour. Participants are invited to log on to the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favourite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
The project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world's funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researches want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between the male and female sense of humour. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long attracted psychologists and philosophers. Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves. By December 2001 over 10, 000 jokes had been submitted. This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humour, for instance.
"Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humour, " said Dr. Wiseman. "Males use humour to appear superior to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play. "
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humour. The British enjoy what is usually called "toilet humour". But the French like their jokes short and sharp: "You're a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $500?" "Yes. What's the second question?"
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humour. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don't know, but let's say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief. Computers already seem like they can do everything. At least they should leave the funny stuff to us.
|
[
"Funny or not?",
"Laugh louder!",
"Men laugh better.",
"Watch out for the trap in jokes!"
] |
When did St Andrews University begin to take full-time women students?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland's oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women's Day.
The document was discovered buried in the university archives by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: "We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn't know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university's higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote."
In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892.
Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice.
Question:
When did St Andrews University begin to take full-time women students?
Choices:
A. In 1873.
B. In 1874.
C. In 1877.
D. In 1892.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high486.txt
|
It was a simple letter asking for a place to study at Scotland's oldest university which helped start a revolution in higher education. A 140-year-old letter written by a lady calling for her to be allowed to study medicine at St Andrews University has been discovered by researchers. Written by Sophia Jex-Blake in 1873, the seven-page document, which urged the university to allow women to study medicine at the institution, was released yesterday on International Women's Day.
The document was discovered buried in the university archives by part-time history student Lis Smith, who is completing her PhD at St Andrews Institute of Scottish Historical Research. She said: "We knew that Sophia Jex-Blake and her supporters, in their effort to open up university medical education for women, had written to the Senatus Academicus at St Andrews in an attempt to gain permission to attend classes there, but we didn't know documentary evidence existed. While searching the archives for information about the university's higher certificate for women, I was astonished to come across what must be the very letter Jex-Blake wrote."
In the letter, Sophia and her supporters offered to hire teachers or build suitable buildings for a medical school and to arrange for lectures to be delivered in the subjects not already covered at St Andrews. Although her letter was not successful, it eventually led to the establishment of the Ladies Literate in Arts at St Andrews, a distance-learning degree for women. The qualification, which ran from 1877 until the 1930s, gave women access to university education in the days before they were admitted as students. It was so popular that it survived long after women were admitted as full students to St Andrews in 1892.
Ms Jex-Blake went on to help establish the London School of Medicine for Women in 1874. She was accepted by the University of Berne, where she was awarded a medical degree in January 1877. Eventually, she moved back to Edinburgh and opened her own practice.
|
[
"In 1873.",
"In 1874.",
"In 1877.",
"In 1892."
] |
Some sea anemones establish what kind of relationship with hermit crabs by attaching to the crab’s shell?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
Some sea anemones establish what kind of relationship with hermit crabs by attaching to the crab’s shell?
|
mutualistic
|
science
| null | null | null |
predatory
|
pathogenic
|
parasitic
|
mutualistic
|
The mouth of a sea anemone is surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. The slit-like mouth opening and pharynx are lined by a groove called a siphonophore. The pharynx is the muscular part of the digestive system that serves to ingest as well as egest food, and may extend for up to two-thirds the length of the body before opening into the gastrovascular cavity. This cavity is divided into several chambers by longitudinal septa called mesenteries. Each mesentery consists of one ectodermal and one endodermal cell layer with the mesoglea sandwiched in between. Mesenteries do not divide the gastrovascular cavity completely, and the smaller cavities coalesce at the pharyngeal opening. The adaptive benefit of the mesenteries appears to be an increase in surface area for absorption of nutrients and gas exchange. Sea anemones feed on small fish and shrimp, usually by immobilizing their prey using the cnidocytes. Some sea anemones establish a mutualistic relationship with hermit crabs by attaching to the crab’s shell. In this relationship, the anemone gets food particles from prey caught by the crab, and the crab is protected from the predators by the stinging cells of the anemone. Anemone fish, or clownfish, are able to live in the anemone since they are immune to the toxins contained within the nematocysts. Anthozoans remain polypoid throughout their lives and can reproduce asexually by budding or fragmentation, or sexually by producing gametes. Both gametes are produced by the polyp, which can fuse to give rise to a free-swimming planula larva. The larva settles on a suitable substratum and develops into a sessile polyp.
| null | null | null |
If you want to make a call to your home from the bedroom at the hotel, you can _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Welcome to Moonlight Hotel! To make you stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities to the full.
Dining Room: Breakfast in the dining room is from 6:30 a.m. Also the room _ may bring breakfast to your room at any time after 6:00 a.m. If you would like this, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door before you go to bed. Lunch is from 11:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Room Service: We provide a 24-hour service for you. Call the Reception Desk, you're your message will be passed on to the staff
Telephones: To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected . If the lines are busy, please wait and try again. There are also public phones near the Reception Desk. Tell Reception if you need morning calls.
Shop: The hotel shop is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Bar: The hotel bar is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Banking: The Reception staff will cash checks and change any foreign money for you.
Question:
If you want to make a call to your home from the bedroom at the hotel, you can _ .
Choices:
A. dial 0 and ask a staff to come
B. put out a card outside
C. dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected
D. make a call to public phones
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle4806.txt
|
Welcome to Moonlight Hotel! To make you stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you will use our facilities to the full.
Dining Room: Breakfast in the dining room is from 6:30 a.m. Also the room _ may bring breakfast to your room at any time after 6:00 a.m. If you would like this, please fill out a card and hang it outside your door before you go to bed. Lunch is from 11:50 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Room Service: We provide a 24-hour service for you. Call the Reception Desk, you're your message will be passed on to the staff
Telephones: To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected . If the lines are busy, please wait and try again. There are also public phones near the Reception Desk. Tell Reception if you need morning calls.
Shop: The hotel shop is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Bar: The hotel bar is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Banking: The Reception staff will cash checks and change any foreign money for you.
|
[
"dial 0 and ask a staff to come",
"put out a card outside",
"dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected",
"make a call to public phones"
] |
Which of the following might be the main idea of the text?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Connie Lau hates smoking. "It smells awful, and it's so bad for you. It breaks my heart to see my friends smoking. I try to get them to give up smoking." She says.
So why does Connie walk into convenience stores and try to buy cigarettes? She is testing to see if stores will sell cigarettes to a kid who is younger than 18. "You have to be 18 to purchase cigarettes, and I'm 16, so if they sell to me, they're breaking the law," Connie says.
Connie isn't a vigilante ; She works with local police in her town of Castro Valley, California. Officers drive her to stores, and she goes in alone to try to buy cigarettes. If the person behind the counter sells her a pack, an officer comes in and writes the business a ticket for breaking the law.
Most stores obey the law and don't sell her cigarettes. The law requires that customers show ID if store employees ask them to. "When they ask your age, you can't lie," Connie says. "Most stores don't sell to me. In a year, we've visited almost 150 stores and had only 15 sales."
Working undercover can be scary, even with police nearby. Connie said one cashier refused to sell her cigarettes and then got angry when he found out her age. He threatened to call the authorities. "To calm him down, the police went in to explain that I was undercover," she says.
Most teens wouldn't think of going undercover for the police. What's Connie's motivation ? For starters, she can't stand smoking. But she also believes it's important for young people like her to try to make a real impact in their communities. In her view, teens can do more than get good grades in school, do chores at home, and do well in out-of-class activities.
Every time she stops the sale of cigarettes to children, she's helping to uphold the law. "A single teenager can make a big difference," Connie says. "For the most part, when stores get caught, they learn their lesson and don't do it again."
Question:
Which of the following might be the main idea of the text?
Choices:
A. Smoking can be forbidden with the help of a girl.
B. A good way to stop a store from selling cigarettes to kids.
C. Connie Lau -- a brave girl who goes undercover for the policeman.
D. Connie Lau goes undercover to stop stores from selling cigarettes to kids.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high3490.txt
|
Connie Lau hates smoking. "It smells awful, and it's so bad for you. It breaks my heart to see my friends smoking. I try to get them to give up smoking." She says.
So why does Connie walk into convenience stores and try to buy cigarettes? She is testing to see if stores will sell cigarettes to a kid who is younger than 18. "You have to be 18 to purchase cigarettes, and I'm 16, so if they sell to me, they're breaking the law," Connie says.
Connie isn't a vigilante ; She works with local police in her town of Castro Valley, California. Officers drive her to stores, and she goes in alone to try to buy cigarettes. If the person behind the counter sells her a pack, an officer comes in and writes the business a ticket for breaking the law.
Most stores obey the law and don't sell her cigarettes. The law requires that customers show ID if store employees ask them to. "When they ask your age, you can't lie," Connie says. "Most stores don't sell to me. In a year, we've visited almost 150 stores and had only 15 sales."
Working undercover can be scary, even with police nearby. Connie said one cashier refused to sell her cigarettes and then got angry when he found out her age. He threatened to call the authorities. "To calm him down, the police went in to explain that I was undercover," she says.
Most teens wouldn't think of going undercover for the police. What's Connie's motivation ? For starters, she can't stand smoking. But she also believes it's important for young people like her to try to make a real impact in their communities. In her view, teens can do more than get good grades in school, do chores at home, and do well in out-of-class activities.
Every time she stops the sale of cigarettes to children, she's helping to uphold the law. "A single teenager can make a big difference," Connie says. "For the most part, when stores get caught, they learn their lesson and don't do it again."
|
[
"Smoking can be forbidden with the help of a girl.",
"A good way to stop a store from selling cigarettes to kids.",
"Connie Lau -- a brave girl who goes undercover for the policeman.",
"Connie Lau goes undercover to stop stores from selling cigarettes to kids."
] |
According to the Foreign Ministry, _ Chinese have returned to Chinaby March 2 ?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
After two weeks, Ling Qinghao finally sent a message to his wife in their hometown in Anhui, and told her her he was safe.
Ling, 44, was a Chinese construction worker who went to Libya. The recent problems in Libya have left the country in disorder. Several Chinese were injured last month.
Ling was one of the thousands of Chinese evacuees from Libya. The evacuee's first stop was Greece. They are staying there in a five-star hotel that the Chinese government paid for. According to the Foreign Ministry, by March 2, China has evacuated a total of 35,860 Chinese from Libya. Among them, 20745 have already returned to China.
To evacuate means to quickly move people away from a disaster or disorder. An evacuation tests how a nation would deal with an emergency . From getting flight tickets to dealing with customs services , many parts of the government and companies have to work together.
To protect the safety of overseas Chinese, China took action quickly. Since February 24, the nation has sent out airplanes and ships to evacuate its people from Libya.They even sent a navy ship to help. This is the first time that China has sent the army in an evacuation.
"We have done a great job in no more than 10 days. This shows China's ability to protect its people overseas in emergencies," Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao said.
Question:
According to the Foreign Ministry, _ Chinese have returned to Chinaby March 2 ?
Choices:
A. 35860.
B. 20745 .
C. 56605.
D. 15115.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle3936.txt
|
After two weeks, Ling Qinghao finally sent a message to his wife in their hometown in Anhui, and told her her he was safe.
Ling, 44, was a Chinese construction worker who went to Libya. The recent problems in Libya have left the country in disorder. Several Chinese were injured last month.
Ling was one of the thousands of Chinese evacuees from Libya. The evacuee's first stop was Greece. They are staying there in a five-star hotel that the Chinese government paid for. According to the Foreign Ministry, by March 2, China has evacuated a total of 35,860 Chinese from Libya. Among them, 20745 have already returned to China.
To evacuate means to quickly move people away from a disaster or disorder. An evacuation tests how a nation would deal with an emergency . From getting flight tickets to dealing with customs services , many parts of the government and companies have to work together.
To protect the safety of overseas Chinese, China took action quickly. Since February 24, the nation has sent out airplanes and ships to evacuate its people from Libya.They even sent a navy ship to help. This is the first time that China has sent the army in an evacuation.
"We have done a great job in no more than 10 days. This shows China's ability to protect its people overseas in emergencies," Vice Foreign Minister Song Tao said.
|
[
"35860.",
"20745 .",
"56605.",
"15115."
] |
Lulu has $65 in her piggy bank. She spent $5 on ice cream. She then spent half of the remainder of the money on a t-shirt. Afterwards, she went to the bank and deposited a fifth of her remaining money. How much cash was Lulu left with?
|
Lulu had 65-5 = <<65-5=60>>60 dollars left after eating ice cream.
Lulu had 60/2 = <<60/2=30>>30 dollars left.
Lulu deposited 30/5 = <<30/5=6>>6 dollars
Lulu was left with 30-6 = <<30-6=24>>24 in cash.
#### 24
|
Solve the following math problem and explain your reasoning step by step.
|
Lulu has $65 in her piggy bank. She spent $5 on ice cream. She then spent half of the remainder of the money on a t-shirt. Afterwards, she went to the bank and deposited a fifth of her remaining money. How much cash was Lulu left with?
|
Lulu had 65-5 = <<65-5=60>>60 dollars left after eating ice cream.
Lulu had 60/2 = <<60/2=30>>30 dollars left.
Lulu deposited 30/5 = <<30/5=6>>6 dollars
Lulu was left with 30-6 = <<30-6=24>>24 in cash.
#### 24
|
math
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
There are at least _ people in Dick's family.
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Dear Uncle Horton,
We just want to let you know what a great weekend we had with you while we were in Boise. You are a fantastic guide and it was so nice of you to have taken us out for a tour of the city. The sights were beautiful and our two girls loved the Discovery Centre very much. They are still talking about it.
We are not sure when we'll meet again, but we hope it won't be too long. Please let us know of any plans you might have to visit New York. We would love you to visit us and we hope to have the pleasure of taking you around New York City.
Thanks again for a truly great weekend.
Much love,
Dick and Kate
Dear.Mum,
Happy Mother's Day! Since I have my own kid, I have got to know how hard mothering is. Thank you for being so patient with me through my ups and downs. I hope I can be as good a mother to Lily as you are to me. Thanks for being such a good mum. Whether you come to visit me or we talk on the phone, l always feel we're so close. You're always my best friend. I hope you know how much I love you!
Helen
,.
Question:
There are at least _ people in Dick's family.
Choices:
A. six
B. seven
C. four
D. five
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle5240.txt
|
Dear Uncle Horton,
We just want to let you know what a great weekend we had with you while we were in Boise. You are a fantastic guide and it was so nice of you to have taken us out for a tour of the city. The sights were beautiful and our two girls loved the Discovery Centre very much. They are still talking about it.
We are not sure when we'll meet again, but we hope it won't be too long. Please let us know of any plans you might have to visit New York. We would love you to visit us and we hope to have the pleasure of taking you around New York City.
Thanks again for a truly great weekend.
Much love,
Dick and Kate
Dear.Mum,
Happy Mother's Day! Since I have my own kid, I have got to know how hard mothering is. Thank you for being so patient with me through my ups and downs. I hope I can be as good a mother to Lily as you are to me. Thanks for being such a good mum. Whether you come to visit me or we talk on the phone, l always feel we're so close. You're always my best friend. I hope you know how much I love you!
Helen
,.
|
[
"six",
"seven",
"four",
"five"
] |
We can learn from the text that the author considered her love for beautiful clothes as _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
The other day when I was passing a clothing store, I fell in love with a skirt. I knew it would suit me best at first sight. But when I looked at the price tag , I knew I had to give it up.
The love for beautiful clothes has been planted in my heart the day when I was born to be a woman. Several years ago I read an article in a magazine. The article stated that when a woman is at her best time, she is usually poor or tasteless, so she can't get the right clothes; when she can afford to buy the clothes she likes, she often finds that they do not suit her anymore.
On the way home, I was quite disturbed by such thoughts. It was just a pity, like many other pities. I thought to myself this way. But when I was about to enter the building where I was living, I saw the big mirror placed in the entrance. I saw a girl in it who was in cheap but cleanly washed sweater and jeans. _ was rather young, healthy and energetic. For quite a while I was touched by what I had seen in the mirror.
Then I almost forgot the tale: A person without shoes cried until he saw a man without feet. Being young without good clothes is like the person without shoes. I should have felt grateful that I haven't lost my feet.
Question:
We can learn from the text that the author considered her love for beautiful clothes as _ .
Choices:
A. funny
B. natural
C. silly
D. simple
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high8895.txt
|
The other day when I was passing a clothing store, I fell in love with a skirt. I knew it would suit me best at first sight. But when I looked at the price tag , I knew I had to give it up.
The love for beautiful clothes has been planted in my heart the day when I was born to be a woman. Several years ago I read an article in a magazine. The article stated that when a woman is at her best time, she is usually poor or tasteless, so she can't get the right clothes; when she can afford to buy the clothes she likes, she often finds that they do not suit her anymore.
On the way home, I was quite disturbed by such thoughts. It was just a pity, like many other pities. I thought to myself this way. But when I was about to enter the building where I was living, I saw the big mirror placed in the entrance. I saw a girl in it who was in cheap but cleanly washed sweater and jeans. _ was rather young, healthy and energetic. For quite a while I was touched by what I had seen in the mirror.
Then I almost forgot the tale: A person without shoes cried until he saw a man without feet. Being young without good clothes is like the person without shoes. I should have felt grateful that I haven't lost my feet.
|
[
"funny",
"natural",
"silly",
"simple"
] |
From the passage we can conclude that _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
I wasn't surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those _ , Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she'll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she's an exception.
What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they're earning big incomes, they're so pampered by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they're hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can't deal with the problems. That's often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn't want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life.
Question:
From the passage we can conclude that _ .
Choices:
A. few child stars will succeed in the future
B. there is no way to save the entertainment business
C. the author has a different opinion about child stars
D. meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high4361.txt
|
I wasn't surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those _ , Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she'll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she's an exception.
What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they're earning big incomes, they're so pampered by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they're hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can't deal with the problems. That's often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn't want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life.
|
[
"few child stars will succeed in the future",
"there is no way to save the entertainment business",
"the author has a different opinion about child stars",
"meaningful adulthood only belongs to non-child stars"
] |
While components of a mixture can be separated by physical means, the components of a pure substance can only be broken down through what means?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
While components of a mixture can be separated by physical means, the components of a pure substance can only be broken down through what means?
|
chemical
|
science
| null | null | null |
thermal
|
mechanical
|
radiation
|
chemical
|
In the previous lesson, we discussed pure substances and mixtures. We indicated that the components of a mixture could be separated by physical means, but the components of a pure substance could not. Pure substances can only be broken down further through chemical means. In this lesson, we list several methods for separating mixtures. We will also be looking at chemical changes which alter the chemical identity of a substance, and how to recognize when a chemical change is taking place.
| null | null | null |
What determines the quality of our experience?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Finding true happiness is a universal aspiration . We all want it, but can we all have it? Genuine happiness is written all over our faces when we are truly contented, and, likewise, a forced smile does nothing to hide underlying sadness.
Believing that everyone can create their own lasting joy, Matthieu Richard has been declared the Happiest Man in the World. Richard earned his "happiest man" status after a series of laboratory tests in 2004. Richard has shared his thoughts on happiness with a worldwide audience. As an experienced speaker, he has explained his insights into happiness to everyone, from students to corporate groups. Looking inwards to find joy rather than relying on outer conditions, he believes, is the way to achieve well-being.
"It's quite clear that the outer conditions are not enough. The way we interpret those outer conditions in our inner experience is what determines either a sense of well-being or misery. We love to go jogging for fitness and we do all kinds of things to remain beautiful, yet we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most: the way our minds function. It's the essential thing that determines the quality of our experience." Besides this, Richard stresses that it is not what's happening around us that makes us unhappy, but rather the way we choose to react to it.
The pursuit of happiness is becoming a modern obsession . As life becomes more complex, our ability to process our reactions to various outside influences comes under strain. "Genuine happiness" he says, "doesn't mean pleasant feelings one after the other. It's more like a series of qualities that we can develop as skills -- like openness, genuine love, compassion, inner strength and inner peace."
Question:
What determines the quality of our experience?
Choices:
A. The way our minds react to outer conditions.
B. Insights into happiness that we hold.
C. The constant pursuit of happiness in our life.
D. Those outer conditions affecting our happiness.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high6958.txt
|
Finding true happiness is a universal aspiration . We all want it, but can we all have it? Genuine happiness is written all over our faces when we are truly contented, and, likewise, a forced smile does nothing to hide underlying sadness.
Believing that everyone can create their own lasting joy, Matthieu Richard has been declared the Happiest Man in the World. Richard earned his "happiest man" status after a series of laboratory tests in 2004. Richard has shared his thoughts on happiness with a worldwide audience. As an experienced speaker, he has explained his insights into happiness to everyone, from students to corporate groups. Looking inwards to find joy rather than relying on outer conditions, he believes, is the way to achieve well-being.
"It's quite clear that the outer conditions are not enough. The way we interpret those outer conditions in our inner experience is what determines either a sense of well-being or misery. We love to go jogging for fitness and we do all kinds of things to remain beautiful, yet we spend surprisingly little time taking care of what matters most: the way our minds function. It's the essential thing that determines the quality of our experience." Besides this, Richard stresses that it is not what's happening around us that makes us unhappy, but rather the way we choose to react to it.
The pursuit of happiness is becoming a modern obsession . As life becomes more complex, our ability to process our reactions to various outside influences comes under strain. "Genuine happiness" he says, "doesn't mean pleasant feelings one after the other. It's more like a series of qualities that we can develop as skills -- like openness, genuine love, compassion, inner strength and inner peace."
|
[
"The way our minds react to outer conditions.",
"Insights into happiness that we hold.",
"The constant pursuit of happiness in our life.",
"Those outer conditions affecting our happiness."
] |
What kind of education did she receive?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world's best marathoners can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That's about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn't like to be told she's brave. "I'm in sports because I'm a competitive person!" Jean was born with spina befida , a birth illness that damages the spine . She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed." Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs," she says, "It was fun."
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. "When I sign my a utograph ,says Jean, "I write, dream big and work hard."
Question:
What kind of education did she receive?
Choices:
A. High school.
B. Junior middle school.
C. Primary school.
D. High education.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high6335.txt
|
Jean Driscoll can go faster in her wheelchair than the world's best marathoners can run!
In April, Jean finished the Boston Marathon in 1 hour 34 minutes 22 seconds. That's about 33 minutes faster than the winning male runner! She competed on the track, too. She was second in the 800 meter wheelchair race at the 1992 Olympics.
Jean doesn't like to be told she's brave. "I'm in sports because I'm a competitive person!" Jean was born with spina befida , a birth illness that damages the spine . She began to use a wheelchair to get around in high school. Then she tried wheelchair race and was amazed." Players crashed into each other and fell out of their chairs," she says, "It was fun."
Jean tried other wheelchair sports. At the University of Illinois, her wheelchair basketball team won two national titles.
Now Jean coaches and teaches. She tries to get people to set goals. "When I sign my a utograph ,says Jean, "I write, dream big and work hard."
|
[
"High school.",
"Junior middle school.",
"Primary school.",
"High education."
] |
Which of the following is not true?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
A green house is a building made of glass which is used for keeping warm when the outside temperature is low. In a similar way there are several gases in the atmosphere (mixture of gases that surround the earth) which trap the heat produced by the sun and prevent it from escaping. These gases are known as "greenhouse gases". And the way in which they trap heat in the atmosphere is called the "greenhouse effect". This is not simply air pollution. Most of the main greenhouse gases exist naturally in small amounts in our atmosphere, and without them the earth would be 30 degrees colder and human life would not exist. In other words, the greenhouse effect is a natural course which is to some degree helpful to us.
The problem is that in the last century and a half, we have been putting too many of these gases into the earth's atmosphere by burning large quantities of coal and oil and by cutting down forest. The rapid increase in greenhouse gases is making the world warmer. The world's temperature has already gone up by half a degree this century, and the sea level has risen by 10 centimetres. If the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles, there will probably be a rise in the earth's temperature of between I and 4degC;. This may seem a small increase, but it would be enough to cause major changes in geography and agriculture. Large areas of the world would be flooded, and some areas would become dry and unable to produce crops. It is important, too, to consider that there may be a delay of about 30 years in the greenhouse effect. This means that we are probably experiencing only now the effect of the gases put into the atmosphere before the 1960s. Since then, our use of these gases has greatly increased.
Question:
Which of the following is not true?
Choices:
A. Burning too much coal and oil produces lots of greenhouse gases.
B. It has become warm on the earth now than in the past.
C. Gases put into the atmosphere now will affect the earth years later.
D. The temperature in a greenhouse is as high as that in the atmosphere.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high22.txt
|
A green house is a building made of glass which is used for keeping warm when the outside temperature is low. In a similar way there are several gases in the atmosphere (mixture of gases that surround the earth) which trap the heat produced by the sun and prevent it from escaping. These gases are known as "greenhouse gases". And the way in which they trap heat in the atmosphere is called the "greenhouse effect". This is not simply air pollution. Most of the main greenhouse gases exist naturally in small amounts in our atmosphere, and without them the earth would be 30 degrees colder and human life would not exist. In other words, the greenhouse effect is a natural course which is to some degree helpful to us.
The problem is that in the last century and a half, we have been putting too many of these gases into the earth's atmosphere by burning large quantities of coal and oil and by cutting down forest. The rapid increase in greenhouse gases is making the world warmer. The world's temperature has already gone up by half a degree this century, and the sea level has risen by 10 centimetres. If the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere doubles, there will probably be a rise in the earth's temperature of between I and 4degC;. This may seem a small increase, but it would be enough to cause major changes in geography and agriculture. Large areas of the world would be flooded, and some areas would become dry and unable to produce crops. It is important, too, to consider that there may be a delay of about 30 years in the greenhouse effect. This means that we are probably experiencing only now the effect of the gases put into the atmosphere before the 1960s. Since then, our use of these gases has greatly increased.
|
[
"Burning too much coal and oil produces lots of greenhouse gases.",
"It has become warm on the earth now than in the past.",
"Gases put into the atmosphere now will affect the earth years later.",
"The temperature in a greenhouse is as high as that in the atmosphere."
] |
What is this article mainly talking about?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Old-Fashioned Play-For Pay
Kids! Come to have a ball! Or 60,000 of them! There's a new type of business franchise that is appearing in shopping malls and neighborhood across America offering pay-per-use indoor playgrounds, which feature toys, games, guided fun and a workout that doesn't break the family bank.
As public playgrounds grow increasingly worn and dirty, the for-profit centers offer clean, safe guided activity as well as a variety of challenging exercises to develop kids' physical fitness, usually for a fee of around $ 5 an hour. "Playgrounds are dirty, not guided," says Dick Guggenheimer, owner of the two-month-old Discovery Zone in Yonkers, N. Y., part of Kansas City-based chain, "We are indoors; we are padded; parents can feel their child is safe".
In order to satisfy the need of two-earner families, the new franchise stays open in the evenings, long after traditional public playgrounds have grown dark and unusable. However, these new playgrounds are not meant to be day-care centers. Parents are expected to go stay and play with their kids rather than drop them off. But several also provide high-tech baby-sitting services. At some of the Discovery Zones, parents can register their children in special guided programs, then leave them and slip away for a couple of hours to enjoy a movie or dinner. If there is a problem, Mom and Dad are called.
The most fun of all, though, is getting to do what parents used to do in the days before two-earner families and two-hour commutes , play with their kids. That, at least, is old-fashioned, even at per-hour rates.
Question:
What is this article mainly talking about?
Choices:
A. Children can play without parent's care.
B. The fast development of Discovery Zone.
C. A new type of business franchise of kids.
D. The disadvantages of outdoor playgrounds.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high16269.txt
|
Old-Fashioned Play-For Pay
Kids! Come to have a ball! Or 60,000 of them! There's a new type of business franchise that is appearing in shopping malls and neighborhood across America offering pay-per-use indoor playgrounds, which feature toys, games, guided fun and a workout that doesn't break the family bank.
As public playgrounds grow increasingly worn and dirty, the for-profit centers offer clean, safe guided activity as well as a variety of challenging exercises to develop kids' physical fitness, usually for a fee of around $ 5 an hour. "Playgrounds are dirty, not guided," says Dick Guggenheimer, owner of the two-month-old Discovery Zone in Yonkers, N. Y., part of Kansas City-based chain, "We are indoors; we are padded; parents can feel their child is safe".
In order to satisfy the need of two-earner families, the new franchise stays open in the evenings, long after traditional public playgrounds have grown dark and unusable. However, these new playgrounds are not meant to be day-care centers. Parents are expected to go stay and play with their kids rather than drop them off. But several also provide high-tech baby-sitting services. At some of the Discovery Zones, parents can register their children in special guided programs, then leave them and slip away for a couple of hours to enjoy a movie or dinner. If there is a problem, Mom and Dad are called.
The most fun of all, though, is getting to do what parents used to do in the days before two-earner families and two-hour commutes , play with their kids. That, at least, is old-fashioned, even at per-hour rates.
|
[
"Children can play without parent's care.",
"The fast development of Discovery Zone.",
"A new type of business franchise of kids.",
"The disadvantages of outdoor playgrounds."
] |
What would be the best title for this passage?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
In traditional Chinese medicine, the body, mind and spirit cannot be divided and so the unique whole-body treatment in Tui Na can also be a useful treatment correcting any imbalances in the body's energy before symptoms and disease can develop. It also works to bring back emotional peace as well as physical health. This is why after a Tui Na treatment many people "feel good". Many people in China use Tui Na regularly to keep healthy and to deal with some specific illnesses.
Tui Na is performed on the clothed body and the patient is either lying on a couch or sitting on a chair. Therapists , by using a variety of movements, will control the intensity and direction of pressure in an exact way. The unique rolling movement in Tui Na is one of the most difficult movements to learn and students have to practice sometimes for many months on a rice bag before they are allowed to practice on the human body.
Stress Tui Na is of course very useful for treating stress.
It spreads the energy around the whole body. It is believed that Tui Na moves the strong energy in the tight muscles to the weaker areas, thus making a more balanced body. When your energy flowing inside your body is balanced, you feel relaxed and comfortable. Tui Na is especially useful for _ shoulders and tight neck muscles.
Emotions In Traditional Chinese Medicine each major organ is linked to an emotion. By balancing the energy in the organ, the related emotion will be calmed. When your emotions are out of control, you would usually turn to your doctor or perhaps a psychotherapist . But perhaps some people would not like to be seeing a psychotherapist or feel nervous about discussing their problems with others. With Tui Na, one does not need to tell the therapist anything one does not want to. The treatment of Tui Na can deal with the problem itself. But if one does need to pour out his/her worries or troubles, an active dialogue between the psychotherapist and the patient will help to get a better effect.
Organs & Emotions Each major organ -- the heart, the stomach, the liver , the lungs, and etc.--are linked to a relevant emotion.
The heart is linked to joy, excitement and sadness. If the heart is out of balance, the patient may dream a lot at night and often forget something important in the day.
The stomach is connected with too much thinking or worrying about anxiety. When the stomach is out of balance there is often a lack of energy. The patient often feels very tired and has no interest in doing anything at all.
The liver is linked to anger. In Chinese medicine, the eyes are connected with the liver, and many people who suffer from anger often suffer from eye problems. The lung rules decision-making and too much energy here can lead to rashness , while if there is too little, it can bring about indecision. When there is a history of depression with a patient, it may have effect on the liver. ks5u
Tui Na can help release most of the discomfort and it is used in almost all the hospitals in China and very popular among Chinese people. It is a useful and valuable method for the balance of your energy flowing, when emotional and physical health is out of balance. Tui Na is one of the remaining secrets of Chinese medicine.
Question:
What would be the best title for this passage?
Choices:
A. Tui Na and Your Health
B. Organs and emotions
C. How to Deal with Your Emotions
D. Tui Na, the best choice of Chinese People
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high23093.txt
|
In traditional Chinese medicine, the body, mind and spirit cannot be divided and so the unique whole-body treatment in Tui Na can also be a useful treatment correcting any imbalances in the body's energy before symptoms and disease can develop. It also works to bring back emotional peace as well as physical health. This is why after a Tui Na treatment many people "feel good". Many people in China use Tui Na regularly to keep healthy and to deal with some specific illnesses.
Tui Na is performed on the clothed body and the patient is either lying on a couch or sitting on a chair. Therapists , by using a variety of movements, will control the intensity and direction of pressure in an exact way. The unique rolling movement in Tui Na is one of the most difficult movements to learn and students have to practice sometimes for many months on a rice bag before they are allowed to practice on the human body.
Stress Tui Na is of course very useful for treating stress.
It spreads the energy around the whole body. It is believed that Tui Na moves the strong energy in the tight muscles to the weaker areas, thus making a more balanced body. When your energy flowing inside your body is balanced, you feel relaxed and comfortable. Tui Na is especially useful for _ shoulders and tight neck muscles.
Emotions In Traditional Chinese Medicine each major organ is linked to an emotion. By balancing the energy in the organ, the related emotion will be calmed. When your emotions are out of control, you would usually turn to your doctor or perhaps a psychotherapist . But perhaps some people would not like to be seeing a psychotherapist or feel nervous about discussing their problems with others. With Tui Na, one does not need to tell the therapist anything one does not want to. The treatment of Tui Na can deal with the problem itself. But if one does need to pour out his/her worries or troubles, an active dialogue between the psychotherapist and the patient will help to get a better effect.
Organs & Emotions Each major organ -- the heart, the stomach, the liver , the lungs, and etc.--are linked to a relevant emotion.
The heart is linked to joy, excitement and sadness. If the heart is out of balance, the patient may dream a lot at night and often forget something important in the day.
The stomach is connected with too much thinking or worrying about anxiety. When the stomach is out of balance there is often a lack of energy. The patient often feels very tired and has no interest in doing anything at all.
The liver is linked to anger. In Chinese medicine, the eyes are connected with the liver, and many people who suffer from anger often suffer from eye problems. The lung rules decision-making and too much energy here can lead to rashness , while if there is too little, it can bring about indecision. When there is a history of depression with a patient, it may have effect on the liver. ks5u
Tui Na can help release most of the discomfort and it is used in almost all the hospitals in China and very popular among Chinese people. It is a useful and valuable method for the balance of your energy flowing, when emotional and physical health is out of balance. Tui Na is one of the remaining secrets of Chinese medicine.
|
[
"Tui Na and Your Health",
"Organs and emotions",
"How to Deal with Your Emotions",
"Tui Na, the best choice of Chinese People"
] |
The passage has talked about _ wonders of the world.
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Here is some information about some of the wonders of the world. I am sure you will be interested in them.
The Pyramids of Egypt
There are about eighty pyramids known today. The most well-known was for Pharaoh Khufu. It is known as the "Great Pyramid". It's also the largest one. Workers used about 2.3 million blocks of stone to build it. (A)20.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The garden sat on a hill. It was a large and wonderful structure . Many parts of the garden were high up on large columns . There were many big and green trees with lovely flowers. Although there are many different ideas about the garden, we are not sure whether this wonder ever existed !
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was designed about 2,000 years ago. It was in Egypt, too. (B) It was one of the ancient wonders of the world, about 135 metres high. It was once the highest building in the world. Although it doesn't exist now, many people come to see its relic every year.
Question:
The passage has talked about _ wonders of the world.
Choices:
A. one
B. two
C. three
D. four
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle942.txt
|
Here is some information about some of the wonders of the world. I am sure you will be interested in them.
The Pyramids of Egypt
There are about eighty pyramids known today. The most well-known was for Pharaoh Khufu. It is known as the "Great Pyramid". It's also the largest one. Workers used about 2.3 million blocks of stone to build it. (A)20.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
The garden sat on a hill. It was a large and wonderful structure . Many parts of the garden were high up on large columns . There were many big and green trees with lovely flowers. Although there are many different ideas about the garden, we are not sure whether this wonder ever existed !
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria was designed about 2,000 years ago. It was in Egypt, too. (B) It was one of the ancient wonders of the world, about 135 metres high. It was once the highest building in the world. Although it doesn't exist now, many people come to see its relic every year.
|
[
"one",
"two",
"three",
"four"
] |
The writer thinks _ is good to learn English well.
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Everyone has a hobby. My hobby is keeping a diary in English.When I was nine years old, I began to have my hobby. At first it was hard for me, but now it is easy. I know it's helpful to learn English well. After school I often go to the school library to read English stories or articles. Sometimes my English teacher tells some interesting things to me. I collect information for my diary by doing these.
After I finish my diary every day. I always try to correct mistakes with the help of the dictionary. Now my English is very good.
I love my hobby. It helps me a lot to learn English well.
Question:
The writer thinks _ is good to learn English well.
Choices:
A. keeping a diary
B. more reading
C. more speaking
D. more listening
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle3739.txt
|
Everyone has a hobby. My hobby is keeping a diary in English.When I was nine years old, I began to have my hobby. At first it was hard for me, but now it is easy. I know it's helpful to learn English well. After school I often go to the school library to read English stories or articles. Sometimes my English teacher tells some interesting things to me. I collect information for my diary by doing these.
After I finish my diary every day. I always try to correct mistakes with the help of the dictionary. Now my English is very good.
I love my hobby. It helps me a lot to learn English well.
|
[
"keeping a diary",
"more reading",
"more speaking",
"more listening"
] |
What is the "traditional" role of a father?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Research says that husbands do not do their fair share of work around the house. A study from an American university says that men seldom do the same share of housework. Researchers interviewed 182 working couples who became first-time parents. Both husbands and wives worked almost the same number of hours in full-time jobs. However, men did five hours a week less housework than women after their baby was born.
_ Becoming a parent added 21 hours a week to a mother's work. Most of this was looking after her baby. New fathers did not do more woke because they did not realize the mother was doing so much more. Another reason is that after a baby is born, fathers follow the "traditional" roles. That is, the mother looks after the baby and the father works outside. This happens even when the mother is working the same number of hours in her job.
Question:
What is the "traditional" role of a father?
Choices:
A. Working outside
B. Looking after the baby
C. Doing housework
D. Doing part-time jobs
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle5095.txt
|
Research says that husbands do not do their fair share of work around the house. A study from an American university says that men seldom do the same share of housework. Researchers interviewed 182 working couples who became first-time parents. Both husbands and wives worked almost the same number of hours in full-time jobs. However, men did five hours a week less housework than women after their baby was born.
_ Becoming a parent added 21 hours a week to a mother's work. Most of this was looking after her baby. New fathers did not do more woke because they did not realize the mother was doing so much more. Another reason is that after a baby is born, fathers follow the "traditional" roles. That is, the mother looks after the baby and the father works outside. This happens even when the mother is working the same number of hours in her job.
|
[
"Working outside",
"Looking after the baby",
"Doing housework",
"Doing part-time jobs"
] |
We can learn that the book Life of Pi _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
First published in 2001, the book Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize and an Asian American Prize for Literature. It is the story of a young boy named Pi who spends 227 days at sea with a small group of animals after disaster strikes their ship and is an account of his journey of survival and hardship.
Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, on whom Life of Pi is based, is a young boy living in Pondicherry, India, where his father owns a zoo. The story starts when Patel's family decide to move to Canada, along with their zoo animals for their new home.
However, because of the bad weather, the ship sinks. Pi along with an orangutan , an injured zebra, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are the only survivors who take shelter in a small lifeboat. Both the injured zebra and the orangutan are soon killed and eaten by the hyena. The tiger in turn kills and eats the hyena, leaving just the two of them alone on the boat now.
In an effort to avoid being eaten by Richard Parker, Pi acts himself as the head of the group and remains safe from harm. Since he does not want the tiger to die for fear of going mad by being alone on the boat, he fishes and feeds the two of them in order to stay alive.
The life of Pi then enters its third stage when their lifeboat washes up on the shores of Mexico and the tiger escapes into a nearby forest leaving Pi alone. After the Mexicans refuse to believe Pi's story, he changes his tale by replacing the animals with his mother, a cook and a sailor and asks the Mexicans which one they prefer. They prefer hearing the first story though they do not believe a word of it.
In my view, Life of Pi is a must read book for all those who love reading.
Question:
We can learn that the book Life of Pi _ .
Choices:
A. was written in 2001
B. was awarded two prizes
C. tells a story about friendship
D. is based on the author's personal experience
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high9074.txt
|
First published in 2001, the book Life of Pi written by Canadian author Yann Martel won the Man Booker Prize and an Asian American Prize for Literature. It is the story of a young boy named Pi who spends 227 days at sea with a small group of animals after disaster strikes their ship and is an account of his journey of survival and hardship.
Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel, on whom Life of Pi is based, is a young boy living in Pondicherry, India, where his father owns a zoo. The story starts when Patel's family decide to move to Canada, along with their zoo animals for their new home.
However, because of the bad weather, the ship sinks. Pi along with an orangutan , an injured zebra, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker are the only survivors who take shelter in a small lifeboat. Both the injured zebra and the orangutan are soon killed and eaten by the hyena. The tiger in turn kills and eats the hyena, leaving just the two of them alone on the boat now.
In an effort to avoid being eaten by Richard Parker, Pi acts himself as the head of the group and remains safe from harm. Since he does not want the tiger to die for fear of going mad by being alone on the boat, he fishes and feeds the two of them in order to stay alive.
The life of Pi then enters its third stage when their lifeboat washes up on the shores of Mexico and the tiger escapes into a nearby forest leaving Pi alone. After the Mexicans refuse to believe Pi's story, he changes his tale by replacing the animals with his mother, a cook and a sailor and asks the Mexicans which one they prefer. They prefer hearing the first story though they do not believe a word of it.
In my view, Life of Pi is a must read book for all those who love reading.
|
[
"was written in 2001",
"was awarded two prizes",
"tells a story about friendship",
"is based on the author's personal experience"
] |
Was the old man their uncle? _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson lived in a big city. They liked traveling. One summer they went to the countryside for their holiday. They enjoyed it very much, because it was a quiet and clean place.
One day they went out for a walk early in the morning and saw an old man. He lived on the farm, and he was sitting alone in the warm sun in front of the house. Mr. Wilson asked him, "Do you like living in the quiet place?"
The old man said, "Yes, I do."
Mr. Wilson asked, "What are the good things about it?"
The old man answered. "Well, everybody knows everybody. People often come and see me, and I often go and see them. And there're lots of children here."
Mr. Wilson said, "That's interesting. And what are the bad things?"
The old man thought for a minute and said, "Well, the same things."
Question:
Was the old man their uncle? _ .
Choices:
A. Yes, he was.
B. No, he wasn't.
C. I think so.
D. We don't know.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle5686.txt
|
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson lived in a big city. They liked traveling. One summer they went to the countryside for their holiday. They enjoyed it very much, because it was a quiet and clean place.
One day they went out for a walk early in the morning and saw an old man. He lived on the farm, and he was sitting alone in the warm sun in front of the house. Mr. Wilson asked him, "Do you like living in the quiet place?"
The old man said, "Yes, I do."
Mr. Wilson asked, "What are the good things about it?"
The old man answered. "Well, everybody knows everybody. People often come and see me, and I often go and see them. And there're lots of children here."
Mr. Wilson said, "That's interesting. And what are the bad things?"
The old man thought for a minute and said, "Well, the same things."
|
[
"Yes, he was.",
"No, he wasn't.",
"I think so.",
"We don't know."
] |
What can be the best title for the text?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that "The people were very attentive." John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that "Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . ."
A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri's Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered "fire scars" on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree's cambium . Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. "The record fits pretty close," says Guyette. "We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there."
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, "Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes." Others gave different answers. One stated that a "flaming star" had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.
Question:
What can be the best title for the text?
Choices:
A. New England's dark day.
B. Voices of angry prediction.
C. There is no smoke without fire.
D. Tree rings and scientific discovery.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high16296.txt
|
At dawn on Friday, May 19, 1780, farmers in New England stopped to wonder at the pink color of the sun. By noon the sky had darkened to midnight blackness, causing Americans, still in the painful struggle of a prolonged war of independence, to light candles and tremble at thoughts of the Last Judgment. As the birds quieted and no storm accompanied the darkness, men and women crowded into churches, where one minister commented that "The people were very attentive." John Greenleaf Whittier later wrote that "Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp . . ."
A recent study of researchers, led by Richard Guyette from the University of Missouri's Tree Ring Laboratory, has shown that vast forest fires in the Algonquin Highlands of southern Ontario and elsewhere in Canada brought this event upon New England. The scientists have discovered "fire scars" on the rings for that year, left when the heat of a wildfire has killed a part of a tree's cambium . Evidence collected also points to a drought that year. An easterly wind and low barometric pressure helped force smoke into the upper atmosphere. "The record fits pretty close," says Guyette. "We had the right fuel, the drought. The conditions were all there."
Lacking the ability to communicate quickly over long distances, Americans in 1780 remained in the dark about the event, which had disappeared by the next day. Over the next several months, the papers carried heated debates about what brought the darkness. Some were the voices of angry prediction, such as one Massachusetts farmer who wrote, "Oh! Backsliding New-England, attend now to the things which belong to your peace before they are forever hid from your eyes." Others gave different answers. One stated that a "flaming star" had passed between the earth and the sun. Ash, argued another commentator. The debate, carried on throughout New England, where there were no scientific journals or academies yet, reflected an unfolding culture of scientific enquiry already sweeping the Western world, a revolution nearly as influential as the war for independence from the English.
New Englanders would not soon forget that dark day; it lived on in folklore, poems, and sermons for generations.
|
[
"New England's dark day.",
"Voices of angry prediction.",
"There is no smoke without fire.",
"Tree rings and scientific discovery."
] |
From the passage, we know _ .
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Time never had any importance to me until I received a watch from my father that organized my life and made me more responsible.
I received this gift on a gray-sky day. I had to go to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to pick up my uncle Ali and take him to my father's house. However, I was late because I was hanging out with my friends. Later that day, around 11:00 a.m., I remembered my uncle, but I was very late. He had already left the airport and taken a taxi to my father's house.
I got to my father's house at 2:00 p.m. on the same day and looked at my angry father's face. I felt ashamed. After I said hi to my angry father and tired uncle, my father asked me to sit next to him and handed me this watch as a gift. Then he asked, "Eric, did you have fun with your friends today?" I answered, "Yes, father, and I am sorry about not picking up my uncle." He said, "What you did was not very nice and you should be sorry for your actions." I was ashamed. "Father, I'll never do it again. I promise." Then he replied, "I hope today you learned something important, and this watch will be a reminder for you." He told me to take this watch and use it as an organizer of my life.
I learned a very important lesson from my father that day: to respect time and never be late to meet someone. This watch is important to me, not because of its price, but because of the lesson that I learned from it.
Question:
From the passage, we know _ .
Choices:
A. Eric was with his friends until 2:00 p.m. that day
B. Uncle Ali had been to Eric's father's house before
C. Eric didn't live with his father
D. Eric always forgot important things
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high13954.txt
|
Time never had any importance to me until I received a watch from my father that organized my life and made me more responsible.
I received this gift on a gray-sky day. I had to go to the airport at 9:00 a.m. to pick up my uncle Ali and take him to my father's house. However, I was late because I was hanging out with my friends. Later that day, around 11:00 a.m., I remembered my uncle, but I was very late. He had already left the airport and taken a taxi to my father's house.
I got to my father's house at 2:00 p.m. on the same day and looked at my angry father's face. I felt ashamed. After I said hi to my angry father and tired uncle, my father asked me to sit next to him and handed me this watch as a gift. Then he asked, "Eric, did you have fun with your friends today?" I answered, "Yes, father, and I am sorry about not picking up my uncle." He said, "What you did was not very nice and you should be sorry for your actions." I was ashamed. "Father, I'll never do it again. I promise." Then he replied, "I hope today you learned something important, and this watch will be a reminder for you." He told me to take this watch and use it as an organizer of my life.
I learned a very important lesson from my father that day: to respect time and never be late to meet someone. This watch is important to me, not because of its price, but because of the lesson that I learned from it.
|
[
"Eric was with his friends until 2:00 p.m. that day",
"Uncle Ali had been to Eric's father's house before",
"Eric didn't live with his father",
"Eric always forgot important things"
] |
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Walking in the Regional Parks and Forests of Greater WellingtonFrom a walk to an adventure
A walk in one of the regional parks and forests is a great way to explore the diverse landscape of greater Wellington.
From coastal sands to historic paths,farmland to green native forest,the parks and forests offer a variety of countryside and scenery to suit all ages and levels of fitness.
Most of the walks offer the chance to take a break and enjoy picnicking or swimming.
What to take
Many of the walks go through areas exposed to winds and changeable weather.Please take with you some water and sun hat especially on walks marked with hiking symbol.Always take some warm clothing and a rain jacket.
All times stated are estimates for the return trip.
Where indicated,mountain bikes and horses riders may use tracks.
Opening hours
The parks and forests are open daily from 8am till dusk.Parks or walks marked with a farm animal symbol may be closed for lambing Aug-Nov.Please check with the ranger or on our website www.gw.govt.nz.
Caring for your pack
*Pack in and pack out.Take your rubbish home and recycle it when possible.
*Keep dogs under control and remove droppings.
*Do not remove,disturb or damage native plants or animals.
*Light no fires.
*Poison may be laid in the parks and forests to control the field mouse.Do not remove notice or disturb baits,lures,trapping lines or the mousetraps.
Question:
Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
Choices:
A. Some native plants are poisonous to the visitors.
B. You can find recycling spots in the parks to deal with your trash.
C. Some sorts of pests are threatening the areas of the parks and forests.
D. Sighs marked with a farm animal indicate you can closely watch some lovable lambs.
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high19860.txt
|
Walking in the Regional Parks and Forests of Greater WellingtonFrom a walk to an adventure
A walk in one of the regional parks and forests is a great way to explore the diverse landscape of greater Wellington.
From coastal sands to historic paths,farmland to green native forest,the parks and forests offer a variety of countryside and scenery to suit all ages and levels of fitness.
Most of the walks offer the chance to take a break and enjoy picnicking or swimming.
What to take
Many of the walks go through areas exposed to winds and changeable weather.Please take with you some water and sun hat especially on walks marked with hiking symbol.Always take some warm clothing and a rain jacket.
All times stated are estimates for the return trip.
Where indicated,mountain bikes and horses riders may use tracks.
Opening hours
The parks and forests are open daily from 8am till dusk.Parks or walks marked with a farm animal symbol may be closed for lambing Aug-Nov.Please check with the ranger or on our website www.gw.govt.nz.
Caring for your pack
*Pack in and pack out.Take your rubbish home and recycle it when possible.
*Keep dogs under control and remove droppings.
*Do not remove,disturb or damage native plants or animals.
*Light no fires.
*Poison may be laid in the parks and forests to control the field mouse.Do not remove notice or disturb baits,lures,trapping lines or the mousetraps.
|
[
"Some native plants are poisonous to the visitors.",
"You can find recycling spots in the parks to deal with your trash.",
"Some sorts of pests are threatening the areas of the parks and forests.",
"Sighs marked with a farm animal indicate you can closely watch some lovable lambs."
] |
This passage mainly tells us _ .
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can open my eyes and improve my language skills. Of course, it can also help me to get good grades at school. Do you know how to read more and learn more? Here are some tips for you.
Clear your purpose for reading
Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.
Read only what you are interested in
No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn't be a chore.
Set a reading goal
It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don't have a _ ! I don't need to return those books. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day. Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.
,.
Question:
This passage mainly tells us _ .
Choices:
A. how to read more and learn more
B. how to choose a good book
C. how to read faster
D. why we should read more books
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle5844.txt
|
These days, more and more Chinese people enjoy sending and receiving messages on the phone. It can help them to get the latest news and communicate with friends. But I think I should read more books besides the textbooks, the more, the better. It can open my eyes and improve my language skills. Of course, it can also help me to get good grades at school. Do you know how to read more and learn more? Here are some tips for you.
Clear your purpose for reading
Before you start reading, ask yourself why you are reading this book. Most people read for two main reasons, pleasure or knowledge. Clearing about your reading purpose can not only help you choose the books you really need to read, but also remind you why reading the book is important to you, so you will keep reading and complete the book faster.
Read only what you are interested in
No matter what you are reading, it is important to enjoy what you read. Whenever you realize that you aren't enjoying the book you are reading, give it up. Remember reading shouldn't be a chore.
Set a reading goal
It is interesting that I read the books borrowed from libraries faster than those I bought. The reason is the books I bought don't have a _ ! I don't need to return those books. Having a reading goal helps you work out how much reading you need to do in a week or even a day. Before you read each book, ask yourself what time you need to complete this book by.
,.
|
[
"how to read more and learn more",
"how to choose a good book",
"how to read faster",
"why we should read more books"
] |
What system consists of all the muscles of the body?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
What system consists of all the muscles of the body?
|
muscular
|
science
| null | null | null |
endocrine
|
vascular
|
digestive
|
muscular
|
The muscular system consists of all the muscles of the body. Does the word muscle make you think of the bulging biceps of a weightlifter, like the man in Figure below ? Muscles such as biceps that move the body are easy to feel and see, but they aren’t the only muscles in the human body. Many muscles are deep within the body. They form the walls of internal organs such as the heart and stomach. You can flex your biceps like a body builder but you cannot control the muscles inside you. It’s a good thing that they work on their own without any conscious effort your part, because movement of these muscles is essential for survival.
| null | null | null |
A plant that forms special tissues for storing water in an arid climate is an example of the plant evolving what?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
A plant that forms special tissues for storing water in an arid climate is an example of the plant evolving what?
|
adaptations
|
science
| null | null | null |
divergence
|
consciousness
|
additions
|
adaptations
|
Organisms evolve adaptations that help them survive in the climate of the biome where they live. For example, in biomes with arid climates, plants may have special tissues for storing water (see Figure below ). The desert animals pictured in Figure below also have adaptations for a dry climate.
| null | null | null |
Why did Jean leave her home for San Francisco?
|
A
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything is good. But the problem is that Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous , talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good looking young man with big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
Question:
Why did Jean leave her home for San Francisco?
Choices:
A. To amaze David.
B. To be on a business trip.
C. To be invited to Jim's birthday party.
D. To send some gifts to Jim.
|
Answer: A
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high2526.txt
|
Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything is good. But the problem is that Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous , talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good looking young man with big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim!
|
[
"To amaze David.",
"To be on a business trip.",
"To be invited to Jim's birthday party.",
"To send some gifts to Jim."
] |
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are located near the base of this organ?
| null |
Answer the following science question clearly and accurately.
|
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are located near the base of this organ?
|
the brain
|
science
| null | null | null |
the liver
|
the heart
|
the lungs
|
the brain
|
The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are located close together at the base of the brain.
| null | null | null |
Which of the following statements is NOT true about Finland?
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
On November 8,all flags in Finland were flown at half-mast .People were showing their respect to the victims of a high school tragedy.The day before,an 18-year-old boy opened fire at his high school, killing seven other students and the principal before ending his own life.
The first school shooting in Finland since 1989 _ the nation where gun crime is rare and people enjoy a high standard of living.While the police are busy searching for the killer's motives,another issue is creating debate in the North European country----the right to carry a gun.
Finland is one of a few developed Western countries that allow private possession of guns.The right to bear arms is deeply rooted in Finnish culture.Anyone older than 15 can buy a gun from certain shops,and gun clubs are popular places to hang out. The high school shooter was a member of the Helsinki Shooting Club,which has 1,500 members
Descendants of hunters,Finns have survived by hunting and fishing for thousands of years.But today hunting is just done for entertainment.And its land,half of which is covered by forest,provides an ideal site for hunting.
In Finland,there are about 56 guns for every 100 people.That figure is higher than any other country in the world except for the United States and Yemen.In comparison with those two nations,however,Finland has largely avoided bloodshed caused by firearms,at least until last week.However,the recent event proved the need for stricter gun laws.
Petri Oinonen,a gun dealer,said the shooting did not surprise him."It was only a question of when this was going to happen,not if it was going to happen."
Question:
Which of the following statements is NOT true about Finland?
Choices:
A. There was a school shooting in prefix = st1 /Finlandin 1989
B. Finland has much bloodshed caused by firearms.
C. The ancestors of Finnish people are mainly hunters
D. Finland has the world's third rate of gun ownership.
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high17365.txt
|
On November 8,all flags in Finland were flown at half-mast .People were showing their respect to the victims of a high school tragedy.The day before,an 18-year-old boy opened fire at his high school, killing seven other students and the principal before ending his own life.
The first school shooting in Finland since 1989 _ the nation where gun crime is rare and people enjoy a high standard of living.While the police are busy searching for the killer's motives,another issue is creating debate in the North European country----the right to carry a gun.
Finland is one of a few developed Western countries that allow private possession of guns.The right to bear arms is deeply rooted in Finnish culture.Anyone older than 15 can buy a gun from certain shops,and gun clubs are popular places to hang out. The high school shooter was a member of the Helsinki Shooting Club,which has 1,500 members
Descendants of hunters,Finns have survived by hunting and fishing for thousands of years.But today hunting is just done for entertainment.And its land,half of which is covered by forest,provides an ideal site for hunting.
In Finland,there are about 56 guns for every 100 people.That figure is higher than any other country in the world except for the United States and Yemen.In comparison with those two nations,however,Finland has largely avoided bloodshed caused by firearms,at least until last week.However,the recent event proved the need for stricter gun laws.
Petri Oinonen,a gun dealer,said the shooting did not surprise him."It was only a question of when this was going to happen,not if it was going to happen."
|
[
"There was a school shooting in prefix = st1 /Finlandin 1989",
"Finland has much bloodshed caused by firearms.",
"The ancestors of Finnish people are mainly hunters",
"Finland has the world's third rate of gun ownership."
] |
What kind of movies does Jack like?
|
C
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
My name is Eric. I know many students like going to the movies and I'm sure that different people like different kinds of movies . Well ,what kind of movies do you like? Last Monday I went to a school and asked some students about their favorite movies. Here are some of their answers.
Jack, an 11-year-old boy, likes watching scary movies. He thinks scary movies are scary but exciting .His classmates.Alice,13,can't stand documentaries . She thinks they are boring and they are for parents. But she really likes comedies because they are funny. James, a big boy ,doesn't mind documentaries. But he doesn't like comedies because he thinks they are not exciting!
The survey showed that the most popular movies were action movies. Most of the students enjoyed them very much.
Question:
What kind of movies does Jack like?
Choices:
A. Sitcoms
B. Comedies
C. Scary movies
D. Cartoons
|
Answer: C
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
middle1949.txt
|
My name is Eric. I know many students like going to the movies and I'm sure that different people like different kinds of movies . Well ,what kind of movies do you like? Last Monday I went to a school and asked some students about their favorite movies. Here are some of their answers.
Jack, an 11-year-old boy, likes watching scary movies. He thinks scary movies are scary but exciting .His classmates.Alice,13,can't stand documentaries . She thinks they are boring and they are for parents. But she really likes comedies because they are funny. James, a big boy ,doesn't mind documentaries. But he doesn't like comedies because he thinks they are not exciting!
The survey showed that the most popular movies were action movies. Most of the students enjoyed them very much.
|
[
"Sitcoms",
"Comedies",
"Scary movies",
"Cartoons"
] |
We can learn from the passage that _ .
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it like it's the most precious thing in the world, because in some ways, it is.
Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.
And that's only natural. Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, and we should try to avoid mistakes. We've been scolded when we make mistakes--at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world. They make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.
By trial and error--trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes--we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.
Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest _ , make speech possible, and make works of genius possible.
Think about how we learn:We don't just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don't just read about painting,or writing,or computer programming,or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually...then you construct a model in your mind...then you test it out by trying it in the real world...then you make mistakes...then you revise the model based on the results of your real world experimentation...and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you've pretty much learned how to do something. That's how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new--because if you succeed at something, it's probably something you already knew how to do. You haven't really grown much from that success--at most it's the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes, if it's a good journey.
So if you value learning,if you value growing and improving,then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.
Question:
We can learn from the passage that _ .
Choices:
A. most of us can really grow from success
B. growing and improving are based on mistakes
C. we learn to make mistakes by trial and error
D. we read about something and know how to do it right away
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high1594.txt
|
When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it like it's the most precious thing in the world, because in some ways, it is.
Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.
And that's only natural. Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, and we should try to avoid mistakes. We've been scolded when we make mistakes--at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world. They make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.
By trial and error--trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes--we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.
Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest _ , make speech possible, and make works of genius possible.
Think about how we learn:We don't just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don't just read about painting,or writing,or computer programming,or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually...then you construct a model in your mind...then you test it out by trying it in the real world...then you make mistakes...then you revise the model based on the results of your real world experimentation...and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you've pretty much learned how to do something. That's how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new--because if you succeed at something, it's probably something you already knew how to do. You haven't really grown much from that success--at most it's the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes, if it's a good journey.
So if you value learning,if you value growing and improving,then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible.
|
[
"most of us can really grow from success",
"growing and improving are based on mistakes",
"we learn to make mistakes by trial and error",
"we read about something and know how to do it right away"
] |
What can we conclude about the police?
|
D
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don't know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the PS5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won't be of much use to you.
Actually I don't care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don't suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn't even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. "It happens all the time," they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I've lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, "Why? Mummy, why us?" I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can.
Question:
What can we conclude about the police?
Choices:
A. They are unable to find the thieves.
B. They show sympathy to the woman.
C. They have doubts about human nature.
D. They think the case quite common.
|
Answer: D
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high4984.txt
|
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store where I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don't know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there's not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the PS5 was useful to you. If you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book. Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid, so it won't be of much use to you.
Actually I don't care about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don't suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book. There were all kinds of papers and notes that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you. I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn't even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather shoulder bag. You probably threw it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We've looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I'm not really angry with you. I know how the pressures of modern life can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged their shoulders. "It happens all the time," they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I've lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, "Why? Mummy, why us?" I couldn't answer that question. I wonder if you can.
|
[
"They are unable to find the thieves.",
"They show sympathy to the woman.",
"They have doubts about human nature.",
"They think the case quite common."
] |
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for_.
|
B
|
Read the passage and answer the question.
|
Passage:
Dear Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare.Your company, Cosmo books Ltd , offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at a "remarkable" price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books looked particularly attractive, so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered.So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare.Two more weeks passed.Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French.Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all.However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you right away instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German.Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have.The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment.Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
Question:
The advertisement that Mr. Walker saw in the Morning Mail was for_.
Choices:
A. unlimited number of Cosmo Books
B. a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare
C. fifteen pounds and fifty pence
D. a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare
|
Answer: B
|
reading
| null | null | null | null | null | null | null | null |
high16589.txt
|
Dear Sir,
Just over six months ago, I saw an advertisement in the Morning Mail for a set of the complete works of William Shakespeare.Your company, Cosmo books Ltd , offered this set ( eight books of plays and two books of poetry) at a "remarkable" price: fifteen pounds and fifty pence, including postage and packing. I had wanted a set of Shakespeare's plays and poems for some time, and these books looked particularly attractive, so I sent for them.
Two weeks later, the books arrived, together with a set of works of Charles Dickens which I had not ordered.So I returned the Dickens books to you, with a cheque for fifteen pounds and fifty pence for the works of Shakespeare.Two more weeks passed.Then there arrived on my door step a second set of the works of Shakespeare, the same set of novels by Dickens and a six book set of the plays of Moliere, in French.Since I do not read French, these were of no use to me at all.However, I could not afford to post all these books back to you, so I wrote to you right away instructing you to come and collect all the books that I did not want, and asking you not to send any other books until further notice.
You did not reply to that letter. Instead you sent me a bill for forty two pounds, and a set of the plays of Schiller, in German.Since then, a new set of books has arrived every two weeks, the works of Goethe, the poems of Milton, the plays of Strindberg; I hardly know what I have.The books are still all in their boxes, in the garage, and my car has to stand in the rain outside.
Please send no more books, send no more bills, send no more angry letters demanding payment.Just send one large lorry and take all the books away, leaving me only with the one set of the complete works of Shakespeare for which I have paid.
Yours faithfully,
SIMON WALKER
|
[
"unlimited number of Cosmo Books",
"a set of 10 books of the works of Shakespeare",
"fifteen pounds and fifty pence",
"a book containing all the plays and poems of Shakespeare"
] |
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