questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in the northeast"
},
"options": [
"in the northeast",
"in the west",
"in the southwest",
"in the south"
],
"question": "According to the passage , Venice is _ of Italy .",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | A city without cars would be very strange , right ? But Venice is such a city .
Venice is in the northeast of Italy. It wasn't built on land, like Beijing or Shanghai, but on more than 110 islands. Seawater is everywhere around the city.
Even so, travel isn't that difficult. The waterways have always been the best way to get around. There are 117 waterways and more than 400 bridges that can guide you where you want to go. People in Venice move from place to place by boat.
Water makes the city special, but it is also a big problem. Sometimes tourists will have such strange experiences . One moment they walk across the Rialto Bridge , and there's nothing special . But when they come back to the bridge an hour later , it's underwater and everyone is wearing rain shoes .
Once, people used too much underground water. This made the city get lower little by little. Now the city has gone down by 23 centimeters. Another problem is the rising seawater. The temperature has risen over the years. This has made ice of the Arctic Ocean melt . Every year, high waters hit the city in autumn and winter. When a lot of water comes, more than half of the city is underwater.
Scientists are trying different ways to stop the city from getting even lower. The Italian government has asked some of Italy's biggest companies to build the MOST project , which was planned to be built under the seawater to stop the rising water . Anyway , this project is helping solve the problem . | middle6840.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not stand near windows"
},
"options": [
"run into a lift",
"not stay in the bathroom",
"stand near large mirrors",
"not stand near windows"
],
"question": "If you are in a tall building when an earthquake happen... | A little knowledge can make a difference at a time of life or death. Do you know what to do if you find yourself in an earthquake?
lf you are inside:
Quickly move under a strong desk, a strong table or along a wall. You can also go into a small room like the bathroom. This will protect you from falling things. Do not get into a lift.
Don't stand near windows, large mirrors, heavy furniture of fireplaces.
If you're outside:
Move away from buildings and streetlights. These could fall on you. Squat and protect your head until the shaking stops.
After the earthquake:
Check, take care of injuries and help make sure people around you are all right. Watch out for _ .
Protect yourself by wearing long pants, a long-sleeved shirt and strong shoes. Listen to tile radio for the latest information. | middle463.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Weather, time and soil condition"
},
"options": [
"Weather and tome",
"Weather and soil condition",
"Soil condition and time",
"Weather, time and soil condition"
],
"question": "What can affect the taste of carr... | Carrots are grown all over the world. They are easy to plant and easy to _ . They have a good taste.
When people think about carrots, they usually think they are a kind of long, thin, orange-colored vegetable. In fact, carrots are in many different sizes and shapes. And not all carrots are orange.
Carrots should be grown in a field that does not have water for a long time. The earth also should not be too hard. To prepare your carrot garden, dig up the earth and turn it over .
Weather, soil condition , and time affect the taste of carrots. Warm days and cool nights are the best time to grow great delicious carrots.
The best way to decide if a carrot is ready to be harvested is by its color. Usually, the brighter the color is, the better the taste is.
Most people do not know that carrots can be grown during the winter months. If the winter is not cold enough to freeze the ground, you can grow carrots the same way as you do during the summer months.
Carrots are prepared and eaten in many different ways. They are cut into thin pieces and cooked with other vegetables or meat. Or, they are washed, and eaten just as they come out of the ground. | middle5391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "unpleasant"
},
"options": [
"happy",
"pleasant",
"unpleasant",
"glad"
],
"question": "Announcing the death of a celebrity when in fact the subject is alive and well makes people feel _",
"question_type": "c... | An unpleasant habit of announcing the death of a celebrity has sprung in recent years, when in fact the subject is alive and well. The latest blatantly false was the supposed death of Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan from a heart attack.
It spread rapidly on the Chinese blogosphere and Twitter in the West, and there was even, supposedly, a message from US President Barack Obama paying homage to the martial arts hero. "Jackie Chan is a man who can talk through talent, he is a constant reminder of the strength of humanity. He will forever be in our hearts, a true inspiration who inspired many generations,"
Cruelly, it was the actor's son, Jaycee Chan, who had to prove if the news was true, by making a phone call and finding him, fortunately, "busy as hell" organizing, with other Hong Kong celebrities, a charity concert on Friday to raise money for those struck down by the earthquake in Japan. Jaycee Chan described the false news as an "insane joke", but Jackie Chan was not angry at the news. He said, " It is not the first time to hear that I was dead."
The Hong Kong-based The Sun Newspaper reported on Wednesday that a blogger with the handle "SKIPHOPZ" was the source of the false news.
, . | middle3938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "each other"
},
"options": [
"the leaves of the trees",
"water and minerals",
"the soil and air",
"each other"
],
"question": "According to the text, different things live on _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_... | When do you think of a forest, what do you see? Just trees? Or do you see many other things, such as singing birds, colorful plants and wild flowers?
The forest is a whole world of its own. It is full of many different living things . But even though they are all different, they have one thing in common: they all need each other in order to live on .The trees feed the forest "people" by making food in their leaves; by using sunlight to join water and minerals from the soil and air. Their deep network of roots joins the soil together and stops it from dying out, making it possible for living things to live in it.
Human beings are like the living things in the forest. We need one another in order to live. We need the farmers to grow our food, railroad and truck drivers to bring it to our shops and clerks to sell it to us. We need people to prepare our food and cook it and others to take our waste things away. Then, of course, we need doctors, nurses, government leaders, mailmen, telephone operators, and many others.
We also need other human beings in another way. We need people for friendship, to talk over our problems, exchange ideas. Think how lonely and unhappy you would be if you lived all alone.
Life is a matter of giving and taking. We need to help other people as much as we need other people to help us. Think what a good feeling you have when you have done something for someone else. You know, being a volunteer is so great!
,. | middle3910.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "by his car"
},
"options": [
"drives his car",
"by his car",
"in car",
"in a car"
],
"question": "Mr. Smith goes to the station _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | Mr. Smith drives his car to meet his friends at the station. When he finds there is still quite some time to go before the train arrives, he wants to take a short sleep. He is going to sleep when a young lady comes and asks him the time. Mr. Smith opens his eyes and answers, "Half past eight." With a "Thank you" the woman leaves. In a short time, this happens three more times, so Mr. Smith writes "I don't know the time!" on a piece of paper and puts it on the window of his car. But only a few minutes later, an old man comes and wakes him up. "Hi, young man. I can tell you the time. It's nine o' clock." | middle4919.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "train"
},
"options": [
"train",
"bike",
"car",
"bus"
],
"question": "Tom goes to work by _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sp... | Every morning Tom goes to work by train. He has a long way to go. So he always buys a newspaper. It helps him to spend the time on the train. Tom likes sport very much. One morning on the train he is reading something about the football match. So he forgets to get off the train at his station. He doesn't know it. When he finishes reading, he looks out of the window. It's far from his station. He gets off at the next station. He has to go back by train. Of course, he is late for work. | middle1861.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Be careful"
},
"options": [
"Put your head out and look outside",
"Be careful",
"Come out and have a look",
"Both A and B"
],
"question": "What is the possible meaning of \"look out\" in this passage?",
"que... | One day three Frenchmen who did not know English very well were talking about the English language.
The first Frenchman said, 'I heard someone shout 'look out' ,I put my head out of a window and a basin of water fell on me. It seems that 'look out' may mean 'don't look out!'
The second one followed, ' I was once on a ship and heard the captain shout, 'All hands on the deck ' I put my hands on the deck and someone trod on them.'
The third one told his friends his experience too, 'One early morning I called on my English friend and the maid said, 'He is not up yet, come back in half an hour.' When I went again for him, she said, 'He's not down yet.'I said, 'If he's not up and he is not down, where is he then? What a strange language it is!' | middle339.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Short and blond."
},
"options": [
"Short and gray.",
"Long and gray.",
"Short and blond.",
"Long and blond."
],
"question": "What was Mr. Smith's new hair like?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | It is the 22ndcentury and it is very popular to change people's bodies.
Mr. Smith decided to change his body. He changed his big nose to a small one, and his old and gray hair to short and blond hair. He also bought new green eyes, new hands, new arms, new knees and new feet. Mrs. Smith was happy because Mr. Smith's new feet didn't smell as bad as his old feet.
However, something bad happened. One morning, Mr. Smith woke up and his new nose didn't work. The next morning he couldn't hear anything. Then his new blond hair went gray, and his new knees didn't move. And finally he could see nothing with his green eyes.
It was really terrible. Mr. Smith wanted his old body back. However, he had to pay 100,000 euro for his old body.
It was expensive but Mr. Smith still got his own body back. He would never follow the fashion.
,,(5) | middle1120.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "help stop wars among countries"
},
"options": [
"change local cultures",
"help local businesses develop",
"make rich people become richer",
"help stop wars among countries"
],
"question": "Some people think glob... | Globalization means that people,ideas,technology,money,services and many other things are moving between countries and changing the way people think and act.
Not everyone thinks the same way about globalization. Some people think it is bad,and some people think it is good. Some believe that globalization helps rich people get richer and makes poor people poorer. These people say that globalization helps big companies like Coca-Cola and McDonald's destroy local businesses. However,the people who think globalization is a good thing argue that globalization helps poorer people to become richer. They also think that it doesn't destroy local cultures. These people also believe globalization helps prevent wars. This is because countries with economic connections will try hard to keep good relationships so that their economies aren't destroyed.
Whether you think globalization is good or bad,it affects the world in two areas:jobs and cultures.
Globalization has had a very strong influence on jobs all over the world. For some workers,such as engineers,lawyers and bankers,globalization has been a good development. These workers are able to successfully compete globally and have seen an increase in their pay. But for those who work in factories or in the aervice industry(at hotels,shops and restaurants),it has not been good. Workers from poorer countries are trying to get these types of jobs. They will do the same job for less money. This decreases the pay for that job,so people get paid less to do it.
Cultures have also been affected by globalization. Foods such as Japanese noodles,Inaian curry and French cheeses have spread around the world. We can also see an increase in the use of Chinese characters in tattoos . Some people get these tattoos but they don't really know what the characters mean. Globalization also affects the film industry. Most people have seen American movies. But because of globalization,Korean. Indian and Japanese movies have become more worldwide.
No one knows the future of globalization. Most experts agree that it will continue to grow and have an increasingly greater influence on people's lives in the future. | middle7551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "reads English"
},
"options": [
"writes English",
"reads English",
"draws",
"sings"
],
"question": "In the morning Mary _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index"... | Mary likes English very much. She works hard. She reads English every morning. She likes speaking English. She often listens to the radio. She watches TV only on Saturday evening. Does she like dancing? No, she doesn't. But she likes drawing and singing. Her parents like her very much. And all the teachers and her friends like her, too. | middle3737.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "thousands"
},
"options": [
"thousands",
"hundreds",
"millions",
"billion"
],
"question": "There are _ of languages in the world.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | In schools all over the world boys and girls are learning foreign languages. Everyone knows his own language , but knowing another one is very useful. If we go to England or the USA, we must be able to speak English. And in Japan people will expect us to understand Japanese. How many languages are there in the world? There are thousands of languages, but most of them are not very important, English is one of the most important languages because so many people use it, not only in England and the USA, but also in other parts of the world. About 300 million people speak it as their own language and another 200 million use it as a second language. It's difficult to say how many people are learning it. Million upon million of school children are trying to learn it. | middle4058.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "White and yellow."
},
"options": [
"White and brown.",
"Brown and grey.",
"White and grey.",
"White and yellow."
],
"question": "What colour is Huahua?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"an... | I have two pets. They are Fly, a dog, and Huahua, a cat.
Fly is brown and grey. He is naughty . He sometimes steals food in the kitchen.Once, when there was nobody at home, Fly pulled a piece of meat off the table. But he was not careful enough. The plate also fell to the floor. When I got home, I saw the broken plate all over the floor, so I became very angry. Fly was so afraid that he went back to his bed at once.
Huahua is a white and yellow cat. She is not beautiful but she is very lovely. Every night at weekends, Huahua sleeps on my bed. When she sleeps, she always snores. It is very funny.
Huahua is also naughty. Whenever she does something bad and my grandma tries to catch her, she runs away quickly and hides quietly under the bed.
Fly and Huahua love to play games with me and I like them very much. | middle5346.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "giving an example"
},
"options": [
"space",
"time",
"giving an example",
"giving reasons"
],
"question": "The passage is developed by _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | When I was in the eighth grade, my teacher asked us to write an article about what we would like to do when we grew up. All I could think of was one sentence I want to help other people! During the years, I met many problems. But I never gave up. I know that to help other people I have to help myself first. I encouraged myself after I experienced failures . Finally .my dream really came true. I found a part-time job in a charity. I began to spend my days doing things for people. I have a happy life. That doesn't mean that this kind of life is easy, or that my work is always enjoyable. I an happy because I an doing what I want to do.
What do you want to do? Write it down now. If you don't know, you can ask yourself, "What would I do if this was the last day of my life ?" Then write down the first thing that comes to your mind, no matter how silly or impossible it is. If you have an answer, you will know what your dream is. | middle2429.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "You get less money from the dream job."
},
"options": [
"You get less money from the dream job.",
"You get more money from the dream job.",
"You get less money from the job you're doing now.",
"You get no money from the... | You've just found your dream job, but it pays less than the one you've working hard at right now. What should you do ? How can you make the right decision ?
When you have a difficult decision to make , you may probably think it over and over again for hours, weighting up all the advantages and disadvantages before coming to a decision .Or ,maybe you decide it quickly without thinking carefully .But according to scientific research, there's a better way to do this: Sleep on it .
In a resent study , scientists made an experiment . They offered the participants some information about different types of cars .And they asked them to decide hypothetically which one would be the best fit. Some of them were asked to make the decision right away ,while others were asked to choose the next morning.
The result of the survey was interesting. The people who had a good night's sleep were energetic the next morning .And they choose the best quality cars. But those who made quick decisions chose cars with bad quality.
So ,if someone asks you to make a big decision ,don't rush to give an answer at once .Instead ,take a step back and get a good night's sleep. Chances are that ,in the morning , you'll know exactly what to do . | middle5420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "why \"I\" like different seasons"
},
"options": [
"what season is \"my\" favourite",
"what the weather is like",
"why \"I\" like different seasons",
"why \"I\" dislike seasons"
],
"question": "The poem is about ... | Hi! I'm Mike the apple tree.
I like spring because it's warm.
I get pink and white flowers.
I get new leaves.
The friendly bees visit me.
Ahhh! Spring.
I like summer because it's hot.
My apples grow bigger and bigger.
My leaves become greener and greener.
People rest under my shade.
Hummm! Summer.
I like autumn because it is cool.
My apples become red.
My leaves become colourful.
People come and pick my red apples.
Wow! Autumn.
I have no leaves or apples any more.
But, I like winter thanks to the clean white snow.
I can sleep and wait for spring.
Zzzzz! Winter. | middle3051.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sunday"
},
"options": [
"Saturday",
"Sunday",
"Monday",
"Wednesday"
],
"question": "It's _ today.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_te... | It is a very nice Sunday morning. Ann and her mother are on a big bus. There are many people on it. Some are from America. Some are from England and Japan. They are all friends. They are going to the Great Wall. There are two Chinese on the bus, too. They are a young man and a young woman. They can speak English. The young man is the driver of the bus. The woman is talking about the Great Wall. The others are all listening to her. They all like the Great Wall. | middle8104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He took off his cap when he came in."
},
"options": [
"He made his shoes clean when he came in.",
"He took off his cap when he came in.",
"He waited quietly for his turn.",
"His teeth and fingernails were clean."
],... | A gentleman once advertised for a boy to help him in his office, and nearly fifty persons asked for the place. Out of the whole number he in a short time chose one, and sent all the other boys away.
"I should like to know," said a friend, "on what ground you chose that boy. He didn't even have a recommendation with him.
"You are mistaken,"said the gentleman, "he had a great many: -
"He made his shoes clean when he came in, and closed the door after him; showing that he was orderly .
"He gave his seat to the disabled old man; showing that he was _
"He took off his cap when he came in, and answered my questions quickly and respectfully c) ; showing that he was polite.
"He lifted up the book which I had purposely laid on the floor, and put it on the table, while all the others stepped over it or pushed it aside; showing that he was careful.
"And he waited quietly for his turn, instead of pushing the others aside; showing that he was modest ( ) .
"When I talked with him, I noticed that his clothes were carefully brushed, his hair in nice order, and his teeth as white as milk. When he wrote his name, I noticed that his fingernails were clean; instead of having some untidy personal habits.
"Don't you call these things letters of recommendation? I do; and the things that I can discover a boy by using my eyes for ten minutes, is worth more than all the fine letters that he can bring." | middle7237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she needed their help"
},
"options": [
"she needed their help",
"she had no food",
"she had no water",
"there was a hunter"
],
"question": "The mother sheep came to Mike and Jack because _ .",
"question_ty... | Animals have the ability to make people understand them, especially when they are in serious danger and hope to get help from man. And they often go together to help one another.
One day, I visited my friend Jack on a sheep farm in North America. Suddenly one sheep came to cry in front of us. She made the most painful cries. Jack said ,"Something must be wrong. Come on, Mike. Let's follow her."
Together we followed the sheep back to where she was feeding on the farm. She rushed forward and kept on looking back to see if we were coming. She finally took us to an old well , and we heard the sad voice of her young baby that had fallen into the well. As the well had no water and was only six feet deep, we took a ladder and climbed down. After a few minutes, the baby sheep was saved. The mother sheep looked happy with the successful result of the _ . She came to tell us her trouble and got help. How amazing! | middle6129.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "gold"
},
"options": [
"food",
"water",
"gold",
"money"
],
"question": "The old man liked _ best before he traveled in the desert.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | Once there lived an old man. He liked gold better than anything else in the world. He often said, "If I have enough gold, I will be the happiest man in the world."
One day when he was traveling in the desert , the old man lost his way. He was very hungry and thirsty, but there were only rocks and sand around him. Just then, he found a bag lying on the sand. He hoped he would find water and food in it. He took up the bag and opened it. He saw that the bag was full of gold. He was so sad that he threw away the bag and began crying.
Now, the old man knew that there was something better than gold in the world. | middle8110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "less sleep may make teenagers heavy"
},
"options": [
"it's not important for teenagers to have enough sleep",
"students can still pay attention to study easily without good sleeping habits",
"it's helpful to sleep more at wee... | Teenagers are going to have lessons on how to sleep. Materials to teach teenagers how to get enough sleep will be offered to schools across Scotland by the charity Sleep Scotland. The purpose is to help people realize the importance of sleep for young people's physical and emotional health .
The charity Sleep Scotland said watching TV and using computers and mobile phones at night could stop teenagers from getting the nine hours of sleep they need. _ also offers a sleep advising service, saying getting enough sleep can improve grades and physical health. However, less sleep can result in being heavy and a greater risk of feeling worried and hopeless.
The charity Sleep Scotland hopes to educate young people about why they need a full night's sleep and how to develop good sleeping habits. Most students find it very difficult to get up in the morning and pay attention to their study. Sleep is most surely a problem.
Research shows that sleep time for teenagers around the world has got down in the past 10 to 20 years. A report by the charity Sleep Scotland said young people often believed they could make up for sleep time during the week by sleeping late at weekends. However, by going to bed even later at weekends, they would actually have to experience a change in their body clocks, which would be harmful to their study on Monday mornings. | middle7223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A planet with water."
},
"options": [
"A planet with water.",
"A planet similar to the earth.",
"A planet without life.",
"A planet near the earth."
],
"question": "What did scientists find in September 2010?",
... | After spending years searching for a planet with life, scientists may have found one. In September 2010, a team of US scientists discovered a planet called Gliese 581g. It has a surface temperature neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water. Scientists think there is a chance that the planet could have life.
The planet Gliese 581g goes around a star called Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years from Earth. That is about 194 trillion kilometres -500 million times farther away from us than the moon.
A spacecraft traveling at a one-tenth of the speed of light would reach Gliese 581g within about 220 years. A human can't live that long, but robotic explorers could make the job easier. However, our fastest spacec raft don't come anywhere near that one-tenth light-speed mark.
At present, scientists don't know what the surface might be like on Gliese 581g. What they know is that the planet is at the right distance from its star to have liquid water. It's also at the right distance to have an atmosphere that could protect the water if it is on the surface.
Although spacecraft won't be getting there anytime soon, one way to look for life on Gliese 581g is to turn our radio telescopes towards the planet and search for radiation . By studying the radiation, scientists would find out about the chemicals around the planet and discover if Gliese 581g has an atmosphere. If it has one, studying the atmosphere would give us a good idea whether the planet has life or not. But it'll probably be many years before we can do this properly.
People have been arguing about whether there is alien life on Gliese 581g. Any discussion about alien life is just guessing at this point, according to its discoverers. | middle1652.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "America"
},
"options": [
"America",
"Thailand",
"Australia",
"China"
],
"question": "Susan comes from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answ... | Susan is a 14-year-old girl. She lives in New York with her parents. Her father works in a horse-riding school. She also likes riding a horse . Susan goes horse-riding every Saturday and she can ride very well now. At the horse-riding school, she helps to give the horse food and water when the classes are over. She also cleans _ .
Susan writes something about horse-riding in her blog .
When you ride a horse for the first time, it's very difficult! The first thing you learn is to get onto a horse. Then you learn to move up and down like the horse. If you don't do that, it is very uncomfortable for you and the horse! At first you learn to walk the horse around. Then you learn to run slowly. When your teacher thinks you ride well, you can learn to jump .Not everyone has to learn to jump, but I like jumping. It is exciting! | middle5434.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Romulus established the city of Rome."
},
"options": [
"Wolves like to take care of human children.",
"The city of Rome had many wolves in the old days.",
"The city of Rome was founded by a wolf.",
"Romulus established ... | The early history of the city of Rome involves Romulus and Remus,two orphan boys who,legend says,were raised by a she-wolf.The boys' mother had been murdered by an evil king and the two babies tossed into the river Tiber.When the wolf found them they had washed up on the shore.She perhaps took pity on the crying of the babies and,gently picking them up in her teeth,she carried them back to her cave and fed them on her milk.The boys grew bigger and stronger and,eventually,were found by a herdsman who took them home.He and his wife raised the boys like their own children.When they reached manhood they sought revenge on the king who had killed their mother and driven them from their home.
They decided to build a city.Unfortunately,they argued over the appropriate site and Romulus killed his brother Remus.Romulus ruled this city -- called Roma -- for thirty-seven years.
The city of Rome is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world.If you travel there you can see a statue of the two baby boys feeding from their mother - the wolf. | middle3045.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in south of"
},
"options": [
"in south of",
"to south of",
"in north of",
"on south of"
],
"question": "Shenzhen lies _ China.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Shenzhen is a city in South China.It is not very big, but it has attracted people of the whole country and the whole world as well.
Just about twenty years ago, it was only a small fishing village.There were not many people there. Most of them lived on fishing.Things have greatly changed since the 1980s.It became the first special economic zone in China.
Because of the opening policy , economic changes between China and the outside world have increased greatly.People can come and go easily between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.Both foreigners and Chinese have built a lot of factories, companies and tourists' attractions there.People all over the country have come to find jobs.Many of them have settled down in this new booming city.
Shenzhen is developing so fast that it has become a well-known metropolis in China. | middle3723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He sings all day."
},
"options": [
"He comes.",
"He sings all day.",
"He changes his tune.",
"He prepares to fly."
],
"question": "What does the cuckoo do in May?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | The Cuckoo
In April,
Come he will.
In May,
Sing all day.
In June,
Change his tune .
In July,
Prepare to fly.
In August,
Go he must! | middle5352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "on his way to another world after his death"
},
"options": [
"on his way home",
"on his way to hell",
"on his way to heaven",
"on his way to another world after his death"
],
"question": "The man saw a really gr... | A man died and was on his way to another world, either heaven or hell . He saw an extremely grand palace half way and the owner of the palace asked him to stay and live in the palace.
The man said, "I have been working hard during my life and now I just want to eat and sleep without any work."
The owner of the palace said, "If so, there is nowhere else better than here for you. There is plenty of seafood and delicacies in my palace, and you can eat whatever you like without anyone stopping you. And nothing needs to be done by you." Then, the man settled down in the palace.
At the beginning, the man felt very happy at the cycle of eating and sleeping. But gradually, he felt a bit lonely and void. So he went to the palace owner and said, "It is very bored to live by just eating and sleeping every day. Now I show no interest in this kind of life any more. Could you help me find a job?"
The owner replied, "Sorry, there is no job here at all."
After another several months, the man could not go on with the life and went to the palace owner again, "I really can not stand this kind of life any more. If you do not offer me a job, I would prefer to go to hell instead of living here."
The owner of the palace smiled contemptuously , "Do you think it is heaven here? It is actually hell!"
,. (10) | middle1134.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he had to make himself fresh for the classes in the afternoon."
},
"options": [
"Because he was very thirsty at that time.",
"Because he was only interested in drinking coffee.",
"Because he had to make himself fresh ... | As a teacher, my daily life includes driving to a new school so I'm usually unable to anticipate the day's events, good or bad!
One day, I was teaching in a very difficult classroom. I was managing behavior all morning and by lunch time, I knew I needed coffee to even consider surviving the afternoon. So on my lunch break, I drove to a coffee shop nearby to get a cup of coffee. While returning to the car I realized I had locked my keys and my phone inside! I had about 15 minutes to get back to the school which was a good 4- or 5- minute drive away. I considered rushing back, but it being winter, I thought a fall on ice would only make the situation much worse.
So I ran into a McDonald's and asked the man at the counter who happened to be the manager to please call me a taxi. I explained my situation to him, and I could tell by the look in his eyes, that he took pity. He hurried to the back to use the phone while I walked in the restaurant. I had less than 10 minutes to get back to my school at this point.
The manager returned only to tell me that the taxi company had put him on hold and then the line got disconnected, and that he was now on hold again, but had not yet been able to ask for the taxi yet.
Without a thought, he caught his coat and offered to drive me to the school. Immediately I followed him into his car and made it back into my classroom with 2 minutes left before the bell!
While arriving at the school, I thanked this man endlessly. His calm behavior and kind nature made me think he was probably a wonderful manager to work for, and also a wonderful human being to have on his earth. This experience makes me realize that out of every hopeless situation, there is the chance for acts of kindness to happen, which can create an unimaginable impression to those who receive them. | middle7545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "hungry"
},
"options": [
"angry",
"hungry",
"strange",
"sorry"
],
"question": "The student feels _ when he passes by the restaurant.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Mr and Mrs Smith just open a small restaurant. In order to attract customers ,they put a notice in front of the restaurant, and it says,"Meals on the House for Three Days. "
A foreign student comes to the place. He doesn't know much English. On the second day he happens to pass by the restaurant. It is lunch time and he feels Very hungry. "well, here is a restaurant. I am going to have something to eat."He walks to the restaurant when he sees the notice. "American people are really strange . They even eat dinners on the house! But how can I get up to the top of the house?"He says.
He looks around and finds a ladder near the restaurant. He is Very glad. But when he gets to the top, he hears someone shouting at him, "Hey! What are you doing up there?" Mr Smith and a policeman are standing there and looking at him.
"Doesn't your notice say 'Meals on the House for Three Days'? Is it a joke ?"the foreign student asks.
When they hear this, both Mr smith and the policeman laugh ."Do you know what ON THE HOUSE means ?Look it up in the dictionary ,"the policeman says. | middle6883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "long"
},
"options": [
"long",
"short",
"tall",
"black"
],
"question": "Anne's hair is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "B and... | Anne is thirteen years old. She has long hair and black eyes. She is tall. She is a student at Beijing Sunshine Secondary School. She loves listening to music and dancing. She studies hard. She does well in English. But she doesn't like doing sports.
Anne has a cousin. His name is Daniel. He is tall and he has short black hair. He is a student at Beijing Sunshine Secondary School,too. He and Anne are in the same class. He isn't good at English,but he does well in Maths. He doesn't like listening to music. He likes playing basketball. His favourite basketball player is Michael Jordan. He thinks Jordan plays basketball very well. He says he wants to be a basketball player like Michael Jordan some day. | middle4064.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Britain"
},
"options": [
"Britain",
"China",
"Japan",
"Mexico"
],
"question": "It is impolite to lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having some soup in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | People in different countries have different ways of doing things. Something that is polite in one country may be quite impolite in another. In Britain, you mustn't lift your bowl to your mouth when you are having some soup. But it's different in China. And in Japan you even needn't worry about making a noise when you have it. It shows that you are enjoying it. Making a noise is considered as bad manners (,) in Britain. If you are a visitor in Mongolia, what manners do they wish you to have? They wish you to give a loud "burp" after you finish eating. Burping shows that you like the food.
In Britain, you should try not to put your hands on the table when you're having a meal. In Mexico, however, they hope you keep the hands on the table during a meal. But Arabians consider you must be very careful with your hands. You mustn't eat with your left hand. Arabians consider it very bad manners eating with left hands. So, what should you do if you are on a visit in another country? Well, you can ask the local people to help you or just watch carefully and follow them if you are on a visit in another country. | middle2415.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "by plane"
},
"options": [
"by car",
"by train",
"by plane",
"by sea"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the fastest way of traveling is _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | We can not live a modern life without traveling.The fastest way of traveling is by air.With a plane people can travel in one day to places which it took a month or more to get to a hundred years ago.
Traveling by train is slower than by plane, but people can see the country when they are traveling through.Modern trains have comfortable seats and dinning-cars.They make even the longest journey enjoyable.
Some people prefer to travel by sea when possible.There are large luxury liners or river boats.They are not as fast as trains or planes, but traveling by sea is a very pleasant way to spend a holiday.
Many people like to travel by car.They can make their own timetable.They can travel hundreds of miles or only fifty miles a day, just as their wish.They can stop wherever they want to see something interesting or to enjoy a good meal at a good restaurant, or to spend the night at a hotel.That is why people choose traveling by car for pleasant trips, while they usually take trains or planes for business. | middle488.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the friend would say \"This is Good !\" when anything happened"
},
"options": [
"the king was not a good friend indeed",
"the king's friend always knew what would happen",
"the friend would say \"This is Good !\" when anythin... | A king in Africa had a close friend that helped him grow up. The friend had a habit of looking at everything positively that happened in his life and saying "This is good".
One day the king and his friend were out hunting. The friend would prepare the guns for the king. The friend did something wrong in preparing one of the guns, and after the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. On seeing the situation the friend said as usual, "This is good!" The king replied, "No, this is not good!" He was very angry and sent his friend to jail .
About a year later, the king was hunting in a forest. Cannibals caught him and took him to their village. As they were going to kill him, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. They never ate anyone who was less than whole, so they sent the king back.
When he returned home, he felt sorry for his treatment of his friend. He went quickly to the jail to speak with his friend. "You were right", he said. "It was good that thumb was blown off." And he told the friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this."
"No," his friend replied, "this is good!" "What do you mean? How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year?"
"If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you, and I would have been eaten!" | middle2373.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because they want to log on to their microblogs."
},
"options": [
"Because they want to phone their parents to tell them the funny things.",
"Because they want to listen to music.",
"Because they want to log on to their micro... | It's the end of class. When the bell rings, students of Luohu Foreign Languages School in Shenzhen quickly take out their cell-phones. They want to log on to their microblogs to check the funny things that have happened in the last hour. Since last year, the trend of microblogging has swept the country. Recent surveys show that most students in middle schools have a microblog, and some even update their blogs over five times per day.
"We learn many fresh and interesting things on microblogs and they have become popular topics in class," said Liang Jianmin, 14, a student at Harbin No 3 Middle School. "If you do not know about them, you are out of the loop ." It is also a great place for students to _ stress. "My parents always ask me to study hard, and encourage me before exams, but actually it adds pressure ," said Zhang Yazhe, 15, a student in Luohu Foreign Languages School. "When I share these feelings on my microblog, I get many replies from friends in the same situation, which makes me feel better." But parents are worried that microblogging could be a waste of time. Some misleading messages may even cause danger to kids, they said.
Shen Mingde, a professor at the China Education Association, suggests parents not worry too much as long as kids are not crazy about microblogging. Instead, it can become a window for parents to understand their children.
"If parents can read their children's microblogs, they'll know their thoughts, thus leading to better communication and solutions to problems," he said. Micro blogging tips for kids
1. Don't microblog for more than one hour a day.
2. Never microblog in class.
3. Try to talk face to face with people instead of just microblogging.
4. Be critical . Don't trust all the messages on a microblog. | middle4702.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Late night"
},
"options": [
"Early morning",
"Late afternoon",
"Late night",
"In the bass season"
],
"question": "When did the story happen?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family's cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.
When his pole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a perch . The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish. Then the father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.--- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.
"You'll have to put it back, son," he said.
"Dad!" cried the boy.
"There will be other fish," said his father.
"Not as big as this one," cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could know everything by his father's clear voice that the decision could not be changed. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father's cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
He was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish---again and again---every time he comes up against a question of ethics . | middle2367.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "seven"
},
"options": [
"eight",
"seven",
"six",
"five"
],
"question": "There were _ children in the man's family.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | When the man's wife died, their youngest baby was 2 years old. They had six other children -- three boys and three girls, aged from 4 to 16. The man's parents and his wife's parents came to visit.
"We've been talking about how to make this work," they said. "There's no way you can take care of all these children and work to make a living. So, we've decided to place each child with a different uncle and aunt." The man refused.
Over the next few weeks, he moved the family to a tiny town and opened a small business. His business developed quickly. He was happy to see people and serve them. He became popular with people for his pleasant personality and excellent customer service. People came from far away to do business with him. And the children helped both at home and at work.
The children grew up and got married. Five of the seven went off to college. The children's success was a source of pride to the father.
Then came grandchildren. No one enjoyed grandchildren more than this man. As they became toddlers , he invited them to his workplace and his small home. They brought each other great joy.
Finally, the youngest daughter, who was 2 years old when the mother died, got married. With his life's work done, the father died.
This man's work had been the lonely but joyful task of raising his family. This man was my father. I was the 16-year-old, the oldest of seven.
,. (5,2,10) | middle4716.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Lion."
},
"options": [
"Dragon .",
"Tiger.",
"Lion.",
"Dog."
],
"question": "What is a special animal in Chinese people?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Lion is a special animal to Chinese people. A couple of stone lions, a male and a female , can often be seen in front of the gates of old buildings. The male lion is on the left with his right paw on a ball, and the female on the right. And her left paw is touching a baby animal.
The lion is the king in the animal world because he is powerful. The ball shows the country or the family will be together forever, and the baby animal with the female shows that you will have many children.
The stone lions were also used to show the families were powerful. If you had no money or power, you couldn't put the stone lions in front of your houses.
It was also popular to make bridges with stone lions. The best known of this is the Lugou Bridge (also as Marco Polo Bridge), built from 1189 to 1192. The stone lions on the bridge are most famous. Maybe there are 485 lions in all, maybe there are 498 or 501. A famous saying is that "the lions on the Lugou Bridge are uncountable ." | middle3079.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "schools are necessary"
},
"options": [
"more schools should be built",
"schools are necessary",
"schools are not necessary",
"there should be fewer schools"
],
"question": "In the writer's opinion , _ .",
... | Some people believe that schools will no longer be necessary in the near future.They said that because of the Internet and other new technology, there is no longer any need for school buildings, classes or teachers.Perhaps this will be true one day, but if the world has no schools, I can 't imagine how our society will be, In fact, we should learn how to use new technology to make schools better.We should invent a new knid of school that is linked to libraries, museums, science centers, labs and even companies.Technological companies should create learning programs for schools.Scientists or professors could give talks through the Internet.TV networks and local stations could develop programs about things students are actually studying in school.Labs could set up websites to show new technology so students could see it on the Internet.
Is this a dream? No.There are already many cities where this is beginning to happen.Here the whole city is linked to the Internet, and learning can take place at home, at school, and in the office.Businesses provide programs for the schools and the society.The schools provide computer labs for people without their own computers at home.Because everyone can be on the Internet, older people use it as much as younger ones.And everyone can visit distant libraries and museums as easily as nearby ones.How will this new kind of school change the usual way of learning? It is too early to be sure, but it is very exciting to think about it.Technology will change the way we learn; schools will change as well; and we will all learn something from the Internet. | middle6101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "home"
},
"options": [
"to the city",
"home",
"to his office",
"to his school"
],
"question": "The young man drove his new car _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Now throwing shoes at President Bush is a popular game on the Internet. It turns out that there are times when it's good to throw shoes.
After leaving his office in the center of the city, a young man bought a new car and drove it from the city to his home. He was very happy and the car ran very fast. Suddenly, a shoe hit the car door . The man got very angry. He jumped out of the car and caught a boy who still had a shoe in his hand.
"Who are you? Why did you do that?" the young man shouted at the boy.
"I'm sorry. But I don't know what else to do. My sister has been hurt. I cried for help but nobody stopped," the boy said.
The man looked around and saw a girl by the road. Her leg was bleeding .
"She is my sister. She wanted to cross the road but fell out of her wheelchair. She is too heavy for me. I can't get her back into the _ . "The man was moved. He helped the bleeding girl back into her wheelchair.
"Thank you. You're so kind," said the little boy. Life speaks to our hearts. Sometimes we don't have time to listen and it will throw a shoe at us. | middle1108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He was a doctor before he retired."
},
"options": [
"He was strict with his neighbors.",
"He was a doctor before he retired.",
"He wanted to be a gardener after he retired.",
"He liked planting flowers in his garden."
... | When I was growing up,I had an old neighbor named Dr Gibbs.He didn't look like any other doctor I'd ever known.He was a very kind person..After he retired,he began to plant trees in his large garden. He wished to make it a forest.
The good doctor had some interesting ideas about planting trees.He never watered his new trees.Once I asked why,he said,"If you water them,each baby tree will grow weaker and weaker. Otherwise,they will have to grow deep roots to look for water under the earth by themselves."
He planted some oaks, and instead of watering them every morning,he beat them with a rolled-up newspaper.I asked him why he did that,and he said it was to get the trees' attention.
Dr Gibbs died two years after I left home.I always walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant about twenty -five years ago.They're very big and strong now.
I also planted two trees several years ago.I carried water to them for a whole summer.I sprayed them.However,after two years of caring too much,whenever a cold wind blows in, they shake a lot.
Life is hard,whether we want it to be or not. What we need to do is try our best to make our roots reach deep into the brave heart,so when the rain falls and the wind blows,we could face them strongly and won't be beaten down. | middle7579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "two"
},
"options": [
"one",
"two",
"three",
"Four"
],
"question": "How many friends does Chen Ming have?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer... | Here are my three photos.
This is my friend,Wu Huan.She is a good girl.She is 11 years old.She is in Chongqing with her family.She likes vegetables and chicken.She doesn't like ice cream or strawberries.
This is me.My name is Chen Ming. I am 12 years old.I am a middle school student in Suzhou.I like eating fruit and vegetables. But I don't like eggs or carrots.
This is my friend,too.His name is Doudou. He is in Suzhou with me. He likes bones( ). He doesn't like vegetables .He likes playing with balls. He is a nice dog!
: | middle2401.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By being honest and helpful"
},
"options": [
"By following fashion.",
"By using big words.",
"By being honest and helpful",
"By changing yourself."
],
"question": "How can you be respected by your classmates acc... | Do you want to be the most popular, person in your class? You don't want to change your character; you just need to improve your personality. In fact, the most popular people are trusted and loved because they stay normal but still have something that makes them different from the rest of us. Here are some pieces of advice about becoming the most popular person in the class.
If you want others to like and respect you, you have to start by liking and accepting yourself. Do not change yourself in order to please others.
Be helpful to everyone and do it happily. _
Be active and have a positive view towards life. Develop confidence in yourself.
Stay clean and wear fresh clothes. Do no try to follow fashion to please others
Respect cannot be brought with big words and power . You have to get it by being honest. It also helps your personal growth. You must be a person that can be trusted to get respect. | middle3290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a Canadian"
},
"options": [
"an American",
"an Australian",
"an Englishman",
"a Canadian"
],
"question": "Mike is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,... | Mr. Smith lives in Toronto. He is a doctor. His wife teaches English in a middle school. They have two children, one is a son called Mike and the other is a daughter. She is only three months. Mike loves the baby very much. He often shows her to the guests. He is young and doesn't go to school. He stays at home to help his mother look after the baby.
One day Mike's aunt comes to see the baby. She works in another city and sees the baby foe the first time. Mike shows the baby to his aunt.
"Look at the baby, Aunt;" says Mike, "She's beautiful. I think she looks like me."
"Does she like playing with you?" asks his aunt.
"I don't know," answers the boy, "She can't speak yet." | middle113.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to make a cheap trip in Chicago"
},
"options": [
"Chicago is a big and beautiful city",
"where we can see fine photos and paintings",
"how to make a cheap trip in Chicago",
"there are many free concerts in Chicago"
... | Chicago On a Budget
How to have fun in Chicago without spending a lot of money?
Sightseeing
* The Art Institute of Chicago has a fine collection of photos and paintings. The ticket is $10.00,but go on Tuesdays and you'll get in free .
* The Sears Tower is the world's third tallest building. By going to the 103rd floor, you can get a great view of the whole city! All for only $8.50.
* There are free concerts in Grant Park in summer. They are held Wednesday through Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
* Attend the taping of a TV show for free. The Oprah Winfrey Show and The Jenny Jones Show both offer tourists free tickets. For The Oprah Winfrey Show you'll have to book tickets at least a month before.
Places to stay
You can get a hotel for $100 to $ 300 a day. However, you can get a room in the dormitory at Roosevelt University for $215 for a whole week! But you have to stay for 30 days to get this great rate . | middle1487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it reflects some of the light"
},
"options": [
"your eyes are close to it",
"it reflects some of the light",
"it has light of its own",
"it is big enough to be seen"
],
"question": "You can see the book because ... | You can't see any object unless light from that object gets into your eyes.Some of the things you see give off light of their own. The sun,the stars,a lighted lamp are the examples that can be seen by their own light.But most of the things you see are not giving off light of their own.They are just reflecting light that falls on them from the sun or some other luminous bodies.The moon,for example,doesn't give off any light of its own.It is not 1uminous.You see it because sunlight falls on it and some of the sunlight reflects on the earth.So moonlight is only second--hand sunlight.
When you look at a book,it sends some of the light which fails on it to your eyes,and you see the book.If light could be kept out from where you're so that there would be no light from the book to reflect.Then you couldn't see the book even with your eyes wide open.Light travels so fast that the time in which it travels from the book you're reading to your eyes is as short as if there were no time at time.Light reaches us from the moon,which is about 380,000 kilometres away,in only a little more than a second. | middle7948.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to introduce a new robot that can be used to stabilize mountainsides"
},
"options": [
"to tell people how serious the damage caused by landslides is",
"to tell people that sending workers to stabilize mountainsides is a dangerous j... | Every year landslides cause 25 to 50 deaths and $2 billion in damage in the United States. And in December, a single _ killed more than 2000 people in the Philippines. Sending workers to stabilize mountainsides using steel bars can help a lot, but it introduces new difficulties because of dust and loosen heavy, dangerous debris from the work. "It's a quite dangerous job," says Giorgio Pezzuto of D' Appolonia, working with eight other companies. Now there may be an answer: a three-ton robot called Roboclimber.
"The idea is to operate a machine far away that can do the stabilizing job without a human being near,"says Pezzuto, manager for the project, which is supported by a European organization. Engineers say that the machine will be faster and cheaper than manual labor. The robot, a large radio-controlled four-legged spider, has cost at least $2 million so far. It should be able to climb mountainsides, drill holes and insert steel bars there. Testing should begin in May. | middle675.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They learn about news stories by watching TV or reading newspapers."
},
"options": [
"They tell others news stories from place to place on foot or by horse.",
"They learn about news stories by watching TV or reading newspapers.",
... | Hundreds of years ago, news was carried from place to place by people on foot or by horse. It took days, weeks and sometimes months for people to receive news. Now it is possible to send words and pictures around the world in seconds. Billions of people learn about news stories of their own country and all over the world every day either by watching TV or reading newspapers.
Newspapers have been an important part of everyday life since the 18th century. Many countries have hundreds of different newspapers. How do newspaper editors decide which news stories to print? Why do they print some stories and not others? What makes a good newspaper story?
Firstly, it is important to report new stories. TV stations can report news much faster than newspapers, but newspapers give more about the same story. They may also look at the story in another way, or they may print completely different stories from those on TV.
Secondly, a new story has to be interesting and unusual. People don't want to read stories about everyday life. As a result, many stories are about some kinds of danger and seem to be "bad" news. For example, newspapers never print stories about planes landing safely, instead they print stories about air crashes. | middle7790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Spanish"
},
"options": [
"art",
"Biology",
"Spanish",
"P.E."
],
"question": "They have _ lessons at 10:00 on Wednesday morning.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | Rockfield High Sch ool
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
8:10 English Eng lish Math Spanish Biology
9:00 Math Math Self-study Math Self-study
10:00 Biology Biology Spanish Art Math
10:40 Self-study Art P.E. Biology English
12:20 Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
1:10 P.E. Self-study English Self-study P.E.
2:00 Spanish Spanish Biology English Spanish | middle2830.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he is very kind"
},
"options": [
"he is very old.",
"he is very kind",
"he has two bottles of wines",
"he like traveling"
],
"question": "People like Mr. Smith because _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | Mr. Smith is an old man. He is very kind, so many people like him. He likes traveling. But he has a problem, he can't see clearly.
One day he came to New York to visit his best friend. But his friend wasn't at home. So he had to find a hotel to live in.
In the afternoon he went to buy two bottles of wine. When he came back to his room, he found a fly was on the wall. But he thought it was a snail, so he put bottles on it. Of course, it came down to the floor and they broke. He had to buy another two bottles.
The waiter in the hotel knew this, then she put a snail into the wall.
When he came back, he looked up at the wall and found the fly was there again. So he walked carefully and hit it hard. At once he cried loudly. | middle5187.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "15"
},
"options": [
"11",
"13",
"15",
"17"
],
"question": "The writer wrote his first song when he was _ years old.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | I love music. I learned to play the guitar at 11 and I wrote my first song four years later. My dream -----to become a country singer.
After years of hard work, a record company was showing interest in me. One day during a trip to mountains, a friend gave me a bit of meth, a kind of drugs . I smoked it. And that was all that I thought about for the next year and a half. I couldn't live without it.
When the police came to me, I looked like death. The first seven days in prison , I just slept. When I woke up on the eighth day, I had never known such shame and guilt . I walked down the hall to the pay phone. My mama is the best person on the earth, and I knew this was going to break her heart. When I heard her voice on the phone, I told her where I was. She just said, "Son, no matter what you did, I love you forever .
Her words gave me the confidence to face my trouble . And I also realized this was my chance to start a new life.
When people hear my words, I hope they will not make the same mistake as I have, but I know that you can overcome almost anything, especially smoking drug. That's why I share my story here. | middle2824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Scientists."
},
"options": [
"Farmers.",
"Workers",
"Scientists.",
"Plants."
],
"question": "Who invented the GM plants?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Today there are 7 billion people on the earth.By the year 2050 there may be 9.0 billion.We will have a lot more people to feed.We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants.For thousands of years,farmers have made plants better.Every season,they pick the best plants for the next season.It works very slowly.Since1983 scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material. Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods ,or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant,it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases:a kind of rice is being prepared,for example,which stops people from becoming blind.Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and they bring in more money.Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural.No one knows how good or bad they are.Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050.But there are strong feelings against them,because they are unnatural. They may feed people,then hurt them or their children later.But both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use,and they are not going to die.In 2050 we may think differently about them. | middle5193.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Three women"
},
"options": [
"Nobody",
"Her mother",
"Three women",
"An old man"
],
"question": "_ gave the writer a Christmas gift when she was 12.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer... | I will never forget the year when I was 12.My mother told us that we would not get Christmas gifts because there was not enough money .I felt sad and thought, "What shall I say when the other kids ask me about my gifts?" I started to hope the Christmas wouldn't come that year. Just then three women came to our house with gifts for all of us. For me,they brought a doll .I felt so happy.
Years later, my life changed a lot. So one Christmas, I wanted to do something special. I asked forty friends to help me. We visited 125 orphans to come to our Christmas party. For every child, we prepared a beautiful gift.
Finally the moment came. I called out," One, two, three. Open your gifts!" As the children opened their boxes, the whole room was full of their bright smiles. The feeling I got from that Christmas so long ago came again. | middle661.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Raj and Lu."
},
"options": [
"Raj and Lu.",
"Raj , Amy and Lu.",
"Ben and Tom.",
"Mavish, Ben and Tom."
],
"question": "Who is going to the new film?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answ... | The students are talking about their weekend plans.
Mavish: What are you going to do at the weekend, Amy?
Amy: I'm going to do my homework on Sunday. I've got a lot of homework. I didn't do in the week.
Mavish: Then we could all do something on Saturday?
Tom: I'm going swimming in the morning. But I'm not doing anything in the afternoon or evening.
Milly: I'm not doing anything then, either.
Lu: Raj and I are going to the news film in the afternoon. Let's all go out in the evening. Let's go to the club with a snooker table. I like playing snooker. I'm getting better at it.
Milly: Good idea. What about you, Ben? Can you come?
Ben: Yes, I can. That's a great idea. I like snooker too.
Amy: I don't like snooker that much, but I'm not going to stay home if you are all going out! I'm going to come too.
Mavish: OK, so we will meet in the town center and go to the club. What time does the film finish, Raj?
Raj: The film finishes at about five. We are going to have a burger and a drink after the film. Let's all meet and eat and then go to the club.
Ben: Good idea. Let's meet at about five and eat.
Milly, Tom, Mavish and Amy: OK. | middle7784.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the sun"
},
"options": [
"the moon",
"some planets",
"sparkling stars",
"the sun"
],
"question": "On a clear night we might see things except _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you can see the moon, some planets, and thousands of sparking stars.
You can see even more with a telescope. You might see that many stars look larger than others. You might see that some stars that look white are really red or blue. With bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail.
But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We won't see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year.That's because they're _ . They're the mysterious dead stars called black holes.
You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly and giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn't seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years.
As a star's gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gases run out, the star stops burning and begins to die.
So next time you look up at the night sky, remember: there's more in the sky than we can see! | middle1493.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "move in the same way again and again"
},
"options": [
"get plenty of exercise",
"move in the same way again and again",
"rest your wrists on something",
"keep your elbows as high as the keyboard"
],
"question": ... | Computers can injure you. Most other injuries happen suddenly. For example, if you fall off a bike and break your arms, it happens very quickly. But computer injuries slowly.
You probably know how to ride a bike safely. Now learn to use a computer safely.
Your eyes
Too much light can injure your eyes, so never sit too close to a computer screen. Your eyes should be at least 50 centimeters from the screen. Remember to look away from it sometimes. This gives your eyes a rest.
When you use a computer, the window should be on your left or your right. If it is behind you, the light will reflect on the screen. If the window is in front of you, the sun and the screen will both shine into your eyes.
Your hands and wrists
Hand and wrist injuries can happen because the hands and wrists are moved in the same way hundreds of times. If you use a keyboard for a long time, follow these three rules: 1) Rest your wrists on something. 2) Keep your elbows at the same height as the keyboard. 3) Stop something and exercise your hands, wrists and fingers in a different way.
Your back
Some people sit for many hours in front of a computer. If you sit in the wrong way, you can injure your back or your neck. So you should sit with your back straight. The top part of the screen should all be in front of your eyes. Your forearms, wrists, hands and the upper part of your legs should all be parallel to the floor. If you are sitting for a long time, get up every 30 minutes and exercise your arms, legs and necks.
Enjoy your computer, but use it safely. | middle107.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "4.6 billion"
},
"options": [
"4.6 million",
"4.6 billion",
"46 billion",
"460 thousand"
],
"question": "According to CBS News, _ people all over the world have got mobile phones.",
"question_type": "cloz... | Mobile phones help us easily find people anywhere at any time. A mobile phone can include many things, such as games, music and Internet surfing. Today, 4,600,000,000 people around the world have mobile phones, according to CBS News.
However, using mobile phones too often may cause cancer . It's reported that people who used a mobile phone for 10 years or more were more likely to get cancer. The advice below may help you reduce the risk of cancer:
An earphone gives out much less radiation than phones. However, you should take it off your ear when you're not talking to anyone.
Your phone gives out radiation when you talk or text , but not when you're listening or getting messages. Listening more and talking less can lower the risk of cancer.
Hold the phone away from your body when you're talking, not against your ear. Also, don't keep it in your pocket.
Phones gives out less radiation to send texts than to carry a person's voice. Texting also keeps radiation away from your head.
Do not use your mobile phone when the signal is weak. Fewer signal bars on your phone mean that the phone needs to give out more radiation to work. Make and take calls when your phone has a strong signal. | middle3284.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the difference between healthy eating and dieting"
},
"options": [
"how to eat healthily",
"how to lose weight",
"the advantages of eating and dieting",
"the difference between healthy eating and dieting"
],
"qu... | Healthy eating starts with learning new ways to eat,such as adding more fresh fruit and vegetables,and _ foods that have lots of fat, salt and sugar. Healthy eating will help you feel your best and give you plenty of energy.It can help you deal with stress better.
However,healthy eating isn't a diet . If you eat too little when you diet, you may eat more after you stop dieting. Eating a healthy, balanced diet is very satisfying. And if you match that with more exercise, you may be able to have a healthier weight.
What can you do to make healthy eating habit?
First, think about your reasons for heathier eating. Do you want to improve your health?Do you want to feel better?
Next, think about small changes that you can make. Then set some goals and go for them.
Set an easy goal you can reach.,like having a piece of fruit each day.
Set a long-term goal too, such as having one meal not including meat or fish every week.What's more, having help from others is important . After you get more help, it'll be easier for you to make changes. Have family and friends help you make meals and give you useful advice on healthy cooking .
If you need more help, talk to your doctor or look online for groups that care about healthy eating and tell success stories . | middle5805.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "plant"
},
"options": [
"plant",
"animal",
"food",
"meat"
],
"question": "The Venus flytrap is a kind of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"ans... | Can plants eat people? Probably not,but there are many plants that eat meat.Some of them are big.And they can eat small animals.One famous meat-eating plant is the Venus flytrap .
The Venus flytrap is a very strange plant.It grows in dry parts of the United States.Its leaves are like the pages of a book.They can open and close very quickly.Inside the leaves,there are three small hairs.If a fly touches one of the hairs,the leaf closes quickly.The fly cannot get out.In about half an hour,the leaf _ the fly until it is dead.Then,the plant covers the fly.Slowly,the plant eats the fly.
Why do plants do it? Most plants get what they need from the sun,the air,and the ground.In some places,the ground is very poor.It doesn't have all these important things,
especially nitrogen .Animal meat has a lot of nitrogen, so some plants eat meat to get what they need.Let's hope that some of the bigger plants don't get the same idea ! | middle7974.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "of the reports about UFOs"
},
"options": [
"people",
"strange objects",
"of the reports about UFOs",
"planes"
],
"question": "Some _ have been explained in scientific ways.",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | It's sometimes reported that strange objects have been seen high up in the sky. These unidentified flying objects - UFOs have made a lot of people interested. Some of the reports about them are difficult to believe.Some have been explained in scientific ways, others have never been explained.
It is not easy to decide whether a report is true or not. One report of UFOs came from a British plane on its way from New York to London in 1954. The British plane was flying over an island at 19,000 feet when the captain noticed that something was on their left and a little lower than their plane. It's about five miles away.
"It was not one object but several," the captain said. "We saw one large and six smaller objects. I sent a radio to report about them and I received the answer that the other planes were coming out to meet us. Before the planes arrived, the smaller objects entered the big objects. The big object then became smaller and moved away fast." | middle891.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Someone stole his books."
},
"options": [
"He lost his way in the city.",
"He couldn't find his car.",
"Someone stole his books.",
"Many people read his letter."
],
"question": "What happened to David Moore one ... | David Moore taught science at the City School.He needed some expensive books,so he bought them.He put the books in his car in a quiet street.Then he went to other shops to buy something else.At six he came back to the car.One door was open--and the books were not there.David drove home.
That night he wrote a letter to a newspaper.The next day he went to the police station.
On Friday people read this in the newspaper:
Books: Have you any old books? I buy old and modern books.
Open all day on Saturday.Dauid Moore.26 Fry Road.
David stayed at home on Saturday.The first mall came at eight.David took him to the kitchen.At half past nine another man arrived.He had a bag under his arm.
"Mr.Moore?"the man asked.
"That's right,"David said."Can I help you?"
"I've got some good books.You buy books,don't you?"
"Yes.Bring them in. Let me have a look."
Soon the books were on the dining-table."Come in now."David called,"and bring the list."
A policeman came into the dining-room.He read the names on the books and the names on the list in his hand.They were the same.
"Come with me.Sir."the policeman said to the man. | middle7960.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She had worked too hard and became ill."
},
"options": [
"She was worried about her lessons.",
"She hadn't finished her homework.",
"She had worked too hard and became ill.",
"There was a lot of noise."
],
"ques... | A Hard-working Student
This story is about a young student. She worked very hard at her lessons. She was too busy to have a rest. At last, she became ill, and couldn't go to sleep. Every night, when she went to bed, she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. But the more she tried, the more she stayed _ .
After a while she went to see a doctor, "I just can't go to sleep at night. What should I do?" "I have a suggestion ," said the doctor, "Try counting numbers. By the time you reach one thousand, you will be asleep. I'm sure of it."
The next day the student returned to the doctor's office. "Well," said the doctor, "How are you today? Did you try my suggestion?" The student still looked tired. "Yes," she said, "I tried counting one, two, three...up to one thousand. But when I reached five hundred and sixty-nine, I began to feel sleepy. I had to get up and drink some coffee so that I could go on counting up to one thousand. But then I still couldn't fall asleep."
,. | middle885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the English scores will be cut down to 100"
},
"options": [
"the English scores will be cut down to 100",
"the English listening ability scores will be lowered",
"the points for Chinese will be reduced by 30 points",
"t... | Wang Jiaming from Beijing Chenjinglun High School says he is a lucky boy. He's happy that he's sitting the senior high school entrance exam in 2014 instead of 2016.
On Oct 22, Beijing Municipal Commission of Education announced that, from 2016, the English scores in the senior high school entrance exam will be reduced from 120 to 100. Of the 100 points, the listening ability scores will increase to 50. Meanwhile, the points for Chinese will increase from 120 to 150.
"The change won't affect me. I feel so lucky because English is my strongest subject," said Wang.
Why such a change? It places the importance on Chinese in our study, and reduces students' stress, said Li Yi, spokesman of the commission.
"The change will also push us to pay attention to the practical usage of English," said Li. "Students will be encouraged to learn to understand English menus and read English news on mobile phones."
There isn't news that other cities will have the same change. But several places are making changes to English tests in the college entrance exams. For example, Shandong is considering taking out the listening part of the English exam in its college entrance exams.
But, "being tested for less points doesn't mean the subject _ ," Bai Ping wrote in China Daily.
English has long been the world's most commonly used language. Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji once said: "In a globalizing economy , if you cannot communicate with foreigners, how can one be part of the world economy?"
Wang Jiaming said he understood the change.
"Chinese, not English, is our mother tongue ," he said. "But still, I think English is both interesting and useful." | middle2818.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Not all students passed the year exams."
},
"options": [
"All the students were usually successful in their exams.",
"Not all students passed the year exams.",
"Every one of the students could pass the end of year exams.",
... | Soon it would be the holidays. But before that, there was the end of year exams. All the students worked hard for some time. If they didn't pass, they would have to take the exams in September again. Some students failed, but Kate decided not to be one of them. She worked hard all day, but just before the exams she was working so hard that her sister was worried about her. She was staying up too late . The night before the first exam, Barbala insisted that she should have an early night and take a sleeping pill. She promised to wake her in the morning.
As she was falling asleep, Kate was worried in case she over-slept. Her mind kept jumping from subject to subject. At last, with the help of the pill, she fell asleep. she was sitting in the examination hall, looking at the paper. She couldn't answer any of the questions. Everyone round her was writing pages and pages. However hard she thought, she couldn't find anything to write about. She kept looking at her watch. Time was running out. There was only one hour left. She started one question, wrote two sentences, gave up and tried another one. With only half an hour left she wrote another two sentences. By this time she was so worried that she started crying. Her whole body shook(,). It shook so much that it woke her up. She was still in bed and it had all been a terrible dream. A minute later, Barbala called her name. | middle5811.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "say sorry to the writer"
},
"options": [
"say sorry to the writer",
"thank the writer",
"invite the writer to her party",
"say goodbye to the writer"
],
"question": "Minnie wrote the letter to _ .",
"quest... | When I tidied up some old boxes under my bed, I found an old letter for me from my best friend. Her name was Minnie.
In the letter, Minnie wrote, "I am really sorry about before. Tell me if you will be my best friend again and tell me if you accept my _ . "I wrote, "YES. I will be your best friend. "
The twelve-year-old letter made me remember the time that Minnie and I spent together. We often wrote to each other during that time. One minute, Minnie and I would be playing happily together; the other moment we would get into arguments. But things would always be better again. She gave me a doll for my tenth birthday. I still keep it.
Finally things changed. We stopped writing letters to each other after she moved away, and I could no longer ride my bike to her house. Years later, she invited me to her sixteenth birthday party. I don't see Minnie very often from then on. But I'll always keep the letter and I'll never forget the time we spent together. | middle1444.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "rock music"
},
"options": [
"rocks",
"noise",
"rock music",
"drugs"
],
"question": "Most young people like _ these days.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | Most young people like to go to rock concerts these days. They like the loud and exciting sound of the music and they enjoy the excitement of a big concert. Rock stars usually have a different style. Their music is exciting and different, and the way they dance and dress makes them popular with young people. The words of rock songs are usually quite simple, but the music itself is complex . But some rock stars have problems after they become famous. They don't know what to do when they suddenly succeed, and often they start to drink or to take drugs . Then their health becomes bad. Some like Elvis Presley , died very young because of drugs. | middle7035.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "his sister's factory"
},
"options": [
"his sister's factory",
"the old man's house",
"a bank",
"his home"
],
"question": "Mike wants to go to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | It's 5:00 p. m. Mike is driving his new car to his sister's factory. He wants to pick up his sister. But he doesn't know the way. He stops in front of a bank. At this time he sees an old man near his car. Mike comes out of the car and asks the old man, "Excuse me. Where is the factory?"The old man says,"Yes, I know the way to the factory. I can go there with you."The old man is now sitting in Mike's car. Soon they come to a small house and the old man says,"Stop here, please!"Mike stops the car and says,"But this isn't a factory at all.""No,"says the old man, "This is my house. I want to get home before dinner. Thank you for taking me home. The factory is behind the bank. So go back to the bank and then turn left. You'll see the factory. You can't miss it."After half an hour, Mike gets to his sister's factory. It's just behind the bank!
,. | middle3253.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a dog"
},
"options": [
"Bob's brother",
"a dog",
"a cat",
"Bob's sister"
],
"question": "Bill is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_te... | Hello, everyone! My name is Bob. I have a good friend. His name is Bill. He is a dog. I like him very much.
Every morning Bill runs with me, and we play in the park every afternoon. Bill is very fat . He likes eating beef hamburgers for breakfast. For dinner, he likes fish. Bill likes red. He has two red hats. Look! They are on my bed.
But Bill is lost now. Please help me. My telephone number is 3123216. Many thanks! | middle5622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Scotland"
},
"options": [
"Scotland",
"HongKong",
"Rome",
"Paris"
],
"question": "In northern _ there is a long, deep lake called Loch Ness.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | In northern Scotland there is a long, deep lake called Loch Ness. More than 200 meters deep, it is the largest lake in the UK. People say a big monster lives in its dark, cold waters. It weighs more than 1,000 kilos and is at least ten meters long. Some people say it has a head like a horse. Others say it looks like a snake. Many people travel to Loch Ness to look for this strange monster, but only a few people have seen it. At least, they say they have seen it.
The Loch Ness Monster is a famous legend . The first story about a monster in Loch Ness was told over 500 years ago, but the legend of the monster spread widely only in the twenties century. In 1933, a husband and wife reported that they saw a big monster in Loch Ness. Several people have taken photos, but at least one of them was a hoax . During the 1960s, a team was formed to look for the monster. They took many photos and made movies, but they were never able to find a monster.
There is no real fact that a monster lives in Loch Ness, but there is also no fact that one doesn't live. One thing is true about Loch Ness: there are a lot of tourists there. | middle5144.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Fighting, climbing or running fast"
},
"options": [
"Smiling at people, saying \"hello\".",
"Sending food or opening doors by himself",
"Fighting, climbing or running fast",
"Collecting waste for patients"
],
"q... | Robots have come a long way since 15th century. We've got robots to build cars, carry heavy things, work in dangerous places and explore planets. But things haven't stopped there.
In 1986, Honda made a robot called ASIMO. And now, it has been developed greatly. Standing at 130cm and weighing 54kg. ASIMO is very much like a small astronaut wearing a bag on the back. And he can walk, flight, climb and run fast. Isn't it wonderful?
The world's first robot teacher is Saya. With her human-like face, she can show expressions like happiness, surprise, sadness, dislike, fear and she can even smile or show anger at students, which look much like a real teacher's. To do this, her rubber skin is pulled from the back with motors inside. And her eyes and mouth have wires too. She can also say some simple words like "hello" or "thank you".
In the UK, the development of robots is exciting. The mini-robots will send food, clean floors, collect and throw away waste. These robots can open doors by themselves and stop if anything or anyone is in the way.
These mini-robots are very useful for controlling infection . Usually clean and dirty work is done by the same person, but here, you'll have robots that do"dirty work", like collecting dirty sheets, or taking away hospital waste; and you'll have robots that do"clean work", like bringing meals or clean sheets to patients. The robots have separate work so there's no way for infection, which is great. But of course, robots would not take the piece of humans, but would free up more time for nurses to be with patients.
But if this is what it's like in 2011, what's it going to be like to 2021? | middle3535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the U.S."
},
"options": [
"Japan",
"the U.S.",
"Australia",
"New Zealand"
],
"question": "Jenny had a bus trip to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,... | Last summer Jenny and her friends had a bus trip to New York. She felt very relaxing on the way. They visited a museum. But it's really crowded there and the display were not interesting at all. They went to different restaurants to have dinner. Some food was quite delicious, but Jenny thought the fast food was terrible. When the weather was fine, they went to the beach to swim. The sea was beautiful and they had a good time. | middle7753.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It was cold, but sunny."
},
"options": [
"It was warm and sunny.",
"It was hot and sunny.",
"It was cold, but sunny.",
"It was cold and cloudy."
],
"question": "How was the weather on that day?",
"question_t... | Last winter vacation, our class went to Xiangshan for a trip.Though the weather was a little cold, it was sunny.
At six in the morning we met at the school gate.We took a bus there.On the bus, our monitor told us an interesting story.The story was about an interesting man.Then three girls in our class sang songs.We were very happy.
At about seven thirty we got there.It was a beautiful mountain.There were many visitors.Then we started to climb the mountain.The boys had a climbing race .Li Ming won the first prize.He got a blue hat.At about nine o'clock we met a famous singer.Qi Hui and Ma Yan even got his autographs.They were very excited.
We had lunch in the mountain.We brought food from home and ate together.
After lunch we went to the zoo, because the was a new member in the zoo.It was a cheetah .It came from Africa.
Finally, we took the bus back to school.Although we were tired, we really had fun. | middle1322.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "five days a week"
},
"options": [
"every day",
"five days a week",
"six days a week",
"four days a week"
],
"question": "Mother gives lessons at school _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | My mother is a teacher. On weekdays, she gives lessons at school and on Saturdays she works in clubs. On Sundays, she is still busy.
On Sunday morning, mum gets up at six. She cooks breakfast for us first. And then it's time for cleaning. After that, she has breakfast with father and me. At 9, she goes to buy food for lunch in the supermarket. She can have a short rest after lunch. In the afternoon, mum doesn't go out. She helps me with my lessons. She does some reading, too.
Mother watches TV at about 7 when she finishes the housework. But at that time she is always tired and falls asleep in the sofa sometimes. | middle7747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "took it as a good medicine"
},
"options": [
"enjoyed it",
"wanted to taste it",
"took it as a good medicine",
"was a foolish boy"
],
"question": "The boy ate up the raw fish head only in two gulps, because he ... | Once a boy came to ask a fisherman how to become cleverer, because his mother always called him foolish boy.
"That's easy," answered the fisherman, " I know one way to make you become cleverer."
"Really?"
"Of course. It is said a fish head is good for brain . If you eat one, you'll become cleverer indeed. Pay only three pounds for one fish head." The boy paid him three pounds and the fisherman cut off a fish head and handed it to him.
A raw fish head is no good-not even for a hungry boy to eat but the boy ate it up in two gulps .
"Do you feel anything?" asked the fisherman.
"Not in my head," said the boy.
The boy lay on the ground and thought, " One whole fish costs only two pounds. I had paid him three pounds for the fish head, why couldn't I have the whole fish for the soup , a head of fish and one pound left over!" He jumped up and shouted at the fisherman. "You thief! You are fooling me!" The fisherman laughed, saying, " The fish head works now, you see." | middle6459.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Tom was a lazy boy."
},
"options": [
"Tom was a clever boy.",
"Tom was a lazy boy.",
"Tom worked very hard.",
"Tom was not polite."
],
"question": "What kind of boy was Tom?",
"question_type": "factiod_quest... | Tom was ten years old and he was a very lazy boy. He didn't like doing any work. He had to go to school, of course , but he didn't study hard there and tried to do as little work as possible. His father and mother were both doctors and they hoped that their son would become one, too. But one day Tom said to his mother, " When I finish school, I want to be a dustman."
"A dustman?" his mother asked, she was very surprised. " that's not a very pleasant job, why do you want to be a dustman?"
"Because then I would only have to work one day a week." Tom answered at once.
"Only one day a week?" his mother said, "What do you mean? And how do you know?"
" Well," Tom replied, " I know that the dustmen who come to our house to work on Thursday, because I only see them on that day."
,,. | middle1336.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they preferred to learn by themselves"
},
"options": [
"they preferred to learn by themselves",
"they needed standard ways of teaching",
"their teachers didn't like their new ideas",
"their teachers weren't able to teac... | What can we learn from the special, very successful people in the world who make the impossible possible?
Lesson 1: Ways of creative thinking are needed
Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg both dropped out of college. They prefer to teach themselves because they like to develop their own ways of thinking. They think standard ways of teaching might stop people from being creative and having new ideas.
Lesson 2: The answer might not be what you expect
Find your answers from facts -- not start with an expectation of what you will find. Stephen Jacobsen from Northwestern University believed what he was taught: that water on Earth came from icy comets or planets which hit into Earth.
However, by studying a special rock, he discovered that it acts like a sponge . This suggests that Earth's water may have come from inside, driven to the surface to form the oceans, by geological activity.
"I had a pretty hard time making others believe it," he said. "But thinking about the fact that you may the first person to see something for the first time doesn't happen very often. When it does, it's amazing."
_
Years of planning went into a recent achievement in space travel. The European Space Agency's "Philae", a robot landing craft, met up with Comet 67P, which is 480 million kilometers away. The trip from Earth by "Philae" had taken ten years!
The scientists had no idea what the surface of the comet would be like. If the landing failed, it would be impossible to get information from the spacecraft. Twenty years of work would have been wasted.
When "Philae" tried to land, it bounced away from the comet's icy surface twice. Luckily, however, "Philae" landed successfully and began sending information back to Earth. | middle5150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "eating honey"
},
"options": [
"dancing with rabbits",
"eating honey",
"giving everything back",
"having cookies"
],
"question": "When the Princess Renee came down, Broo was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | (Renee-a beautiful princess; Broo-a blue bear; Nahloo-a magical place)
When the Princess Renee heard about Broo, she came down from her castle. She found Broo while he was busy eating honey.
"Mr. Bear," the Princess said, "you are welcome in Nahloo. Here we share with each other. We don't take things from each other."
Broo thought about it for a moment and realized that he had made a mistake. "Well," he said, "maybe drinking all that milk wasn't the best idea."
The Princess continued, "Mr. Bear, you can drink and eat, but you won't feel good because you have never made any contribution to anyone else. I think you'll find that it is better to be full in your heart, not just in your stomach." After saying this, the Princess went back to the castle, leaving Broo alone.
One day, Broo was going to take lots of cookies from the rabbits, then he remembered what the Princess said to him. So Broo decided not to eat the cookies. The rabbits were surprised and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Bear. Now these cookies will taste sweeter because they are given by you, my friend. If you like, come back tomorrow and we can have the cookies together."
Broo was filled with joy and went through the land. He gave back everything he had taken. In return, he received a promise from everyone to share their food with him. Broo was so delighted that he started dancing in the moonlight with the Princess as his partner. | middle3247.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "that there are so many plates on the earth"
},
"options": [
"that there are so many plates on the earth",
"that the sea is too deep",
"Rocks' cracking open",
"that the mountains are too high"
],
"question": "The... | Earthquakes may happen anywhere on the earth. When some plates of the earth move suddenly, an earthquake happens. Many earthquakes begin under the sea. They often happen near the mountains , too.
During an earthquake, the shakings make rocks rise suddenly and even crack open. Houses fall, people are killed or hurt, and sometimes the whole villages or cities are destroyed .
Can we do something to keep ourselves safe from earthquakes? Scientists have studied earthquakes and made maps that show the "earthquake belts". In areas in these belts, it's possible for earthquakes to happen. In these areas we should build strong houses to fight against earthquakes.
In the future, scientists will be able to tell when and where an earthquake will be before they happen. They can also tell people what to do and how to do it. | middle4528.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "nine"
},
"options": [
"three",
"five",
"seven",
"nine"
],
"question": "I have _ pears .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "twelve"
... | I have six baskets. Three are big . Three are small . I have some pears and some oranges . I put three pears in each big basket and four oranges in each small basket . The number of oranges is my age . | middle5636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "all kinds of feelings"
},
"options": [
"all kinds of feelings",
"some special feelings",
"nothing",
"only happy feelings"
],
"question": "Body language shows _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Body language shows all kinds of feelings and is sometimes more important than spoken language.A smile is a usual facial expression----it shows that you are friendly to others. However, it does not always mean that you are happy. A smile can hide other feelings, like anger, fear, or worry.
In most countries, nodding the head up and down shows agreement, while shaking the head means that you do not agree, or that you would not like to do something. If you stand holding your arms across your chest, you may be protecting yourself---just from a conversation you do not want! If you sit looking at the person you are talking to and then turn toward to him, it shows that you are interested. If you roll your eyes and turn your head away, most likely you do not believe what you are hearing, or you do not like what you hear. | middle1450.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a student"
},
"options": [
"a student",
"a teacher",
"an officer",
"a driver"
],
"question": "The writer of this letter is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Dear Mr. Heppell,
I am Sabrina Akhtar studying in a high school and I've noticed that forests are disappearing.
Forests are disappearing around the world each year. This is because of many different things such as farming and tourism pollution. If we stop doing these things, there will be a good future for people of tomorrow. Now I'm writing to ask you to help stop forests from disappearing. You can help by making shops stop selling paper made from trees and change to tree-free paper(paper not made from trees). This will help protect forests. There are many things we can do to help protect forests. If you would like to know more, please visit http://www.rainforestweb.org. By changing the little things, we can make a big difference. If you would like to contact me, please e-mail me at shazadinol@hotmail.co.uk. Thank you for taking your time in reading this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Sabrina Akhtar | middle7021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It came out from the fairy's flying."
},
"options": [
"A bee behind the zinnias made the sound.",
"It came out from the fairy's flying.",
"It came out when the fairy shouted for help.",
"The bell by the zinnias rang."
... | Long long ago, there lived two girls named Emily and Tina. Both of them had long black hair and blue eyes. One day while they were playing in the back yard , Emily heard a tinkling sound. She jumped up. "Listen," she told her twin. They listened. The noise came again.
This time Tina heard it. She sat up. "It came from over there," She whispered, looking at the zinnias far away. They came near to find it out. Then something flew out, making the same tinkling sound they had heard before. The children looked at one another. "Was it a bee?" asked Tina. "I don't think so," replied Emily. "Do bees make a sound like bells?" "Let's call it the Tinkle Bee anyway," said Tina. Emily nodded, listening with a little difficulty. What had made that noise?
The next day, Emily and Tina brought their cookies outside. Tina took her plate by the zinnias. Suddenly she caught something. "Emily!" she called. "I've got the Tinkle Bee!" Emily rushed over. They sat down on the grass. Tina opened her hand very carefully. There was that sound! Something was shining in Tina's hand. They smiled. Then Emily cried, "It's a fairy !" Tina looked down at it in her hand. It looked like a girl. A _ girl with wings! Tina dropped it before she noticed that a wing was torn . The little fairy could not fly away so she took a piece of grass out of the ground and sat on it.
Emily and Tina were surprised at what they saw. The fairy turned to Emily and said, "Hello, I am Marabella." Then she said again, "Marabella the Fairy." Emily smiled. "I'm Emily," she said. Tina said, "I'm Tina. Are you really a fairy?" "Oh, yes!" replied Marabella. "I've always been a fairy." | middle2171.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Three."
},
"options": [
"One.",
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four."
],
"question": "How many children does the writer have?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | When an earthquake hit a small town,many houses fell down.After the earthquake,all the newspapers reported many stories about some of the families in trouble.
One Sunday, when I was reading a newspaper, a special picture touched me.It gave the clothing sizes of each family member.I thought that this would be a good chance to teach my children to help those who were less lucky than themselves.I said to my seven-year-old twins,Brad and Brett,and three-year-old Meghan."We have so much,and these poor people now have nothing.We'll share what we have with them."
I filled a box with food and clothes.While I was doing this,I encouraged the boys to choose their toys and donate some of their less favourite things.Meghan watched quietly as the boys took out their old toys and games and put them together.Then she walked away.A few minutes later she came back with Lucy, her much-loved doll.She put the doll on top of the other toys."Oh,dear" I said."You don't have to give Lucy.You love her so much."Meghan said,"Lucy makes me happy,Mommy.Maybe she'll make another little girl happy, too."I looked at Meghan for a long moment.She taught me a lesson.It's easy to give something that we don't want any more,but harder to give what we cherish ,isn't? | middle7009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "at a restaurant"
},
"options": [
"at home",
"at school",
"at a restaurant",
"at a shop"
],
"question": "Where were Jim and Tom?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | Jim and Tom were eating at a restaurant . On the table there was a cup of hot (
)mustard . Jim thought it was sweet and took a spoonful of it into his mouth. Tears ran down from his eyes. However, he wished Tom to do the same thing. So he said nothing. Tom saw Jim crying , and asked,"What for, my friend?"
"I'm thinking of my father, he was hanged 20 years ago,Jim said.Soon after Tom took a spoonful of mustard and when tears began to run down from his eyes, Jim asked "Why are you crying, then?""I am thinking why you were not hanged 20 years ago." | middle852.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In spring."
},
"options": [
"In spring.",
"In summer.",
"In autumn.",
"In winter."
],
"question": "In which season do sandstorms usually happen?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | Everyone tries to get to school on time. But when bad weather gives you trouble, can you still make it before the bell rings?
In northern China during spring, big sandstorms often make trouble for students and everyone else. When the sky is dark with sand, buses and cars all move much more slowly. Sometimes, people can't even see for 20 metres.
Sandstorms usually happen in spring. This year, sandstorms started in late March. They have happened in more than 10 provinces in northern China this year. More than 70 million people have had problems in those places because of the sandstorms.
People in southern China don't have to worry about this kind of bad weather. Most of the sand comes from Gansu and Inner Mongolia . In northern China, lots of places have few trees and don't get much rain. People there have been cutting down too many trees. When there aren't many trees, the ground can't keep enough water. Over the years, the ground dries up and turns to sand. When spring comes and the ice melts , the ground becomes looser . Strong winds take the loose sand into the sky.
Sandstorms are bad for people's health. If people breathe too much sand, they could cough or have asthma .
Sandstorms also give farmers lots of problems. Sometimes their sheep get lost in the storms and never get back home. The winds also tear down farmers' houses.
What can you do to stop sandstorms? Here's an idea: Ask you parents to help you plant some trees this spring.
If you see people cutting down too many trees, tell them about the dangers of sandstorms, and ask your government to stop them from cutting. | middle12.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "spacemen working in space"
},
"options": [
"spacemen working in space",
"people only on the earth",
"all the people except children",
"the old people on the earth"
],
"question": "Space junk and radiation in spa... | As space science develops, man has learned more and more about space. Space is not only amazing but also dangerous. While working in space, spacemen are facing danger as well as success.
Scientists have found out that _ to spacemen in space. When spacemen are working in space, they are in danger of radiation from the sun and other stars, which is bad for their health. The damage done by radiation won't be discovered until their children or even grandchildren are born. Some special medicine may work a little, but no really helpful medicine has been.
Space junk is also thought _ It's reported that there are 9,000 man-made things flying in space. About 30% of these are satellites, 10% are spaceships, and the rest are space junk. An explosion in 1996 made a cloud of 300,000. _ , each at least 4mm in size, and even a small piece of these knocked against a spaceship window and did some damage. Scientists are watching and reporting any possible danger all the time. They are working on helpful ways to do with space junk.
Although space is really dangerous, it interests everyone on the earth. In the near future, it may become usual for people to spend a few days in a space hotel. We may even choose to leave the earth and live in space in a few years. So we should care for space and do something to help improve the space environment. | middle2617.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Mr. Williams"
},
"options": [
"his wife",
"the bank",
"their sons",
"Mr. Williams"
],
"question": "Patrick decided to return the money to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Patrick Johnson,an artist for the Washington Post,found some treasure in his new house35,000 dollars in a place where no one could see it. Although he had car and house payments in his head, he still decided to return all of the money to the previous owner of the house,Mr. Williams. Would you have done the same?
Just hours after he had bought the house,Patrick came into the small house,where he was planning to lay out his tools and hang things up. He looked up and noticed a little hole in the wall. He didn't know what it was inside, so he walked towards the wall. It was very dark inside,but an old box caught his eye.
"I caught the thing,it was heavy. I thought it might be some pieces of wood." he said. Actually it was not. It was filled with lots of dollar bills. But he and his wife knew they had to return the money to Mr. Williams.
"I've got two boys and we teach them to be honest and to do what is right. I knew this was a teachable moment that I would never get back again." Patrick said to his wife. "So I thought we would do something honest with it. It's been a great thing for us and our kids." | middle5178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Easy Work and More Money"
},
"options": [
"Frank and His Work",
"One Piano Only",
"The Man and the Girl",
"Easy Work and More Money"
],
"question": "Which is the best title for the passage?",
"question_type"... | Frank was clever, but he never liked to work hard. He often said to his friends, "If you work hard, you will make a lot of money, but it is not so good. I want easy work and a lot of money. That's the most interesting thing in the world."So he could only be a thief. But he still thought it was too much work, so he only told his friends what to do and got money from them.
One day, Frank sent one of his friends to a very large and beautiful house. He told him to get money from that rich family. It was evening, and a man and a girl were in the room. They were playing a duet on a piano. Then the thief came into the house.
When he returned, Frank asked him what he had got. But he said, "I didn't take anything. That family can't have much money. You know, two people were playing on the same piano there. They did not have money to buy another piano." | middle3509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "75,000."
},
"options": [
"75,000.",
"90,000.",
"1,190.",
"200."
],
"question": "How many people live in the capital Maleis?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | In the deep blue Indian Ocean, there's a beautiful island country called Maldives . It's the smallest in population and area of all the Asian countries. It has an area of 90,000 km2, but 99% of the area is covered by the sea. It has 1,190 islands and is about 820 km from North to South. People live on no more than 200 islands, while another 87 are visited by tourists. _ The capital Maleis is on one of the middle islands, and about 75,000 people live there. The people there are friendly and welcoming. They use their traditional games to welcome people from all over the world. It is sunny on the islands almost every day, and makes them look so beautiful. People can enjoy lots of things in Maldives. | middle2603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They can help with dance, sport, music, English and art."
},
"options": [
"They can help with dance and music.",
"They can help with teaching.",
"They can help with dance, sport, music, English and art.",
"They can help... | Welcome to India as volunteer teachers! Teaching and helping with dance, sport, music, English and art at some primary schools and planning outdoor activities.
Volunteers can stay together in pairs or small groups and share the experience and activities with the school teachers' help. It will bring you lots of joy and a special time.
You can spend your weekends on the Indian beach when you are not busy. Because the Indian beach is not for away. The beaches on the southern coast of India are good for relaxing. Near the beach are the cities of Chennai and Pondichery with large population of about half a million. There are a lot of usual restaurants, banks and supermarkets. They are waiting for you to hang out.
It's not only a volunteering project, but also a cultural exchange. The visitors can learn much about Indian ways of life while they are teaching children. What's more, you can know about India and its people.
Please call us at 18886666 now and book a space. | middle4272.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the importance of \"guessing\" in learning a foreign language."
},
"options": [
"the importance of \"guessing\" in learning a foreign language.",
"how to guess what one is going to talk about.",
"Some examples of right guessi... | One of the things to be learnt in a foreign language is guessing all the time what kind of thing to come when listening to someone talking. People do this all the time in their own language, so it is necessary to do this in a foreign language, too. Here are some examples.
1." What's the matter?" "I went to a party last night, so I..."
2."I feel so tired these days." "I think you'd better..."
3."Of course, she never stops talking. She is one of the most..."
You can see from the above three examples that the context helps a lot in understanding what is being talked about. So "guessing" is very important in understanding English, especially spoken English. | middle846.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "white key"
},
"options": [
"red watch",
"blue jacket",
"yellow pen",
"white key"
],
"question": "A _ in the lost and found box.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | I'm Mrs. Smith. Here are some lost things . They're in the "Lost and Found" box. This is a watch. It is blue. David found it this morning. Is it yours? That is a jacket. It is yellow and black. Alan found it this afternoon. Those are two pencils. One is blue. One is red. Mary found them in the classroom. By the way, Jack lost his key . It's a white key. He must find it. Can you help Jack? Boys and girls, if you lose something, you can ask me for help, Call me. My telephone number is 887-9569. | middle6465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to share the cost of the meal"
},
"options": [
"to pay for the meal",
"to share the cost of the meal",
"to invite Lynne to dinner",
"to pay for the taxi"
],
"question": "The writer's roommate advised the writer ... | As I was leaving to meet Lynne, my roommate told me that I'd better take some money. But I didn't listen to him. I thought that Lynne would pay because she had invited me. I arrived at the restaurant exactly on time. I'd been told that Americans expect you to be on time. Lynne and I sat at a table in the corner of restaurant and a waitress came and took our order.
The dinner was a great success. I talked a lot about Saudi Arabia and Lynne told me all about herself. After two hours, the waitress finally came and asked if we wanted one check or two. Lynne said two. We went to the cashier and Lynne paid her check. I was embarrassed when the cashier gave me my bill. I had no money to pay for my meal. Then I had an idea. I pretended to look for something in my pockets and said, "Oh! I forgot my wallet! Can I call my roommate, please?" The cashier showed me where the phone was and I quickly called my roommate. In a few minutes, he arrived with some money, but he couldn't hide how he felt. He laughed all the way home. Now, I think it's funny too, but at that time I was terribly embarrassed. I thought that an invitation to have dinner in the United States meant the same thing as that in China. I guess you have to understand that your customs are only your customs. When you visit a foreign country, you have to learn about their customs, too. | middle6303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "America"
},
"options": [
"China",
"Australia",
"England",
"America"
],
"question": "Mr Green comes from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | Mr Green is a teacher of English. He comes from America. He teaches English in China. He speaks English quite well.
He reads a lot of books and his wife Mrs Green often writes books for the students. He gets up at five in the morning. He leaves home at ten to six. He begins the first lesson at 8:00. He teaches English every day except Sunday. At ten to twelve he finishes his lessons. Ten minutes later he has lunch.
In the afternoon he often plays games with his students at about four o'clock. Sometimes he teaches his students in his room. Supper time is at about six. After that he reads newspapers and watches TV. At about ten to eleven he goes to bed. | middle4514.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "fashionable or expensive"
},
"options": [
"fashionable or expensive",
"energetic or valuable",
"modern or comfortable",
"common or popular"
],
"question": "The word\"fancy\"in this passage is close to\" _ \".... | My mom isn't fancy like other moms.They wear fancy clothes and drive fancy cars.My mom wears her gardening clothes when she walks me to school.
When fancy moms laugh,their laughs sound soft and whispery.You can hear my mom's laugh from down the hall.I show her how to laugh quietly and she practices.But before long she starts laughing even harder than before.
At the talent show,my mom cheers loudly,"Bravo,everyone!Bravo!"instead of clapping politely the way fancy moms do.
For our class hike ,parents are invited.At breakfast I go over my rules for Mom,"Please don't whistle.Don't laugh loudly.No clapping.And stay in line."
The other moms show up wearing fancy jackets and sneakers.My mom wears cutoffs,a floppy straw hat,and her old hiking boots.
We hike along,all in a line.Soon Mom starts to whistle her hiking songs,She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain.I shake my head at her.She stops and whispers,"Oops.Sorry,Jane."
We keep hiking.Everything is perfect until...
Our teacher,Ms.Steele,stops and points,"A snake!"All the moms hold their kids hands and back up,except my mom."Watch out!It might be poisonous !"Ms.Steele says.
The other moms shuttle back some more.However,my mom steps forward and says,"Hmm.Let's see what kind it is.Nope,lt's not poisonous."
I shut my eyes.I know what's coming next.Mom makes a sudden attack."Got it!"she says.The other moms scream,not sounding fancy at all.
Kids gather around as Mom examines the snake."It's OK to touch,"she says.
Everyone's too scared,but I go first."snakes aren't slimy,"I tell them.Right away,others line up.A couple of the fancy moms come up to touch the snake's tail.
Later,Ms.Steele tells us to draw our favorite part of the hike.After a while,I look around quickly.Everyone's picture is of Mom and me with the snake.
As we hike back to the bus,I squeeze Mom's hand."I'm glad I didn't tell you my don't-catch-snakes rule."She smiles.But soon,she's whistling her hiking songs again!
I start to make her silent,then stop.Instead,I take a deep breath and sing out too.Everyone joins in,even the fancy moms. | middle5795.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "most people have cars"
},
"options": [
"only rich people have cars",
"no poor people have cars",
"most people have cars",
"only a few people have beautiful cars"
],
"question": "In the United States _ .",
... | Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without cars most people feel that they are poor. And even though a person is poor, he doesn't really feel poor when he has a car.
Perhaps you have heard of Henry Ford. He first started making cars in large numbers. Perhaps he didn't know how much the car was going to be to American culture . The car made the United States a nation on wheels . And it helped make the United States what it is now.
The car has become popular in the United States. The Americans like to move around in cars. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money. | middle701.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a huge clock"
},
"options": [
"a double-decker bus",
"a huge clock",
"the name of Ben",
"a building"
],
"question": "Big Ben is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | Big Ben is not the name of a man. It is the name of a huge clock in London, London is the capital of the UK. This clock has four faces, so no matter where you stand, you can read the time on the face of Big Ben. Each face is the size of a double-decker bus.
The hands are about four meters long. It is about the size of two people standing on top of each other. If you go to London, you may want to visit the House of Parliament . You will find Big Ben sitting at the top of the clock tower in the House of Parliament. You will hear it as well as you see it. The big clock makes such a loud sound, "Ding dong, ding dong," it goes every quarter of an hour. A big man gave the clock the name. He was Sir Benjamin Hail. He did much building work in London many years ago, | middle3482.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The bear"
},
"options": [
"The son",
"The bear",
"The rabbit",
"The rat"
],
"question": "_ found the socks and tried them on.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Once there was a forest where all the animals lived happily together. One day a family went to spend the day in the forest, and the son left his socks there. After the family left, a bear came by, found the socks, and decided to try them on. They fit so well, and he liked them so much that he wouldn't take them off.
All the animals talked about the bear's new look. Soon, in that forest, there began appearing squirrels in shirts, rabbits in shoes, and even rats wearing hats! The forest doctor shook his head, telling animals, "This can't be good. Animals don't need clothes!" But no one listened to him. They said he was just out of fashion.
However, _ Several times the squirrel caught his shirt on trees, stopping him in mid-jump and sending him falling to the ground from a tree. The rat couldn't go into his hole without taking off his hat first. Even the bear, because of his socks, slipped from the river rock and almost killed himself.
When the animals came to see the doctor, he gave them all the same advice, "Take off those clothes before one day they're going to kill you." Those who listened to the doctor's advice stopped having accidents. And the animals realized that they didn't need clothes at all. Starting to wear them had been very dangerous, and they had only done it to make others admire them, and to get attention. | middle2944.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "talking with people"
},
"options": [
"talking with people",
"using the Internet",
"reading",
"watching TV."
],
"question": "Mr. Green doesn't like _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | Mr. Green is quiet and doesn't like talking with people .He likes reading newspapers and using the Internet.He hardly ever exercises. Sometimes he watches soccer or basketball games on TV. He likes coffee very much and drinks it three times a day .
Mr. Green is a bank clerk . It's a busy but boring job. He works with people and money every day .So he always feels tired after work. He likes to get enough rest and goes to bed early after dinner.Usually he goes to bed at 8:30 in the evening and get up at 6:30 in the morning. Mr. Green is very happy with that .But Mrs. Green isn't ,because Mr. Green always talks in his sleep.
One morning , Mr. Green sat at table and had breakfast. Mrs. Green asked him, "Why do you always talk in your sleep?" Mr. Green said, "Because I have few chances to talk in the day time."
The next morning after their children all went to school, Mrs. Green asked Mr. Green angrily , Why did you scold me in your sleep last night ? "Because I don't have the courage to do it when I'm awake ." | middle3496.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sad."
},
"options": [
"Angry.",
"Sad.",
"Scared.",
"Shocked."
],
"question": "How did the writer feel when he found it was still raining heavily?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | Tuesday, Jan. 6, 9:50 p.m.
We were sitting in our warm living room. The TV was on, and everything was peaceful. Suddenly the light went on and off for a few times and then went out completely. Then the rain started, and everything went black. We found the flashlight and some candles and went to bed.
Wednesday, Jan. 7, 7:30 a.m.
My first thought after waking up was that it was pretty cold in my bedroom. Clearly, the power didn't come back. After I looked out of the window, I felt even sadder: it was still raining heavily. The room was becoming colder and colder. We had no idea when the power would come back, so my wife started a fire in the fireplace.
Thursday, Jan. 8, 12:30 p.m.
The snow started. The poor trees now had to carry the heavy snow. The storm seemed to last and we had nothing to do but stay at home.
Friday, Jan. 9, 6:00 p.m.
Still no power. Even though we lit a few candles, it was still difficult to do anything in their weak light. I was sitting near several candles, but I had trouble reading.
Saturday, Jan. 10, 1:00 p.m.
The storm stopped this morning, and I drove my car to look for an open store. The trees along the roads were broken. I only bought the most necessary things: bread, some fruit, more drinking water and batteries for the flashlight. On my way home, the power came back and people were very happy. | middle7828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all of the above"
},
"options": [
"taste better",
"have a lighter color",
"take less time to cook",
"all of the above"
],
"question": "Winter shoots _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | Bamboo is a giant grass that grows in warm places. It has many uses. Everything--from chairs and fishing rods to basket and paper can be made from it. And that's not all. It can be eaten, too. People in China like bamboo shoots very much. They think the bamboo shoots are a delicious vegetable for parties and meals.
In many parts of Asia, bamboo shoots are a favorite food. The winter shoots are the best because they are soft, with a white and green color. Usually they are boiled in water with some salt. Spring shoots are darker and harder, so they take longer to cook. But they are cheaper than winter shoots.
Fresh bamboo shoots are seldom found outside bamboos' hometown. But people in other places can buy bamboo shoots, too. These shoots are kept in bottles and cans. They need no cooking and are almost as good as fresh bamboo shoots. | middle1281.txt |
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