questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Temple of Doom"
},
"options": [
"Temple of Doom",
"The last Crusade",
"Raiders of the lost Ark",
"Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
],
"question": "If someone is interested in seeing views in Sri Lanka, he / she wou... | Here are some of the movies that inspire you to travel.
The Lord of the Rings
The story is about Frodo, his friends and their adventurous journey through Middle Earth. Filmed in about 150 locations all over New Zealand, this traveling movie shows its beauty. From the rolling hills of Matamata to the volcanic retrion of Mt Ruapehu, this is the best movie o see New Zealand . Also, this travel movie might have the only distinction of being inspired by ravel too. The director of the movie Peter Jackson first read the novel on a train going from ellington to Auckland when he was just seventeen.
Indiana Jones. The Complete Adventure Collection
Indiana Jones and travel are inseparable. Everyone remembers the red line on the world map that shows up on screen when he flies. The Egypt scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were filmed in Tunisia. Temple of doom was filmed mostly in Sri Lanka and Macau. The Last Crusade was filmed in Italy , Spain and Jordan including an excellent view of Petra. Unlike the other, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was filmed almost entirely in the United States. However, their shots of Iguazu Falls are amazing.
Romancing the Stone and jewel of the Nile
This movie series focuses on a romance writer Joan and her adventures with a soldier of fortune named Jack. In Romancing the stone Joan goes to Colombia to save her sister who was kidnapped . In the sequel Joan goes to the fictional kingdom of Kadir set somewhere in the Middle East. Romancing the stone's scenes were shot mostly in Mexico. For Jewel of the Nile, the scenes were mostly shot in France and Morocco.
The Telented Mr Ripley
Tom Ripley is a working class young man. Through a case of mistaken identity, he is asked to go to Italy to convince a wealthy businessman's son to come home. This travel movie starts in New York and heads to the fictional resort of Mongibello . The last section of the movie is filmed mostly in Rome and Naples. The locations are beautiful. They also did a good job of showing Italy as it looked in the 1960s. | high18646.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a senator"
},
"options": [
"president",
"a nominee for the presidency",
"a senator",
"a secretary"
],
"question": "Obama made the poetic and inspiring speech in 2004 as _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | You might say that one reason why Barack Obama is president of the US is that he knows how to give a good speech.
Since 2004, Obama has written and delivered thousands of speeches. These are usually praised for two reasons: he treats the audiences like intelligent adults, and he is able to express _ ideas in an easy, natural way.
Before becoming president, Obama was a lawyer, a college professor, and a successful writer---his two memories have become best-sellers.
What's more, he has some secret weapons.
Teleprompter: Obama doesn't go anywhere without his Teleprompter. The textbook-sized panes of glass holding the president's prepared remarks follow him wherever he goes to speak.
Writing team: Obama has a team of people who write his speeches. The writers chat with Obama for hours about what he wants to say. They listen to recordings of past presidential speeches and seek advice from advisers. Obama usually edits and rewrites the drafts several times.
Tricks for lighthearted speeches:
Make fun of the guests: Obama starts his speech by gently teasing his guests. His opening lines draw the audience's attention while giving them an opportunity to relax and laugh at themselves and each other.
Make fun of yourself: A good rule for speechmakers: If you're going to make a joke about someone else, be sure to make one about yourself, too. Obama mocks his own poor choices for filling the position of Commerce Secretary, saying, "No president in history has ever named three Commerce Secretaries this quickly." In fact, his first two nominees for the position withdrew their names for different reasons. In a process that had otherwise gone smoothly, the Obama Administration found it hard to deal with the problem of filling the Commerce seat. | high5032.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Live a real life"
},
"options": [
"Love your friends",
"Live a real life",
"Don't waste time",
"Be a good mother and wife"
],
"question": "The best title of this passage probably is _ .",
"question_type":... | I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my profession stand in the way of being a good parent.
I no longer consider myself the center of the universe. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends, and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today.
So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a desire of the next promotion , the bigger paycheck, the larger house.
Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure , it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an e-mail. Write a letter. And realize that life is the best thing and that you have no business taking it for granted.
It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, our minutes. _ . I learned to live many years ago. Something really, really bad happened to me, something that changed my life in ways that, if I had my choice, it would never have been changed at all. And what I learned from it is what, today, seems to be the hardest lesson of all.
I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and totally. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Read in the backyard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a deadly illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived. | high2985.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Chinese culture is mainly taught"
},
"options": [
"Chinese culture is mainly taught",
"only Australian culture is taught",
"you can only learn the low level of Chinese",
"all businessmen will benefit"
],
"questi... | The Confucius Institute is a centre of education excellence for Australian companies wishing to do business in China, the general public who has an interest in Chinese language and culture and for Chinese companies and executives working in Australia. The Institute is a partnership between the University of Melbourne and the State Government of Victoria, and is affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education. It is one of over three hundred Confucius Institutes globally.
The Institute conducts:
* Chinese language classes (all levels)
* In-house language and Cross-Cultural training--Strategy, Human Resources, Marketing, Management, Legal and Financial issues
* Market research focus groups
* Cultural events
Broaden your skills and knowledge on China, Chinese business, language and culture with the Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne.
2014 Confucius Institute Scholarship applications have opened. Confucius Institute students and alumni (aged 18-35) are encouraged to apply .
Scholarships available in 2014:
* One academic year of in-country Chinese study
* One semester of in-country Chinese study
* Master of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL)
* One academic year of Chinese study + MTCSOL
Scholarships cover tuition fees, registration fees, fees for basic learning materials and accommodation on campus; a monthly allowance; one-off settlement subsidy and comprehensive medical insurance and benefit plan for international students in China.
See http://cis.chinese.cn for more information. Please contact Lianying Hao before applying. Apply before 3 May 2014.
Applicants must be non-Chinese citizens in good health.
The scholarship will be offered every year. Please contact the Confucius Institute at the University of Melbourne for further information.
Contact Person:
Lianying Hao: lyhao@unimelb.edu.au | high19558.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Alcohol is taken in more quickly when drunk with fruit juice."
},
"options": [
"Drinking below the drink driving limit has no effect on driving.",
"Alcohol is taken in more quickly when drunk with fruit juice.",
"Having a cup... | Driving a car is not just handing controls and judging speed and distance. It requires you to predict what other road users will do and get ready to react to something unexpected. When alcohol is consumed, it enters your bloodstream and acts as a depressant , damaging eyesight, judgement and co-ordination , slowing down reaction time and greatly increasing the risk of accidents. Even below the drink driving limit, driving will be affected.
Alcohol may take a few minutes to be absorbed into the bloodstream and start action on the brain. Absorption rate is increased when drinking on an empty stomach or when consuming drinks mixed with fruit juice. To get rid of alcohol from the body is a very slow process and it is not possible to speed _ up with any measures like taking a shower or having a cup of tea or coffee.
The present Road Traffic Ordinance states clearly that the limit of alcohol concentration is:
*50 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of blood; or
*22 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath; or
*67 milligrams of alcohol per 100ml of urine .
Drivers who cause traffic accidents, or who commit a moving traffic offence or are being suspected of drink driving will be tested.
Any driver found drinking beyond the limit will be charged. The driver declared guilty may be fined a maximum of HK$25,000 and be sentenced to up to 3 years in prison and punished for 10 driving-offence points; or temporarily banned from driving.
The same punishment applies to failing to provide specimens for breath, blood or urine tests without good excuse.
Drink driving is a criminal offence. Be a responsible driver, think before you drink. For the safety of yourself and other road users, never drive after consuming alcohol. | high3443.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "people waste energy buying food from other countries"
},
"options": [
"UK wastes a lot of money importing food products",
"some imported goods cause environmental damage",
"growing certain vegetables damages the environment",... | An environment group called the Food Commission is unhappy and disappointed because of the sales of bottled water from Japan. The water, it angrily argues in public, has traveled 10,000 " _ " before it reaches Western customers. "Transporting water half-way across the world is surely the extremely stupid use of fuel when there is plenty of water in the UK." It is also worried that we are wasting our fuel by buying prawns from Indonesia (7,000 food miles) and carrots from South Africa (5,900 food miles).
Counting the number of miles traveled by a product is a strange way of trying to tell the true situation of the environmental damage done by an industry. Most food is transported around the world on container ships that are extremely energy-efficient. It should be noted that a ton of butter transported 25 miles in a truck to a farmers' market does not necessarily use less fuel on its journey than a similar product transported hundreds of miles by sea, Besides, the idea of "food miles" ignores the amount of fuel used in the production. It is possible to cut down your food miles by buying tomatoes grown in Britain rather than those grown in Ghana; the difference is that the British ones will have been raised in heated greenhouses and the Ghanaian ones in the open sun.
What is the idea of "food miles" does provide, however, is the chance to cut out Third World countries from First World food markets. The number of miles traveled by our food should, as I see it, be regarded as a sign of the success of the global trade system, not a sign of damage to the environment. | high11104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "whether it is done behind someone"
},
"options": [
"whether it is done behind someone",
"whether it is painful or not",
"whether it is a kind of bullying",
"whether it is spread fast."
],
"question": "To tell a ... | Let's say you have a piece of wood, a nail, and a hammer. Pretend the wood is a person, and the nail is a mean rumor about that person. If you hammer in the nail, you're obviously hurting him or her. If you then pull out the nail, there's still a hole in the wood, and the damage has been done.
There are many reasons why that nail of a rumor can be so harmful. Rumors are, quite simply, a form of bullying . When a person or a group makes up a rumor about someone or decides to spread gossip, it's usually to hurt someone, break up a friendship, or make someone less popular. It's the same thing as teasing, only it's done behind someone's back instead of to his or her face.
When you spread a rumor about someone, you're sending a signal that the person is outside of the group, and somehow less worthy of friendship than others. You're making fun of that person or pointing out negative things about him or her. This can let others think that it's okay to make the person feel bad, and make him or her an outsider.
We need to be able to trust our friends, and gossip and rumors can break this trust. If you tell a personal secret to a friend, and he turns around and tells it to someone else, you might feel like you will get burned if you ever get close to him again.
Letting a rumor influence your behavior is like letting someone else make a big decision for you. Let's say you hear that the teacher plans to call a Snow Day tomorrow because a blizzard is coming. Expecting a day off, you don't do your homework. The next morning, the blizzard turns out to be nothing more than a drizzle , and school isn't off after all. You get zeroes on your work. | high3325.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "study in a design school"
},
"options": [
"look through magazines",
"go to New York City",
"study in a design school",
"graduate from high school"
],
"question": "In order to have a career in fashion design, one... | One of the most exciting and attractive fields of work today is the fashion industry. Some of the most well-known people in this industry are the fashion designers with unbelievable financial Kingdoms. But most of the clothes that you wear have been designed by people that the world has never heard of. Although these unknown fashion designers will never make a very large amount of money as their famous workmates, most still would not think of changing their careers. They are doing what they love.
If you spend hours looking through fashion magazines and like making your own clothes, a career as a fashion designer might be right for you. You do not have to go to design school to become a fashion designer, but many people who want a career in this field do. One of the most famous places to study is the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. It is located in the heart of the "garment" district on Eighth Avenue, also known as Fashion Avenue.
Becoming a fashion designer is not just a matter of classroom education. Students know that they cannot just leave school and start designing on their own. Many think that they need at least four years' experience working for someone else after they graduate. The best schools encourage students to work closely with the fashion industry while they are still studying.
You need ambition and hard work to get a career in fashion. Students often work 12 hours a day. They are encouraged to have realistic ambitions and not to expect success overnight, if ever. Success means finding a job in the fashion industry and more years of hard work. | high11662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Customers would rather complain to people around them."
},
"options": [
"Most customers were afraid of complaining to store managers.",
"Customers would rather complain to people around them.",
"Few customers believe the serv... | High-quality customer service is attached great importance to by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store , but instead will alert their friends, s, co-workers and even strangers. Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers frequently go to their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.
"Storytelling hurts retailers and affects customers," said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. "The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement." On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting "snowball effect" can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers who bought clothing met with the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers. The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance completely got rid of the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided the situation in which several customers eyed the same parking space at the same time.
Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be good at dealing with different people and especially should be polite with angry customers.
"Retailers who're helpful and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren't so friendly," said Professor Stephen Hoch. "Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help."
Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by bringing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. It's impossible for retailers to improve when they have no idea what is wrong. | high18120.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She left it as it was."
},
"options": [
"She ended it face to face.",
"She left it as it was.",
"She turned to her friends for advice.",
"She made a direct challenge."
],
"question": "How did Angela Thompson dea... | When it comes to relationship, we spend a lot of time discussing their joys, but rarely talk about the pain when they break down. Yet most people have a story about a broken relationship.
For Jane Black, a six-year friendship ended when her friend was rude to one of her children. "After quite a few drinks at a party in my house, she said something rude to my child. I ended the friendship face to face at the party," she says. "I didn't realize what I was doing at the time, I was simply standing up for my child, but in her eyes any challenge was a betrayal."
When Angela Thompson noticed a seven-year friendship disappearing, she let it go. "I didn't know how to deal with the issue. I didn't sit down for a grown-up conversation; I just walked away quietly." The decision caused a reaction among Thompson's other friends. "The other friends in the circle are the worst people when you are trying to break up with a friend," she says. "They don't want you to stop being friends, because it puts them in a difficult position. You get told to just get it over."
Though we have plenty of measures for handling conflict at work or family fight, we still don't have good ways of ending friendships. Do we sit down and properly break up, or just walk away? Psychologist Serena Cauchy has the following advice.
Don't blame.
Talk about your needs and feeling rather than talking like a Dutch uncle.
Do talk about your needs.
Talk about why the friendship is not working for you--about how your needs aren't being met.
Don't gossip.
Negative talk hurts everyone involved and in some cases can make matters worse.
Don't be so accessible.
If there is a common wish to conclude the friendship, then you can remove it. | high5754.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "take a trip to the Amazon forest"
},
"options": [
"watch the Summer Olympics",
"enjoy medieval treasures in museums",
"take a trip to the Amazon forest",
"cook your own food in a guest house"
],
"question": "If ... | Are you a travel lover? If you are, attention then. No matter whether you're looking for big international events, delicious food, natural wonders or simply relaxation on a beach, these places should be on your checklist.
Brazil
Attractions: Festivities for the 2014 World Cup
The world is casting its eye on Brazil for hosting two of the most popular sporting events -- the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics two years after. Except for watching exciting games and cheering for your favorite team and players, you can also take a trip to 'the lungs of the earth',the Amazon forest, to escape the crowds and embrace nature.
Belgium
Attractions: Europe's underrated gem
Many grand and spectacular museums are located in picturesque cities like Bruges, Antwerp and Brussels. Art lovers can fully engage themselves in the numerous treasures dating back to the medieval period. Exploring the quiet towns and appreciating their Gothic architecture is also an opportunity not to be missed.
Seychells
Attractions: Paradise within reach
This so-called 'playground for millionaires' is open to everyone. The wallet-friendly hotels, guest houses and self-catering apartments make tours comfortable. With more than 100 diving islands scattered on the Indian ocean, many activities await, such as sunbathing, fishing, diving, sailing, and going on boat tours. The Seychelles islands are blessed with a warm tropical climate all year round, so you can go there whenever you want. | high13075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "given some changes by the parent"
},
"options": [
"repeated without any change",
"treated as a joke",
"set in the present",
"given some changes by the parent"
],
"question": "The author considers that a fairy st... | A child who has once been pleased with a tale likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what , in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A change made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar that I don't know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was. | high1532.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The 13th day of a month falling on a Friday ."
},
"options": [
"The 13th Friday of a year .",
"The fear of the number 13 on Fridays .",
"A fixed date of a year that can bring bad luck .",
"The 13th day of a month fallin... | When we talk about superstitious beliefs , the beliefs associated with Friday the 13th , no doubt , deserve a special mention . In fact , such is the fear associated with this date that people just can't seem to stick to their daily routine on this day . The data from Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute suggests that somewhere around 17 to 21 million Americans are affected by the fear associated with this day , i.e. the combination of Friday and 13 . Even worse , the financial losses caused on this day amounts to as much as US$800 million every year .
As we flipped through the pages of history , we realized that Friday the 13th bears the brunt of bad luck associated with number 13 , the unluckiest number , and Friday , the unluckiest day of the week . Number 13 has always been considered unlucky , mainly as a result of it being associated with various occurrences in mythology . While some associate it with the instance of Norse mythology , in which the god of joy and gladness - Balter , was killed in a dishonest manner by Loki - the god of discord and mischief , who was the 13th guest , others associate it with the Last Supper , in which the 13th guest was Judas , who betrayed Jesus to his enemies for 30 pieces of silver .
Similarly , Friday has also been a sign of bad luck to many people , with incidents like Jesus being crucified on this unfaithful day , contributing to this belief . It is also widely believed that Cain killed Able on this very day of the week . The fear of Friday the 13th is known as friggatriskaidekaphobia and paraskevidekatriaphobia , the former combining the words frigga , meaning Friday , and triskaidekaphobia , meaning the phobia of number 13 . Over the period , the belief that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day has just become one of the most widely accepted superstitions , which consequently causes much blind panic and unreasonable fear in the world . | high7143.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The author worked hard for people's praise"
},
"options": [
"The author had known he was a low achiever since he was a little child",
"The author didn't work very hard on writing in his late twenties",
"The author owed his dy... | I wished I had known earlier the fact that I was a low achiever because there was a reason beyond my control. Then I needn't have worked so hard in my late twenties and early thirties. But I just didn't know that. I was writing and writing. I was working for no other reason than to hear people praise me.
Most people who go through university read at least twice as fast as I do. I can never tell my left from my right. I avoid dialing a telephone if I can help it, because I sometimes have to try three times before getting the number right. I hear that recording "The number you have reached is not in service" more than any man on earth.
Despite my weaknesses I view my dyslexia(difficulty in reading) as a gift, not a curse . Many dyslexics are good at right brain, namely abstract thought, and that is what my king of creative writing is. I'm starting with nothing and coming up with something that didn't exist before. That's my strong point. I owe my career to Ralph, Salisbury, my writing instructor at the University of Oregon, who looked past my misspellings and gave me encouragement and hope. I just carried on and never looked back. I'm also very "visual". This means nothing in school, but when I write books or scripts, I'm seeing everything in my imagination. I write quickly. I go like the wind and can get up to 15 pages a day. Writing is not the problem. I have no problem downloading; it is inputting where things get messed up.
The real fear I have for dyslexics is not that they have to struggle with messy input, but that they will quit on themselves before they finish school. Parents have to create victories whenever they can, whether it is music, sports or the arts. You want your dyslexic child to be able to say, "Yeah, reading is hard. But I have these other things I can do." | high8270.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He listened to readings by some authors."
},
"options": [
"He flew for a charity event.",
"He drove tiredly back home.",
"He listened to readings by some authors.",
"He enjoyed the excitement of driving."
],
"qu... | In reflecting on the events of my life that have impacted me, I returned to the night of August 1, 2006. I found myself in a hall in New York City sitting by my mother, not at all tired, although we had flown the day before, and driven five hours to the city for "An Evening with Harry, Carrie and Garp," a charity event with readings by three authors. The excitement rushing through me kept me awake and thinking; I was standing and applauding a woman as she prepared to read.
The Harry Potter series was my gateway to my academic adolescence. I was so fascinated by the magic world that my mother began taking me to academic conferences focused on the books. Since 2005, I have attended presentations about the Latin origin of terms and spells, the ancient tales, and the idea of magic. These books opened my eyes to the whole world, and to knowledge itself. They kept my brain working over the summers. More importantly, they helped me adopt the ideas useful in school and beyond, that there is always another way to do something, or to understand an issue. With uncertainty and doubt come creative ideas and new ways to look at problems that may result in new, different, faster and easier solutions. And all this came from a little "magic" from a book that many people see as a series for children.
I also attended lectures about Ms. Rowling's ability to beautifully write the story, with every small detail connected to something else, for example, details in books by Jonathan Swift to Chaucer to Dickens and Austin. I learned that like all great books, Rowling's stories encouraged a connection across mind, body, and soul. Although the series has been criticized by those who believe it encourages bad behavior in children, I was able to hear discussions by those who claimed that these books teach wonderful messages if one gets its deeper meaning. It is my generation's shared text; all college freshmen are familiar with the stories, and that gives us a set of common beliefs and ideas that help us start to learn new things. | high13061.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Father of modern biology: Charles Darwin"
},
"options": [
"Charles Darwin's ideas",
"Charles Darwin's works",
"Father of modern biology: Charles Darwin",
"The greatest scientist: Charles Darwin"
],
"question": "... | As a boy, Charles Robert Darwin collected anything that caught his interest: insects, coins and interesting stones. He was not very clever, but Darwin was good at doing the things that interested him.
His father was a doctor, so Darwin was sent to Edinburgh to study medicine, and was planned to follow a medical career. But Charles found the lectures boring. Then his father sent him to Cambridge University to study to be a priest. While at Cambridge, Darwin's interest in zoology and geography grew. Later he got a letter from Robert FitzRoy who was planning to make a voyage around the world on a ship, the Beagle. He wanted a naturalist to join the ship, and Darwin was recommended . That voyage was the start of Darwin's great life.
As the Beagle sailed around the world, Darwin began to wonder how life had developed on earth. He began to observe everything. After he was home, he set to work, getting his collection in order. His first great work The Zoology of the Beagle was well received, but he was slow to make public his ideas on the origin of life.
Later Darwin and Wallace, another naturalist who had the same opinions as Darwin, produced a paper together. Darwin's great book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (<<>> ) appeared. It attracted a storm. People thought that Darwin was saying they were descended from monkeys. What a shameful idea! Although most scientists agreed that Darwin was right, the Church was still so strong that Darwin never received any honors for his work.
Afterwards, he published another great work, The Descent of Man. His health grew worse, but he still worked. "When I have to give up observation, I shall die," he said. He was still working on 17, April, 1882. He was dead two days later. | high1526.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sometimes the same sounds have different spellings."
},
"options": [
"English words are too long to remember",
"there are many mistakes in English words",
"lots of words are spelt in many different ways",
"sometimes the... | Many people have tried to simplify the spelling of English words. Unlike other languages , English sometimes spells the same sounds in very different ways . For example , there is "light "but" white", "loan "but "phone" ,and there are at least seven different ways of pronouncing "ough": "though", "through ","bough". "cough" "enough ", "ought" and "thorough ".
The American President Theodore Roosevelt almost succeeded in simplifying English spelling .In 1906, Andrew Carnegie started the Simplified Spelling Board .He was one of the richest men in the United States of America .The board's plan was to make the spelling of words nearer to the way they sound .For example , the word "though" would be spelt "tho" and "through "would become "thru". Other people on the board were Melvil Dewey , the head of the New York libraries , and Professor Brander Matthews of Columbia University . They explained their idea to President Roosevelt , who thought that it was indeed logical .He immediately asked the government printer to sue simplified spelling in all government letters .
But people didn't like the change, even if it made life easier. So the new simpler spelling was not popular. More importantly, when the American politicians discussed the plan, they did not like it either.
Because Roosevelt did not want to have any problems with the politicians, he changed his mind and told the printer to go back to the old way of spelling.
Since then no one in any government has dared to simplify English spelling. However,people do simplify some words, mainly in advertisements. For example, we often see "tonite" instead of "tonight" and "thru" instead of "through". | high7157.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "list all living things on Earth"
},
"options": [
"find out what covers the earth",
"list all living things on Earth",
"work out the number of birds",
"save the existing plants"
],
"question": "The Web based EoL ... | The Book of Life
So far,scientists have named about 1.8 million living species ,and that's just a small number of what probably exists on Earth.With so many plants,animals,and other living things covering the planet,it can be tough to figure out what type of grass is growing by the roadside or what kind of bird just flew by.
A soon-to-be-started Web site might help.An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia of Life(EoL).The project aims to list every species on Earth in a single,easy-to-use reference guide.
To get the encyclopedia started,the creators will use information from scientific databases that already exist.And eventually,in special sections of the site,non-scientists with specialized knowledge will come to help.Bird-watchers,for example,will be able to input what birds they've seen and where.To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate,scientists will review much of the information added to it.
As the EoL develops,you might find it useful for school projects.The site will feature(......) _ special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems in their neighborhoods.Another convenient feature of the EoL is that you'll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interests,age,and knowledge.
It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species.The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new fool will speed up that process. | high8264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He has achieved something unusual for his age."
},
"options": [
"He has achieved something unusual for his age.",
"His self-published books were well received.",
"His manuscripts were favored by the publisher.",
"He was... | The television news feature about Ben Heckmann, an eighth grader from Farmington, Minn, was breathless in its praise. "At 14, he has accomplished something many adults can't achieve," the reporter said, "Ben is a twice-published author." But Ben's two "Velvet Black" books, describing a fictional rock band, were not picked from a pile of manuscripts by an eagle eyed publisher. They were self-published, at the cost of $400 by Ben's parents.
Over the past five years, print-on-demand technology and a growing number of self publishing companies whose books can be sold online have inspired writers of all ages to avoid the traditional gatekeeping system for determining who could call himself a "published author."
The mothers and fathers who foot the bill say they are simply trying to encourage their children, in the same way that other parents buy equipment for a promising baseball player. But others see self-publishing as a lost opportunity to teach children about hardship and perseverance. Mr. Robbins, a critic, thinks it is wonderful to start writing at a young age, but worries self-publishing sends the wrong message. "There are no prodigies in literature," he said. "Literature requires experience, in a way that mathematics and music do not." Alan Rinzler, a publishing industry veteran, suggested parents hire a professional editor like him to work with their child to tear a manuscript apart and help make a better. Ben's father, Ken, said Ben's ambitions "weren't to knockHarry Potteroff the list," but "to get that good feeling inside that you've done something."
Ajla Dizdarevic, 12, who has self-published two books of poetry, has been on television and in local newspapers. "Being a published author," she said, "was always a dream of mine." Her new dream: three books by age 15. | high3331.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In 1968.."
},
"options": [
"In 1967.",
"In 1995.",
"In 1968..",
"In 1969."
],
"question": "When was Erik born?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"... | Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lose his determination to lead a full and active life Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and scuba diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, thought, is mountaineering. As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-metre rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13,000 feet above sea level-in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then , on May 25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles: one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls. Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. "When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on the top of the world. | high11676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to first answer the questions which are easier to you."
},
"options": [
"to first answer the questions which are easier to you.",
"to depend on your first impulse to answer the questions.",
"to search the test paper for all t... | Sooner or later, most students are to take some form of English examinations. Often the more successful students are better prepared. However, sometimes students who do well have better test taking skills. These abilities really have nothing to do with understanding English better. They are skills that make taking the test easier, and therefore provide better results.
Here are some very important--and often ignored--guidelines to taking a test successfully.
Do not insist on completing each question before going to the next. This is extremely important. Remember one question may only be worth one point! You will become nervous when you fail to find out its answer, making you lose your concentration and leading to worse results. However, answering the questions you are sure you know results in your being more relaxed and feeling more confident.
Go through the test a second time working out the answers to more difficult questions. Sometimes questions asked are answered in later questions asking for different things.
Usually(but not always) a strong first impulse means we know the answer and we don't really have to think about it too much. Going back to think about it usually makes you unsure and often causes a mistake. This is very common, so be very careful!
If you don't know the answer, write something. If you are answering a 4 possibility multiple choice question you will still have a 25% chance of being correct!
Taking a test is as much for you as is for your teacher, so never cheat. If you cheat, you don't help yourself in the long run. | high5998.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "over three thousand"
},
"options": [
"twenty three hundred",
"thirteen hundred",
"over three thousand",
"less than two thousand"
],
"question": "This year _ teen-agers will take part in the exchange progra... | This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers (young people aged from 13-19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U. S. schools, meet U. S. teen-agers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teen-agers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected --much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual . Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it."
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should criticize American schools", he says. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens . There ought to be some middle ground between the two. " | high16119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Suckers."
},
"options": [
"Suckers.",
"Suckers and bristles.",
"Suckers, bristles and a tail.",
"Hands, feet, bristles and a tail. Ks5u"
],
"question": "What part(s) would be a must if scientists just wanted a r... | Scientists have long had it in their mind to make a robot lizard . They began with finding out why a lizard can hang on a wall. They noticed the lizard's toes were unique: They have suckers , which enable it to hang on walls. They, therefore, made a robot with suckers on its hands and feet.
The robot could hang on the wall but fell off when crawling. So, they went on researching. 6 years ago, scientists discovered that suckers only were not enough. It is the bristles on each foot that adds friction and static adsorption that makes a lizard move on the smooth wall easily without falling down.
Then scientists made great efforts to fix thick bristles to the robot's hands and feet. However, the effect was not satisfactory. The robot still couldn't attach itself firmly to the wall.
Scientists got puzzled: How on earth can the lizard crawl on an extremely smooth wall or even on a ceiling without dropping off?
An accidental finding inspired them: One day a scientist happened to see an animal attack a lizard and bite off its tail. The lizard broke away from the animal's teeth and threw itself on a wall to escape, only to fall off heavily on the ground. The scientist wondered: Is it the tail that plays an important role in its travelling on the wall? He caught some lizards for an experiment. The result proved his assumption: A tailless lizard has no trouble walking on an ordinary wall but can't on a smooth one. A further study showed the lizard's tail can prevent it falling over backward and, what's more, that the tail acts as an additional leg while one of the lizard's legs leaves the wall, which is always the case while it is walking on the wall.
Thus, Tailbot, a super tailed robot, is born. | high17207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Sometimes an accident can happen to a stuntman."
},
"options": [
"Sometimes an accident can happen to a stuntman.",
"The percentage of serious accidents is high.",
"Parachutes must be of good quality.",
"The cliff was t... | You are seeing a film in which two men are having a fight. They hit one another over the heads with chairs. And so it goes on until one of the men crashes through a window and falls thirty feet to the ground below. He is dead!
Of course he isn't really dead. With any luck he isn't even hurt. Why? Because the men who fall out of high windows or jump from fast moving trains, who crash cars or even catch fire, are professionals. They do this for a living. These men are called stuntmen. That is to say, they perform tricks.
They actually do most of the things you see on the screen. For example, they fall from a high building. However, they do not fall onto hard ground but onto empty cardboard boxes covered with a mattress. Again, when they hit one another with chairs, the chairs are made of soft wood and when they crash through windows, the glass is made of sugar!
But although their work depends on tricks of this sort, it also requires a high degree of skill and training. Often a stuntman's success depends on careful timing. For example, when he is " blown up" in a battle scene, he has to jump out of the way of the explosion just at the right moment.
Naturally stuntmen are well paid for their work, but they lead dangerous lives. They sometimes get seriously injured, and even killed. A Norwegian stuntman, for example, skied over the edge of a cliff a thousand feet high. His parachute ( ) failed to open and he was killed.
In spite of all the risks, this is no longer a profession for men only. Men no longer dress up as women to perform some dangerous actions. For nowadays there are stunt girls , too. | high5740.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "devoted herself to the poor all her life"
},
"options": [
"had her name Teresa when she was very young",
"devoted herself to the poor all her life",
"was born in India and lived there for most of her time",
"received th... | Mother Teresa, whose name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was born on August 26th, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. She always wrote her birthday as 27th of August because it was the day of her baptism , which was always more important to her than her birthday. For her work with the poor around the world, she received the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1928, she accepted a religious order and took the name Teresa. The order immediately sent her to India. A few years later, she began teaching in Calcutta. In 1948 the Catholic Church agreed her request and let her enter the convent and she began to work for the poor people. She became an Indian citizen in the following year. In 1950, she set up a religious organization in Calcutta. The organization provided food for the poor people and then she set up hospitals, schools, youth centers, and homes for the sick and the dying poor. It now has branches in 50 Indian cities and 30 other countries.
Besides the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa has received other awards for her work with the poor people.
On September 5th, 1997, Mother Teresa passed away, but she will continue to inspire people all over the world through her lasting present of love and faith. Mother Teresa often reminded the world that she was a nun , not a social worker, and that prayer and communication with God were at the deepest heart of her every action. | high18134.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "soft but tough"
},
"options": [
"hard and tough",
"hard but brittle",
"soft but tough",
"soft and brittle"
],
"question": "Annealing can make metal _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | Annealing is a way of making metal softer by heating it and then letting it cool very slowly. If metal is heated and then cooled very quickly , for example by dipping it in water , it will be very hard but also very brittle ---that is , It will break easily. Metal that has been annealed is soft but does not break as easily . It is possible to make metal as hard or as soft as is wished, by annealing it. The metal is heated, and allowed to cool slowly , for a certain length of time. The longer the heated metal takes to cool slowly , the softer it becomes . Annealing can also be used on other materials, such as glass. | high2749.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it is advertising American culture"
},
"options": [
"it has added too many Chinese elements",
"it has ruined Chinese image deliberately",
"it is an exact copy of Chinese culture",
"it is advertising American culture"
... | A Hollywood movie was met with an awkward situation last Saturday in China. While fans are standing in long queues to watch the first show, others are advocating a boycott on the American movie with Chinese story elements.
After "Kung Fu Panda", a cartoon movie telling about a panda's Kung Fu master journey, hit China's silver screens in 2008, its sequel , Kung Fu Panda 2, was released in China just ahead of International Children's Day, adding more Chinese elements such as shadow play and lion dancing.
However, some Chinese artists and scholars argue that the movie has twisted Chinese culture and serves as a tool to "kidnap " the mind of the Chinese people.
"Children's Day should be pure. Don't turn it into a money-making day for Hollywood, and don' t fool our next generation with American fast food," according to an open letter to Chinese cinema managers written by Zhao Bandi, an artist hoping to boycott the "Americanized" movie. His move is _ by Kong Qingdong, a professor of the Chinese language in Beijing University, who said Chinese elements have become advertising products to advocate American culture. "It is a cultural invasion," said Kong.
In the movie, the main character called "Po," a panda, is talkative, humorous, lovely, and is widely believed to be a typical American figure.
However, the panda has won millions of fans in China. On China's most popular website, comments on the movie reached nearly 270 million entries.
"I won't call it a cultural invasion," said Li Jiayi, a Beijing university student. "I see nothing bad for others to use our cultural elements to make a movie. I' m a huge fan of Po. In spite of being a cartoon, it is still loved by many adults like me," said the 25-year-old after watching the first show at midnight.
Cao Hui, general manager of Shenzhen Global Digital Creations company, said: "instead of a
'boycott', movie producers should learn from the movie to make better use of Chinese story elements. Technically, Kung Fu Panda is not more advanced than Chinese movies, but as for story telling skills, Chinese movies have a long way to go". | high5026.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "trained hard in memory"
},
"options": [
"liked playing cards",
"trained hard in memory",
"believed he could succeed",
"received a good school education"
],
"question": "We learn that before setting a new Europea... | (The Daily Mail) David Thomas failed all his maths exams and left school with no qualifications, yet this 30 - year - old fire - fighter has just gone into the Guinness Book of Records by reciting from memory 22,500 digits of the mathematical constant, pi(p).
After five months of training, in which he spent ten hours a day memorizing a quarter of a million digits, David Thomas took part in a 16 - hour mental battle.Witnesses watched in awe as Thomas set a new European record, earning the title 'Most Powerful Memory in the Western Hemisphere'.
David says, "When I was at school I was hopeless.I could' t remember anything, but now I can remember more facts than anyone in Europe." So how does Thomas do it?
"One night I was watching a TV programme about an interview with a man called Dominic O'Brien, who had been the world memory champion five times.He used to be a gambler, and he wasn't particularly successful until he developed his own mnemonics, or mental memory aid, for each card in order to remember which cards had already been dealt and which ones hadn't."
Thomas became fascinated by O'Brien's theory that anyone can improve their memory by using specialized techniques.These techniques involve linking everything to familiar people or objects.
"If you want to remember a phone number for example, you have to give the numbers life.Sometimes I associate a number with a person.Number 10 for me is always the Prime Minister (who lives at number 10 Downing Street) ," explained David.If David is trying to remember facts he also links them to an image."For instance, if I was trying to memorize the name 'Tom Cruise' , I would think of his film Top Cun, and that leads me to images of guns and cruise missiles."
is soon going to appear on TV's Record Breakers, and this week he is teaching memory training and speed - writing at Huddersfield University.His fees are PS600 a day.He is sure that the future holds a lot more for him than a job as a fire - fighter. | high18652.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Animals would die."
},
"options": [
"People would have more crops.",
"Animals would die.",
"There would be more food.",
"There would be less soil."
],
"question": "What would happen first without plants?",
"... | Nearly all our food comes from the soil. Some of us eat meat, of course, but animals live on plants. If there were no plants, we would have no animals and no meat. So the soil is very necessary for life. The top of the ground is usually covered with grass or other plants. There may be dead leaves and dead plants on the grass. The waste matter from animals also falls on it.
All soil needs food. If we do not give it any, the plants will be weak. Farmers found that animals' waste is the best food for the soil, but chemical fertilizers are also very useful. The same crop should not be grown in the same place every year; it's better to have a different crop. A change of crop and the use of a good fertilizer will keep the land good. | high2991.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "by example"
},
"options": [
"by appearance",
"by example",
"by comparison",
"by behavior"
],
"question": "The author describes his father as reliable mainly _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | When I was younger it seemed that the super hero was Batman or Spiderman. As I grew up, I looked to real people with some of these qualities to be my super hero including being strong, honest, friendly, brave, skilled, hardworking, and reliable. The person I think of when I hear these words is my dad.
My dad is one of the toughest people I have ever met. He has been through it all. When I was five, 60 percent of his body was burned. In 1999 he fell from a tree, breaking his arm and _ his ankle. In 2004, he had a liver transplant after being on the list for six years after a bad blood transfusion that gave him Hepatitis C. Now, my dad is 45 years old and feels better than he has in 15 years.
My dad is one of the most reliable people I know. Anything I ask of him, he does. Whenever he tells me he is going to do something, it is always done before I get home from work. Whenever I need my dad, he is there. When I was ten and he told me my grandmother was going to die, I felt really down. He was the one there trying to cheer me up.
My dad has worked hard for everything he has. At home, he is always busy doing projects and has painted every room in our house. After our shop was built, he constructed an office you would think a professional built. When I do something stupid, he helps me fix it. Of course, he does his complaining, but I know he likes fixing things just as much as I like tearing them up.
My dad has been one of the greatest parts of my life. I have learned a lot from watching him and I don't believe I will ever meet anyone like him. I hope when I grow up, I can possess the same qualities as my dad, and have someone look up to me as a good role model. This is why my dad is my hero. | high3457.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he has trouble with his memory"
},
"options": [
"he has trouble with his memory",
"he can't do everyday things on his own",
"he often forgets things because he is old",
"he can't move about"
],
"question": "If o... | If a person forgets names, places or facts --and has trouble with everyday things like reading or shopping --it may not mean you are getting old. It could be Alzheimer's disease. So it's important to see a doctor as soon as you can.
There is no cure for Alzheimer's. But a drug called ARICEPT has been used by millions of people to help their symptoms .
In studies, ARICEPT has been proved to work for Alzheimer's . It has helped people improve their memory over time. It has also helped them to keep doing everyday things on their own.
Ask your doctor if ARICEPT is right for you or your loved one. It is the Number One drug for Alzheimer's in the world. The sooner you know it's Alzheimer's, the better ARICEPT can help .
ARICEPT is good for many but may not be good for everyone. Some people may experience not sleeping well, feeling very tired, or not wanting to eat. In studies, these side effects weren't serious at all and went away over time. Some people taking ARICEPT may feel light-headed. In this case you should tell your doctors because your condition may get worse. | high11110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They spend twice as much time on TV as in the classroom."
},
"options": [
"They spend twice as much time on TV as in the classroom.",
"They spend twice as much time in the classroom as on TV.",
"They spend as much time on TV ... | Television has changed our lives in many ways. Many people now spend more time watching TV than doing anything else. Researchers in the USA has estimated that when most students leave school they have spent 11,000 hours in the classroom and 22,000 hours watching television. But what effect does this have?
Benefits of television:
1. Television helps us to learn more about the world and to know and see many mew things. Television can offer present information to us in a more effective way than books. It can also make things more _ .
2. It entertains us. It is an enjoyable way to relax. For millions of people around the world, television is a source of companionship and helps them to cope with everyday life.
3. It has increased the popularity of sports and arts.
4. It has made us aware of our global responsibilities. In 2000, for example, 1.5billion people in 147 countries watched a TV pop concert and helped to collect more than $100million for people in Africa.
Dangers:
1. Television can make us passive . We don't have to think and our brains become lazy.
2. It encourages us to buy things that we don't need, and can make us unhappy with our own life.
3. It takes time away from activities such as reading, conversation, and games.
4. It gives a false picture of society. A study in 2003 showed that people who watch a lot of TV are more afraid of crime. They also think that there is a lot more crime than there really is .
5. Some critics say that television make people violent. A ten-year study in the United States showed that children who watch violent television programmes are more likely to be violent themselves. | high12419.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Understanding."
},
"options": [
"Understanding.",
"Honesty.",
"Reliability.",
"A sense of humor."
],
"question": "Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?( ... | In choosing a friend,one should be very careful.A good friend can help you study.You can have fun together and make each other happy.Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends.They will be with you as long as you have money or luck,but when you are down,they will run away.How do I know when I have found a good friend?I look for certain qualities of character,especially understanding,honesty and reliability .
Above all,I look for understanding in a friend.A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling.He is not quick to judge.Instead,he tries to learn from others.He puts himself in the other person's place,and he tries to think of ways to be helpful.He is also a good listener.
At the same time,however,a good friend is honest.He does not look for faults in others.He notices their good points.In short,a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability.I can always depend on a good friend.If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time,I can be sure that he will be there.If I need a favor,he will do his best to help me.If I am in trouble,he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special.A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun.We should enjoy our lives,and we would enjoy our friendship.That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with.A good friend likes the same things I like.We share experience and learn from each other.A good friend has a good sense of humor ,too.He likes to laugh with me.That is how we share in the joy of being friends.And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable,honest,and understanding,I know I've found a friend! | high7631.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A parrot flew towards his daughter."
},
"options": [
"A parrot tried to eat their food.",
"His daughter was hurt by a parrot.",
"A parrot flew towards his daughter.",
"A parrot landed on his daughter's head."
],
... | If I raised the question, "What would be the last thing you would expect to happen while watching your son's flag football game?" you probably still couldn't come up with what happened to me and my family.
As we were sitting on the sidelines enjoying the game, a low-flying bird came swooping in attempting to land on my daughter's head! It honestly came out of nowhere. We were seated by ourselves on the tree lined side of the field. I was able to calm my daughter's shock and fear once I showed her that the bird was not some wild animal, it was in fact, somebody's pet!
Now, we're sitting at the outdoor fields of the Pontiac Silverdome, far from any populated area, wondering where this very social cockatiel, an Australian parrot could have come from. I walked up to the bird and put out my hand. Immediately, it hopped on and chirped in a friendly way. We looked around us and knew that we could not just leave and suppose that the bird would return to where it came from. This was a very
bird that needed help or it would not survive.
The flag football game had ended so we walked the bird over to other groups of adults and asked if they knew of anyone who had lost a bird. All the kids were excited about the bird and fed it with some post game snacks. The bird's nails were getting long and he was looking pretty dirty, so we knew it had been out here for a long time and was hungry. Since its wings were clipped, it could fly a little but probably not more than 100 yards or so at a try. We all just scratched our heads as a group wondering what to do with the lost bird.
We explained to the kids that this bird needed our help since it was someone's pet and would not know how to get its own food, and it could not fly well since its wings were clipped. The kids understood, and all of them wanted to take the bird home! The parents however, knew this was not a good choice as one had a large dog, another two cats, etc. We explained to the kids that one of us could take the bird home for the night and then bring it to the Humane Society in the morning in hopes to connect it to its owners. We couldn't keep the bird. It wasn't ours. This was tough for the kids to understand at first. We couldn't just leave the bird either. There was no way it could attend itself. The group of us sat around the Silverdome practice fields for quite a while trying to determine the best course of choice for the lost bird. It was getting dark out but no one was willing to leave that parking lot until we had a game plan for how to help the bird.
The owner of the football league, Chris Novak, offered to take the bird. It was extremely nice of him and he really stepped in to help while all the rest of us who had kids tugging on our shirts and begging to take it home. We took a box and put a bunch of holes in it and he brought it home for the night. Another mom went online and found a family that had lost a bird that looked just like the one we'd found. She emailed the info to Chris who got in touch with the family and the next day, reunited the bird with the family that lost it almost 3 weeks earlier! When Chris emailed us to let us know, we could not believe that this bird had traveled from The Rochester Tienken area all the way to the Silverdome!
We were so happy to be able to save this bird and get it back to its family. I showed my kids the email about how the other family got their pet back. The family has 3 kids who were so happy to see their bird. My kids realized what a nice ending this story had. Not only had we been able to save this bird's life, but we were able to bring it back to the family that loves and misses him.
The life lesson in the missing bird story seemed to miss its mark with my kids at first. They were a little bummed out that they couldn't keep the lost bird. I explained to them that when an animal or someone needs help, you just can't turn a blind eye and hope everything works out OK. The "lost bird incident" was also a reminder to them that teamwork and the kindness of strangers can make a world of difference and that a group of well-meaning strangers can work together to help someone. It wasn't a heroic act, but one that I knew had sunk in with my kids when they realized that trying to help was the best and only real course of action. | high15376.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "20."
},
"options": [
"20.",
"24.",
"28.",
"32."
],
"question": "How many teeth does a four-year-old boy usually have according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | Hi, I'm your tooth. I've been asked to represent the rest of your teeth. We need your help. We like to be clean when you show us off with your big, wide smiles.
First, let me tell you a little about us. You weren't born with the baby teeth, they developed when you were about six or seven months old. You went from milk to real food in no time thanks to your twenty primary teeth. Eventually, they loosened and fell out, one at a time, probably about the time you were six or seven years old.
Then we came into your life. We are your permanent teeth, all twenty-eight of us. Some people may even have thirty-two depending on those wisdom teeth in the back. Sometimes they are able to help, and sometimes they cause trouble. Many times wisdom teeth are sideways and have to be pulled. Some people don't even have them at all!
On a more personal note, I am an incisor, and you have seven more just like me, here in the front of your mouth. We do the biting on those chocolate chip cookies you like so much. Next to us are the canines, four sharp teeth, two on either side. Their job is to tear food; pizza is a good one for them. Behind them are eight premolars and eight to twelve molars, depending on those wisdom teeth. The molars do the majority of the work chewing the food that you eat. They do a great job on those carrots you like so much!
Did you know we not only help you bite and chew but also help you talk? That's right. Try to say "tooth" without letting your tongue touch the back of your teeth. It sounds pretty funny, doesn't it? | high8502.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By dialing the telephone number: 919-548-5192"
},
"options": [
"By surfing the website:www.mountainfair.org",
"By dialing the telephone number: 828-687-1414",
"By dialing the telephone number: 919-548-5192",
"By surfing... | If you are looking for a day trip with the family, here's a list of festivals and fairs happening within a reasonable drive from Charlotte.
Hopscotch Music Festival
Where: Downtown Raleigh(various places)
When: Today---Saturday
Highlights: This music festival features performances by more than 175 national and international bands playing in 15 different places, all within walking distance. Music _ will include rock, hip-hop, heavy metal, dance, classical, folk and everything in between.
Admission: $10--$30
Details: www.hopscotchmusicfest.com
Flatwoods festival
Where: 451 Peach Tree Toad, Bennett
When: 10 am. Saturday--5 pm Sunday
Highlights: This annual festival, which is in its 15thyear, features family fun, food and horse rides. There will also be musical entertainment and a grand parade with cars, trucks, tractors, horse-drawn vehicles, floats, farm equipment and more.
Admission: On Saturday, free; on Sunday, $5 for ages 13 and under.
Details: 919-548-5192; www.visitpittsboro.com
NC Mountain State Fair
Where: 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, Fletcher
When: Various times, today---Sept.16
Highlights: In celebration of the people, agriculture, art and traditions that make our region great, the fair offers performances and even a man who carves artwork with a saw.
Admission:$7; $3 for kids 6---12 and seniors
Details: 828-687-1414; www.mountainfair.org | high13707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "understanding"
},
"options": [
"tolerance",
"1ove",
"patience",
"understanding"
],
"question": "To make a friend,should be the first quality.",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Friendship is very pleasant and also essential to people's life . A man without friends is an angel without wings, whose life will suffer in the long loneliness and depression, Friendship is the mother of our spirit, who'll warm her kid when hurt occures , We have much to share with our friends in life , confusion, excitement ,bitterness etc, It's great to keep up a sincere friendship.
It takes many special qualities to make friends, Understanding should come first . Only when we get a better understanding of each other can we gain a believable and meaningful friendship. We may find our hobbies of common interest. This feeling of natural attraction gets us closer and closer.
It also takes a special kind of love that seems to know no end, Never hesitate to show your heartfelt care and kindness to your friend when she /he is in trouble . Love is not selfish , Love is a feeling that we should treasure all our lives,
Tolerance is the third necessary part in friendship ,. We are absolutely different persons , This individual difference may cause conflict between us in every aspect of our life. Don't care yourself too much . Try to tolerate him /her in an easy mood , Saints are not perfect , let alone those ordinary people like us. Afterwards, we should get a good communication.
Understanding , love and tolerance are the first three essences that come to a true friendship. Other qualities are also concerned such a s thoughtfulness, trust and patience, Remember, friendship is your spirit's guard and everyone should treasure it. | high1240.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The three men stayed together in one room."
},
"options": [
"The large meeting was held in this hotel.",
"The three men stayed together in one room.",
"Each of the three men got a small room.",
"Room 414 was the office ... | Mr Smith was the manager of a hotel in Springfield. One weekend all of the hotels in the city were full because there was a large meeting. Late in the evening three men came into the hotel and asked for rooms. Mr Smith explained that because of the meeting, there were no rooms ready for use. The men were very unhappy because they had no place to stay in.
Mr Smith wanted to help them. He remembered that Room 414, a very small room, was empty. He asked them if they would share a room. The three men agreed. Mr Smith told them that the room would cost $30: $10 for each. Each of them gave Mr Smith $10, and they went up to the room.
Mr Smith soon began to feel sorry. "Thirty dollars is too much for that small room," he thought. He called one of his men over and said, "Here is $ 5. Bring it to the man in Room 414. I've asked too much money for their room."
The worker took the money from his manager. While he was on his way to Room 414, he started to think, "How can I divide $5? Well, I'll give each of them only $1 and I keep $2. The men will be happy to get anything back. I'll make a little money and Mr Smith will never know." So he returned $1 to each man.
You see, there come a problem, each man had at first paid $10. After the worker returned them $1 each, each man had paid 9. There were three men, $9 x 3 =" $27." The worker kept $2 --$27+$2="29." Where is the missing dollar? | high14083.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "$33.00"
},
"options": [
"$33.00",
"$11.00",
"$54.00",
"Nothing."
],
"question": "If a family of 3 reserves a full day trip and they have to change it to a half-day with lunch trip, how much will they get back?",... | Going whitewater rafting in North Carolina (N.C.), you are cutting bonds to the every-day troubles and for a short time you are back in the natural world with your co-travelers. Rafting in N.C. has the added benefit of a long, warm rafting season, beautiful scenery, and amazing history. Only twenty minutes from Asheville, N.C., whitewater rafting on French Broad River in N.C. still has the flavor wilderness and adventure.
Half Day Trip: This N.C. whitewater rafting trip begins at Barnard and finishes at Stackhouse. Typical time on the river is 1.5 to 2 hours. A couple of factors that affect the time on the river are the size of the trip and the level of the river. A small trip at high water will move faster downstream than a larger trip at lower levels. $44.00 per person.
Half Day with Lunch: This rafting trip travels the same section of the French Broad River as above. The lunch is served riverside. The time frame for this trip is the same as the half day trip. Add about an hour for lunch and a more leisurely pace. $51.00 per person.
Full Day Trip: This rafting starts at Barnard and finishes 8 miles downstream in Hot Springs. This is one of the best whitewater rafting trips in N.C. and gives you a chance to spend a big part of your day on the French Broad River. There is a stop for lunch, served riverside. Time on the river for the full day trip can range from 3-5 hours depending on the size of the trip and the river level. Please be aware that summer-time river levels may make it necessary to alter this trip and make it a half-day with lunch trip. Surely you will be refunded the price difference. $62.00 per person.
Float Trip: Rafting in N.C. does not necessarily mean only whitewater rafting. Some of North Carolina's best rafting is just the classic, lazy float trip. This trip floats through a beautiful section of the French Broad River valley. There are plenty of places to swim. It's good for those who are too young or too old. $44.00 per person.
Trip Times: Typical morning trip time is 9:00 and afternoon 2:00. There's usually an hour of getting ready and transportation before putting on the river, and an hour of transportation, changing clothes, photo show, etc after taking off the river. | high24140.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Many undergraduates"
},
"options": [
"Most of the undergraduates",
"Many undergraduates",
"Many students in the driving school",
"Most of the students who learn business or international trade"
],
"question": "_... | A sixth of undergraduates in Beijing this year have registered at driving school. The students, mostly from majors such as business management or international trade, will finish their driving courses within 20 days or so.
Training costs have dropped to 2, 600 yuan for students, according to the Haidian Driving School in Beijing. The price is not really low, but students will accept it, seeing it as an investment in their future. Familiarity with the operation of computers and fluent English are the basic skills graduating students need to find a job. But a driver's permit has become another factor .
"In the job market, owning a driver's permit sometimes strengthens a graduating student's competitiveness for a good position, "says Zhou Yang, an undergraduate at the China University of Political Science and Law.
Cars will become a necessary part of many people's lives in the coming years, and it is difficult to get a permit of campus because of the pressures on working people's time. "Having a fulltime job after graduation offers limited time to learn to drive. We senior students have plenty of spare time, plenty of opportunity to learn. "Zhou says.
Xu Jian, an official at the driving school, said undergraduates were very able and serious, and could grasp in an hour what ordinary people took four hours to learn. In this driving school, middle -aged people, young women and college students are the main customers.
To get a driver's permit, a beginner is now required to have at least 86 hours'practice before the final road test. | high7802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A supper runner -- Patti Wilson"
},
"options": [
"The love between a father and his daughter",
"The benefits of running",
"The friendship between epileptics",
"A supper runner -- Patti Wilson"
],
"question": "Wh... | At a young age, Patti Wilson was told that she was an epileptic . Her father, Jim Wilson, is _ . One day she said, "Daddy, I want to run with you every day, But I'm afraid I'll have a seizure .
Her father told her, "If you do, I know how to deal with it, so let's start running!"
That's just what they did every day. It was a wonderful experience for them to share. And there were no seizures at all while she was running. After a few weeks, she told her father, "Daddy, I want to break the world's long-distance running record for women."
So she did. That year, she wore a T-shirt that read, "I love epileptics" and completed her run to San Francisco. Her dad ran every mile at her side, and her mom, a nurse, followed in a car behind them in case anything went wrong.
In her second year in college, Patti's classmates got behind her. They built a huge poster that read, "Run, Patti, Run!"
Her foot was injured when she was running to Portland. A doctor told her she had to stop her run.
"Doctor, you don't understand," she said, "This isn't a whim of mine. I'm doing it to let people know -- we can do what others do. Isn't there a way I can keep running?" "Yes, but it would be unbelievably painful." The doctor said. But she told the doctor she could do it.
At last she finished the run to Portland and completed her last mile with the governor of Oregon. | high22531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sight problems in South-East Asia."
},
"options": [
"Educational achievement in Asia.",
"Sight problems in South-East Asia.",
"Risk of visual impairment and blindness.",
"Massive educational pressures"
],
"quest... | The strong emphasis on educational achievement in China, Japan and other parts of South-East Asia may be coming at a heavy price. Researchers say that hard work at school plus the lack of exposure to outdoor light is damaging the eyes of almost nine out of ten students--with one in five at serious risk of visual impairment and blindness.
The scientists say that young people need up to three hours a day of outdoor light, but many infants are also missing out as they nap during lunch time. Dr. Ian Morgan is the lead author of the study. "I think what's happened in South-East Asia is that we've got _ . We've got the massive educational pressures and we've got the construction of a child's day in a way that really minimises the amount of time they spend outside in bright light."
The scientists say that genetic factors, long thought to play a big role in short-sightedness, are not as important as the environment. They point to Singapore as a place with several different racial groups, all of whom are now suffering high levels of short-sightedness.
The authors suggest that compulsory time outdoors should be considered by educational authorities across South-East Asia as a way of dealing with the problem. | high13934.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "movies are usually time limited compared with books"
},
"options": [
"movies can easily seize the depths of characters",
"books provide more visual stimuli than movies",
"books leave readers nothing to interpret and imagine",... | Anyone who reads a book and then goes to see a movie based on that book generally leaves the movie feeling a little disappointed. Why might this be? Both books and movies serve the purpose of entertainment. Both books and movies offer characters and plots. And, both books and movies provide a setting for a story. Books, however, offer a more attractive and complex form of entertainment than movies.
Although movies are entertaining to watch, books have advantages over them. First, books, in comparison to movies, can more easily seize the depths of characters and create a complex setting through the use of rich description. Books leave it up to the reader to interpret, imagine, and recreate the story in his or her own mind. However, movies are action packed and provide lots of visual stimuli ; still, it is the movie not the viewer that interprets the characters, plot, and setting. Second, books are not limited to time. A writer can write as much or as little as necessary in order to create and tell a story. Movies, on the other hand, are limited to an hour and a half to two hours of entertaining time before the audience begins to get restless. Last, reading is an _ form of entertainment. Readers can improve their level of reading and vocabulary in a harmless, healthy, and pleasurable way. Movies, on the other hand, are not as complex and entertaining as books, and they leave nothing to interpret. Therefore, the advantages and entertainment value of books outweigh those of a movie.
To conclude, books, through interpretation, help the reader develop a sense of relationship to the characters and the story itself, but a movie strictly entertains. Books are a better form of entertainment than movies. | high21038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "their new product will have a good market"
},
"options": [
"football fans are angry with referees",
"their new product can satisfy football fans",
"their new product will have a good market",
"they can sell a lot of foo... | While football fans feel strongly angry and shocked about mistakes made by referees because they cannot see clearly what has happened, a small German company is quietly pleased.
For Carlos Technologies, mistakes made by referees are the kind of advertising that money cannot buy. The company has developed a tiny chip that fits inside a football and determines whether the ball has crossed the goal line, by being able to discover its exact location on the field. The world football organization, FIFA, has shown interest in the technology. It is very possible that the new technology will be used in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
"We've been testing the technology at the main soccer stadium in Nuremberg for some time and more recently in an under-17 FIFA Cup in Peru," said Gunter Rohmer, a director of the company. "The technology has performed well, and we're pretty optimistic that it will be used at the games in Russia."
The chip only weighs 12 grams, and is placed in the center of the football. It sends 2,000 signals a second to a receiver network of 12 antennas ,placed around the field. The receivers then send information about the ball's location to a central computer, and because it works in real time, it can immediately tell the referee whether a goal has been scored. The chip even can tell when the ball crosses the line in mid-air. Oliver Braun, one of the inventors of the chip, says that feedback from German referees was generally positive. Germany sports-wear giant Adidas is also optimistic about using this kind of chip in other ball sports.
FIFA aims to test the technology later this year at another game in Japan before deciding whether or not to introduce it in all 12 stadiums in Russia for next World Cup. | high18861.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Optimistic."
},
"options": [
"Worried.",
"Optimistic.",
"Annoyed.",
"Concerned."
],
"question": "What is Michael R. Bloomberg's attitude towards New York city's tourism industry?",
"question_type": null
},... | Visitors to _ and _ , above, helped make New York City the country's favorite tourist destination last year. (Photo By Henny Ray Abrams/Associated Press)
ks*5*u
Associated Press-----The number of visitors to New York City fell last year for the first time since 2001, but falls in tourism elsewhere across the United States made it the most popular destination in the country for the first time in almost two decades, tourism officials said on Monday.
Mayor Michael R. Bloombergpainted the 3.9 percent drop -- an estimated 45.3 million visitors -- as a victory, saying that during the recession the city had expected losing as much as 10 percent of its tourists. The city expects to recover most of the loss this year and remains on track to hit its long-standing goal of 50 million yearly visitors by 2012, the mayor said.
"We have made our city cleaner, safer and more exciting than ever," Bloomberg said at a news conference at a Brooklyn restaurant. "I do think we'll continue to see even more tourists on our streets as the economy improves, and I think that we'll continue to develop better than other cities."
Though many travelers stayed home simply because money was tight, the reducing number in international visitors could result from swine flu fears and concerns over border security measures, Bloomberg said.
Still, the Statue of Liberty, which reopened its crown to tourists, reported a jump in the number of visitors. So did other New York City attractions. And the city's entertainment and hotel industry -- which provides one-tenth of the city's private jobs -- actually grew in 2009.
"The lodging industry really is using discounting to motivate demand," he said, adding that the price drops have importantly _ "the city's ability to keep the level of tourism that it's had." | high20326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The North Pole is located in the Artic Ocean."
},
"options": [
"Greenland is near the Artic Ocean.",
"Ellesmere Island is located north of Canada.",
"The North Pole is located in the Artic Ocean.",
"Greenland's northern... | In 1886 explorer Robert Peary traveled to Greenland for the U.S. Navy. Before his journey, no one knew Greenland's size or shape. On Peary's first trips, he explored Greenland, mapping parts of it.
When Peary returned to the United States, he went to a businessman to sell some furs. There he met Matthew Henson, an African American mechanic, builder and navigator. When Peary went to Nicaragua on a Navy mission ,Henson went with him. When that job was over, the two headed to the Arctic.
Henson and Peary set sail for Greenland. When they landed, Henson built a house for their base camp. Peary and his men set out to explore the land by dog sledge . Henson was injured and had to stay at the base. While there, he made friends with the Inuit, the native people.
In 1895 Henson, Peary and Hugh Lee went out on another dog sledge journey. This time, they found Greenland's northernmost point. They now knew that the North Pole lay under the frozen Arctic Ocean. Peary had hoped to cross the ice. but the group ran out of food and returned to base camp. In the years that followed, Peary and Henson tried several times to reach the North Pole, but each time they failed. On one trip, Peary's feet froze, and he lost his toes .
Peary and Henson planned last trip when Peary was 53 years old. They started across the sea ice from Ellesmere Island, which is located north of Canada. The temperature dropped as low as--51 degrees Celsius. The explores' cheeks froze , and they suffered snow blindness from the sun's glare. They experienced high winds and storms, and they also faced a hidden danger. Under the frozen ocean were powerful currents . The ice moved and broke apart leaving open water, called leads. Twice Peary fell into leads. But eventually he and Henson became the first persons to reach the North Pole. | high11845.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to avoid mistakes in understanding what people tell you"
},
"options": [
"how to avoid mistakes about money and friends",
"what to do when you listen to others talking",
"how to avoid mistakes in understanding what people... | We can make mistakes at any age.Some mistakes we make are about money.But most mistakes are about people.One might say, "Did Jerry really care when I broke up with Helen?" "When I got that great job, did Jim really feel good about it, as a friend? Or did he envy my luck?" When we look back, doubts like these can make us feel bad.
Why do we go wrong about our friends? Sometimes what people want to say hides their real meaning.And if we don't really listen, we miss the feeling behind the words.Suppose someone tells you, "You're a lucky dog." Is he really on your side? If he says, "You are a lucky guy", that's being friendly.But if he says "a lucky dog", there's a bit of envy in those words.Maybe he doesn't see it himself.But he puts you down a little if he brings in the "dog".What he may be saying is that he doesn't think you deserve your luck.
"Just think of all the things you have to be thankful for" is another noise that says one thing and means another.It could mean that the speaker is trying to get you to see your problem as part of your life as a whole.But is he trying to? Wrapped up in this phrase is the thought that your problem isn't important.It's telling you to think of all the starving people in the world when you haven't got a date for Saturday night.
How can you tell the real meaning behind someone's words? One way is to take a good look at the person talking.Do his words fit the way he looks? Does what he says agree with the tone of voice, his posture, or the look in his eyes? Stop and think.The minute you spend thinking about the real meaning of what people say to you may save another mistake.
Therefore, when you hear someone saying, please try to know what he really means.Don't just listen to what he says with your ears but feel the words he uses with your head.In this way you may make fewer mistakes. | high20440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it's said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects"
},
"options": [
"they are not sure whether mobile phones can cause memory loss",
"it's said that mobile phones have a lot of side effects",
"one headline reported \"Mob... | "Mobile phone killed my man," screamed one headline last year. Also came claims that an unpublished study had found that mobile phones could cause memory loss. And a British newspaper devoted its front page to a picture supposedly showing how mobile phones could heat the brain.
For anyone who uses a mobile phone, these are worrying times. But speak to the scientists whose work is the focus of these scares and you hear a different story.
One of the oddest effects comes from the now famous"memory loss" study. Alan Preece and his colleagues at the University of Bristol placed a device that imitated the microwave radiation of mobile phones to the left ear of volunteers. The volunteers were good at recalling words and pictures they had been shown on a computer screen. Preece says he still can't comment on the effects of using a mobile phone for years on end. But he rules out the suggestion that mobile phones have an immediate effect on our cognitive abilities. "I'm pretty sure there is no effect on short-term memory," he says.
Another expert, Tattersall, remarked that his latest findings have removed fears about memory loss. One result, for instance, suggests that nerve cell synapses exposed to microwaves become more -- rather than less -- receptive to undergoing changes linked to memory formation.
An even happier outcome would be that microwaves turned out to be good for you. It sounds crazy, but a couple of years ago a team led by William Adey at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in California found that mice exposed to microwaves for two hours a day were less likely to develop brain tumours when given a cancer-causing chemical.
"If _ doesn't certainly cause cancer in animals and cells, then it probably isn't going to cause cancer in humans," says William. And while there's still no absolute evidence that mobile phone use does damage your memories or give you cancer, the conclusion is: don't be afraid. | high10583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because she wanted her child to feel cherished and loved not just by her but by the world."
},
"options": [
"Because she wanted her child to feel cherished and loved not just by her but by the world.",
"Because she had a great curi... | Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia was delivered _ to me at my house. No card or note came with it. Calls to the florist were always in vain ---- it was a cash purchase. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender's identity.
But I never stopped imagining who the anonymous sender might be.
My mother often contributed to these imaginings. She'd ask me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness who might be showing appreciation. Perhaps the neighbor I'd help when she was unloading a car full of groceries. Or maybe it was the old man across the street whose mail I retrieved during the winter so he wouldn't have to venture down his icy steps.
When I was 17, a boy broke my heart. The night he called for me the last time, I cried myself to sleep. When I awoke in the morning, there was a message scribbled on my mirror in red lipstick: "Heartily know, when half-gods go, the gods arrive." I thought about that quotation from Emerson for a long time, and I left it where my mother had written it. When I finally went to get the glass cleaner, my mother knew everything was all right again. I don't remember ever slamming my door in anger at her and shouting, "You just don't understand!" because she did understand.
One month before my high-school graduation, my father died suddenly of a heart attack. My feelings ranged from grief to abandonment, fear and over-whelming anger that my dad was missing some of the most important events in my life. I became completely uninterested in my upcoming graduation, the senior-class play and the prom-events that I had worked on and looked forward to.
But my mother, in the midst of her own grief, would not hear of my missing out any of those things. The day before my father died, she and I had gone shopping for a prom dress and found a spectacular one. Wearing it made me feel like a princess, but it was the wrong size, and when my father died the next day, I forgot all about the dress.
My mother didn't. The day before the prom, I found that dress-in the right size, draped over the living room sofa, presented to me -- beautifully, artistically and lovingly. I didn't care about having a new dress, but my mother did. She wanted her children to feel loved and lovable, creative and imaginative.
My mother died when I was 22, only ten days after I was married. That was the year the gardenias stopped coming. | high21986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To attract readers to travel to Las Vegas."
},
"options": [
"To introduce the present situation of Las Vegas.",
"To attract readers to travel to Las Vegas.",
"To tell readers how to go to Las Vegas.",
"To show his own t... | It's slimbudget time in Las Vegas
Las Vegas? It's where halfprice flights are wide open and where reservations are easily booked on a moment's notice. Tourism is down, so rooms are plentiful, as well as inexpensive.
Getting there: The best way to get there from McCarran Airport is to exit the baggage claim through Door 11 and check in at any number of shuttle booths. Shuttle vans that run between the airport and the Las Vegas Strip cost $6 for a oneway trip.
Leaving Las Vegas:Many Vegas vacationers are eager to get there and slow to leave. So take the "redeye" back home. Most redeye flights leave around midnight, leaving you with an extra night of gaming, and fun without added expense of a higher hotel charge. You can sleep the whole way home.
Romantic getaway: Las Vegas is no longer all about gaming. The artwork at the Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art is certainly comparable to that at the Louvre. Speaking of Paris, take a trip up the Eiffel Tower at ParisLas Vegas. The Eiffel Tower Experience costs just $10($7 for kids) and is unquestionably worth the price of admission. For an intimate evening, don't hesitate to book reservations at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant. Get an impressive nighttime view of the Fountains at Bellagio by asking for seating alongside the floortoceiling windows. This is truly a oneofakind finedining experience. Details:www.parislasvegas.com.
Be sure to wear comfortable shoes:Casinos can appear very close together, but actually may not be. Know the tram systems that run up and down the Strip. Most tram lines are free.
Shows:Purchase show tickets at one of the many "Half Priced Show" booths on the Strip. You can experience a unique show each night of your stay. Need a look at what's playing when you'll be there? Visit www.booklasvegasshows.com.
Buffets:In Vegas you can take anything to the next level--including eating. Seven casinos on the Strip have teamed up to bring you an amazing deal:seven buffets--breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner--all for just $44.99 within a 24hour period. Details:www.harrahs.com/total/lasvegas/buffetofbuffets. | high5973.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he is to read the books boring and not right for kids"
},
"options": [
"he doesn't like reading in summer vacation",
"he is to read the books boring and not right for kids",
"he hates the English teacher assigning homework",
... | August has always been difficult for me. It is the time when I realize that the books my English teacher assigned to me are not going to read themselves and that I have a difficult month in front of me.
You might think that I don't want to spend my summer reading, but that's not the problem: I love reading. On the first day of my summer holidays this year, I went to the library and got "A Gathering of Old Men" by African-American writer Ernest Gaines. I enjoyed it very much. I read all the magazines that my parents subscribe to and spend about 30 minutes every day with the morning paper. So why do I hate summer reading for school? Because the books on summer reading lists are often slow-going and just uninviting. Teachers and librarians don't understand that summer reading can be entertaining as well as educational. They choose books that a friend of my mother's calls "spinach books": good for you, but not much fun to take in. Every summer, I read them, hate them and get bitter about the experience.
This bitterness started three years ago when I was about to begin high school. As preparation, my English teacher told me to read "The Age of Innocence" by American author Edith Wharton. I'm sure there are many people who enjoyed "The Age of Innocence"--some might even say it's their favorite book.
But I don't think any of these people read it as a 14-year-old boy on his summer vacation.
"The Age of Innocence" is the story of a forbidden romance in prefix = st1 /New York100 years ago. At 14, my only experience with romance was my love for baseball. I couldn't imagine being in love, much less being in love in 1900. "The Age of Innocence" was totally different to my life.
Most of my required summer reading has been like that--books written in a style that plays up the adjectives and plays down the verbs. I guess teachers don't think exciting plots make for "good literature". To me, though, a good writer describes events and characters in a way that makes the reader want to know what happens next.
If I were making up a summer reading list, it would include "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" by George V. Higgins, "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe, and "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. These are all books that have literary value but, just as important, can also entertain kids on vacation. If the teachers could stand a little fun in the books they assign, my Augusts would be a lot more enjoyable. | high22257.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Tolkien was quite familiar with Old English."
},
"options": [
"\"The Lord of the Rings\" didn't sell well in the last millennium.",
"People know better about Tolkien himself than about his works.",
"Tolkien was quite familiar... | "The Lord of the Rings", one of the best sellers in the new millennium , was made up of three parts--"The Fellow Ship of the Ring", "Two Towers", and "The Return of the King". Millions upon millions of people have read it in over 25 different languages, but fewer know about the author and the history of the composition of the creative masterwork.
John Ronald Refuel Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892. His parents died when he was a child. Living in England with his aunt, Tolkien and his cousins made up play languages, a hobby that led to Tolkien's becoming skilled in Welsh, Greek, Gothic, Old Norse and Anglo--Saxon.
After graduating from Oxford, Tolkien served in World War I. In 1917, while recovering from trench fever he began composing the mythology for The Rings. As a professor of Anglo-Saxon in the 1930s at Oxford, Tolkien was part of an informal discussion group called the Inklings, which included several writers. The group was soon 1istening to chapters of Tolkien's imaginative work "The Hobbit".
Hobbit was a name Tolkien created for people that could best be described as half-sized members of the English rural class. Hobbits live in hillside holes. One of them,Bilbo Baggins, looks for treasures with a group of dwarves . On the way, he meets the twisted, pitiful creature Gollum, from whom he sees a golden ring that makes the holder invisible.
One of Tolkien's students persuaded her employer, publisher Allen & Unwind, to look at a draft . The chairman of the firm, Stanley Unwind, thought that the best judge for a Children's book would be his ten-year-old son. The boy earned a shilling for reporting back that the adventure was exciting, and "The Hobbit" was published in 1937.
It sold so well that Unwind asked for a continuation. Over a dozen years later, in 1954, Tolkien produced "The Lord of the Rings", a series of books so creative that they hold readers both new and old -- after their publication. | high12394.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Florentine artist fights pollution by painting with smog."
},
"options": [
"Florentine artist fights pollution by painting with smog.",
"Ricci invents a unique way to paint buildings in Florence.",
"People in Florence gather ... | If you're in Florence, Italy, and see a man on a ladder wiping the dust off statues and buildings, don't worry.It's just Alessandro Ricci gathering material for his famous smog paintings.
Ricci is not a common artist, because he used smog as the main medium of his artworks. Unlike other painters seeking fast recognition of their talent, he doesn't really care about "being this big artist".Instead he is more concerned about bringing attention to how much smog there really is in his home town and how it's destroying both its monuments and people.
Although he did take a couple of art classes a few years back, he is mainly self-taught, doesn't work in a studio, donates most of his work, and refuses to play by the rules of the Florentine Art Gallery, which he considers corrupt.Alessandro Ricci believes selling his smog paintings will not only compromise his principles, but also contradict the very thing he's trying to do-raise awareness about smog pollution in this city.
Alessandro lives with his parents nearby Florence, but almost every day he visits the streets of the city, and collects smog for his paintings.He gets it from several meters above ground, from clean surfaces like marble, plastic and stone, using damp pieces of cotton.Then he applies the smog directly onto a cloth and creates street scenes and reproductions of the very buildings from which he got the dangerous material.Finally, he seals his paintings with a natural resin .
His actions helped win a small victory for the people of Florence, as in October 25, 2012 the Duomo area of the city was made pedestrian-only.But there is still a long way to go, the artist believes, and only cleaning the thick layer of smog that has accumulated throughout Florence would take several years.Still, he continues to paint his unique smog artworks and let the people know how polluted the environment they live in really is. | high23149.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "bodily fluids"
},
"options": [
"patients' sweat",
"bodily fluids",
"people's spit",
"your body"
],
"question": "According to the passage, Ebola only spreads through _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions... | The virus "Ebola" is named after the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. That's where the virus was discovered in 1976. A person can only get Ebola through direct contact with an infected person's bodily fluids, for example, sweat or spit. Additionally, the virus can get into your body through your eyes and mouth if those areas come into contact with something that contains the bodily fluids of an infected person. That's why health care workers are supposed to keep themselves completely covered while treating patients.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak is spreading fast in Western Africa, taking over 900 lives so far. The health systems in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are severely lacking in resources, and health care workers may not have access to adequate protective clothing when working in rural clinics, where the proper protections are lacking. Since Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia share a border; it's easier for people to move from one country to another, increasing the risk for disease spread.
For now, all doctors can do is treat the symptoms and provide supportive care like monitoring heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing while making sure the patients' fluids are supplied. Sometimes patients are given antibiotics to treat other possible infections. The hope is to make the patient pull through the infection so their immune system can eventually clear the virus. The people who survive Ebola have created enough antibodies to kill it.
There are several promising drugs and vaccines in development, but since Ebola is less common--and research about it is not well funded -- there is no drug or vaccine that has been approved for use in humans. Many of the other drugs and vaccines have not yet been tested in humans. The WHO (World Health Organization) is meeting next week to discuss whether experimental treatments should be used during this outbreak. | high9191.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "TitanicII will have more space in its lifeboats than the Titanic."
},
"options": [
"TitanicII will have more space in its lifeboats than the Titanic.",
"TitanicII will be the largest cruise ship in the world.",
"TitanicII wil... | NEW YORK--Australian mining enterpriser Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled blueprints for Titanic II, a modern copy of the doomed ocean liner, although he didn't call the ship unsinkable any more.
The ship will largely recreate the design and decoration of the fabled original, with some modifications to keep it in line with current safety rules and shipbuilding practices, and the addition of some modern comforts such as air conditioning, Palmer said at a press conference in New York.
The three passenger classes, however, will be prevented from mingling , as in 1912, Palmer said. "I'm not too superstitious . "Palmer said when asked whether recreating a ship best-known for sinking was tempting fate.
White Star Line, the operator of the original ship, had said the Titanic was designed to be unsinkable. About 1, 500 people died on Titanic's _ voyage in 1912 from Southampton to New York after the ship collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic.
Palmer, who created the company Blue Star Line last year, refused to make a similar boast.
"Anything will sink if you put a hole in it,"Palmer said. "I think it would be very cavalier to say it."
Unlike the original, TitanicII will have more than enough space in its lifeboats for every person on board and will have additional escape staircases. Markku Kanerva, sales director at Deltamarin, the Finnish company designing the ship, said it would be "the safest cruise ship in the world".
Palmer refused to answer questions about the project's cost. Although the Titanic was the world's largest ship in her time, she would be smaller than many of today's modern cruise ships.
"It's not about the money, "Palmer said. "I've got enough money for it. I think that's all that matters."
Forbes estimated Palmer's net worth to be $795 million in 2012. He describes himself as a billionaire.
TitanicII will be built by Chinese state-owned CSC Jinling Shipyard, which has already built four ore carriers for Palmer's mining business, he said. The contract to build TitanicII has not yet been signed, Palmer said. | high14929.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Computer programmers."
},
"options": [
"Taxi drivers.",
"Computer programmers.",
"Supermarket cashiers.",
"Motor mechanics."
],
"question": "According to the research, who may have the best memory in old age?",
... | People with mentally taxing jobs, including lawyers and graphic designers, may end up having better memory in old age, research suggests.
A study of more than 1,000 Scottish 70-year-olds found that those who had had complex jobs scored better on memory and thinking tests.
One theory is that a more stimulating environment helps build up a "cognitive reserve" to help buffer the brain against age-related decline. The research was reported in Neurology.
The team, from Heriot-Watt University, in Edinburgh, is now planning more work to look at how lifestyle and work interact to affect memory loss. Those taking part in the study took tests designed to assess memory, processing speed and general thinking ability, as well as filling in a questionnaire about their working life.
The analysis showed that those whose jobs had required complex skills in dealing with data or people, such as management and teaching, had better scores on memory and thinking tests than those who had done less mentally intense jobs such as factory workers, bookbinders, or carpet layers.
While the study did not look at biological reasons for the protective effect of certain jobs, potential explanations include that structural changes within the brain mean less damage is accumulated over time.
Study leader Dr Alan Gow said: "Our findings have helped to identify the kinds of job demands that preserve memory and thinking later on." "However," He added, "while it is true that people who have higher cognitive abilities are more likely to get more complex jobs, there still seems to be a small advantage gained from these complex jobs for later thinking skills."
Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, said the study added to the growing evidence about factors that affected brain health as we aged.
"Keeping the brain active throughout life could be helpful and different types of work may play a role. However, it's important to note that this study points to a small and subtle association between occupation and later-life cognition rather than offering proof that people's occupation has a direct influence." | high9185.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he caused an old woman's terror and she died."
},
"options": [
"Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.",
"Because he caused an old woman's terror and she died.",
"Because he beat an old woman and ca... | A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn't touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman's death? Prosecutors said that he can under the state's murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person's death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery--even if he or she doesn't kill someone on purpose.
But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Absolutely, no question about it.
The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response , which was originally described by Walter Cannon,the chairman of Harvard University's physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.
The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don't kill you suddenly.
By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, "I can die now", and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers. | high11851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "52."
},
"options": [
"52.",
"55.",
"60.",
"62."
],
"question": "How old was Bill Gates when he retired from Microsoft in late June of 2008?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | William H. Gates is chairperson and chief software architect of Microsoft Corporation.the worldwide leader in software services and internet technologies for personal and business computing.
Bill Gates was born on October 28.1 955 in a family having rich business,political and community service background.His great--grandfather was a state legislator and a mayor,his grandfather was vice president of national bank and his father was a lawyer.
Bill strongly believes in hard work. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence,you can achieve anything.From childhood Bill was ambitious, intelligent and competitive.These qualities helped him to attain top position in the profession he chose.1n school,he had an excellent record in mathematics and science.Bill's parents came to know their son's intelligence and decided to send him to a private school,known for its good academic environment.It was a very important decision in Bill Gates' life where he was first introduced to a computer.Bill Gates and his friends were very much interested in computer and formed "programmer's Group" in late l968.
Later,Bill Gates and his close friend Allen started a new company of their own,Traf-O-Data.They developed a small computer to measure traffic flow.From this project they earned around$20,000.In 1973.he left home for Harvard University.He did well over there,but he couldn't find it interesting.He spent many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next day asleep in class.
Within a year.Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard.Then he formed Microsoft.Microsoft's vision is" A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer".His belief in high intelligence and hard work has put him where he is today.He does not believe in mere luck,but just hard work and competitiveness.
Bill Gates is not a greedy person.In fact,he is quite a giving person when it comes to computers,internet and any kind of funding.Several years ago, he visited Chicago's Einstein Elementary School and announced grants benefiting Chicago's schools and museums where he donated a total of $1 1 0,000,a bunch of computers,and provided internet connectivity to a number of schools.Secondly,Bill Gates donated 38 million dollars for the building of a computer institute at Stanford University.Gates has decided to give away 95%of all his earnings when he retires. | high20454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "enjoy the casual atmosphere"
},
"options": [
"have snacks before the movie",
"cheer up with young friends",
"bring back good old days",
"enjoy the casual atmosphere"
],
"question": "Most people choose to go to a... | More than half a century ago, there were 4, 000 drive-in movie theaters in the United States, and watching a movie from your car was a popular way to spend an evening. But with the number of drive-ins reduced to just a few hundred, outdoor movie has been popping up across the nation. Going to an open-air theater has become a modern summer pastime for an increasing number of movie fans.
In recent years, outdoor movie screenings have come up in parks, vacant lots and shopping malls around the nation. On average, about 1,000 people attend each movie night. It attracts a lot of young professionals, young workers and residents nearby. For some, the outdoor movies bring back the memories of the drive-in theaters of their youths. But for the majorities, they think it is comparable to the atmosphere of drive-ins, as they can bring friends, food, good wine, and watch the movie together.
The returning of Americans' love affair with outdoor movies makes Stephen Bastas ever busier. His seven-member crew sets up screens in various locations mostly in the Washington area every day throughout the summer. They are doing pretty well and they hope to continue the trend. And it looks like they are going to. That's because many fans say there is nothing like watching a movie on a breezy summer evening under the stars. | high10597.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Talking to hill-walkers in the region."
},
"options": [
"Travelling from his birthplace.",
"Talking to hill-walkers in the region.",
"Going to the nearby village to sell sheep.",
"Listening to radio and watching TV."
... | Angus MacLeod was fifty and he had spent his entire life as a shepherd in the remote mountainous region of northwest Scotland. He had never owned a radio or television nor had he travelled further than forty kilometres from his birthplace. His knowledge of the world was gained only from his brief trips to the village to sell his sheep and buy food. However, he had lately come to rely on the growing number of hill-walkers in the region as sources of international news.
In the spring of 1992, a Spanish student came across Angus high in the mountains. Eager to practise his English he engaged Angus in conversation. The student told Angus of the forthcoming Olympic Games in Barcelona. Excited by the student's colourful description of Spain and the Games, Angus decided to attend the event in person and two months later arrived in Barcelona.
The ticketless Angus stood outside the stadium with his canny brain working overtime, watching a growing number of individuals entering the stadium through a small entrance at the side. He noticed that they all seemed to be carrying objects. Perhaps they were workmen, he thought. He moved closer and watched.
Within minutes a thin young man came along carrying an extremely long pole. He approached the official at the door and said "Pole Vault". The official moved to the side and the man entered. Next came a heavy-set man with a spear. Angus wondered how a man could carry such a dangerous weapon in a modern city. The man shouted " Javelin " and was presently admitted. Angus was puzzled. Perhaps they were all connected with security. His puzzlement grew when a huge man appeared with a steel ball in his hand. He shouted "Shot Putt" and walked past the official.
It suddenly dawned on Angus that these people were competitors. He opened his programme and sure enough under the heading "events" he saw the three words the men had said. Angus laughed to himself as a plan began to take shape in his mind. First he needed to buy one or two things.
An hour later he reappeared dressed in a tracksuit with "Scotland" written across the chest. Over his shoulder he carried a roll of barbed wire . Smiling to himself he walked up to the official and as casually as he could, shouted, "Fencing!" | high21992.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "benefit much from their appearances"
},
"options": [
"have a lot in common with school teachers",
"benefit much from their appearances",
"become more and more popular in the world",
"have much more pressure than in the ... | Meet the "Tutor Kings and Queens"
"If you want to be a top tutor, it definitely helps if you are young and attractive. Students look at your appearance," said Kelly Mok, 26, a "tutor queen" at King's Glory, one of Hong Kong's largest tutorial establishments.
Richard Eng from Beacon College, a former secondary school teacher, is often credited with being the first of Hong Kong's "star tutors". "In school all the teachers look the same, there's no excitement," he said.
The celebrity tutor phenomenon is a result of the huge growth in outofschool tutoring in Asia. It is fuelled by highly pressured examination systems and ambitious parents wanting their children to secure places at top universities and highstatus secondary schools.
In societies where success _ good exam results, parental anxiety converts into a "steady stream of revenue " for tutoring establishments, according to a study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The tutoring industry, or "shadow education" as the ADB calls it, has become very widespread in Asia, fed by the growth in universities and the rising proportion of school leavers aiming for university. Hong Kong University's professor Mark Bray, one of the authors of the ADB study, said a staggering 72% of finalyear school students in Hong Kong now go to private tutors.
It's not just Hong Kong. Tutoring has "spread and intensified in Asia and become more commercialized," said Professor Bray. In South Korea, 90% of primary school children attend such classes. In China, New Oriental Education and Technology has grown to become one of the largest tutoring schools in Asia with around 2.4 million students this year. In South Korea, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India, tutorial schools use star tutors to attract even more students. | high5967.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Things to consider if you want to keep a pet bird."
},
"options": [
"The advantages of keeping a pet bird.",
"The reasons for keeping a pet bird.",
"Things to consider if you want to keep a pet bird.",
"Different types ... | Owning pet birds is not just feeding them when necessary. You have to be very responsible if you have decided to keep birds as pets. If you really want to acquire a companion, think in advance whether you are able to handle it.
Depending on what pet bird you are going to have and how big it is, the cost is different. For example, the cost of a comfortable cage, the cost for nutritional food and the money for some additional things should be taken into consideration. There are also some unexpected cost. For example, when your pet bird gets sick, you have to send for a vet .
You may think that you do not have free time to have a dog so you'd better have a pet bird because it doesn't require a lot of attention. You are wrong! Some people even do not have time for a short sleep. They will not have enough time for pets, either. For good bird health it is very important to handle them and play with them as much as you can.
Also there are a lot of people who think that birds do not require a lot of space and they are wrong again. They also need to fly so if you do not have space for it, you'd better reconsider the things.
But do not forget the great advantage of having a pet bird. In the animal kingdom, birds rank near the top when it comes to smarts. You can have a friend for life if you take good care of it. It's a real character and can bring joy and colour in your home. | high16680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is that the floating ice upon which they survive melts away."
},
"options": [
"It is that the floating ice upon which they survive melts away.",
"It is that more greenhouse gases have been sent out.",
"It is because of the... | The prefix = st1 /USgovernment has announced plans to list polar bears as a threatened species because of concerns that the ice where they live is melting. But as the BBC's Owen Clegg reports, theUSplans are also important for other reasons.
It's estimated that there are no more than twenty-five thousand polar bears living in the wild, and this number could go down by a large amount as the floating ice upon which the bears survive melt away. Now, without admitting the cause of this melt, the US Fish and Wildlife Services are reviewing the bear's living conditions.
That action is being taken at all, and marks an important change for the Bush administration; for the first time, it may be forced to acknowledge a link between global warming and its effect on a species. Such a conclusion by an unwilling Bush administration could force far wider changes inWashington's policy towards the environment.
This review only came about after a union of environmental groups brought a legal case against the government to take action. Environmentalists, like David Doniger, believe that by calling on the protections of the Endangered Species Act, theUSgovernment may finally be forced to cut back on its sending out greenhouse gases:
"It is a very important thing today to have the Bush administration notice that global warming is threatening the existence of the polar bear. Now, it's up to the administration to do something to stop the global warming that's threatening the polar bear." ( David Doniger)
The United States is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases which are blamed for trapping heat from the sun and changing the earth's climate. Since taking office in 2001, President Bush has refused to make the link with global warming, but the bad, serious situation of the polar bear may force that position to change. | high16858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "cyber language in China is popular for it's relation with society"
},
"options": [
"cyber language is popular among all people",
"cyber language is of great fun",
"cyber language needs to be taught at college",
"cyber l... | Cyber language is popular among Chinese netizens, who create English words to reflect novel phenomenon in society.
"Gelivable", combining pinyin of Chinese characters Geili (giving strength) with the English suffix for adjectives, literally means "giving power" or "cool". Similarly, "Hengelivable" means "very cool", and "ungelivable" means "dull, not cool at al". "Antizen" referred to the group of college graduates who, earning a poor salary and living in small rented apartments, are like the tiny and laborious ants.
David Tool, a professor with the Beijing International Studies University said it's very interesting to combine Chinese with English to create new words. "English is no longer mysterious to the Chinese people. They can use the language in a flexible way according to their own experiences," he said. Chinese words and expressions were created, as well, by netizens. One example was "Suan Ni Hen". This three-character expression, which originally meant "you win" with the first character carrying the same pronunciation as garlic in Chinese, is used to satirize high garlic and food prices this winter.
Chinese people use the character "bei" before a verb to show a passive voice, and it is used by netizens to show the helplessness in front of false conclusions and fake media reports. For instance, "zisha" means "suicide" while "beizisha" means "be officially presumed to have committed suicide", and xiaokang means "fairly comfortable life" while "beixiaokang" means "be said to be living a fairly comfortable life".
Wu Zhongmin, a professor at the Party School of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, saw the phenomenon of word creation as a natural response of young people to social issues. "Cyber language is more vivid and it shortens people's distances," he said. | high20332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sixth"
},
"options": [
"tenth",
"sixth",
"fifteenth",
"eighth"
],
"question": "Among the most biologically diverse nations on the planet, China ranks _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | From the jagged peaks of the Himalayas to the powerful Yangtze River that flows into the Pacific, China's vast terrain and varied climate make it the sixth most biologically diverse nation on the planet.
Since 1998, The Nature Conservancy has been working in China's northwest Yunnan Province to protect some of the amazing natural and cultural diversity unique to this country for its future generations. In cooperation with Chinese local and state government agencies, the Conservancy established the Yunnan Great Rivers Project, which protects an area about the size of West Virginia.
Did you know?
*China contains 10% of the world's total species.
*At least 15% of China's mammal species and 8% of its bird species are found nowhere else on Earth.
*Nearly 15,000 plant species are native to Yunnan Province.
*Yunnan is home to 75% of Tibetan medicinal herbs and 30 endangered species.
What is the Nature Conservancy trying to do?
Education for Sustainability
The Nature Conservancy recognizes that environmental education is an important element of working closely with local communities to achieve sustainable conservation results. In response, the Conservancy launched a new program called Education for Sustainability which tests means of teaching and learning that combine conservation goals, social justice, and appropriate development and participation in a vision and mission for personal and social change.
Promoting Green Tourism
Tourism is both an environmental threat and an economic opportunity, with the potential to provide extremely needed income to northwest Yunnan. The Conservancy is working with local communities, government agencies, and tourism enterprises to develop strategies for "green" tourism which will limit the footprint of mass tourism while generating income for local people. In addition to combining tourism development and management at our five action sites, we assisted with regional marketing efforts to promote eco-tourism opportunities. | high14097.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to advertise for qualified translators"
},
"options": [
"to give advice on how to be a good translator",
"to introduce a translation company",
"to encourage native speakers to become translators",
"to advertise for qual... | Contact us
Email:hywinter@263.net
Beijing:
Tel:+86-10-82115893
Fax:+86-10-82115893
Add:Room 405,17 Building,Sun Garden,Haidian District,Beijing
Post Code:100086
Shanghai:
Tel:0086-21-34240860 34240925
Fax:0086-21-34240925
Add:10G of No.38 of Caoxi North Road,Shanghai
Post Code:200030
Guangzhou:
Tel:0086-20-38981061
Fax:0086-20-38981062
Add:North 6F,Junhui Tower,No.9 of Sports West Road,Tianhe District,Guangzhou.
Post Code:510620
Recruitment policy.
Please carefully read the following before applying.
You are a native speaker of the language you translate into [Target language].
You were awarded at least a Masters Degree or equivalent in your native language.
You have a perfect understanding of the language you translate from [Source language].
You have studied or spent a subsequent number of years in the country of the language you
translate from.
You have minimum five (5) years experience in the translation field.
You specialise in only a couple of subjects but have extensive experience in these fields.
You have a good command of computer software and are familiar with basic layout techniques.
Your spelling and grammar is impeccable.
You can show at least two professional references.
Your average turnaround for translation is 3000 words daily.
You can work easily under pressure and respond quickly to queries.
If you can answer "YES" comfortably to these questions,please fill in the application form only for sending details and we would be glad to hear from you. | high7816.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "has decided to go somewhere"
},
"options": [
"is going to Hawaii",
"will go to Lake Arrowhead",
"has decided to go somewhere",
"hasn't decided where to go"
],
"question": "The writer _ to spend his summer va... | We're trying to decide where to go on our vacation this summer. We usually go to Lake Arrowheads for a few weeks, but we'd like to go somewhere else this year. We're tired of doing the same thing summer after summer. Some friends of ours suggested us go to Hawaii. That would be wonderful. I' m sure we would enjoy a trip like that, but of course it's impossible. First, it would be rather expensive, and second, there would not be enough time. If we're lucky enough to save some money between now and next summer, and if I'm lucky enough to get four weeks of vacation instead of two weeks, maybe we can go to Hawaii next year. In fact, if we wanted to plan a trip like that, it would be good to stay home and not to go to any place. That's one way we could begin to save some money for next year's trip. Also, if we were to stay here, I would like to work instead of taking two weeks off: then maybe my boss would suggest that I should be given four weeks' vacation instead of two weeks. | high24154.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "have an unpleasant taste"
},
"options": [
"are lying on the ground",
"have an unpleasant taste",
"bees don't like",
"have an unfamiliar shape"
],
"question": "It can be concluded from the passage that caterpilla... | Can trees talk? Yes, but not in words. Scientists have reasons to believe that trees do communicate with each other. Not long ago, researchers learned some surprising things. First a willow tree attacked in the woods by caterpillars changed the chemistry of its leaves and made them taste so terrible that they got tired of the leaves and stopped eating them. Then even more astonishing, the tree sent out a special smell---a signal causing its neighbors to change the chemistry of their own leaves and make them less tasty.
Communication, of course, doesn't need to be in words. We can talk to each other by smiling, raising our shoulders and moving our hands. We know that birds and animals use a whole vocabulary of songs, sounds, and movements. Bees dance their signals, flying in certain patterns that tell other bees where to find nectar for honey. So why shouldn't trees have ways of sending messages? | high22525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "for the kings' tombs"
},
"options": [
"in honour of the gods",
"for the kings' tombs",
"for visitors to see",
"as places of interest"
],
"question": "In ancient Egypt pyramids were built _ .",
"question_ty... | The kings of ancient Egypt planned strong tombs to keep their bodies safe after death and to hold their treasure.The Great Pyramids along the Nile are on its west bank.The ancient Egyptians compared the rising of the sun to the beginning of life and the setting of the sun to the end of life.This is why their dead bodies were buried on the west bank of the Nile.
The people of Mexico also built pyramids.They did not build the pyramids for tombs.They used to build a pyramid and then a temple on top of it.The pyramids of Mexico are not as high as the pyramids of Egypt,but they are bigger.Each of the pyramids has a wide stairway that goes from the bottom to the top.
The biggest pyramid in Mexico is almost 2,000 years old.Scientists think it took 10,000 men more than ten years to build it.On the top they built a temple of the sun.The temple is no longer there,but people still call it the Pyramid of the Sun.Near it is another huge pyramid,the Pyramid of the Moon. | high13920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "have a gift shop for visitors"
},
"options": [
"have a gift shop for visitors",
"have collections of instruments",
"offer large baby changing units",
"offer different sight-seeing tours"
],
"question": "We can l... | Museum of London
At the Museum of London you can experience and discover the hidden treasures in our city's history.
From talks, walks and tours to evening classes, there's always something happening at museums. The museum is here for you all year round so you can relax in our cafes, find a gift in our shop or just enjoy the sights.
National Army Museum
The museum is available to wheelchair users. And baby changing units are available in the male and female toilets.
The museum cafe offers freshly-made tea and coffee and seasonal food. The National Army Museum Shop offers different kinds of goods which can be ordered by telephone or mail order, and an online shop has opened.
Opening hours: 10: 00 a. m.-5:30 p. m.
Garden Museum
The Garden Museum explores and celebrates British gardens and gardening through its collection.
A planned program of talks, children's activities and plant shows runs throughout the year. The shop offers a lot of perfect presents for those who love gardens and the garden cafe serves delicious freshly-made food. The museum also welcomes volunteer gardeners.
Musical Museum
The Musical Museum contains many collections of musical instruments.
The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday. We are planning many special performances to which you are all invited. If you would like to have a party or use our facilities ,then please call us for further details.
The museum shop provides a number of presents for musical instrument lovers. For further details please visit the website at www. visit-hounslow. com. | high2946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Fishing ships began using new tools with which they could catch more fish."
},
"options": [
"Fishing ships began using new tools with which they could catch more fish.",
"There were fewer smaller fish than before.",
"There we... | You may have heard the popular saying, "there are always more fish in the sea". But as many new studies show, fish populations are changing, and not necessarily for the better.
Consider the case of big, predatory fish. These giants, like sharks and cod , eat other smaller fish. Big fish are an important part of the marine ecosystem because they keep down the numbers of smaller fish. Without fish that eat other fish, populations of smaller swimmers would increase, eating more plants, and leaving less vegetation for other creatures, including future fish.
As fierce as predators can be, they're no match for fishing technology. Many people love to catch predatory fish like sharks, cod and tuna, and new studies suggest that over-fishing is threatening these creatures near the top of the marine food chain.
In one study, Villy Christensen and his colleagues looked at 200 past studies of marine life to learn how fish populations have changed over time. Christensen reported that between 1910 and 1970, the numbers of big predators decreased slowly, and that in 1970 their populations really started to drop. Around that time, fishing ships began using new tools that led to more fish being caught. The numbers have been falling quickly ever since.
Reg Watson looked at the problem from the perspective of the fishermen. In the middle of the 20thcentury, Watson reported, fishing boats didn't go far from home, and most fish were caught near the shore. That was no longer true by the 1980s. By then, fishing had moved farther from shore, into the open oceans, and was helped by the development of new technologies. But since the 1990s, something has changed. Despite new technologies and more efforts, fishing operations have not continued to develop.
Scientists study historical data to understand the present, and this research is needed to forecast the future of fish and fishing. And the forecast doesn't look good: large predator fish are becoming harder to find, and soon may disappear. | high21004.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "contribute to lives in developing countries and develop themselves"
},
"options": [
"improve their abilities by learning in some developed countries",
"travel to many foreign countries to learn more about the world",
"have an... | Americans who volunteer for the Peace Corps get a chance to help improve lives in developing countries. They also get a chance to learn more about the world, and about themselves. This week this program is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
President John Kennedy established the Peace Corps soon after he took office in 1961. It was the time of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. The new program gave Americans a chance to answer the call to service that the president made in his inaugural speech. "Ask not what your country can do for you," he said. "Ask what you can do for your country." Kennedy told Peace Corps volunteers that America's image in the countries where they were going would depend largely on them.
On August 30th, 1961, the first group of 51 Peace Corps volunteers arrived in Accra, Ghana, to serve as teachers. They had agreed to work for almost no pay. They would spend two years in Ghana helping its people and learning the reality of life in a developing country. Most of the volunteers had just completed college. About half of them taught English or health care. In the 50 years since then, more than 200,000 Americans have served as Peace Corps volunteers. They have worked in 139 countries.
The Peace Corps is a government agency that was created to promote world peace and friendship. There are three goals: First, to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women. Second, to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served. And, third. to help promote a better understanding of other people on the part of Americans.
Today, the Peace Corps has more than 8,000 volunteers and trainees in 77 countries. They work in agriculture, economic development, education, the environment and health care. Some work in programs related to youth development.
Sixty percent of current Peace Corps volunteers are women. The average age of a volunteer is 28. But the ages of Peace Corps volunteers range from 18 to 86. Some Americans join the Peace Corps after they retire. Today seven percent of volunteers are over the age of 50. And 19 percent are members of minority groups. | high3480.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He was persuaded to take drugs."
},
"options": [
"He wanted to take drugs.",
"He was persuaded to take drugs.",
"He was forced to take drugs.",
"He was influenced by his parents."
],
"question": "How did the aut... | "How call I obtain more drugs?" I cried."I can't live without the help of drugs!''.You see,I was only 14 years of age when someone said to me,"Here,smoke this! It will make you feel good." So that is how my habit of d rug-taking began.
Soon I felt I could not live without more and more drugs.So I found I needed more and more money to buy drugs.So I began to steal things from my family and from shops.Then in the street I pointed my gun at people,saying, "Give me your money,or I will shoot you!"
I lost all my friends.My family also said,"Get out of this house and never return here!" I then realized the truth-drugs were killing me."Unless someone told me how to escape from the desire for drugs,I will soon be dead," I said .
Then one day,I read in a paper, "We help drug-takers!'' I decided,"I will go and see what these people think they can do for me."So I stayed at their meeting place for seven months.But they failed.They did not take the desire for drugs from me.
Then one day,I read something in the magazine called "La Paloma".I read how people said,"We could not escape from the desire for drugs.But now we have freedom.God gave us power to escape this desire.God gives us the power of the spirit when we believe what Jesus Christ obtained for us by dying for us."SO I decided,"I will go to this Betel meeting place as reported in 'La Paloma'.I will see if they can help me.''
Now I found these Betel people never left me alone.Yes,someone was always there with me day and night.Then one day I cried out to God,"God,please help me!" I know God heard my cry.I found I now had power to escape the desire for drugs.
At last I am free from the desire for drugs.I have found real peace of mind.I now enjoy life and help other people to overcome their d rug problem. | high23613.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "American"
},
"options": [
"Britain",
"American",
"Kenya",
"Indonesia"
],
"question": "Obama was born in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"an... | In 1961 Obama was born in Hawaii, US. His father was an African and his mother was a white American. He grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii.
When Obama was 10 years old, he was one of the only three black students at his school in Hawaii. He felt very different from most other students. White girls wanted to touch his hair. A white boy even asked him what his father was.
"I lied to them that my father was a Kenyan prince. But I kept asking myself who I am," said Obama.
However, 37 years later, the boy made history. Obama became the first black president in US history.
Obama's unusual background made him wonder who he was. He once turned to alcohol to help forget this question.
With the help of his friends, Obama finally turned his life around at college. His hard work made him a star at Harvard. Later, he became the third black senator in US history.
"Obama's success has made Martin Luther King's dream come true. That is: A man should not be judged by the colour of his skin, but by the content of his character," wrote ABC news. | high1297.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university"
},
"options": [
"university researchers know little about the commercial world",
"there is little exchange between industry and academia",
"few industrial scientis... | It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia outweigh any financial considerations.
Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee's is one of them.
The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities.
Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. "Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project." | high703.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "advertise a job"
},
"options": [
"advertise a job",
"introduce a company",
"introduce a career",
"advertise a course"
],
"question": "The main purpose of this passage is to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | Computer Technician (Part Time Student Helper)
* Government Department
* Flexible schedule
* Good opportunity for the young adults
Our client, a Government Department, is now looking for numbers of Part Time Computer Technicians to join their supporting team.
Job Responsibilities
* Responsible for answering queries to end users on the use of computer and electronic systems and facilities
* Provide general technical support to end users
*Handle, on regular health checks on equipment, reset problem terminals and reinstall software
Job Requirements:
*Diploma/ higher diploma in Computer Science or related discipline obtained from Hong Kong University / IVE or above
*Part-time experience in Customer Services and/or IT support is an advantage
* Good at verbal and written English, Cantonese and Mandarin
* With basic knowledge or experience in IT networking
* Good working attitude, energetic and self-motivated candidate is highly preferred
* Students in Year 1 and Year 2 are preferred
* Training will be provided
Attractive remuneration package will be negotiated to the right candidate.
Interested parties please email a MS Word Version resume and expected salary to technology @man power professional, com. hk (CC: iris. cheung @ manpower-professional. Com. hk) and quote the job reference.
Job Ref: 506-111213-IR
Job Type: Contract
Location:
Start Date: ASAP
Duration:
Salary/Rate :
Contact: Iris Cheung
Open To: Hong Kong Residents Only
Submitted: 12/04/2016 | high13908.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "thinks some activities of dogs can reflect senior owners' health"
},
"options": [
"led the study and identified 17 activities of dogs",
"thinks some activities of dogs can reflect senior owners' health",
"studied the relation... | Monitoring the mood of a pet dog could be used as an early warning sign that an elderly owner is struggling to cope, a new report has claimed.
Researchers placed movement sensors on dogs to track their behaviour and identified 17 distinct activities, including chewing, barking, sitting and digging.
This allowed them to map the normal behaviour of a healthy, happy dog, which means any changes can be monitored and could indicate an issue with their owner.
Nils Hammerla, part of the team from Newcastle University, said, "Humans and dogs have lived together in close relationships for thousands of years, which has led to strong emotional and social mutual bonds."
"A dog's physical and emotional dependence on their owner means that their well-being is likely to reflect that of their owner. Any changes such as the dog being walked less often, perhaps not being fed regularly, or simply demonstrating "unhappy" behaviour could be an early indicator for families that an older relative needs help. This is the first system of its kind which allows us to remotely monitor a dog's behaviour in its natural setting."
The team of academics, who presented their findings at the 2013 UbiComp conference in Zurich, created a hi-tech, waterproof dog collar for the study.
Dr Cas Ladha, who led the study, said: "A lot of our research is focused on developing intelligent systems that can help older people to live independently for longer. But developing a system that _ family and carers that an older relative is well without intruding on the individual's privacy is difficult. This is just the first step but the idea behind this research is that it would allow us to support people without the need for cameras."
A range of dogs was used for the study, as the team needed to map distinct behaviours that correlated between different breeds. | high7180.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "tell readers a joke played on Mark Twain"
},
"options": [
"tell readers Mark Twain liked playing jokes",
"tell readers a joke played on Mark Twain",
"tell readers Mark Twain was a great writer",
"tell readers how to tel... | Mark Twain, the famous American writer and a great master of humor, liked to play jokes on others. But once a joke was played on him. One day Mark Twain was invited to give a talk in a small town. At lunch he met a young man, one of his friends.
The young man said that he had an uncle with him. He told Mark Twain that his uncle never laughed or smiled, and that nobody and nothing was able to make his uncle smile or laugh.
"You bring your uncle to my talk this evening," said Mark Twain. "I'm sure I can make him laugh."
That evening the young man and his uncle sat in the front. Mark Twain began to speak. He told several funny stories and made everyone in the room laugh. But the man never even smiled. Mark Twain told more funny stories, but the old man still kept quiet. Mark Twain continued to tell his funny stories. Finally he stopped. He was tired and quite disappointed.
Some days later, Mark Twain told another friend what had happened." Oh," said his friend, "I know that man. He's been deaf for years." | high14901.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Intelligence and Environment"
},
"options": [
"Measuring Your Intelligence",
"Intelligence and Environment",
"The Case of Peter and Mark",
"How the brain Influences Intelligence"
],
"question": "This selection c... | There are two factors which determine an individual's intelligence, The first is the sort of brain he is born with , Human brains differ considerably , some being more capable others, But no matter how good a brain he has to begin with , an individual will have a low order of intelligence unless he has opportunities to learn, So the second factor is what happens to the individual- the sort of environment in which he is reared, If an individual is handicapped environmentally , it is likely that his brain will fail to develop and he will never attain the level of intelligence of which he is capable.
The importance of environment in determining an individual's intelligence can be demonstrated by the case history of the identical twins, Peter and Mark X. Being identical, the twins had identical brains at birth, and their growth, processes were the same, When the twins were three months old, their parents.died, and they were placed in separate foster homes, Peter was reared by parents of low intelligence in an isolated community with poor educational opportunities, Mark was reared in the home of well-to -do parents who had been to college ,He was read to as a child, sent to good schools, and given every opportunity to be stimulated intellectually, This environmental difference continued until the twins were in their late teens, when they were given tests to measure their intelligence, , Mark's LQ ,was 125.twenty-five points higher than the average and fully points higher than his identical brother Given equal opportunities, the twins, having identical brains , would have tested at roughly the same level | high23175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "learning English on Internet"
},
"options": [
"learning English on Internet",
"teaching yourself English",
"the history of English",
"English broadcast on TV or over the radio"
],
"question": "Cyber English prob... | There are new and exciting ways to use the Internet to learn English while you are on - line. The Internet uses a lot of multimedia elements ,like words, sounds, pictures, animations and video. This is perfect for studying a language because you've got to see, hear, and repeat things as much as you like. Learning over the Internet is also funny because you can be a part of conversations happening all around the globe ! Special Internet sites are designed for people learning English, just like yourself. These sites use multimedia to help you learn and are a great way to meet other people around the world. This is Cyber English.
On the Internet, English is the major language. As a result, it is now more important than ever to be able to understand English when you serve the web. It is not always easy,though. The English can be difficult or have a lot of cultural information that you have never seen !
One site for students studying English and their teachers is Englishtown. At http://www. english- town. com, you will find a community ( group) of people interested in learning English. There are several buildings in the virtual town where you can play games, chat with friends, ask and get answers about cultural questions, and find an international penfriend who shares your interests. There are extra resources to help you learn,such as multimedia CD - ROM and books for language learning and translation. You can also have daily and monthly English lessons delivered to your own e - mail address. There is even an on - line school where you can take English classes over Lhe Internet. Englishtown is the perfect place to prefect for a trip to England or the United States ! Would you like to become part of a virtual community of English sfH-aktrs : Surfing the web is not only funny but can also help improve your English ! Try out >ome of tlv, web sites listed below and see how students all over the world are learning English on line. | high11879.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's effective to use."
},
"options": [
"It's cheap to buy.",
"It's effective to use.",
"It's convenient to bring.",
"It's the latest fashion."
],
"question": "Why are ebooks so popular in the world?",
"ques... | Ereading and ebooks are slowly conquering the world.Compared to traditional paper books,ebooks in some schools and universities attract more interest because the information flow seems much easier to manage and comes in a greatly higher quantity.
Japan is known for the reformminded attitude towards the gadget world and for the fact that it is one of the first countries that encouraged in the educational system the emailing of homework.
The digital textbook looks like the logical step in the world of learning.It is natural but it is also completely untraditional.
The plan of the largest publishing companies to get in line with the trend is to save a large quantity of paper and make the kids become interested in learning using a cool gadget.Many USA universities and colleges have made students be used to the procedure of downloading the courses and of course the procedure involves interactive software and also the chance of using the computer.
The traditional education system is still unwilling when it comes to giving up books.The standard approach of information taught out of a book and Shakespeare read out of an old school novel makes studying English as traditional as it can be.
In a world where kids would rather see the movie than read a book,the digital age has brought along a completely different flavor to reading.Bringing that flavor in school will make teaching a greener and also a completely different matter. | high5797.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "not considerate"
},
"options": [
"friendly",
"warm-hearted",
"not considerate",
"not helpful"
],
"question": "In the writer's opinion, his neighbor was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | In ancient Egypt, the pharaoh treated the poor message runner like a prince when he arrived at the palace, if he brought good news. However, if the exhausted runner had the misfortune to bring the pharaoh unhappy news, his head was cut off
Shades of that spirit spread over today's conversations. Once a friend and I packed up some peanut, butter and sandwiches for an outing. As we walked light-heartedly out the door, picnic basket in hand, a smiling neighbor looked up at the sky and said, "Oh boy, bad day for a picnic. The weatherman says it's going to rain." I wanted to strike him in the face with the peanut butter and sandwiches. Not for his stupid weather report, but for his smile.
Several months ago I was racing to catch a bus. As I breathlessly put my handful of cash across the Greyhound counter, the sales agent said with a broad smile. "Oh that bus left five minutes ago." Dreams of head cutting!
It's not the news that makes someone angry. It's the unsympathetic attitude with which it's delivered. Everyone must give bad news from time to time, and winning professionals do it with the proper attitude. A doctor advising a patient that she needs an operation does it in a caring way. A boss informing an employee he didn't get the job takes on a sympathetic tone. Big winners know, when delivering any bad news, they should share the feeling of the receiver.
Unfortunately, many people are not aware of this. When you're tired from a long flight, has a hotel clerk cheerfully said that your room isn't ready yet? When you had your heart set on the toast beef, has your waiter merrily told you that he just served the last piece? It makes you, as traveler or diner, want to land your fist fight on their unsympathetic faces.
Had my neighbor told me of the upcoming rainstorm with sympathy, I would have appreciated his warning. Had the Greyhound salesclerk sympathetically informed me that my bus had already left, I probably would have said, "Oh, that's all right. I'll catch the next one." Big winners, when they hear bad news, deliver bombs with the emotion thebombarded person is sure to have . | high21762.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "collect money for those without access to safe water"
},
"options": [
"increase their profit",
"urge customers to save water",
"raise people's awareness of the world water problem",
"collect money for those without acce... | March 22, 2011---Most restaurants in the United States offer their customers a glass of tap water at no charge with their meal, but this week many restaurants are asking dinners to pay a dollar, or more, for a glass of water. Cards on their tables explain that this small amount helps bring clean water to children around the world. It's called the UNICEF Tap Project.
"UNICEF's Tap Project is really all about bringing attention to the fact that over 900 million people around the globe do not have access to good, clean, healthy drinking water," says Cary Stem, who heads the US Fund for UNICEF. She adds that water-borne illness is the second-highest cause of preventable childhood death in the world.
"Each and every day approximately 4,100 children die just because they don't have that access - 4,100 every single day."
The public service campaign encourages people to help change that statistic with a simple, affordable action: paying a dollar to get a glass of tap water at a restaurant.
"One dollar buys enough good, clean water for a child for 40 days," Stem says.
"The tap project has expanded since it began five years ago with 300 restaurants in New York City. This year, Stem says, about 3,000 restaurants across the country are participating in the campaign. We raised about $2.5 million over the last five years of this campaign," says Stem. "Last year, we raised over $1 million for the first time. This year we're hoping to top that."
Stem credits the continued success of the campaign to an army of volunteers who support the tap project and raise money in their communities.
The UNICEF Tap Project is promoting its efforts with a simple motto: when you take water, give water. Currently, UNICEF works in more than 100 countries around the world to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities.
Stem hopes that, by participating in the project, more Americans will realize that what they often take for granted is a precious and scarce resource in many other parts of the world. | high4489.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships"
},
"options": [
"offer advice to women on how to form intimate relationships",
"explain how nature and nurture impact our friendships",
"explain how moves during childhoo... | Many women write to me perplexed about why they can't form close friendships.They try new approaches,put themselves in all the right places,see therapists,and read relevant selfhelp books.They consider themselves interesting,loyal,kind,and friendworthy people.But for reasons unknown to them,they have a tough time forming intimate relationships.Many admit to not having even one close friend.
A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology offers some clues as to how both nature(personality) and nurture (experience) impact our friendships.Researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Toronto,Mississauga studied more than 7,000 American adults between the ages of 20 and 75 over a period of ten years,looking at the number of times these adults moved during childhood.Their study,like prior ones,showed a link between residential mobility and adult wellbeing:The more times participants moved as children,the poorer the quality of their adult social relationships.
But digging deeper,the researchers found that personality--specifically being introverted or extroverted --could either intensify or buffer the effect of moving to a new town or neighborhood during childhood.The negative impact of more moves during childhood was far greater for introverts compared to extroverts.
"Moving a lot makes it difficult for people to maintain longterm close relationships," stated Dr.Shigehiro Oishi,the first author of the study,in a press release from the American Psychological Association,"This might not be a serious problem for outgoing people who can make friends quickly and easily.Less outgoing people have a harder time making new friends."
Families often have to relocate--across town,across the country,or across the globe.Yet,in many cases,their kids and young adolescents haven't yet built up a bank of friendships.So the conventional wisdom is to try to minimize moves for the sake of your child,whenever possible,and to move at the end of the academic year. | high5783.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "babies need warm physical contact"
},
"options": [
"monkeys have social relationships",
"adults should develop social skills",
"caregivers should be healthy adults",
"babies need warm physical contact"
],
"quest... | Next time a customer comes to your office, offer him a cup of coffee.And when you're doing your holiday shopping online, make sure you're holding a large glass of iced tea.The physical sensation of warmth encourages emotional warmth, while a cold drink in hand prevents you from making unwise decisions--those are the practical lesson drawn from recent research by psychologist John Bargh.
Psychologists have known that one person's perception of another's "warmth" powerfully determines social relationships.Judging someone to be either "warm" or "cold" is a primary consideration, even trumping evidence that a "cold" person may be more capable.Much of this is rooted in early childhood experiences, Bargh argues, when babies' conceptual sense of the world around them is shaped by physical sensations, particularly warmth and coldness.Classic studies by Harry Harlow, published in 1958, showed monkeys preferred to stay close to a cloth "mother" rather than one made of wire, even when the wire "mother" carried a food bottle.Harlow's work and later studies have led psychologists to stress the need for warm physical contact from caregivers to help young children grow into healthy adults with normal social skills.
Feelings of "warmth" and "coldness" in social judgments appear to be universal.Although no worldwide study has been done, Bargh says that describing people as "warm" or "cold" is common to many cultures, and studies have found those perceptions influence judgment in dozens of countries.
To test the relationship between physical and psychological warmth, Bargh conducted an experiment which involved 41 college students.A research assistant who was unaware of the study's hypotheses handed the students either a hot cup of coffee or a cold drink to hold while the researcher filled out a short information form: The drink was then handed back.After that, the students were asked to _ the personality of "Person A" based on a particular description.Those who had briefly held the warm drink regarded Person A as warmer than those who had held the iced drink.
"We are grounded in our physical experiences even when we think abstractly ," says Bargh. | high21776.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "take part in a horse racing"
},
"options": [
"take part in a horse racing",
"buy Mum a blue ribbon",
"join the local riding club",
"train his horse there"
],
"question": "The writer went to the fairgrounds becau... | It was a Saturday morning,a day I believed would end in victory.For weeks,I had been preparing for the match at the county fairgrounds,sponsored by our local riding club.My horse,Tonka, and I could run faster than any kid in the county, and I hoped to bring home a blue ribbon.
My mother usually drove me to the riding events, but on this day, my father planned to drop us off at the fairgrounds with the horse trailer .
Although we never discussed it, my father's struggle with alcoholism had become the silent center of our family life.My mother was paralyzed with fear and indecision.Her salary as a part-time nurse couldn't possibly support four children.No one talked about alcoholism in those days,and it was my family secret.
We climbed on the trailer and my father pulled out of our driveway and headed toward the fairgrounds,picking up speed once we hit the main road.It wasn't until we felt a big bump that I realized the trailer was out of control.The dream of my riding winner disappeared.Tonka lay on the floor, completely still.No words were possible.I knew _ was dead.
Suddenly a man appeared."Are you all right?"he asked."Yes."I answered,although I knew that nothing was all right."Sit here on the grass,"he said.He bent down to look into the trailer.Tonka remained still.He touched Tonka and then turned to face me."He is going to be OK.He has just been knocked unconscious." He rubbed Tonka's cheeks and gently pulling his ears.Tonka rose to his feet.
Our father was talking to a police officer.He was upset and in pain and took little notice of me.I looked back;the man was gone.
I never forgot him.He gave me strength and a sense of hope in a dark and frightening moment. | high7194.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "kept in close touch with friends and neighbors"
},
"options": [
"kept in close touch with friends and neighbors",
"just stayed at her home to take care of her house",
"forgot her unhappiness completely with busy work",
... | Mail lay scattered across the kitchen table. I couldn't put off sorting through it any longer. I checked the envelopes, putting aside the ones addressed to my husband.
It had been over three years since Bob had died. To friends and family it looked like I had moved past the worst of my sorrow. I took care of my house, socialized and kept up with community. On the outside everything appeared to be normal. But inside I was anything but I worried I would never get better, never be myself again. They say sorrow has no set time limit, but I was so tired of feeling empty and hopeless. My sorrow was sharp and fresh as ever. It was like a wall of pressure in my chest, pressing my heart.
I picked up a piece of Bob's mail and held it out to tear in half, but stopped myself from cutting up the envelope. The letter was from an organization that funded a Haitian orphanage called _ . Its founder, Carol Hawthorne, had given a presentation at our church. Bob and I had donated, and Bob ended up on the mailing list to receive the newsletter with updates on the children.
I hadn't read one since Bob died. But just three months before, in January 2012, the country had been hit by a terrible earthquake. In my depressed state, it hadn't even occurred to me to wonder whether the orphanage had survived. I opened the newsletter and was surprised to find out that My Father's House was still standing. Of course now it was more crowded than ever. At the bottom of the page was an announcement about an upcoming trip to visit the orphanage in person. "I should go." The thought wouldn't leave me. I contacted Carol Hawthorne."What would I do if I go?" I asked."Build houses?"
"The Haitian people there are eager to work and they know what they're doing," said Carol. "What they need are raw materials, and we provide them. We also visit with the children. We go to clinics and schools, pass out supplies. You'll be very busy, I promise!" I reserved a seat but didn't mention it to any of my friends. Just a few weeks later, I was at the airport with seven strangers, waiting to board a plane to Haiti. Even after takeoff I wasn't really sure of what I was doing.
In Haiti we were met by Pastor Ronald Lefranc, the director of My Father's House. We piled into an old school bus and drove over uneven roads full of stones and mud. We passed women shaking under the weight of huge water buckets balanced on their heads. Piles of rubbish scattered across the landscape, and the land was covered with broken tents. Finally we pulled up to the orphanage. A crowd of children--52 in all--rushed up to greet us. I couldn't understand the words of the song they sang in Creole, but with the smiles on their faces I didn't need to. Each child planted a big kiss on my cheek.
Carol and Pastor Ronald led us into the main building. "What are those over there?" I asked, pointing to a collection of thin tents. "Is there not enough room in the building for all the children?"
"We have the room," said Pastor Ronald. "But many of these children came here after the earthquake. They still don't feel safe sleeping under a roof."
There was no sign of fear in the playroom inside. I played dolls and other games. Children I'd just met presented me with pictures they'd drawn and letters written in Creole. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. They took turns reading aloud and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar.
They'd lost so much, yet were so joyful. In the evening the children gathered in the dining room. One of the older children stood up to speak and then they all joined in song. The words were strange, but the tune sounded familiar. The children settled down. In the silence, a quiet noise began. | high14915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sugary drinks are allowed to be sold in grocery stores"
},
"options": [
"the sales of diet sodas are forbidden in movie theatres",
"sugary drinks are allowed to be sold in grocery stores",
"large-sized drinks can't be sold in... | New York City plans to put a ban on the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants, movie theaters and street carts, in an effort to fight rising obesity.
The ban would affect almost all the popular sugary drinks found in fast-food restaurants and even sports centers, from energy drinks to pre-sweetened iced teas. The sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 ounces would be forbidden under the first-in-the- nation plan.
The measure would not apply to diet sodas, fruit juices, zero-calorie Vitamin Waters, dairy-based drinks like milkshakes , or alcoholic drinks; it would not expand to drinks sold in grocery stores or convenience stores.
Stefan Friedman, spokesman for the New York City Beverage Association, criticized the city's plan, saying it turns focus away from the hard work that needs to be done on this front.
Kelly Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University, said he believes the ban would be effective. "It is not right to put all the blame for obesity on sugar drinks, but they are strongly connected with this rise in obesity over the last 30 years." Dr. Farley, the health commissioner, said the city had seen higher obesity rates in neighborhoods where soda consumption was more common.
City officials said they believe it will finally prove popular and push governments around the U.S. to follow similar rules.
Mr. Bloomberg has introduced a series of rules in his term of office, including bans on smoking in restaurants and parks, a ban on trans fat in restaurant food and a requirement for health inspection grades to be posted in restaurant windows.
Because of the measures, the mayor was laughed at as Nanny Bloomberg, by those who view the bans as threats to personal freedom. But many of the measures adopted in New York have become models for other cities, including bans on smoking and trans fat, as well as the use of graphic advertising to fight smoking and soda consumption, and the demand that restaurants post calories contents next to prices. | high23161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Northern Ireland doesn't belong to the Republic Ireland"
},
"options": [
"Northern Ireland doesn't belong to the Republic Ireland",
"Northern Ireland plans to break away from Ireland",
"Northern Ireland intends to become inde... | CNN news-Jan 16,2013
Protests have been going on for about a week now in the northern Irish capital of Belfast. They
Started out peacefuily , bus some of them turn violent later on. There is a lot of history behind these protests,and it starts with geography, What's interesting is that Northern Ireland is not part of the republic of Iteland. It,s part of the United Kingdom, and that's what's behind this tension, Nationalists, mostly Catholic, think Northern Ireland should be part of the Republic of Ireland, Unionists, or Loyalists, mostly Protestants, wanted to stay part of the United Kingdom, The conflict between those two groups led to decades of violence ,and more than3,000 people were killed before a peace deal was signed in 1998,The protests happening now are connected to a decision regarding the British flahg ,In Belfast ,the capital of Northern Ireland ,the flag used to fly over City Halll every day of the year , Last month, local officials decided to limit that to 18 days per year. Unionists weren't happy about that . In some cases protesters have thrown concrete blocks, bricks, even weren't happy about that , In some cases protesters have thrown concrete blocks, bricks, even gasoline bombs at police ,Officers have responded by using water cannons to break up the protests.
Nest up ,we are heading to the capital of China , Beijing, Experts say that city has something in common with Los Angeles; smog This gray haze is hanging in the air, making things hard to see ,Yesterday, the numbers indicating smog levels were off the charts, A uthorities warn people there to stay inside, Last year nearly 700 flights were canceled at Beijing airports because of haze and smog, Officials in China say that the air quality in the capital has gotten better since Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics, but residents say the pollution levels have gotten worse. | high23607.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "India."
},
"options": [
"India.",
"Canada.",
"Belgium.",
"Germany."
],
"question": "Which country does the author live in now?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have clear memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew . The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is especially afraid of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine , it was simply an unforgettable experience. I had a sombre feeling on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me abroad, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today,I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general,for me,has always been a terrible and painful experience.Flying on Lufthansa,however, is something I always have and always will look forward to. ks5u | high24168.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "16"
},
"options": [
"12",
"16",
"20",
"24"
],
"question": "If you say \"YES\" to all these questions , you'll get _ points.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Questionnaire(,)
Read the questions and answer YES or NO, then you will find out how good you are.
1. When you don 't understand something, you ask questions. #
2. You like listening to older people talk about the past. #
3. You think that you can learn something interesting from everyone around you. #
4. You are brave enough when you have to talk to people you don't know. #
5. You enjoy reading books about famous people. #
6. You always see and talk to different people. #
7. You are interested in learning new ways of doing things. #
8. You enjoy sharing experiences with friends and learning from people of all ages. #
9.You talk a lot about yourself. #
10. Even if you are often wrong, you make your own decisions. #
11.You hate teaching what you are good at: sports, technology, whatever. #
12.Your parents don't understand you, so you don't talk to them much. #
SCORE NOW!
Score 2 points if you answer YES to each of the first 8 questions, and 0 if you choose NO.
Score 2 points if you answer NO to each of the last 4 questions, and 0 if you choose YES.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18--24 You are friendly and open-minded. You make people feel important by listening to what they have to say. You'll probably succeed in learning al1 kinds of interesting things. Good for you!
10--16 Remember that every single person you know can teach you something. You will greatly make your life rich and colorful.
0- 8 About 400 years ago, a famous writer wrote, "No man is an island. "This is still useful today. Try to be more open and interested in people around you. | high717.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Oxford."
},
"options": [
"Cambridge.",
"Oxford.",
"Harvard.",
"Yale."
],
"question": "Which university had the best work-ready graduates last year?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer... | Cambridge graduates are the most employable in the world,according to a global league table.The ancient university is the best at producing graduates who are'ready to work',a poll of major employers found.
Oxford slipped to fourth place in the rankings having taken top spot last year.Harvard and Yale--part of the US'Ivy League'of universities--were second and third respectively.
Five British universities were ranked in the top 20--one more than last year--and 12 were in the full list of 150.
But the UK as a country came third--behind the US and Germany--when companies were asked to name the best nation for producing work--ready graduates.
The table--the Global Employability University Ranking published by the International New York Times--also showed that universities in Asian countries were rapidly _ on their western counterparts .
Asian universities claimed 20 percent of the top 150 places in 2014 compared with only 10 percent when the tables were first published in 2010.
The other British universities in the top 20 were University College London,in 14th place,Imperial College London,in 15th,and Edinburgh,18th.
The table showed the gap between a small number of top UK universities and less famous institutions.
Laurent Dupasquier,managing partner at Emerging,a French human resources consultancy,said:"The top tier players.global brands (which tend to be all American and British).continue to lead,while other Anglo--Saxon universities,those that are mainly regional players,tend to develop less well,with an average of five places lost in comparison with last year."
"Like the Premier League ,the champions have an international community of students and think internationally,unlike their more locally oriented counterparts."
The table was made following a survey of 2,500 major companies in 20 countries.Employers were asked to rank universities against a range of criteria including their production of graduates who are ready to work and their links with business.
The study claimed that'the days of ivory towers are over'. | high9807.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "affected his future life greatly"
},
"options": [
"affected his future life greatly",
"made him forget the way back",
"was supported by Charles V financially",
"was to find the Fountain of Youth"
],
"question": ... | One of the sailors who sailed with Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World was a man named Juan Ponce de Leon. This voyage changed his life.
He decided to stay when Columbus returned. Ponce was named governor of Puerto Rico (then called Boriquien) in 1508.
While there, he heard many stories of a magical water source. People called it the Fountain of Youth and said that drinking its water kept you young.
For the next few years, Ponce tried to find out where the Fountain of Youth was. He asked permission from Spain's King Charles V to go in search of it. The king _ , as long as Ponce paid for the ships and crew himself.
The young explorer did so readily, and they set off. It was March 1513. They sailed for days but didn't see the fountain. On March 27, he came within sight of the Florida coast. On April 2, he landed at what he named St. Augustine. This was the first Spanish settlement on the mainland of North America.
He had several adventures along the way. He did not, however, find the Fountain of Youth. He returned to Boriquien.
He continued to govern tile island, and he continued to hear stories of the Fountain of Youth. Finally, in 1521, he set out again.
This time, he landed on the Florida coast again. While he and his men were building houses for a new settlement, they were attacked by native tribesmen . Many of his men died, but Ponce escaped, although he was injured. He reached Cuba and entered a hospital, where he died of wounds from the attack in Florida. Juan Ponce de Leon never found the Fountain of Youth. Neither did anyone else, at least as far as we know. | high21010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades"
},
"options": [
"Tips on Paying Kids for Good Grades",
"New Trends in Paying Kids for Good Grades",
"Good Grades Mean Good Rewards",
"Don't Pay Kids for Good Grades"
],
"question"... | Last year, on report card day, my son and a group of his 13-year-old friends piled into the back seat of my car, ready for the last-day-of-school party at McDonald's. "Jack got a laptop for getting straight A's, and Laurie got a cell-phone," one boy said. "Oh, yeah, and Sarah got an iPod Nano, and she's only in third grade," said another. "And how about Brian? He got $10 for each A."
I suddenly became concerned. These payoffs might get parents through grammar school, but what about high school and beyond? What would be left after the electric guitar, the cell-phone, and the DVD player?
I saw the road ahead: _ I saw my comfortable lifestyle disappear before my eyes---no more of those $5 bags of already-peeled organic carrots. No more organic anything!
I started to feel surprised and nervous. Would every goal achieved by my two children fetch a reward? A high grade point average? A good class ranking? Would sports achievements be included in this reward system: soccer goals, touchdowns ? What about the orchestra ? Would first chair pay more than second? I'd be penniless by eighth-grade graduation.
"We never paid anything for good grades," said my neighbor across the street, whose son was recently accepted at MIT. "He just did it on his own. Maybe once in a while we went out for pizza, but that's about it."
Don't you just hate that? We're all running around looking for the MP3 player with the most updates, and she's spending a few dollars on pizza. She gets motivation; we get negotiation. And what about the primary grades? What do these students get? "When the teacher asked if anyone got rewards for good grades, everyone in my class raised their hands and said they got ice cream cones ," said one third-grader. | high2952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "don't fully understand the pressures of being a teenager now"
},
"options": [
"didn't have to overcome difficulties when in their teens.",
"don't fully understand the pressures of being a teenager now",
"can easily deal with ... | Dear Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul,
Most people don't really know what pressures a typical teenager has to go through. Sure, our parents and grandparents were once teens, but things are so different now. It has never been to tougher to a teenager.
It had never been more important to be in the "right group" or to have the "right brand" of shoes. And those are the easy things to deal with. We also face problems with family, friends, relationships and school pressures.
When it gets to be too much, I turn to my friends. One friend I could not live without is Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. Your books have been so inspiring to me and have helped me to deal with and understand the problems I go through.
For example, I went through a confusing time with my friends when we got to junior high. I had known these friends since kindergarten, and when we began junior high it seemed like some of them began to change. We started hanging out with different groups, and we slowly grew so far apart that it seemed as if we had never been friends. I felt confused and hurt.
Sometime during this period I read the story Friends Forever in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II.I felt so much better after reading it. It was like a weight had been lifted from me when I realized that many friendships went through changes and that we weren't the only friends to experience _
People change, but that doesn't mean we have to lose the friendships we once shared. My friends and I still spend time together when we can and care about each other a lot. That things are different doesn't mean I have to forget about all the good times we had. I will always keep the memories in a safe place in my heart.
Sincerely,
Peter | high3494.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it is very important for the students to use good dictionaries properly ."
},
"options": [
"Choose a good dictionary, and you will succeed in learning English",
"Dictionaries are not necessary to the students who learn English",
... | Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much .Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give one or two words as a translation of English. But one English word has many English translations in Chinese.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them often, When they are reading these students first try to get the general idea and understand the new words from the context .Then they read and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. Also if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form or a verb might have an unusual past form, they check these in a dictionary. | high16864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the release of artificial or natural substances into the environment"
},
"options": [
"our ever-increasing population",
"increased amounts of a natural substance",
"the release of artificial or natural substances into the env... | People all over the world today are beginning to hear and learn more and more about the problem of pollution.Pollution is caused either by man's release of completely new artificial substances into the environment,or by releasing greatly increased amounts of a natural substance,such as oil from oil tankers into the sea.
The whole industrial process which makes many of the goods and machines we need and use in our daily lives,is bound to create a number of waste products which upset the environmental balance,or the ecological balance as is also known.Many of these waste products can be prevented or disposed of.But while more and more new and complex goods are produced,there will be new,dangerous waste to be disposed of,for example,the waste products from nuclear power stations.Many people,therefore,see pollution as only part of a larger and more complex problem,that is,the whole process of industrial production and consumption of goods.Others again see the problem mainly in connection with agriculture,where new methods are helping farmers grow more and more on their land to feed our ever-increasing population.However,the land itself is gradually becoming worn out as it is being used,in some cases,too heavily,and artificial fertilizers can not restore the balance.
Whatever its underlying reasons are,there is no doubt that much of the pollution caused could be controlled if only companies,individuals and governments would make more efforts.In the home there is an obvious need to control litter and waste.Food comes wrapped up three or four times in packages that all have to be disposed of;drinks are increasingly sold in bottles or tins which can not be reused.This not only causes a litter problem,but also is a great waste of resources,in terms of glass,metals and paper.Advertising has helped this process by persuading many of us not only to buy things we neither want nor need,but also to throw away much of what we do buy.Pollution and waste combine to be a problem everyone can help to solve by cutting out unnecessary buying,excessive consumption and careless disposal of the products we use in our daily lives. | high18691.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "explore the connection of Italy and China"
},
"options": [
"study Da Vinci's mother",
"explore the connection of Italy and China",
"find Da Vinci's mother is a slave",
"research China and Mona Lisa"
],
"question... | Leonardo da Vinci's mother may have been a Chinese slave according to a new research by an Italian historian and novelist-Angelo Paratico, who has spent the last 20 years living and working in Hong Kong,researching the links between his homeland and China over the past half century.
Mr. Paratico said the documents he has uncovered during two years of research form the basis of his latest book Leonardo Da Vinci, a Chinese scholar lost in Renaissance Italy. The book, which is due to be published next year, uncovers evidence that there's a link between Da Vinci and the Far Fast.
Speaking to the South China Morning http://w|ww?.wln%100.com @Post, Mr. Paratico said, "I am sure that Leonardo's mother was from the East, but to make her a Chinese, we need to use a deductive method .
One wealthy client of Leonardo's father had a slave called Caterina. After Leonardo's date of birth, she disappeared from the documents. She was no longer working there."
It is believed that his mother was called Caterina, who, according to some reports, was a local peasant. But Mr. Paratico's new work claims it is most likely that Da Vinci's mother was a slave.
Supporting his theory, he said, "During the Renaissance, countries like Italy and Spain were full of slaves from the East."
He claimed that there were certain aspects of Da Vinci's life and works which suggest a Chinese link. For instance, he was writing with his left hand from left to right and he was also a vegetarian, which was not common. Mona Lisa is probably a portrait of his mother, as Sigmund Freud said in 1910. On the back of Mona Lisa, there is a Chinese landscape and even her face looks Chinese.
Mr. Paratico said he believes the only way to solve the mystery is to dig out some of Da Vinci's relations in Florence and extract some DNA. | high19410.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "develop impersonal interests with proper activities."
},
"options": [
"develop impersonal interests with proper activities.",
"tell their children not to make mistakes",
"concern themselves with their children",
"not gi... | There are two dangers to be guarded against in old age. One of these is undue absorption in the past. It does not do to live in memories, in regrets for the good old days, or in sadness about friends who are dead. One's thoughts must be directed to the future and to things about which there is something to be done.
It is unwise to be too attached to the youth in the hope of sucking vigor from its vitality. When your children are grown up they want to live their own lives, and if you continue to be as interested in them as you were when they were young, you are likely to become a burden to them, unless they are cold to you.
I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with you children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still _ them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are afraid of death. But in fact the best way is to make your interests gradually wider and ore impersonal. An individual human existence should be like a river-small at fist, rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider and the banks move back and in the end they become mixed in the sea without any visible break.
The old man who can see life in this way will not suffer from the fear of growing old and death. | high4264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "their batteries and speeds"
},
"options": [
"their color1s",
"their outside shapes",
"their screens",
"their batteries and speeds"
],
"question": "The difference between 3G and 3GS lies mainly in _ .",
"q... | After lots of hype, the new iPhone 3GS has arrived, boasting an improved camera, better battery life, and speedier performance. But is it a must?
The iPhone 3GS is available in two versions: 16GB and 32GB. The 16GB version costs $199, while the 32GB version costs $299. From the outside, the iPhone 3GS looks exactly like the iPhone 3G. Like the iPhone 3G, the new model comes in black and white versions, and sports a 3.5-inch touch screen. Most of the changes to the iPhone 3GS have been made on the inside. Apple says that battery life is better, but the biggest boost is in the iPhone's speed: The iPhone 3GS runs twice as fast as the iPhone 3G. Instead of a lot of software installed on it, the iPhone 3GS comes with the most recent version of the iPhone Software --version 3.0- installed, but it does come with easy access to Apple's App Store. The speedier performance of the iPhone 3GS extends to surfing the Web, too. You can see entire Web pages, and can zoom in and out with ease.
The notable new messaging feature on the iPhone 3GS is support for MMS. You can send pictures and videos by SMS, rather than having to send them via e-mail. Other new and very-handy e-mail features include the ability to search through your e-mail messages and contacts, as well as the option to use a landscape-oriented keyboard when composing messages.
The camera has been upgraded from 2 megapixels to 3 megapxiels, and adds auto-focus. If you already own an iPhone 3G, the iPhone 3GS may not be worth the additional cost, since you can get many of its cool features for free with the iPhone 3.0 software upgrade. But if you've been using an older iPhone or smart phone, or are new to the smart phone world, the iPhone 3GS will amaze you with its speed and plentiful features. | high20291.txt |
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