questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "provide youth with unique experiences"
},
"options": [
"train staff for world-famous firms",
"offer job opportunities to young adults",
"provide youth with unique experiences",
"equip the unemployed with different skill... | A MENTORING program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg, the program's founder, said; "We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.
"We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth. For example, we've secured internships with world-famous firms such as Honda.
"At a time of funding cutbacks where schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring, it is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures. " Kieran Hepburn, 14, is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far. In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) International Youth Forum .
The event was held for young people from around the world, to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look. Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their 20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event. Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience. " Before we left I didn't quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn't stop, it was amazing," he said, " We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon. "
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life. It dealt with issues such as drug abuse, violence and unemployment.
Kieran said: " It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August. "
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury. For details visit www.younginspirations.com. | high4073.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The requirements to print new warning labels on their products."
},
"options": [
"The requirements to sell fewer products to the public.",
"The requirements to print new warning labels on their products.",
"The measures to ma... | Tobacco companies are fighting efforts in the United States and Australia to make their products less appealing. In Washington, a federal judge last week blocked the Food and Drug Administration from requiring new warning labels on cigarette packs. Judge Richard Leon ruled in a case brought by five tobacco companies. The judge temporarily stopped a new federal rule which requires large new warnings starting next September. These include color1 images such as a dead body or diseased lungs. And simple text warnings now appear.
Congress called for color1 images showing the dangers of smoking, similar to what Canada does. But the tobacco companies say the new requirements approved in June violate their free speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
Judge Leon said the FDA could not require the new labels before a lawsuit against the government is decided. Some experts say the process could take years. The judge said he believed the cigarette makers were highly likely to win their case.
He said the images should be designed to appeal to emotions, rejecting government arguments that they should be purely factual. He accused the government of trying to use the labels to promote an "obvious anti-smoking agenda?"
The head of an anti-smoking group, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, called the decision "wrong on the science and wrong on the law".
About one-fifth of American adults smoke. The World Health Organization says tobacco kills nearly six mil-lion people worldwide each year. More than six hundred thousand of them are non-smokers who breathe other people's tobacco smoke.
In Australia, tobacco companies want to stop what would be the world's most restrictive laws on cigarette advertising. Cigarettes could be sold only in plain olive-green packages. Only the brand name and health warnings could appear. The Senate passed the bill last week and sent it back to the Lower House to approve minor amendments . The law is to go into effect in December of next year.
Tobacco companies Say the legislation violates the Australian constitution. They say it would unjustly reduce the value of their brand names and trademarks. Health Minister Nicola Roxon says the government is ready for a legal fight. | high21398.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the effect of exercise on reducing chances of cancer"
},
"options": [
"the effect of exercise on reducing chances of cancer",
"how to lose weight effectively",
"different ways to keep slim",
"fat men live longer than sl... | Lack of exercise is considered a risk factor for cancer. There is considerable evidence that inactivity is connected with increased risk for lung cancer, breast cancer, etc.
In the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, more than 32,000 people (25,000 men and 7,000 women) were given a preventive medical examination that included a machine exercise test to measure physical fitness. They were given a physical fitness score, with one being the lowest and five being the highest fitness level. Then these people were followed for an average of 8 years. During this time, 179 men and 44 women died of cancer.
Data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study show people have lower rates of cancer with higher levels of physical fitness. Studies from the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas suggest that men with high fitness levels are less likely to die of cancer.
The Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study also found that fitness level was more important than weight in predicting longevity . While results showed that fitness and normal weight are the ideal combination, researchers found that men who were fat but performed well in the machine performance had just a slightly increased all-cause death rate, including cancer, compared to the more slim men. The fat, but fit, men particularly lived longer than the slim, but flabby , men.
These statistics called for a warning to the overweight: The first health goal for the overweight should be to become as fit as possible at their current weight. | high16534.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Alibaba wants to take more shares in the market of mobile-based services"
},
"options": [
"Alibaba wants to take more shares in the market of mobile-based services",
"Alibaba wants to sell more goods to customers",
"Alibaba w... | In its latest step to attract Chinese smartphone users, e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. said it is planning to launch a mobile gaming service soon.
Alibaba is considering integrating its new mobile gaming service into its messaging app, Laiwang, as well as its Mobile Taobao app for online shopping, a person familiar with the matter said. It is also planning to launch the gaming service as a standalone app, the person said.
In the world of gaming and other mobile-based services, Alibaba faces powerful competitor Tencent Holdings Ltd., a giant in online gaming and social networking services. Many analysts view Tencent as a leader in mobile-based businesses in China because of its popular WeChat instant-messaging app, which has over 272 million monthly active users worldwide according to the company. Tencent could use WeChat's massive user base to offer additional mobile services such as gaming or e-commerce, analysts say.
Alibaba's push into mobile-based services hasn't always been smooth. It launched Laiwang more than a year ago, but the app, which competes against WeChat, struggled to gain popularity. In September, a person familiar with the situation said Alibaba was in talks with China Telecom Corp., to have the app preinstalled in smartphones sold by the country's third-largest mobile carrier. According to Alibaba, Laiwang had more than 10 million registered users as of November.
Alibaba dominates China's e-commerce market with its Taobao and Tmall shopping sites, but one of the biggest challenges it faces is how to hold onto its vast user base when more Chinese Internet users access online services from smartphones. To meet this challenge, Alibaba has made several acquisitions to strengthen its mobile-based services. Last year, it took an 18% stake in Sina Corp.'s Twitter-like Weibo service and integrated some of Taobao's e-commerce services with the microblog. It also bought a 28% stake in mobile mapping firm AutoNavi Holdings Ltd., a move that could enable Alibaba to send location-based ads to smartphone users. | high18519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "listen more"
},
"options": [
"listen more",
"understand more",
"speak more",
"look here and there"
],
"question": "When we communicate with others we had better _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | I think that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention and especially if its given from the heart. When people are talking, there's no need to do anything but receive them. Just take them in. Listen to what they're saying. Care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it.
When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know we care.
I have even learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the tissues , until I realized that passing a person a tissue may be just another way to shut them down, to take them out of their experience of sadness and pain. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.
This simple thing has not been that easy to learn. It certainly went against everything I had been taught since I was very young at school. I thought people listened only because they were too timid to speak or did not know the answer. A loving silence often has far more power to connect and to heal than the most well-intentioned words. | high10145.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the author treated her kindly and friendly"
},
"options": [
"the author gave her material assistance",
"the author treated her kindly and friendly",
"the author would help her as a reward",
"the author was a foreigner"
... | Outside our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a seemingly ancient woman waited beside the door with her hand outstretched. Every day I put my hand in hers as our eyes met. She never failed to return my smile, my grasp, and my greeting.
On the last day of our visit, I found myself alone on a busy corner across the street from our hotel. Bicycles and motorbikes rushed in front of me. As I hesitated on the sidewalk, I felt a hand on my elbow and looked down to see the smile of my small beggar friend looking up at me. She nodded her head toward the street, indicating that she would take me across. Together, we moved slowly into the chaos.
Then we moved on toward the sidewalk, where she pulled my face down to hers, kissed me on both cheeks, and then left, still smiling and waving back to me.
Traveling in poorer nations, I have witnessed a variety of ways to deal with beggars. The most common response of tourists faced with the poverty-stricken is to ignore them and focus their eyes elsewhere. I have seen people push away an outstretched hand in angry annoyance. A few may drop a few coins into the hand in a hurry, hoping that other ragged pursuers won't immediately appear on the scene.
For many reasons, giving money is not the best response to an outstretched hand. Many world travelers have discovered that the greatest gift they can give is their time and respect. Everyone needs recognition, to be seen as worthy of being known, to feel appreciated and loved. And I believe that everyone is worthy and worth knowing. | high10623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To test their potential of being detectives."
},
"options": [
"To inquire about their relationship with the suspect.",
"To test their potential of being detectives.",
"To train them as qualified police officers.",
"To s... | A policeman was questioning 3 blondes who were training to become detectives. To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the first blonde a picture for5 seconds and then hides it.
"This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The first blonde answers, "That's easy, we'll catch him fast because he only has one eye!" The policeman says, "Well...uh...that's because the picture shows his profile."
Slightly confused by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for 5 seconds at the second blonde and asks her, "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?"
The second blonde giggles, flips her hair and says, "Ha! He'd be too easy to catch because he only has one ear!"
The policeman angrily responds, "What's the matter with you two? Of course only one eye and one ear are SHOWING because it's a picture of his profile!! Is that the best answer you can come up with?"
Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third blonde and in a very testy voice asks "This is your suspect, how would you recognize him?" He quickly adds, "Think hard before giving me a stupid answer."
The blonde looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, "Hmmmm...the suspect wears contact lenses."
The policeman is surprised and speechless because he really doesn't know himself if the suspect wears contacts or not. "Well, that's an interesting answer...wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I'll get back to you on that." He leaves the room and goes to his .office, checks the suspect's file in his computer, and comes back with a beaming smile on his face. "Wow! I can't believe it...it's TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact lenses. Good work! How were you able to make such an acute observation?"
"That's easy," the blonde replied. "He can't wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear." | high2364.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "heavy traffic and crowds"
},
"options": [
"financial loss",
"a busy shopping day",
"heavy traffic and crowds",
"sad feelings and moments"
],
"question": "Black Friday originally referred to _ .",
"question... | Black Friday is the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States.In recent years,it has been regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and most major shops have opened extremely early and offered promotional sales .Black Friday is not an official holiday,but many employees and schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday off,followed by a weekend.It has been the busiest shopping day of they ear since 2005.
The day's name began in Philadelphia,where it originally was used to describe huge crowds and heavy traffic that would occur on the day after Thanksgiving.The use of the name started before 1961.Later all alternative explanation was made:"Black Friday"indicates the point at which retailers begin to turn a profit or are"in the black".
For many years,it was common for retailers to open at 6:00 a.m.,but in the late 2000s many had opened at 5:00 a.m.or even 4:00 a.m..This was taken to a new degree in 2011,when several retailers opened at midnight for the first time.
Black Friday Shopping is known for attracting aggressive crowds,with annual reports of terrible noise and crowds of people trampling on other shoppers in an attempt to get the best deal on a product before supplies run out. | high19161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "greater"
},
"options": [
"less",
"greater",
"poorer",
"little"
],
"question": "People with close friends have a _ ability to fight disease than people who are alone.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Having friends may well keep you healthier and help you deal with stress better. Some studies show that people with close friends have a greater ability to fight disease than people who are alone.
Place friendship in the first place. Find the time to be with friends even if it means letting the lawn go unmowed or the dishes unwashed for a while. When you can't get together, use the phone to keep in touch.
Open up to close friends. Keeping a deep friendship requires a level of "heartfelt" intimacy .Don't be afraid to express your inner fears and disappointments. Listen to your friends when they have problems,but offer advice only when it's wanted. Help raise friends' selfesteem when they are sad about a job loss, or other such events.
Have different friends for different activities, such as going to the movies,singing in a choir,and joining in a bowling league.
Don't wait for a friend to ask for helps. When a friend has the flu,offer to go to the store or drive his or her children to their afterschool activities.
Never take a friendship for granted. Like a good marriage,friendship needs care and patience. Become a joiner. Find a group that matches your interests.
Talk to strangers. Conversations started in museums, laundry rooms,or bookstores can lead to firm friendship.
_ in an adulteducation course. A classroom is an ideal place to meet others with similar interests. | high4715.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are similar"
},
"options": [
"They are alive .",
"They are hopeless.",
"They are similar",
"They are different."
],
"question": "What does the author think of cities all over the world ?",
"question_typ... | American cities are similar to other cities around the world. In every country cities reflect the values of the culture. Cities contain the very best aspects of a society: opportunities for education employment and entertainment. They also contain the very worst parts of a society: violent crime racial conflict and poverty. American cities are changing just as American society is changing.
After World War II city residents became wealthier more prosperous. They had more children. They needed more space. They move out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs areas near a city where people live. These are areas without many offices or factories. During the 1950s the American "dream" was to have a house in the suburbs.
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in 1950s are now adults. They unlike their parents want to live in the cities. Many young professionals doctors lawyers and executives are moving back into the city. Many are single; others are married but often without children. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; they are afraid of the fuel shortage; or they just enjoy the excitement and opportunities which the city offers.
This population shift is bringing problems as well as benefits. Countless poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright , new future .Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure:many dying cities are alive again. | high16252.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Heavy snowfalls"
},
"options": [
"Seasonal winds",
"Warmer wet air",
"Mild weather",
"Heavy snowfalls"
],
"question": "What result does \"the lake effect\" bring to the eastern shore? _ .",
"question_type... | The effect of the Great Lakes on weather in the region is called the lake effect. In winter*the lakes often have no ice in the middle. The seasonal winds from the west pick up the slightly warmer wet air from the lake surface. As the slightly warmer wet air passes over the colder land surface, it often produces heavy snowfall. This is similar to the effect of warmer air passing over mountain ranges, which often leads to dropping snow. During the period of freezing weather, the "snow belt",caused by the seasonal winds, receives regular snow fall and this phenomenon along the eastern shore forms the localized weather pattern, especially in Michigan, Ohio and so on.
The lakes also _ seasonal temperatures to some degree, by absorbing heat to cool the air in summer and then slowly giving out that heat in autumn. This function of the lakes protects the autumn against frost, and it also keeps the summer time temperatures cooler than further inland. This temperature buffering produces areas known as "fruit belts",where fruits typically grown farther south can be produced. That is why some southern fruits like apples ,cherries and grapes can be found in western Michigan near the lake shore as far north as the Grand Traverse Bay. The eastern shore of Lake Michigan and the southern shore of Lake Erie have many wine makers as a result of this.
However ,the lake effect has been found to be related to the occurrence of bad weather. For example, fogs are often formed over medium-sized areas along the shorelines of the lakes. This is most noticeable along Lake Superior's shores ,due to its coastal climate. A case in point is Hurricane Hazel in 1954,and tornadoes in Michigan and Ontario in 2007. Such evidence shows that the lake effect may help strengthen storms. | high20938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "recognize more facial expressions correctly"
},
"options": [
"recognize more facial expressions correctly",
"lose the sense of direction frequently",
"tell different emotions immediately",
"more pictures of faces easily... | It seems that people are gradually losing their smartness as smartphones become increasingly important assistants in their lives. As we rely too much on technology instead of our brains, many people have lost three basic abilities.
The first skill many people have lost is remembering phone numbers. Because phone numbers are stored in smartphone contacts, there's now no need to dial a number or look at it again. _
And some people may also have lost their sense of direction because navigation apps can guide people anywhere they want. People get so dependent on them that when they can't use their smartphones, they get lost and anxious.
But the worst lost skills may be social ones, meaning that some people are becoming socially inept People often bury themselves in their smartphones. As we're too absent-minded by what's happening in the virtual some of us have lost conversational skills and sometimes can't even distinguish whether a person is happy or not.
Last August, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied 51 students aged 11 and 12 who had over five hours' screen time every day. Their task was to tell the emotions of 48 pictures of faces that were happy, sad, angry or scared.
The children made an average of 14. 02 mistakes at the beginning. But after a five-day camp without electronic products, they made only 9.41 mistakes on average.
Luckily, people still have a chance to get these abilities back. You should try to keep your parents' numbers in mind for emergencies. You should also pay more attention to street signs and stores , which will help you to draw a mind map and stop you from getting lost. And the easiest solution to social skill loss is to take a break from electronic products. | high9231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he is not afraid"
},
"options": [
"he is angry",
"he is outgoing",
"he is cool",
"he is not afraid"
],
"question": "When someone is keeping his arms behind his back, he tries to tell you that _ .",
"quest... | Body language is one of the most powerful means of communication, often even more powerful than spoken language. It is said that our body movements communicate about 50 percent of what we really mean while words only express 7 percent. So, while your mouth is closed, your body is just saying.
Arms. How you hold your arms shows how open and receptive you are to people you meet. If you keep your arms to the sides of your body or behind your back, this suggests you are not afraid of taking on whatever comes your way. Outgoing people generally use their arms with big movements, while quieter people keep them close to their bodies. If someone upsets you, just cross your arms to show you're unhappy!
Head. When you want to appear confident, keep your head level. If you are a monitor in class, you can also take on this position when you want your words to be taken seriously. However, to be friendly in listening or speaking, you must move your head a little.
Legs. Your legs tend to move around a lot more than normal when you are nervous or telling lies. If you are at interviews, try to keep them still!
Posture . A good posture makes you feel better about yourself. If you are feeling down, you normally don't sit straight, with your shoulders inwards. This makes breathing more difficult, which can make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.
Mouth. When you are thinking, you often purse your lips. You might also use this position to hold back an angry comment you don't wish to show. However, it will probably still be noticed, and people will know you're not pleased.
Face. When you lie, you might put on a false face. But that expression would crack briefly, allowing displays of true emotions such as happiness, sadness, disgust and fear to come through. | high14445.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Best Smiles May Be All Wet."
},
"options": [
"The Best Smiles May Be All Wet.",
"The Sweetest Smile in the World.",
"Smiling, a Universal Language.",
"A New Challenge, a New Trend."
],
"question": "What woul... | Snapshots, the new fashion for an artistic portrait photo: Take it underwater. Zhang Xiaomei, a 20 something Shanghai native who works in the media industry, tried it out twice.
"It was a completely different experience," says Zhang of her first such experience last May. "You get the feeling that you're cut off from the rest of the world. But also it s romantic and like a fairy tale."
She then successfully convinced her husband to be to have their wedding photos taken underwater a couple of months after her first try. "Can you imagine a 1.87-meter-tall man trying out something like a fishtail under the water?" Zhang says, laughing.
A commercial underwater photo portrait is perfect for post 80 and post 90 generations who adore taking snapshots, but are looking for new ways to be artistic, says Ai Cheng, owner and photographer of No.55 Underwater Photography in Shanghai.
Ai opened a studio in Shanghai's suburb of Songjiang two years ago, building a 5-meter- deep, fan-shaped pool equipped with heating facilities to start up the business. A 30-minute training on how to smile under the water so that you won't drink too much water and how to open your eyes underwater is offered in his studio for those who don't know how to swim.
Ai says most of his customers are female--half of them coming for an artistic portrait photo and the rest for wedding pictures. "Some of them drag their boyfriends or husband-to-be, who are unwilling to go down to the water, to shoot as well," he says. | high6102.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Becoming a film star."
},
"options": [
"Working as a waiter.",
"Becoming a film star.",
"Parking cars for film stars.",
"Owning a big company."
],
"question": "Which of the following was Larry really interested ... | As far back as he could remember,Larry had longed to go to Hollywood and become a film star. The young man's hopes for success were broken again and again, however. Hollywood just did not seem interesting. When he first came to California, Larry had decided never to give up and return home without success. Therefore, he kept on trying. Someday, he told himself, his big opportunity would come.
Larry found a job parking cars for one of Hollywood's big restaurants. His pay was basic, but since the guests were kind enough to give him more money, he managed to make a living. One day he recognized an important film director driving into the parking lot and getting out of his car. Larry had recently heard that the man was ready to make a new picture.
Larry got into the car and prepared to drive it on into the lot and park it. Then he stopped, jumped out, and ran over to the director. "Excuse me, sir, but I think it is only fair to tell you that it is now or never if you want me in your next picture. A lot of big companies are after me."
Instead of pushing away the boy,the director laughed,then wrote something on a card and handed it to the young man." Come and see me tomorrow."
Larry got a small part in the director's next film. | high15983.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It has pages with several functions."
},
"options": [
"It sells well around the world.",
"It has pages with several functions.",
"It is about environment protection.",
"It can treat about 100 liters of water."
],
... | The expression "a thirst for knowledge" may soon have a new meaning for millions of people who have no way to get clean water. Researchers have developed a book with specially treated pages that can turn dirty water into clean and drinkable water. They say their invention could improve the lives of many in the developing world.
About 700 million people around the world are at risk of disease or even death because their drinking water is not clean. The water is polluted by harmful bacteria.
The book contains 25 pages. Each page is about one millimeter thick. The pages contain very small particles of silver. The pages can be used as filters to remove harmful microorganisms that can pollute drinking water. The filter kills the organisms that pass through it.
Pictures on the pages show the dangers of dirty water and how to use the book for those unable to read. The pages are made of filter paper. They are designed to be torn from the book. Water can be poured through the paper to be cleaned.
Ms. Dankovich, the inventor, says each page can treat up to 100 liters of water. She recently presented her invention at the meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, Massachusetts. She was asked whether she had considered adding classic literature on the book's pages.
"The idea of classic texts--that's of interest maybe later. We have discussed a little bit more exciting text. But we really haven't had the time to go through _ " she says.
Teri Dankovich and another researcher tested the drinkable book in Bangladesh, Ghana and South Africa. The tests proved to be successful.
Water for Life, a non-governmental organization, has provided financial support for the project. | high12020.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it is inconvenient to use"
},
"options": [
"there is a television in the phone",
"it is inconvenient to use",
"it can't provide enough power",
"people have found substitutes"
],
"question": "The lithium batterie... | A mobile phone is no longer just a phone -- it is also a music player, video camera and personal organizer. And mobile phones with television programming are just around the corner. But the more functions cell phone manufacturers add, the greater the amount of power the phones use and the less practical running them on lithium batteries becomes -- so the race to find a viable alternative is on.
Two of the world's biggest electronics makers, Hitachi and Toshiba, are currently competing against each other to come up with an alternative, most likely to be micro fuel cells. The task has been set by Japan's second largest mobile phone provider, KDDI, which wants its customers to soon be able to use special television programming on their handsets, and has asked the two electronics companies to come up with a better power source. Hitomi Murakami, of KDDI, says battery-operated mobile phones cannot keep up with the new applications. "We're looking at various ways to expand content and services that we can provide to the people. And we don't want to have battery issues delaying us from doing that," he says.
Hitachi's Atsushi Morihara says it is a critical race for both of the companies as the resulting product will have a major impact on the mobile market in the future. "We are in competition and it's up to both of us to come up with a good product. A product that will satisfy KDDI's needs. I think I can go as far to say that the winner will take all."
Miniaturized direct methanol fuel cells are different batteries in that they create power instead of simply storing it. That power is made by new technology utilizing cheap methanol. If all gees to plan, come 2007, Japanese phone users will not use an electric charger to power their mobiles, they will instead carry a small bottle of methanol and with just a few squirts, they will have power for their phones. But the method has its downsides, including how passengers will be able to take small mounts of flammable methanol on airliners. Fumio Ueno of Toshiba says that once developed, the uses of miniaturized direct methanol fuel cells have endless possibilities. | high7208.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he would help her feel better"
},
"options": [
"he would help her feel better",
"she would say hello to him",
"he would talk about his life",
"she would tell him to go away"
],
"question": "When Gary walked to E... | During my free time one day, I wandered down a lonely path into the woods and sat against a tree. Then I saw one of the camp _ approaching me. "Oh great," I thought, since counselors were always trying to cheer you up or make you laugh.
"Hey," he said, "mind if I have a seat?" I shrugged . I wasn't going to encourage him, but I couldn't exactly stop him, either. He sat down alongside me and extended a hand. "I'm Gary," he said, "and you're Erica, right?" I nodded. "You don't exactly look like you're having a good time," he began.
I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. "Look," I said, "I didn't want to come to camp, I don't like it, I'm not having fun, and it basically stinks." I glared at Gary.
"So there's nothing here at all for you, huh?" he asked.
"Nothing," I answered.
"Let me show you something," said Gary. He got up, and I followed him along the path until I heard a sound like a roaring freight train.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Wait and see," he replied, with a small smile.
When we rounded the corner, I couldn't believe what I saw. There was the biggest waterfall I could ever imagine, right in front of me. "Cool!" I said, and I could feel my eyes getting bigger and a smile tugging at my mouth.
"Still think there's nothing here for you?" asked Gary. "Because there's a whole lot more of this kind of 'nothing' around here."
I had to admit, the waterfall was impressive.
"Look," said Gary, "camp is what you make it. You can be sullen and closed-minded and have a rotten four weeks, or you can take a look around you and see some of the incredible sights and appreciate the opportunity. It would be useless for me to try to make you have fun. You can only do that for yourself. But if you loosen up a little, you might actually have a good time." With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me on the path.
That night, by the campfire, I found myself singing along with everyone else. By the time the four weeks were up, I didn't want to leave. I'd seen some amazing things and made some great friends.
Beauty is where you find it. Life is what you make it. I think it's going to be a good year this year. I mean, I'm going to work to make it one. Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get to go back to camp next year! | high9225.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In the modern society, women don't want to be independent."
},
"options": [
"Home prices have been extremely high since early 2009.",
"In the modern society, women don't want to be independent.",
"Chinese government has alrea... | Is it necessary for a young man to have an apartment as a prerequisite for marriage? Housing has become a major obstacle for Chinese young men hoping to start a family. China may breed a new group of bachelors, men caught in the trap of unaffordable houses.
Since early 2009, the housing market has once again become a hot pot at boiling point. Even with allowance and special government policies, home prices in China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are riding the crest of a rising wave. According to the "2010 China Marital Status Report" released on Dec 15, 2010, about 70 percent of women interviewed said that housing, a stable income and some savings were the main requirements for marriage.
From the report, we can see that housing is given top priority and that women see an apartment as essential to show that the man is responsible and can provide for his family.
Personality and morals lay outside the top three matrimonial requirements. Some women and their families hold the traditional position and take it for granted that the home issue should be the man's responsibility, which doesn't agree with the contemporary independent spirit of women and gender equality. These marriage values reflect the fact that many women consider marriage another form of "social welfare".
Things may be different overseas. Social housing, provided by European authorities, offer the less wealthy people their own piece of real estate. Such housing is usually apartments in tall buildings with 10 or more floors on the _ of town, whose main advantage is the low rents.
For many Americans, houses don't pose an obstacle to getting married. They often buy a house after the wedding, because more and more people are reconsidering their real estate worship, and going back to a more rational mode of consumption.
In Japan, renting is the custom for newly married young couples. Few young couples can afford to purchase property. Up to 67.1 percent of young couples choose to rent. Generally speaking, renters account for most people younger than 40 in Japan.
Young people should be free to enjoy being young, without the huge pressure of trying to buy property. Society should help create an environment for them to grow up. Don't let the poor bachelor group become a suffering layer of our society. | high6116.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "High fuel prices' influences on school buses."
},
"options": [
"High fuel prices' influences on school buses.",
"New measures to transport school students.",
"The safest form of student transportation.",
"The origin of ... | The united States has about 475,000 school buses -- all painted yellow. Each day they carry more than 25,000,000 children, half of all schoolchildren in the country. But these buses, on average, use four liters of diesel fuel to travel less than sixteen kilometers. When the school year began last fall, diesel averaged 55 cents a liter nationally. The price nearly doubled, to a dollar and 8 cents, by the end of school in June.
Bob Riley speaks for the American School Bus Council. He says fuel prices for schools are not much lower than others have to pay. As a result, schools are looking for ways to reduce transportation costs. Bus routes are being redrawn or, in some cases, canceled. Some areas are buying buses that use natural gas or other alternative fuels. Other steps include fewer field trips and less travel by sports teams. And some school districts may end any bus service not required by law.
Studies show that school buses are the safest form of transportation to and from school. The American School Bus Council says cuts in bus service are bad for children and possibly the environment. It says removing buses from the road will mean an increase in other vehicles transporting students. Spokesman Bob Riley says another concern is that reducing bus services might reduce attendance.
But it could also get more children to walk or bicycle to school. And that would surely make people happy at the National Center for Safe Routes to School. More kids walking or biking safely to school is the aim of a three-year-old federal program, part of an international movement. The goal is to increase physical activity and reduce air pollution. The United States will celebrate Walk to School Day on October eighth this year. But for some students, high fuel prices could make every day a walk-to-school day. | high1679.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it was not easy to drive in Turkey"
},
"options": [
"it was difficult to travel in Turkey",
"it was not easy to drive in Turkey",
"the streets in Turkey were dangerous",
"there were many mountain roads"
],
"ques... | Last year my wife and I spent a most interesting month in Turkey. Before we left, we were reminded of the difficulties of driving in Turkey. We certainly did not find this to be the case and, except for a few places in faraway mountainous areas, the roads were wide, and well-paved . We drove for 12 days along the Western Coast of Turkey and had no problems at all. We found the Turkish drivers very polite and well-educated. We also found that eating lunch in the smaller towns was difficult so we picnicked almost every day.
The following day after our arrival was Turkey's Children's Day, started by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk loved children and he often said, "Children are a new beginning of tomorrow." He even devoted the day 23rd of April to the children which today is celebrated as Children's Day as well as the date when the Republic of Turkey was founded.
On that day certain children are picked to take over the places of the government, and a lucky kid will be the president of Turkey for a whole day.
can decide what's going to happen and whether or not he is going to have the president next to him. There are a very large number of possibilities of things he can do but some shops aren't open because they are celebrating the day as well.
All in all, it was a more enjoyable trip. I would recommend a trip to Turkey to anyone with an adventurous spirit! | high15997.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Its fun kids meal containers and jukebox selectors."
},
"options": [
"Its great pizza and variety of activity books.",
"Its fun kids meal containers and jukebox selectors.",
"The popcorn and peanuts served before the meal.",
... | As anybody with children knows, dining out with kids is an entirely different experience from dining out with friends. If the restaurant offers crayons , puzzles or toys of some sort, it takes a lot of the stress out of dining out with kids. Here, in no particular order, are our pick of top restaurants for kids.
The Olive Garden
The Olive Garden is a family favorite, especially because of the kids menu, crayons, and activity books. My daughter believes this famous Italian food chain has the "best pizza ever" on its kids menu. The kids also get to _ the famous Olive Garden bread --- a favorite for kids of all ages.
The Silver Diner
The Silver Diner, which has locations in New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, gets a nod for featuring one of the most fun kids meal containers --- a heavy-duty paper car --- as well as old-fashioned, table-side jukebox selectors .The menu wins too, both for its breadth of choices, and for the number of them that are healthy.
Legal Sea Foods
The kids menu for popular seafood chain Legal Sea Foods is extensive and features the most choices from the sea of any kids menu we've seen. The original Boston Harborside restaurant has a small children's menu, but its other locations all have 12 kid's choices, including a pricy One Pound Lobster (or 1/2 pound), Wood-Grilled Fish of the Day, and Popcorn Shrimp selections.
Ground Round
This restaurant chain was a favorite of children growing up in the 1970s and early 1980s, as it served popcorn and peanuts before the meal instead of bread, and let kids throw the peanut shells on the floor. There were also cartoons and silent movies shown during dinner. Ground Round has changed with the times, but they still have delectable offerings for kids. | high10637.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "explain why some parents choose to home-school their children"
},
"options": [
"advise parents to home-school their children",
"explain why some parents choose to home-school their children",
"tell us the advantages and disad... | Because of the change in the American public school system over the last several years, now many parents choose to home-school their children. There are many reasons behind this. Let's take a look at a few of them.
For some parents, they have religious reasons for home-schooling. The public school system does not have religious teachings, so these parents want to put religion into the children's daily school activities. This might include teaching religion-based courses rather than coursework that is taught in public schools.
For some parents, they do not feel that their local school system offers their children the best learning opportunities. So they want to take matters into their own hands. This may be because the local school has low educational standards or for some other reason the parents think it necessary to take their children out of the system. Sometimes the parents just feel the children will get a better education at home.
Some parents may not be rich enough to send their children to a private school, so the next best thing in their eyes is home-schooling. Thus they can teach their children what they like.
One should remember that the laws about home-schooling _ from state to state. In some states, the parents are required to hand in monthly attendance records to their local school system. What's more, most states require state testing at certain periods such as the CRCT. | high2370.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The power of speech can easily he developed using proper methods"
},
"options": [
"Children who talk a lot are more intelligent",
"Parents who listen to their children can teach them more.",
"Active children should read more ... | By taking a few simple techniques, parents who read to their children can greatly develop their children's language skills.It is surprising but true.How parents talk to their children makes a big difference in the children''s language development.If a parent encourages the child to actively respond to what the parent is reading.the child's language skills increase.
A study was done with 30 three-year-old children and their parents.Half of the children took part in the experimental study;the other half acted as the control group.In the experimental group,the parents were given a two-hour training and they were taught to ask open-ended questions rather than yes-or-no questions.For example,the parent should ask,"What is the doggie doing?" rather than "Is the doggie running away?" The patents in the experimental group were also instructed in how to help children find answers,how to suggest different possibilities and how to praise correct answers.
At the beginning of the study,the children did not differ in measures of language development,but at the end of one month,the children in the experimental group showed 5.5 months ahead of the control group on a test of expression and vocabulary.Nine months later,the children in the experimental group still showed an advance of 6 months over the children in the control group. | high17158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Ten."
},
"options": [
"Only two.",
"Four.",
"Eight.",
"Ten."
],
"question": "How many contestants took part in the final?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | The world's premier spelling bee ended Thursday in the U.S.for a second year in a row after an in-tense lo-round showdown between two young competitors to deal with some of the English language's most obscure words.
Vanya }hlvaShankar,13,and Gokul Venkatachalam,14,together raised the gold trophy in the 88th Scripps National Spelling Bee.
Shivashankar,the sister of 2009 champion Kavya Shivashankar,initially gathered confidence as she went easily through such words as cytopoiesis,bouquetiere and thamakau.Venkatachalam,a basketball fan,also managed such tongue-twisters as poblacion,caudillismo and nixtamal.
But as their eight fellow finalists failed one by one,the tension grew until they stood alone on stage*
When Shivashankar,in the fourteenth round,correctly spelled scherenschnitte,the Germanderived word for artistic paper cutting, official bee pronouncer Jacques Bailly, broke the news to.
Venkatachalam . contest,Bailly said,was about to run out of words,and if Venkatachalam spelled his next word correctly,he and his rival would be declared joint winnersa repeat of last year's surprise.
The winning word came so easily to the eighth-grader from the branch St.Louis,Missouri suburb of Chesterfield that he skipped the bee contestant's routine of asking for the word's origin,meaning and usage in a sentence*"Nunatak,"the devoted LeBron James fan said,spelling the Inuit-derived word for an icy island as easily as if he was spelling d. -g or c-a-t.
Asked afterwards what went through his mind upon hearing the word,Venkatachalam frankly replied:"Me and Vanya are going to be champions." | high19175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "by investing their inherited wealth"
},
"options": [
"through the Social Register",
"through their reputation",
"by investing their inherited wealth",
"by collecting paintings and sculptures"
],
"question": "Acc... | Though it is mere 1 to 3 percent of the population,the upper class possesses at least 25 percent of the nation's wealth.This class has two segments:upper-upper and lower- upper.Basically,the upper-upper class is the"old rich"-families that have been wealthy for several generations-an aristocracy of birth and wealth.Their names are in the Social Register,a listing of acceptable members of high society.A few are known across the nation,such as the Rockefellers,Roosevelts,and Vanderbilts.Most are not visible to the general public.They live in grand seclusion ,drawing their income from the investment of their inherited wealth.In contrast,the lower-upper class is the"new rich". Although they may be wealthier than some of the old rich,the new rich are anxious to make their money like everybody else lower than their class.Thus their prestige is generally lower than that of the old rich,who have not found it necessary to lift a finger to make their money,and who tend to look down upon the new rich.
However its wealth is acquired,the upper class is very,very rich.They have enough money and leisure time to cultivate an interest in the arts and to collect rare books, paintings,and sculptures.They generally live in exclusive areas,belong to exclusive social clubs,communicate with each other,and marry their own kind-all of which keeps them so distant from the common people that they have been called the out-of-fight class.More than any other class,they tend to be conscious of being members of a class.They also command an enormous amount of power and influence here and abroad,as they hold many top government positions,run the Council on Foreign Relations,and control multinational corporations.Their actions affect the life of millions. | high16246.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to tell some differences between two kinds of explorations"
},
"options": [
"to persuade you to explore the depths of the ocean",
"to stress the importance of the undersea exploration",
"to make you believe that the undersea ... | As in the field of space travel, new technologies continue to appear in undersea exploration. They share a number of similarities with each other -- as well as some important differences.
Manned submersibles , like spaceships, must maintain living conditions in an unnatural environment. While a spaceship must simply be sealed against the vacuum space, a submersible must be able to bear extreme pressure if it is not to break up in deep water.
In exploring space, unmanned vehicles were employed before astronauts. In undersea exploration, on the other hand, men paved the way, and only recently have unmanned remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) been put to use.
One reason for this is that communicating with vehicles in orbit is much easier than talking to those underwater. A vacuum is an ideal medium for radio communications, but underwater communications are limited to much slower sound waves. Thus, most undersea vehicles -- particularly ROVs -- operate at the end of long ropes.
For a similar reason, knowing where you are undersea is much more difficult than in space. A spaceship's position can be located by following its radio signal, or by using telescopes and radar. For an undersea vehicle, however, a special network of sonar devices must be laid out in advance on the ocean floor in the area of a dive to locate the vehicle's position.
Though undersea exploration is more challenging than outer space in a number of respects, it has a distinct advantage: going to the ocean depths doesn't require the power necessary to escape Earth's gravity. Thus, it remains far less expensive. | high11529.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to save resources when working in an office"
},
"options": [
"the disadvantages of working in an office",
"the waste produced in an office",
"to save resources when working in an office",
"how to save water in a restroo... | The office has always been a place to get ahead. Unfortunately, It is also a place where a lot of natural resources start to fall behind. Take a look around next time you're at work. See how many lights are left on when people leave. See how much paper is being wasted. How much electricity is being used to run computers that are left on. Look at how much water is being wasted in the rest-rooms. And how much solid waste is being thrown out in the rubbish cans. We bet it's a lot.
Now, here are some simple ways you can produce less waste at work. When you are at the copier, only make the copies you need. Use both sides of the paper when writing something less important. Turn off your lights when you leave. Use a lower watt bulb in your lamp. Drink your coffee or tea out of your _ instead of single-use cups. Set up a recycling box for cans and one for bottles. And when you're in the bathroom brushing your teeth or washing your face, don't let the tap run. Remember, if we use fewer resources today, we'll save more for tomorrow. | high3708.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The good life is a greater risk than the bad life."
},
"options": [
"The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.",
"Starvation is taking more people's lives in the world.",
"WHO report shows people's unawareness of foo... | We've reached a strange--some would say unusual--point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It's the good life that's more likely to kill us these days.
Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What's going on?
We really don't have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through--up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world's most body-conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight--but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it's just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
Some also blame their parents--their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they're normal in shape, or rather slim.
It's a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say--not as I do. | high4067.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increase productivity."
},
"options": [
"People who surf the Internet are good employees.",
"Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours.",
"Surfing the Interne... | Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee,according to an Australian study.
The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive than those who do not. Study author brent Coker said"Surfing the Internet at times helps increase an employee's attention."
"People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention,"Coker said on the university's website."Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself,leading to a higher total Internet attention for a day's work, and as a result, increase productivity ,"he said.
According to the study of 300 workers ,70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos."Firms spend a lot of money on software to _ their employees from watching video, using social networking sites or shopping online, "said Coker."that's not always a good idea."
However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation ,or were on the Internet for lee than 20 percent of their total time in the office."Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without,"he said. | high5379.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to report on a recent trend in college admissions in the US"
},
"options": [
"to analyze how fierce the competition is to get in a good college",
"to teach you how to court college admissions office",
"to report on a recent t... | Call it proof of how carefully students court college admissions offices these days :thank-you notes have become the new trend .
Tank the one that came with M &Ms to match Lehigh University's school color1s of brown and white ,and with the applicant's name inscribed on the candy .She thanked officials for her interview adding ,"Keep me on the tip of your tongue when reviewing applications ."
Leon Washington ,the dean of admissions and financial aid at Lehigh ,said that Lehigh received 50or 60 thank-you notes in just one day last week ,The notes are directed not just to admission officers ,but also to college tour guide and alumni who are often the ones conducting college interviews these days .
Parents also _ the act ,such as the couple that thanked Mr. O'Cain of Furman for a "most positive "campus visit .Then they put in a plug for their son ,saying that he had always been " a high achiever and a hard worker "and that they knew Furman would be just the place to "help him reach his potential "
At other campuses ,like Williams College and Princeton ,the motes go into applicants' files
"Is it necessary to write a thank -you note ?"said Janet Rapelye ,dean of admissions at Princeton "No ,in and of itself .it's not going to change a decision ,But I'm still in favor of them ,Expressing gratitude is a lovely quality "
Sometimes they are lovely .Carolyn Lawrence in California ,who advises students and their parents on college admissions ,recalls a note she received from a student admitted early to her first-choice college ,It came on a postcard of the Eiffel Tower ,It said :
"I spent my spring break -----
a) on last -minute college visits
b) in a month-long anxiety attack waiting to her back from colleges
c) vacationing in Paris with my family and being forever grateful to Carolyn Lawrence for her help
The answer is C. Thank you " | high20092.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Higher-order growth needs."
},
"options": [
"Positive responses.",
"Work attitudes.",
"Higher-order growth needs.",
"Personal self-direction."
],
"question": "What makes people choose challenging jobs?",
"qu... | Does everyone want a challenging job? In spite of all the attention focused by the media, academicians, and social scientists on human potential and the needs of individuals, there is no evidence to support that the vast majority of workers want challenging jobs. Some individuals prefer highly complex and challenging jobs; others develop in simple, routine work.
The individual-difference variable that seems to gain the greatest support for explaining who prefers a challenging job and who doesn't is the strength of an individual's needs for personal growth and self-direction at work. Individuals with these higher-order growth needs are more responsive for challenging work. What percentage of ordinary workers actually desire higher-order need satisfactions and will respond positively to challenging jobs? No current data is available, but a study from the 1970s estimated the figure at about 15%. Even after adjusting for changing work attitudes and the growth in white-collar jobs, it seems unlikely that the number today exceeds 40%.
The strongest voice advocating challenging jobs has not been workers--it's been professors, social science researchers, and media people. Professors, researchers, and journalists undoubtedly made their career choices, to some degree, because they wanted jobs that gave them autonomy, recognition and challenge. That, of course, is their choice. But for them, to force their needs onto the workforce in general is presumptuous .
Not every employee is looking for a challenging job. Many workers meet their higher-order need off the job. There are 168 hours in every individual's week. Work rarely consumes more than 30% of this time. That leaves considerable opportunities, even for individuals with strong growth needs, to find higher-order need satisfaction outside the workplace. So don't feel you have a responsibility to create challenging jobs for all your employees. For many people, work is something that will never excite or challenge them. And they don't expect to find their growth opportunities at work. Work is merely something they have to do to pay their bills. They can find challenges outside of work on the golf course, fishing, at their local pub, with their friends in social clubs, with their family, and the like. | high10151.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "bother to remove the ads"
},
"options": [
"bother to remove the ads",
"want to steal the whole essay",
"check the mistakes on the Internet",
"bother to do the work of cutting and pasting"
],
"question": "Accordi... | More than half of teachers in a UK survey said they thought _ from the Internet is a problem.
Some students who steal essays wholly from the Web, they said, are so lazy they don't even bother to take the ads off the cut-and-pasted text. 58 percent of the teachers interviewed in the Association of Teachers and Lectures(ALT) questionnaire had come across plagiarism among their pupils. Gill Bullen from Itchen College in Southampton, for example, said pieces handed in by two students were the same and significantly better than either of them could have done." "Not only that, the essays given in didn't quite answer the title question I had set." A teacher from Leeds said, " I had one piece of work so obviously 'cut and pasted' that it still contained ads from the Web page" Connie Robinson from Stockton Riverside College, Stockton, said, " With less able students, it is easy to spot plagiarism as the writing style changes mid-assignment, but with more able students, it is sometimes necessary for teachers to carry out Internet research to find out the source of the plagiarism." Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ALT, said, "Teachers are struggling under a mountain of cut-and-pasting to spot whether work was the student's own or plagiarism." She called for strong policies to oppose plagiarism, and asked for help from the government in providing resources and techniques to delete cheats. | high2416.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Everyone at the dinner party seems to be interested in the question."
},
"options": [
"Only the clever people can answer the question rightly.",
"Some people refuse to answer such a silly question.",
"Everyone at the dinner p... | Here is a question I have often asked at dinner parties:
You're on an island with only one other person, your best friend. He's dying of cancer. In his final days, he tells you, "I have 100,000 dollars in a bank back home. When I die, make sure my son goes to medical school." Then he dies. But his son is a no-good playboy who has no interest in going to medical school and will waste that money away in a very short time. But your son is entering college, and he is willing to become a doctor. Which one do you give the money to for medical school?
I've asked this question of everyone from the president of a famous university to an ordinary young soldier, and it has never failed to get a discussion going. Everyone has an opinion, most of them different, but all of them correct. Sometimes this one topic lasts the whole evening. | high8885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "because she was eager to get an advantage over others in the competition"
},
"options": [
"to overcome the pressure from other high school students",
"to test how good she was at studying compared to others",
"because it was ... | When you're a junior in high school, three little letters quickly become larger than life: SAT.
At the start of my junior year, I realized that the environment was packed with competition. Surprisingly, this pressure didn't come from adults. It came from the other students. Everyone in my grade had college on the brain. To get into the college of our choice, we all believed, we had to outcompete and outscore everyone else with less sleep, because time for sleeping was time you didn't spend studying for the SAT.
I let myself get swept up in the pressure. My new motto was, if I wasn't in every single honor level class, I wasn't doing enough. I was bad-tempered and I couldn't focus. I stopped talking to my friends and my mom, and I couldn't figure out who I was. I didn't have the confidence to know that my own passions and unique skills were what would make me stand out to colleges.
That's when I realized: I am not my SAT score. Trying to stick to what I thought colleges wanted masked who I really am. I decided to rely on my strengths and get away from the crazy pressure I was putting on myself.
Instead of forcing myself into higher levels of math, I took on an extra history class. I learned how to love what I was doing and not what I thought I was supposed to do. I learned to shine as an individual, not a faceless member of the crowd. And I found that not only was this better for my happiness, but it also made me more effective and efficient when I studied.
To me, individuality means having the confidence to decide who I am and who I want to be, and a number on a page is never going to change that. I am more sure of myself, and more ready to apply for college, than ever. | high14337.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To realize the difference between needs and desires."
},
"options": [
"To change our lifestyle.",
"To have a motivation in life.",
"To give less attention to what we are grateful for.",
"To realize the difference betwee... | Have you ever noticed that the more you have the more you want? Let's face it. Thinking our life is good enough doesn't come naturally to many people. When we have high expectations of everything in life we will run into disappointment. Only when we are aware that needs are different from desires can we live with satisfaction. Here are a few ideas to help you be happier with what you have and who you are.
Focus on what you are thankful for. Most people want things to be better than they are, or when things are going well, we forget to appreciate what we have. Learn to reflect on how much better things are than they could be. Focus on what you are thankful for. Write down 5 things you are grateful for right now.
When we hold onto regrets from decisions we have made, it can really poison our well-being. Many people regret something they can no longer change, which ends up holding them back from moving forward in a more positive manner. What happened in the past is done and gone, so work to stay present and be mindful of the current moment to find more joy and fulfillment.
When we use other people as the measuring stick for our personal success and quality of life we are likely to be less satisfied. Social comparisons can provide useful information when we try to learn from others, but they also hold our perspective in a discontented position. Compare yourself less with others so you can be satisfied more.
When you are focused on your big ambitions and future goals you might _ the daily pleasures that surround you. Learn to slow down and absorb the wonder and beauty around you. Stay present and focus on the task you're undertaking at the moment. Don't let the life pass you by because you're always on the go and distracted by ambition.
Practice looking at life through the lens of contentment and it will become more natural. | high6670.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Is Alaska Sinking?"
},
"options": [
"Alaska--A Frozen Land",
"Is Alaska Sinking?",
"Pollution and Global Warming",
"Alaska is polluted."
],
"question": "Which of the following can be used as the best title of th... | Houses fall down. Trees fall over. Large holes form in the ground. Could Alaska be sinking? That's what some villagers in Alaska have been asking themselves recently--and scientists think they know why. Warmer temperatures may be causing Alaska's frozen ground to thaw .
About 85 percent of Alaska's land surface has _ . Permafrost supports the ground above it--including trees, houses, and roads. But why is the permafrost thawing?
Some scientists say that human-caused pollution is leading to global warming. And most scientists agree that Alaska has been getting warmer. They say that the warmer temperature is causing permafrost to thaw in some areas. The thawing permafrost can cause problems for people, plants, and animals.
"The collapsing is a problem in the villages in Alaska which are built on permafrost, and some of them may have to move to safer ground, where there is no permafrost," Weller said.
The Alaskan town of Glennallen saw its old post office collapse. And, according to James Walters, a permafrost expert at the University of Northern Iowa, house-moving companies have been very busy.
"Melting permafrost can also destroy trees and forests," Weller said. "When holes in the ground form, trees fall into them and die. This could turn a forest into a swamp , and animals which need the forest will have to move elsewhere."
The melting could cause "severe problems." Weller says: "This could take hundreds of years, but in the end Alaska will look quite different from what it looks like now." | high22685.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they were unable to take the pressure of the exams."
},
"options": [
"they didn't do their best in their lives.",
"they were sent to a \"cram school\".",
"of the most regimented school.",
"they were unable to take the p... | Japanese Students Suffer from Pressure
Last April,15-year-old Rei Iwasaki stopped her piano and flute lessons and began to study every day of the week. Her parents paid to send her to a "cram school ."She wanted very much to pass her exams.
In February she did pass an all-day, five-subject examination and entered the high school she hoped to enter.
Thirteen-year-old Akio Yoshiwara wasn't so lucky. Unable to take the pressure of the exams, he hanged himself in February. He left a suicide note which said, "I did my best in this dear life, but it's no good."
Suicides are now a common part of life among students in Japan. The cause is the incredible pressure of the "examination hell."
Even a number of teachers are committing suicide each year. When some students broke windows in a school near Tokyo, the principal blamed himself and wrote the following note: "The incidents were due to the lack of appropriate measures by the principal and I apologize. I am very tired.
The Japanese educational system is much different from the American system. It is perhaps the most regimented school system in any of the industrialized nations.
Boys and girls wear uniforms and go to school six days a week --- 240 days a year compared to 180 in the U.S. Ninety- five percent graduate from high school compared to seventy-five percent in the U.S.
Students don't ask questions in class but only listen respectfully to the teachers. And every few year's students are tested to see which school they will enter next. There is stiff competition for the "best" schools.
The result is a well-informed, disciplined student, ideal for factory and company work and excellent at learning specialized skills. But there is little fun in education, little creativity and the incredible pressure of "examination hell." | high15029.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "think for themselves"
},
"options": [
"think for themselves",
"have stronger sense of responsibility",
"know more about the world outside",
"finish an essay assignment easily"
],
"question": "What Bartlett-Bragg... | "Blogging is helping students to think and write more critically ,"says an Australian researcher, "and can help draw out people who would otherwise not engage in debate."
These are the preliminary findings of PHD research by Anne Bartlett-Bragg, a lecturer at the University of Technology, Sydney, who has been using weblogs or blogs in her own teaching since 2001.
"The students are thinking more critically." she says, "They are learning to be responsible and they're communicating outside the boundaries of the classroom and the institution, and they like that. "Bartlett-Bragg says in conventional teaching, students often rely on the lecturer as the main source of ideas and critique for their work. "I'm a bit over listening to my students giving me back in an essay what I've told them in class." she says. "I want them to think for themselves and get different perspectives."
"What makes blogs useful is their interactive nature." she says. These web-based forums for discussing ideas, experiences or opinions allow students to discuss publicly what they are studying with other students and experts outside their own university. "I really encourage them to put their personal opinion in there, provided they are informed and backed up with evidence." Bartlett-Bragg says because a lot of academics in her field of electronic or e-learning now have their own blogs, students can engage directly with them.
She says one of the most powerful facilities in weblogs is pinging, which involves a person positing a comment about someone else's work on their own blog. They use the "Trackback" tool to notify the author when they have published the comment, basically inviting them to discuss it.
"They get such a buzz when they make a comment on another person outside the boundaries of the institution and that person responds, or even gives them some further reading." she says. "They are getting new perspectives that I can't give them in a normal lecture." | high12746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It has a history of more than one and a half centuries."
},
"options": [
"It is used by about 24 million people every week",
"Its rush hour is around 10:00 am on weekends",
"It has a history of more than one and a half centur... | The London Underground is one of the best transport networks in the world with around 24 million journeys made each day, so it is important that everything runs smoothly. Remember the following to travel like a Londoner.
Keep right on escalator
London Underground asks that you stand on the right when using the escalators and leave the left free for others to walk down. If you are traveling in a big group, or with lots of shopping bags, stand and stay right and let others pass you---it will speed up the process and be a more pleasant journey for everyone!
Remember the "rush hour"
The tube network is very busy during the rush hour. You can expect the trains and stations to be overcrowded between 7:30 and 9:30 in the morning and between 17:00 and 19:00 in the evening.
Move down the platform to find more space
As you enter the station platform, you will often find more room if you walk down to the end of the platform. Here, the train carriages are usually the emptiest as well.
Carry a bottle of water in warmer moths
The London Underground is over 150 years old and although the trains have been modernized, many still lack air conditioning and cooling units. Make sure you take a bottle of water with you, especially in the summer, as the long tube journeys can get very hot.
Keep your personal belongings safe
Like any large city be cautions of pickpockets operating in the busy stations and tubes. Carry a bag with zips and keep your personal belongings and valuable items in it to avoid becoming the victims of theft.
Plan your journey on the London Underground in advance with a free tube map. Click here to download. | high14860.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They need a better education to get a best job."
},
"options": [
"They have to work hard to pay for the high tuition fee.",
"Many American students have a burden of a family.",
"They need a better education to get a best job.... | I have been teaching in the United States for three semesters. During this time, I have been very impressed with the hardworking American students. Tuition fee in American universities are pretty expensive. Most American students receive little, if any, financial support. As a result, they have to work hard to pay for their tuition and other basic expenses. Tertiary education is a necessity in today's workforce. Young people with higher education are rewarded with a good career and better salary. So how do American students support themselves?
All my American students have to work to pay for their tuition. For this reason, most universities provide limited jobs for students who need economic help. They also help students search for jobs in the community. I have been touched to see some students are so worn out from their jobs that they doze in my classroom. In addition to taking part-time jobs, students are also expected to take part in various social and sporting activities and, in fact, those who do not take part in are often looked down upon by their peers.
A number of American university students are married with families, or are single parents. These students are faced with the additional burden of raising a family. They have to spend much time, money and energy caring for their children and family. Most American university professors are strict. They test students on every unit in their course, in addition to mid-term and final exams in each semester. A lack of preparation by students may result in their failure. This means the loss of a lot of money and possibly future employment opportunities for these students. For this reason, many American students will study or stay up all night before an exam, in an effort to pass.
In contrast, Chinese students have a much easier time, because most Chinese parents pay for their kids' tertiary education. Moreover, Chinese students do not need to worry about raising children or maintaining a family. So, Chinese students have no reason for not studying hard and achieving good marks. | high1490.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities"
},
"options": [
"he finds more fun in dating than in marriage",
"he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single",
"he is reluctant to take on family respon... | The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled,pain-free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness.If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness.But in fact,the opposite is true:more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result,many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness.They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement,religious commitment,self improvement.
Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying.If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment.For commitment is in fact quite painful.The single life is filled with fun,adventure,excitement.Marriage has such moments,but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night's sleep or a three-day vacation.I don't know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children.But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations.It liberates time:now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness.It liberates money:buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless.And it liberates us from envy:we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all. | high104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The way they deal with problems."
},
"options": [
"The way they present their findings.",
"The way they deal with problems.",
"The intelligence they possess.",
"The variety of ideas they have."
],
"question": "A... | Discoveries in science and technology are thought by "untaught minds" to come in blinding flashes or as the result of dramatic accidents. Sir Alexander Fleming did not, as legend would have it, look at themold ( ) on a piece of cheese and get the idea for penicillin there and then. He experimented with antibacterial substances for nine years before he made his discovery. Inventions and innovations almost always come out of tough trial and error. Innovation is like soccer; even the best players miss the goal and have their shots blocked much more frequently than they score.
The point is that the players who score most are the ones who take most shots at the goal--and so it goes with innovation in any field of activity. The prime difference between innovation and others is one of approach. Everybody gets ideas, but innovators work consciously on theirs, and they follow them through until they prove practicable or otherwise. What ordinary people see as fanciful abstractions, professional innovators see as solid possibilities.
"Creative thinking may mean simply the realization that there's no particular goodness in doing things the way they have always been done." Wrote Rudolph Flesch, a language authority. This accounts for our reaction to seemingly simple innovations like plastic garbage bags and suitcases on wheels that make life more convenient: "How come nobody thought of that before?"
The creative approach begins with the proposal that nothing be as it appears. Innovators will not accept that there is only one way to do anything. Faced with getting from A to B, the average person will automatically set out on the best-known and apparently simplest route. The innovator will search for alternate courses, which may prove easier in the long run and are sure to be more interesting and challenging even if they lead to dead ends. Highly creative individuals really do march to a different drummer. | high23014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "People who are learning to drive."
},
"options": [
"People who drive badly.",
"People who are learning to drive.",
"People who drive well.",
"People who drive carelessly."
],
"question": "Who will most probably ... | These are some signs that you can see on the roads of Great Britain.
Number one is a sign with the number thirty on it. When drivers see this sign they must not go at more than thirty miles an hour. We see this sign when we get to parts of the country where there are many houses and other buildings, for example, when we are getting near a town. Thirty miles an hour is the speed limit. Number two is sign for the end of the speed limit. We are out of the town now and may go at more than thirty miles an hour. Number three is a sign that we are near a crossroads, that is, a place where two roads cross. We must drive carefully. Number four is a sign that there is a bend in the road. Again, we must drive slowly and carefully. Number five is a sign that there is a hill and number six is a sign that the roads get narrow. Drivers must go slowly and carefully. Number seven has the word "school" on it. This is a sign that there is a school at the side of a street or road. Perhaps there are children going to school or leaving school. So drivers must look carefully and go slowly until they are past the school building.
Number eight is a sign with the letter P on it. The letter P is for "parking." A parking place is a place where drivers may leave their cars. If the driver of a car wants to leave his car and go to the shops, he looks for this sign. Then he knows that he may leave his or her car there. | high11918.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Culture, a distinctive identity of a nation"
},
"options": [
"Culture, the origin of racial superiority",
"Culture, a faithful mirror of history",
"Culture, the vigour of world development",
"Culture, a distinctive iden... | The term culture now is more used to describe everything from the fine arts to the outlook of a business group or a sports team. In its original sense, however, culture includes all identifying aspects of a racial group, nation, or empire: its physical environment, history, and traditions, its social rules and economic structure, and its religious beliefs and arts.
The central beliefs and customs of a group are handed down from one generation to another. It is for this reason that most people regard culture as learned rather than innate. People acquire a culture because they are not born with one. The process by which a person develops a taste for regional foods, accented speech, or an outlook on the world over time, therefore, is known as enculturation .
Cultures are often identified by their symbols -- images that are familiar and coated with meaning. Totem poles carved with animals and creative figures suggest aspects of the Native American peoples of the Pacific Northwest but more literally represent specific tribes. In Asia and India, the color1 of yellow is connected with temples while in ancient China it was a color1 only the emperor's family was allowed to wear. Thus, different cultures may respond to a symbol quite differently. For example, to some a flag may represent pride, historical accomplishments, or ideals; to others, however, it can mean danger or oppression.
To individuals unfamiliar with cultures outside their own, the beliefs, behaviors, and artistic expression of other groups can seem strange and even threatening. A society that ranks all other cultures against its own standards is considered to be ethnocentric (from the Greek ethnos, meaning "people," and kentros, meaning "center"). A strongly ethnocentric society assumes also that what is different from its own culture is likely to be inferior and, possibly, wrong or evil.
All people are ethnocentric to some degree, and some aspects of ethnocentrism, such as national pride, contribute to a well-functioning society. An appreciation for one's own culture, however, does not prevent acceptance and respect for another culture. History documents the long-term vigor and success of multicultural groups in which people from numerous and various cultural backgrounds live and work together. Extreme ethnocentrism, in contrast, can lead to racism -- the belief that it is race and racial origin that account for variations in human character or ability and that one's own race is superior to all others. | high18082.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Four"
},
"options": [
"Three",
"Four",
"Five",
"Six"
],
"question": "How many pieces of advice does the writer give on changing one's life?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Believe it or not, the ability to choose is the power to change. If you can choose to live your life differently, will you be the same person?
Well, choosing to do the following few "simple" things will help to change your life.
Review your life. Take time to go through your life and ask yourself, "If I do the same thing I do every day, will there be a change? If I want to change, where will my first step be?"
Make careful choices. Choose exactly what you wish to get to live your life; describe and think what you really want.
Keep up with chances. Find out about the possibilities and ways that can make you move toward your goals, write them down and see which one suits you most.
Get down to business. Start working on your goals. People may bring you down; you may have difficulties; you will fail and want to give up. But the most important thing is never to give up.
If you try these "simple" things, you will find that success is something for everyone, and you will finally become what you want to be. Remember, success is more than what you hold in your hands; _ is something from the heart. | high2199.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "hearts and long life"
},
"options": [
"men's heart cells",
"women's ageing process",
"the gender difference",
"hearts and long life"
],
"question": "The text mainly talks about _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | Why do men live a shorter life than women? The latest research indicates that men's hearts going into a rapid decline when they reach middle age could be the cause.
The research of ageing on the heart has shown that women's _ may be linked to the fact that their hearts do not lose much pumping power with age.
"We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 20 and 70 years of age," said the head of the study, Samantha of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
"Within the heart there are millions of cells which make it beat.Between the ages of 20 and 70, one-third of those cells die and are not replaced in men ," said Samantha."This is part of the ageing process."
What amazes scientists is that the female heart suffers very little loss of these cells.A healthy 70-year-old woman's heart could work almost as perfectly as a 20-year-old one's.
"This gender difference might give the reason why men live shorter than women,"said Samantha.They studied over 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 17 and 80, who are mainly healthy persons so as to reduce the influence of disease."The team has yet to think about why ageing suffers a greater loss on the male heart," said Samantha.
But there is also good news -- men can enjoy the health of their hearts with regular exercise.Samantha stressed that women should also take regular exercise to stop their leg muscles getting weaker as they age. | high3287.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The carjacker was a suspected murderer the police had been searching for."
},
"options": [
"The two reporters reported the story of the carjacker.",
"The two reporters recognized the carjacker as soon as they saw him.",
"Regg... | On a warm Monday, Jenny Neilson bought a sandwich and parked her car under some trees. Rolling down the windows to let in fresh air, she settled back to enjoy her lunch. Suddenly she noticed a big _ man running through the parking lot. Before she came to realize what would happen, the man was there, shouting through her window, "Get out!"
Neilson refused.
Pulling open her door, the man seized her by the neck and hair, and threw her out of the car onto the ground. She screamed, grabbing her purse and the keys.
Two reporters of the local newspaper, Robert Bruce and Jeff Jackson, just outside their office building on a break, heard the screams and began running .
When they reached Neilson's car, the attacker had jumped into the driver's seat and was madly searching for the keys. Bruce opened the door, and he and Jackson dragged the man out. The attacker fought back. But even in his cornered panic, he was no match for the two athletic men.
Reggie Miller, a worker of the local newspaper, heard the screams, too. He rushed back to the office to phone the police, and then ran back with some plastic ropes ---- used to tie up newspapers.
With his arms tied tight behind him, the prisoner looked up and said coldly, "I hope you guys feel good about yourselves---- you just caught one of the most wanted men." They ignored him and waited for the police. Later, Bruce and Jackson were shocked to learn the man was the professional carjacker and suspected murderer, whose picture---- but with a full head of hair---- had been recently printed in their own newspaper.
Neilson considers herself lucky though she suffered injuries. She believes the story might have had a different ending if those good people had not come to her aid. "Unfortunately," she said, "many people would never have done what they did, and that is the real truth." | high21165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away."
},
"options": [
"Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.",
"Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.",
"Because ... | Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters
Among the dead in South Asia' s tsunami were many tourists at Sri Lanka' s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park's animals -- elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats -- appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.
First, it's possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound . Humans can't hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration . The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can't hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don't necessarily know we're feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints , which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don't pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there's so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. | high2827.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Message in a bottle."
},
"options": [
"Traveling on a ship.",
"A beautiful beer bottle.",
"Message in a bottle.",
"Meeting an old friend."
],
"question": "What is this passage mainly about?",
"question_type"... | Nearly a quarter-century after a German boy threw a message in a bottle off a ship in the Baltic Sea, he's received an answer.
A 13-year-old Russian, Daniil Korotkikh, was walking with his parents on a beach when he saw something lying in the sand.
"I saw that bottle and it looked interesting," Korotkikh told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "it looked like a German beer bottle and there was a message inside. "
It said, "My name is Frank, and I'm five years old. My dad and I are traveling on a ship to Denmark. If you find this letter, please write back to me, and I will write back to you." The letter, dated 1987, included an address in the town of Coesfeld.
The boy in the letter, Frank Uesbeck, is now 29. His parents still live at the letter's address.
The Russian boy and the German man met each other earlier this month through an internet video link. The Russian boy said he did not believe that the bottle actually spent 24 years in the sea. He believed it had been hidden under the sand where he found it for a long time.
Uesbeck was especially happy that he was able to have a positive effect on a life of a young person far away from Germany. "It's really a wonderful story," he said. "And who knows? Perhaps one day we will actually be able to arrange a meeting in person. " | high5190.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He wanted to help the young girl."
},
"options": [
"He liked to eat sour oranges.",
"He wanted to help the young girl.",
"He thought the oranges were cheap.",
"He thought the oranges were fresh."
],
"question": ... | It was a freezing cold winter day. My father and I went to the market to buy a few oranges. When we arrived, the market was crowded with people. We looked around and stopped at the sight of a small booth . It was just a big piece of cloth on the ground with a few fresh-looking oranges. A young girl was sitting on the ground, reading next to the booth.
My father cleared his throat and asked,'How much are the oranges?'
The girl jumped up and asked,'Oh....what?'
'How much are the oranges?' my father repeated patiently.
'Oh......two for one yuan ,'the girl answered politely. 'They are not fully grown......a bit sour ,' she added ,when my father was examining the oranges.
After a while he said, 'I don 't mind if they are sour......I'll buy thirty of them.' I looked at him, baffled . Then the girl put the oranges in a bag and gave it to him. My father paid for the oranges and we left.
'Why did you buy so many oranges?' I asked my father,
'Well, she was so truthful and even told me that her oranges are sour; besides, she really enjoys studying. And look at her book-it's so old; maybe she can use the money she earned to buy a book!'
I nodded my head. Just then, I felt somebody pulling my arm; I turned and recognized it was the girl from whom we bought the oranges.' Here's......here's ......your change ......' she panted , and put the money in my hand. Before we could say something ,she had already turned a corner and was out of sight. The girl and her oranges will be in my memory forever. | high23772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Importance of Friends"
},
"options": [
"How to Reduce Stress",
"How to Make New Friends",
"The Importance of Friends",
"The Qualities of Good Friends"
],
"question": "What is the best title for the passage?"... | When we were very small, we realized that having friends was important. The need for friends continued as we grew into our teens. Friends played a big part in the development of our personalities. As adults, it is still important for us to have friends.
True friends are people who like us though we make mistakes and who listen to us and tell us the truth. Friends support our decisions and tell us when we're wrong. They laugh with us and share our sadness. They are our partners and share interests with us. They _ us when we are feeling down. They are people with whom we aren't afraid of sharing our secret wishes or what is really on our minds.
Friends, you fell safe and warm. At times, they also help with our everyday life, cooking a meal, helping with chores, or giving us a lift when we need.
Friends also are there to offer advice, an ear to listen, or a shoulder to cry on..
Friends also help us reduce stress. They not only listen to us when we fell stressed, but also discuss with us how to friends help us forget about problems at work or at home. For a short time, we can lose ourselves in a pleasant activity and perhaps laugh and breathe more easily. | high662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "different from Michael R. Philip's idea, the trend of suicides in China is declining"
},
"options": [
"China has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world",
"in the rest of the world suicide rate has been ... | Ever since Canadian psychiatrist Michael R. Phillips, who works in China, released his report saying China's suicide rate from 1995 to 1999 reached 0.023 percent, the country has been ranked among those with the highest suicide rates in the world. But Jing Jun, a professor of sociology in Tsinghua University, challenges that view and presents the true picture through his nationwide research.
Jing and his students took one year to set up the first national database on suicide rate to grasp the overall trend of suicides in China. They collected data from the Health Statistics Annuals of the World Health Organization (sample size 10 million), and the country's Health Statistics Annuals (which cover 100 million people). The database covers 23 years, from 1987 to 2009. Jing calculates the suicide rate in China based on these data. Though the suicide rate was comparatively high in the early years, his study shows it has dropped in recent years, as opposed to the ascending trend in the rest of the world.
According to Jing's calculation, China's suicide rate had dropped to about 0.01 percent in 2004. In 2009, the figure dropped further to 0.007 percent, which is rather low compared with the global rate of 0.016 percent. Even if the "missing" suicides were added, China's suicide rate in 2009 would still be below 0.008 percent.[:Zxxk.Com]
Jing has found that one of the main reasons why the suicide rate has dropped was the steady and big decline in the number of suicides committed by rural women. In the early years, researchers generally agreed that the suicide rate among Chinese women was higher than among men, which is pretty rare in the rest the world. But the suicide rate among Chinese women, especially in rural areas, has declined remarkably in recent years. In fact, it is almost equal to that of Chinese men.
As a sociologist, Jing regards suicide as a social issue, and believes improvement of social policies will reduce the suicide rate even further. More people's lives can be saved if the authorities adjust to social environment for the better, he concludes. | high9972.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "both A and C"
},
"options": [
"know about the ocean water deep in the ocean",
"stay down longer to study life of the plant and animal below the surface",
"know about the plant and animal life deep in the ocean",
"both A... | Scientists used to exploreon the surface of the ocean. Now they are exploring below the surface, too. They want to know about ocean water and the plant and animal life deep in the ocean.
In 1934 the scientist William Beebe dived 3 000 feet below the surface in a hollow steel ball. In 1935 August Piccard dived 10330 feet. In 1960 his son Jean dived to a depth of 35 800 feet. All these early dives were deep. But the divers could not stay down for very long. They had to come back up to the surface after a few seconds. Scientists needed to stay down longer to study life below surface. Gradually they succeeded. Cousteau, a Frenchman, was able to keep men down to a depth of 90 feet for a week.
Now scientists are developing even better equipment. With this new equipment,men can stay below the surface for days or even weeks. In 1962 Cousteau set up a research station 35 feet below the surface. Then,in 1964,he set up another station on the ocean floor of the Red Sea. This was the first undersea station to operate without help from the surface.
Many countries are now studying undersea living. The former Soviet Union has an undersea laboratory in the Crimean Sea. The United States has a laboratory 50 feet down on the ocean floor off the Virgin Islands. In 1970 five men lived there for two weeks. Then a team of five women scientists stayed in the laboratory. Next came other teams of men. All were there to explore the ocean depths and to make plans for the use of its resources. Scientists hope to find enough mineral,vegetable,and animal wealth there to provide food for the entire world. | high13869.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Some factors cause indoor air pollution."
},
"options": [
"Some building materials pollute indoor air.",
"Some factors cause indoor air pollution.",
"Asbestos can cause lung cancer.",
"The land on which houses are built... | Scientists are closely concerned with the structure of buildings and with the quality of building materials. The World health Organization (WHO) observes that the introduction of air conditioning and energy conservation measures have been accompanied by growing problems of indoor air quality. Some pollutants arise from insulation products, some from moving cars, and others from modern housing materials. As many Europeans spend up to 90% of their lives in buildings, the health effects of the indoor climate are very important.
Some construction materials, including fiberboard, insulation foams and certain glues for man-made wood floor boards, for example, give out organic products such as formaldehyde . Heat and humidity increase the release of formaldehyde and the gas seriously harms the eyes. Paint, lacquer, etc. can also release dangerous gas into indoor air.
Construction materials can cause serious damage, especially when they contain asbestos . Asbestos is naturally present in rock formations worldwide. It belongs to a family of mineral substances made up of solid, non-combustible fiber. These properties make asbestos a highly sought-after construction material. As early as 1931, however, public health officers in the prefix = st1 /United Kingdomrevealed the connection between breathing in asbestos dust and such diseases as lung cancer.
The land on which a building is sited may also contribute to pollution. Some kinds of granite or similar rocks contain traces of radium. As it breaks down, this naturally radioactive element produces some kind of radioactive gas that goes through tiny cracks in walls, floors and building materials, and makes its way into the building and the rooms. The better the homes are insulated, the more is the dangerous gas in indoor air. The main effect of this dangerous gas on health is to increase the risk of lung cancer. | high23766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Friends of the Road"
},
"options": [
"Friends of the Road",
"The Silent Woman on the Bus",
"Going to Work by Bus",
"Different Kinds of Friendship"
],
"question": "Which of the following might be the best title o... | My wife and I used to feel that it was impossible to be a true friend to someone whose name we didn't know. How wrong we were! Years of Sunday-morning bus trips through the city with the same group of "nameless" people have changed our thinking. Before the bus takes off, we all join in a conversation: where's the silent woman who sits up front and never responds to our cheery greetings? Here she comes. Her worn clothing suggests she doesn't have much money to spare, but she always takes an extra cup of coffee for the driver.
We get smiles from a Mexican couple as they get on the bus hand in hand. When they get off, they're still holding hands. The woman was pregnant late last year, and one day her change of shape confirmed that she'd delivered the child. We even felt a little pride at the thought of our extended family.
For many months, our only sadness lay in our inability to _ the same friendship with the silent woman at the front of the bus. Then, one evening, we went to a fish restaurant. We were shown to a table alongside someone sitting alone. It was the woman from the bus.
We greeted her with friendly familiarity we'd shown all year, but this time her face softened, then a shy smile. When she spoke, the words escaped awkwardly from her lips. All at once we realized why she hadn't spoken to us before. Talking was hard for her.
Over dinner; we learned the stay of a single mother with a disabled son who was receiving special care away from home. She missed him desperately, she explained.
"I love him... and he loves me, even though he doesn't express it very well," she murmured. "Lots of us have that problem, don't we? We don't say what we want to say, what we should be saying. And that's not good enough."The candles flared on our tables. Our fish had never tasted better. But the atmosphere grew pleasant, and when we parted as friends--we shared names. | high676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "writing stories and activities for children."
},
"options": [
"writing for newspapers.",
"teaching magazine writing.",
"writing stories and activities for children.",
"teaching small community college classes."
],
... | Our Web Editor Jan Fields has always loved two things----writing and teaching, so she's done both throughout her professional career. After graduating from college with a BA in Journalism, she quickly found that writing for newspapers didn't fulfill her dream. So she switched to magazines and soon began teaching magazine writing. Still, something didn't feel quite right. She wanted more challenges and creativity.
In the 1980s, Jan answered a call to rewrite a year's children's church lesson. She quickly found That writing stories and activities for children offered all she desired. She dove in and has never looked back. Her work has appeared in Ladybug, Shining Star and many others.
As Jan continued building credits in children's magazines, educational magazines, and parenting Magazines, she looked for opportunities to pass along what she had learned to other writers. Soon, teaching small community college classes wasn't enough---she wanted to help other writers to find success in creating material for children.
In 2001, she discovered the Institute of Children's Literature and she's been happily instructing students here ever since. To best meet her students' needs, she's constantly searching out new information. As a web editor, Jan looks after the needs of all the visitors to this site. She moderates the Scheduled Events discussion groups and the Writer's Retreat forum, writes for the Writer's Support Room, and edits the Writer's Support Room and Writing Tips articles.
Jan is always open to suggestions for new ways to meet the needs of the writing community. Feel free to email her. She's eager to hear from you. | high24009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To give some information about Brightman."
},
"options": [
"To praise Brightman.",
"To persuade the readers that Brightman is more famous than Lady Gaga.",
"To instruct the readers how to begin a space flight.",
"To giv... | British singer Sarah Brightman began training for a 2015 flight to the International Space Station where she hopes to become the first professional musician to sing from space, the company arranging the trip said on Tuesday.
Brightman, a famed soprano who starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber' s "Phantom of the Opera" , will pay about $ 52 million for a 10-day stay aboard the orbital outpost, Tom Shelley, president of privately owned Space Adventures, said.
Brightman, who will become the eighth privately funded space tourist, is scheduled to fly in September 2015. Her training to fly on a Russian Soyuz capsule began last fall.
Brightman has planned to be the first professional musician to sing from space. But she faces competition from Lady Gaga, who, according to media reports late last year, intends to be the first when _ performs one song in space in early 2015 on a Virgin Galactic flight. Virgin Galactic, part of Richard Branson's Virgin Group, plans to offer suborbital space flights.
Brightman said in 2012 that she would travel to the space station, but her plans haven't been confirmed until now. So far. Space Adventures has arranged for nine private missions to the space station, a $ 100 billion research laboratory that flies about 260 miles above the earth. Microsoft co-founder Charles Simonyi made two trips.
Brightman will be the first private citizen to visit the station since Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Lalibarte paid about $ 35 million for an 11-day stay in September 2009.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin has an option to fly on the next available Soyuz seat after Brightman, which most likely will be in 2017, Shelley told Reuters. | high9966.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "provide a safe place for some of the international languages"
},
"options": [
"connect people who speak the endangered language",
"provide a safe place for some of the international languages",
"offer tools that will help cre... | According to some surveys, there are at least 87 languages that are completely _ now. What's worse, while there are around 6,000 or 7,000 languages spoken around the world today, researchers estimate that fifty percent of those languages will not survive the turn of the century.
Google, however, is determined to provide a safe place for some of these dying languages. Recently, the company started the Endangered Languages Project. It is an online archive that will use technology and media to protect endangered languages around the world. Google hopes the archive will allow people to do something for endangered languages by offering tools that will help create high-quality recordings of the last speakers of a language.
The site makes it possible for users to share research and video documents that will support endangered languages, as well as connect people who are working to protect specific languages. Languages on the site are put into different types, such as, "at risk", "endangered" and "seriously endangered". Navajo, a language spoken mainly in New Mexico today, is listed as "at risk", with about 120,000 speakers worldwide.
If the Endangered Languages Project works, it may not only help protect Navajo, but also help protect hundreds of other languages. And while these languages may never become the language of international business, making sure that they don't disappear is important -- to protect out cultural heritage and to provide us with valuable information that can help us to better understand ourselves. | high22478.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Information and advice"
},
"options": [
"Introductions and directions",
"This is New York",
"Information and advice",
"Have fun here"
],
"question": "What would be the best title for the passage?",
"question... | Perhaps you will visit New York one day. You might be a student there. Here is some advice.
Get a good map of the city. It will also have subway and bus maps. Remember the directions--uptown, downtown, east and west. Feel the excitement of New York .Have fun!
NEW YORK CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU
Address:90 East 42nd Street,N.Y.100017
Telephone:6871300
TIMES SQUARE INFORMATION CENTER
Address:43rd Street between Seventh Avenue and Broadway
Telephone:5938983
TRAVELERS' AID SOCIETY
Address:204 ast 39th Street,N.Y.10016(central office)
Telephone:6790200
TRAVEL INFORMATION:NEW YORK SUBWAYS AND BUSES
Telephone:3301234
OTHER TELEPHONE NUMBERS
The weather:WE 61212.The time:ME 71212
Emergency (Police,Fire,or Ambulance):911 or "0" for operator
A doctor:8971000
USEFUL BOOK
Seeing New York; The official MTA Travel Guide,published by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. | high7793.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "usually change"
},
"options": [
"usually change",
"were stolen",
"are no longer fresh",
"come from a criminal"
],
"question": "After her father died, the flowers in the hands of Goldie Belle Taylor _ .",
"... | People have been burying the dead at Salem's Hope Cemetery since 1833. The place is filled with old gravestones and gothic mausoleums , the spirits of the dead hanging over the land like an early morning fog.
Keeping watch, a few steps from the road with her skirt over the pedestal , is Goldie Belle Taylor, her face weathered but otherwise in good condition. On this day, she is holding a bunch of pink rises because Goldie Belle always holds flowers. Someone makes sure of _ .
"And she has had fresh flowers in her hands for the last 150 years." Karen Biery lives in Damascus, about five miles west of Hope Cemetery. She's written a book based on the legend of Goldie Belle Taylor titledBelieve.In 1886, at the age of two, young Goldie Belle used her hands to sop up the left over elderberry juice from her father's iron kettle. She died not long after from poisoning. She was the love of her dad's life, and he was so upset that he sold the family farm to buy the Italian made statue, which today marks her grave.
At first, it was her father who brought the flowers and laid them in her hands. When he died in 1896, the flowers kept coming. Her flowers are different per season. Why do the flowers keep miraculously appearing? People have tried to find out by having camped by the statue, but not even the groundskeepers have been able to catch the criminal.
It's said that a fairy arrives at Hope Cemetery looking for the grave of her birth mother. She comes across Goldie Belle's statue. | high2833.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "provide cheaper energy for developing countries"
},
"options": [
"offer people in developing countries access to pure water",
"provide cheaper energy for developing countries",
"gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthes... | What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves -- but artificial ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis . Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts . Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell, which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. "One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology," said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful, new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.
With the goal to "make each home its own power station" and "give energy to the poor", scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China. | high18928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The writer felt sad and sorry for what it put local people through."
},
"options": [
"The US military had no idea it would hurt people so much.",
"It was used by the US military to hurt ordinary Vietnamese.",
"The writer felt... | Have you ever thought about why traveling is important? It may seem obvious, but a good trip introduces you to a "new world". Geography matters: where you are going plays a huge role in how you think.
About six months after I moved to China, I got the chance to travel with a group of friends to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. This trip was great fun: I got to swim, cycle and stay in tree houses in the jungle. But more importantly, this trip was meaningful.
All of these three countries were bombed by the US military during the conflict with the North Vietnamese, the Vietnam War. As someone with strong anti-war opinions, I wanted to learn how the people of this area remember the war. I was not disappointed.
When I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, I got the chance to explore the Vietnam War Remnants Museum, which has the largest collection of anti-facts from the Vietnam War. One exhibit is especially memorable. It is full of photos and artwork showing the effects of Agent Orange, a chemical weapon used by the US military against the land and population of Vietnam.
The aim of the Agent Orange campaign was to destroy plant life to make it more difficult for North Vietnamese fighters to hide behind trees. But ordinary Vietnamese were hurt the most. I had tears in my eyes as I looked around the exhibit. Ks5u
Another time during our trip, my friends and I were arriving in a town in Cambodia on an overnight bus. As we got off the bus, taxi drivers came over offering rides. One of them asked me, "Where are you from, man?" I replied, "America!" And he said, "Ahh...the place where they make the bombs!" He laughed. I didn't. Ks5u
Traveling offers perspective . There are few things more important than that. | high16905.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Adults should walk for fifty minutes three times per week."
},
"options": [
"Exercising and eating healthily can help to reduce cancer risk.",
"Each year about 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer around the world.",
... | About a third of all common cancers in the United States, China and Britain could be prevented each year if people ate healthier food, drank less alcohol and exercised more, health experts said on Friday.
Reports from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) suggest that making simple lifestyle changes could prevent some 40 percent of breast cancers alone in Britain and the United States, as well as tens of thousands of stomach cancers.
"Even in 2011, people are dying unnecessarily from cancers that could be prevented through keeping a healthy weight, diet, physical activity and other lifestyle factors," said a WCRF medical and scientific adviser.
WCRF findings are supported by World Health Organization (WHO) reports, which say regular exercise can prevent many diseases such as cancers and heart diseases.
Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world and its incidence is rising. Each year around 12.7 million people discover they have cancer and 7.6 million people die from some form of the disease. There are about 200 known types of cancer.
Rachel Thompson, the WCRF's head of science, said that while the message was simple -- that not smoking, eating good food and being a healthy weight can help _ many cancers -- it was still a difficult one to get across.
The WHO says adults should do at least 150 minutes of exercise a week. This could be done by walking for 30 minutes five times per week or by cycling to work every day.
Peter Baldini, head of the World Lung Foundation, also called on all governments to introduce smoke-free laws and raise the price of cigarettes. Tobacco kills millions of smokers every year, and tobacco-related lung cancers also kill hundreds of thousands of people who don't smoke but have been exposed to it second-hand.
"There isn't a magic bullet to cure all forms of cancer, but we have the opportunity and the duty to protect people from developing cancer wherever possible," Baldini said. | high5184.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "can remember where their family members are while traveling"
},
"options": [
"are usually stronger than male elephants",
"usually stay at home while male elephants search for food",
"can remember where their family members ar... | Members of an elephant family may be out of sight but they are always in the minds of the herd's matriarchs , researchers have found.
Tests have found that female elephants are able to remember the whereabouts of at least 17 family members simultaneously and perhaps as many as 30. They watch which of their relations are ahead of them when the herd searches for food, which of them are lagging behind and which are traveling in separate groups.
Professor Richard Byrne, of the prefix = st1 /UniversityofSt Andrews, said that the elephants performed a good memory by being able to recall where each of their s was in a changing environment. "It's hard enough for us to watch two or three children in a busy shopping centre. Imagine trying to do it with 30 or so," he said.
Researchers tested the ability of African elephants to remember where each family member had got to. Elephants have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell and are able to identify one another from traces of urine on the ground.
To test the memories of the elephants, samples of urine-soaked earth were collected by researchers and placed in positions where a herd was about to pass. Observations showed that the animals exhibited surprise when they could detect the odor of a family member they knew was behind them. Interest was shown when the urine was that of a close traveling in the same group or in a separate herd, but samples left by unknown individuals were ignored.
The researchers, who reported their findings in the journal Biology Letters, concluded: " It seems that female elephants have a general interest in monitoring family members with whom they are traveling. Elephants' order of traveling often changes and overtaking is common, suggesting that elephants must frequently update their expectation of where others are in relation to themselves." | high18096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the reader has trouble understanding what the author says"
},
"options": [
"the reader has trouble understanding what the author says",
"the reader's expectations agree with what is said in the text",
"the reader asks questio... | Reading is thought to be a kind of conversation between the reader and the text. The reader puts questions to the text and gets answers. In the light of these he puts further questions, etc.
For most of the time this "conversation" goes on below the level of consciousness. At times, however, we become aware of it. This is usually when we are running into difficulties, when mismatch is occurring between our expectations and meaning of the text. When successful matching is being experienced, our questioning of the text continues at the unconscious level.
Different people converse with the text differently. Some stay very close to the words on the pages; others take off imaginatively from the words, interpreting, criticizing, analyzing and examining. The former represents a kind of comprehension which is written in the text. The latter represents higher levels of comprehension. The balance between these is important, especially for the advanced readers.
There is another conversation which from our point of view is equally important, and that has nothing to do with what is read but with how it is read. We call this a "process" conversation as opposed to "content" conversation. It is concerned not with meaning but with the strategies we employ in reading. If we are advanced reader our ability to hold a content conversation with text is usually well developed but not so our ability to hold a process conversation. It is just this kind of conversation that is of importance when we are seeking to develop our reading to meet the new demands being placed upon us by studying at a higher level. | high20509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They have little chance of moving to other places."
},
"options": [
"They are frequently attacked by invasive species and infectious diseases.",
"They have difficulty finding enough food for survival.",
"They can hardly find ... | Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a UN report showed on Sunday.
Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization shows how higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in Africa.
"Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive species," Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director general at the FAO's forestry department, said at the launch of the report.
The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and create new habitats.
"The remaining populations become surrounded in very small ecosystems, they have inbreeding problems ... and at the end these species may disappear," he added.
Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi.
The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a significant proportion of native species may become extinct by 2050 as a consequence.
Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases, it said.
The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems, especially those key to dealing with climate change such as mangroves , inland waters, forests, savannahs and grasslands.
The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where their movement was limited.
The organization said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed.
It also urged local communities to develop projects that _ the impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an example. | high3293.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "want others to know or to think that they are rich"
},
"options": [
"want to be happy",
"want others to know or to think that they are rich",
"don't want others to know they are rich",
"want to be as rich as their neigh... | In the United States,when one becomes rich,he wants people to know it. And even if he does not become very rich,he wants people to think that he is. That is what "keeping up with the Joneses" is about. It is the story of someone who tried to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand. He told this story about himself. He began earning $125 a week at the age of 23.That was a lot of money in those days. He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City. When he saw that rich people rode horses,Momand went horseback riding every day. When he saw that rich people had servants. Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.
It was like a race,but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up. The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life. They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors. He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories. He called it "Keeping up with the Joneses" because "Jones" is a very common name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you. Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses. And there are "Joneses" in every city of the world. But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does,Mr. Jones always seems to be ahead. | high21617.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they are for adult and that he is now an adult"
},
"options": [
"they give him hope of justice and tomorrow in life",
"they are for adult and that he is now an adult",
"they help him forget the real world",
"they are si... | I was always blamed for watching too much cartoons. As I have said goodbye to my teenage, I shift to watching more movies to prove that I was a grown-up. Surprisingly, I found that movies have something in common with cartoons. They are unrealistic.
Sometimes movies give people hope, including the hope of justice, the hope of tomorrow and almost everything else. A great number of people were once touched by certain movies. From time to time, movies try to deliver some decisive ideas to the audience. In this way, movies do cheer up many people to go on with their lives.
It seems that there is a set formula in movies. We usually see the hero or heroine in the movies suffer a lot in the opening. Gradually and likely, the destination of them always comes to a turning point. So they have to struggle or make some important choices. Then the movie ends up with a happy finale. Or at least the hero finally manages to face his poor life with great courage somehow. However, when audience watch movies in the cinema, most of them just follow the story. Few of them may ask, "Will it happen in the real life?"
Movies are also imitating the real life. Thus a movie, just like a novel, can never be the same as the real life. The setting of a movie is so ideal that we could hardly find it out in reality. The moviemakers just try their best to persuade the audience to believe the story is true. In a word, it is all just _ .
For quite a long time, I think that the adults' world is realistic in the opposite way of the children's cartoon. However, the movies from the adult world turn out to be a made-up thing. At the very moment, I suddenly realize that movies are somewhat of the adult's fairy tales or cartoons.
To sum up, other than false comfort such as movies and tales, we are more in need of the maturity of mind, so that we can face our lives bravely and correctly. | high14874.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they can find something interesting"
},
"options": [
"they are fond of traveling around",
"they can find something interesting",
"they can enjoy the wonderful foods",
"they want to learn how to farm in the fields"
]... | Sometimes doing something for yourself - even shopping--can _ . That's the case at charity shops and non-profit stores such as Ten Thousand Villages which helps provide skilled workmen with money in developing countries.
Their handicrafts are sold throughout North America in 180 stores, 95 of them operated by Ten Thousand Villages.
"People come into the store because we have a lot of interesting things, but then they're drawn to us by the mission ," says organization spokeswoman Juanita Fox.
"It just feels good to be making a difference when you're buying something."
In the Alexandria, Virginia shop, generals display windows draw you in. They are filled with practical, attractive home furnishings in blue and white, all international in mood.
Once inside though, it's clear that this isn't just another import store. On the wall behind the cash register is the following note:
"Ten Thousand Villagers provides necessary, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. Your Buying Makes a Difference. "
The store was opened in 1994 as part of a network of shops across the USA run by the Mennonite Church, which is based in Akron, Pennsylvania.
Currently, 60,000 skilled workmen from 32 countries provide goods to the stores, with all proceeds re-invested in the organization.
Management of the Alexandria shop is overseen by an all-volunteer board of directors. More than 40 additional volunteers help doing everything from working the register to unpacking stock.
Maria Yannopoulos got involved after visiting a store and getting to know another volunteer. "Since we are non-profit, we are really looking for value because the more we sell, the more jobs we can create. Giving someone job rather than charity helps in so many ways. " | high110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "How many types of word games are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text":... | About 15 years ago, readers of The Independent, a daily national newspaper, were asked by its travel journalists what they missed when they were away from home, and what they looked forward to when they returned. Apart from "family", "friends" and "favorite foods", many people mentioned "the Sunday newspapers" and "the crossword puzzle".
It's certainly true that among their many hobbies, the English enjoy words, above all reading them and playing with them. Reading books is one of the most popular relaxation activities, with approximately 100,000 books a year published. Over 80 per cent of the population regularly read a daily newspaper, and there are more newspapers per person than any other country except Japan. The weekend newspapers generally contain hundreds of pages, and even the most popular hobbies -- fishing, stamp collecting, train-spotting, bird-watching, walking, sports, pets, flower-arranging, knitting and pigeon-fancying -- have at least _ , if not several specialist magazines, devoted to them. In fact, many people probably spend more time reading about their hobbies than actually doing them.
It's also undoubtedly true that word games, puzzles and competitions are hugely popular in newspapers, on the radio and even on television. One of the most popular television games in the 1980s and 1990s was "Call My Bluff" where two teams of players had to guess which of three meanings of an unfamiliar word was correct. In many cases newspapers have a word games section, such as a "Words within Words" competition where the aim is to make as many words as possible with the letters of a single word. Above all, crossword puzzles are the most familiar word game, with clues ranging from words which have the same meaning as other words, to the "Cryptic" where the meaning of the word is expressed in a very indirect way, and in a variety of linguistic and cultural references. Apparently, some people choose their newspaper not because of the quality of the news coverage but because of the crossword puzzle.
You may think that you would need an excellent command of the English language to enjoy playing with words as much as the English do. But many of the word games are very simple and good fun, and in fact, the only skill you must have is to speak and listen or read and write a little. | high23000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to find ways to fight human diseases"
},
"options": [
"test new drugs on animals",
"to find ways to fight human diseases",
"prove the research is morally acceptable",
"create monkeys and mice with livers made from human... | Is a mouse that can speak acceptable? How about a dog with human hands or feet? Scientists, the people with the know-how to make such things happen, are now thinking about whether such experiments are morally right or not.
On Nov. 10, Britain's Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study on the use of animals with human materials in scientific research. The work is expected to take at least a year, but its leaders hope it will lead to guidelines for scientists in Britain and around the world on how far _ can go mixing human genes into animals in search of ways to fight human diseases.
"Do these constructs challenge our idea of what it is to be human?" asked Martin Bobrow, a professor of medical genetics at Cambridge University and chair of a 14-member group looking into the issue. "It is important that we consider these questions now so that appropriate boundaries are recognized."
Using human material in animals is not new. Scientists have already created monkeys that have a human form of the Huntingdon's gene so they can study how the disease develops; and mice with livers made from human cells are being used to study the effects of new drugs.
However, scientists say the technology to put ever greater amounts of human genetic material into animals is spreading quickly around the world --- raising the possibility that some scientists in some places may want to go further than is morally acceptable.
Last year in Britain there was a lively debate over new laws allowing the creation of human-animal embryos for experiments. On one side of the debate were religious groups, who claimed that such science interferes with nature. Opposing them were scientists who pointed out that such experiments were vital to research cures for diseases.
The experts will publish reports after the end of the study, in which they will give definitions for animal embryos with human genes or cells, look at safety and animal welfare issues, and consider the right legal framework to work within. | high20521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "His family may have settled in the United States."
},
"options": [
"He left his homeland when he got the Nobel Prize.",
"He went to the United States to gain his Nobel Prize.",
"He might find the Unites States a better place ... | Ronald Hoffman born in 1937 is Polish-born American organic chemist and Nobel laureate . As a theoretical chemist, Hoffmann studied energy levels in chemical bonds during chemical reactions. He put computers to use to solve his problems and, despite the complexity of his research, was able to explain his theories and discoveries to the non-specialist. For his work he was awarded the 1981 Nobel Prize in chemistry, which he shared with Fukui Kenichi.
Born in Poland, Hoffmann settled in New York City as a child and became a United States citizen. He received his undergraduate degree in premedical studies from Columbia College in 1958. He attended Harvard University, where he received his PhD. degree in chemical physics in 1962. He joined the faculty of Cornell University in the mid-1960s and remained there throughout his career.
Hoffmann and Nobel laureate chemist Robert Burns Woodward developed rules, based on quantum mechanics, to determine how energy levels in atomic electron orbits influence how a chemical reaction takes place. These simple rules, known as the Woodward-Hoffmann rules, allowed chemists to predict reaction results and was quickly accepted and put to use in a wide variety of situations.
Hoffmann later turned his research to a variety of problems related to discovering the molecular structure of inorganic and organometallic compounds. Hoffmann is also known for what is called the Isolobal Analogy, which is yet another discovery linking all areas of chemistry. It is useful in predicting the behavior of new molecules based on the orbit structure of the components used to form them.
Aided by computers, Hoffmann was able to _ a vast amount of data to support his ideas. Unlike the scientific papers of many chemists, Hoffmann's publications contain little raw data but instead are filled with diagrams and pictures to explain his results. His drawings of shaded balloons to indicate eigenvectors, a unit used in mathematics, are now the accepted scientific notation for illustrating this value. | high11924.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he was not satisfied with the food"
},
"options": [
"he was not hungry",
"he was seriously ill",
"he was given special meals",
"he was not satisfied with the food"
],
"question": "The patient had no desire to ea... | Once Dr. Mellinkoff invited me to join him at the hospital to discuss interesting cases with his students . The case at hand was a Guatemalan man , aged 34 , who had a fever and many other medical problems . His condition was not improving , and there was not much hope he would live .
Dr. Mellinkoff asked to see the patient . He introduced himself in Spanish and , in a very gentle voice , asked how he felt . The patient smiled and said everything was all right . Then the doctor asked if he was able to eat . The patient said that he had no desire to eat .
" Are you getting food you like ? "
The patient said nothing .
" Do you get the kind of food you have at home ? "
The answer was no .
The doctor put his hand on the man's shoulder and his voice was very soft .
" If , you had food that you liked , would you eat it ? "
" Yes , yes . " the patient said .
The change in the patient's appearance couldn't have been more obvious . Nothing was said , but it was easy to tell that a message had been sent and had also been received .
Later , the doctor asked why the Guatemalan man wasn't getting food he could eat . One of the students said , " We all know how difficult it is to get the kitchen to make special meals . "
" Suppose , " the doctor replied , " you felt a certain medicine was ly necessary but that our hospital didn't carry it , would you accept defeat or would you insist the hospital meet your request ? "
" I would probably insist , " the student said .
" Very well , " the doctor said . " You might want to try the same method in the kitchen . It won't be easy , but I can help you . Meanwhile , let's get some food inside this man as fast as possible , and stay with it . Or he'll be killed by hunger . By the way , there must be someone among you who can speak Spanish . If we want to make real progress , we need to be able to talk with him . "
Three weeks later , Dr. Mellinkoff told me that the Guatemalan man had left the hospital under his own power . It takes more than medicine to help sick people ; you also have to talk to them and make them comfortable . | high22336.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "was born in rural France"
},
"options": [
"was born in rural France",
"belongs to neither naturalism nor realism",
"became famous for his love of the countryside",
"received his high school education in Barbizon"
],... | Jean--Francois Millet (October 4,1814----January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founder of the Barbizon School in rural France. Born of a peasant family, Millet was encouraged by his father to study art in Cherbourg, France. He can be categorized as part of the movement called "naturalism" . His understanding of the peasant' hard life was perfectly expressed in his choice of subject and natural preference for powerful but simple drawing and coloring.
One of the most well--known of Millet's paintings, The Gleaners(<<>> ),first came in a vertical composition painted in 1854,and then there came the horizontal version in 1856, which is now preserved in the Musee d'Orsay. It depicts women bending over in the fields to collect the leftover's from the harvest, and it is a monumental composition devoted to the working class.
Previously, servants were depicted in paintings as obedient to a noble or a king, and picking up what was left of the harvest was regarded as one of the lowest jobs in Millet;s times. However, Millet offered these women as the heroic focus of the picture. Besides, in the painting, light lights up the women's shoulders as they carry out their work. Behind them, the field that stretches into the distance is bathed in golden light, under a wide , magnificent sky. The forms of the three figures, standing against the lighter field, show balance and harmony. | high138.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "his students could do well in chemistry"
},
"options": [
"all his students could understand him",
"his students wouldn't be afraid of him",
"his students carefully watched him making the experiment",
"his students could... | Charlie studied in a famous college for four years. He studied hard and did well in all his subjects. He hoped to become a good teacher. This year he left the college and began to work in a middle school. He likes his students and is strict with them. He does his best to make his classes lively and interesting.
One day he carefully explained a chemical reaction to the students of Grade 2 in the chemistry lab.
"Be careful, everyone," he said loudly. "Before I make the experiment,there're twenty five atoms of carbon ,but after I finish it, there're twenty four atoms of carbon left!"
He stopped to watch the classroom and hoped his students would go on explaining it. But the young men looked at each other and nobody answered him. He had to ask, "What happens? What makes the atom lost?"
The classroom was very quiet and none of the students looked at their teacher.
"Who can tell us where it has gone?"
Suddenly a soft voice came from the back row, "We did not see anybody leave the lab!" | high23028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "what makes different stages of intelligence"
},
"options": [
"why our personalities and behaviors differ",
"what makes different stages of intelligence",
"how social scientists form different theories",
"what causes the... | People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behaviors are formed. It's not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.
Social scientists are, of course, extremely interested in these types of question. They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behaviors. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from each other, and there is a great deal of debate between _ of each theory. The argument is often conveniently referred to as nature vs. nurture.
Those who support the "nature" side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological and genetic factors. That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme, this theory maintains that our behavior is predetermined to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts .
Proponents of the "nurture" theory, or, as they are often called, behaviorists, claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. Behaviorists see humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings. Their view of the human being is quite mechanistic; they maintain that, like machines, humans respond to environmental stimuli (something that helps sb./ sth. to develop better and more quickly)as the basis of their behavior.
The social and political connections of these two theories are significant. In the United States, for example, blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligent test. This leads some "nature" proponents to conclude that blacks are genetically worse than whites. Behaviorists, in contrast, say that the differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often robbed of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy, and that, as a result ,they do not develop the same responses that whites do.
Neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior. In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes. That the argument will continue for a long time is certain. | high9796.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a TV program"
},
"options": [
"a book",
"a film",
"a newspaper",
"a TV program"
],
"question": "According to the passage, A Bite of China is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | A Bite of China, featuring delicious Chinese food, has attracted countless viewers, and moved many to tears.
A Bite of China is a serious documentary providing a unique view of Chinese as well as the relations between people and food and between people and society from the view of food. The touching documentary reminds some people of their mother, and makes some realize that every grain comes from hard and laborious work. Some people see patriotism in the documentary, and some consider it a great cultural export.
How did this documentary achieve a great influence beyond its subject matter in such a short time?
"It is not empty propaganda about China's splendid food culture. Instead, it shows the techniques used in making food and their production process as well as the lives of ordinary people, thus striking a chord with the audience," an Internet user said. The success of the documentary should be owed to sincerity and reality. Nowadays, many works of art that have high investment, high technology, and magnificent scenes lack nothing but sincerity and reality.
A Bite of China shows that a commercial documentary promoting patriotism can be full of touching details, that the emotions of ordinary Chinese people should be exhibited even in publicizing China overseas, and that even a completely commercial program can achieve both artistic and commercial success.
"We made this documentary with our respect and love for food," said director Chen Xiaoqing. Being sincere is the most important thing for artists because they cannot move others unless they themselves are first moved, and cannot convince others unless they themselves are first convinced. Sincerity is the "secret" for making this documentary so popular, and every cultural creator should learn from its success. | high7963.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in New York City"
},
"options": [
"in New York City",
"inCambridge",
"near Harvard Square",
"nearBoston"
],
"question": "We can learn from the passage that Penn Station is _ .",
"question_type": "summariz... | I just mailed the chicken and the egg, each in its own separate packaging, and kept careful track of when each shipment was sent from a post office in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and when it later arrived at its intended destination inprefix = st1 /New York City.
In mailing the chicken, I was careful to stick to the restrictions described in the American Postal Service's Domestic Mail Manual 57. This version of the Manual states that:
"Adult chickens must be sent by Express Mail. The containers used must pass the standards in International Safe Transit Association Test Procedure 1A; be strong enough to endure normal handling; and the number of birds must not be more than the container's limit."
I mailed the chicken in a wooden box got from a colleague who does research with birds, and mailed the egg in standard packaging obtained through an industrial supplier.
I posted both the chicken and the egg at 9:40 am, on a Monday morning, from theHarvard Squarepost office, inCambridge,Massachusetts. The staff there told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed from there in recent memory, and perhaps ever.
The intended destination for both packages was the James A. Farley General Post Office, which is located inManhattanright next to Penn Station.
I took the subway from Harvard Square to the Boston train station, and from there boarded a train to New York City, a distance of about 320 kilometres, arriving that afternoon at Penn Station. I immediately went to the post office, to await the arrivals of the chicken and the egg.
The James A. Farley General Post Office is open 24 hours a day, so I was able to wait there until both items arrived.
That day, Monday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived. The next day, Tuesday, neither the chicken nor the egg arrived.
The chicken arrived at 10:31 am, Wednesday. The staff at the post office told me that this was the first chicken anyone had mailed to the post office in recent memory, and perhaps ever. The egg arrived that same day, at 9:37 pm, 11 hours after the chicken.
So, it's now quite clear that the chicken came first, the egg second. | high24021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "enjoy going to work by public transport"
},
"options": [
"often traveled by bus on her own",
"enjoy going to work by public transport",
"found a better job now than before",
"was born into a wealthy family"
],
"... | Many years ago I lived in a western country. My very first job was in the city and I was excited to go to work by public transport! I had never been employed before and my chances of travelling on a bus by myself had always been very slim. So, I was very happy with my new lifestyle!
I left home each morning in time to catch the 8.05 bus from the main road. One autumn morning I could see the bus approaching. I could also see an elderly lady walking with a lovely dog beside her. There were some youngsters behind her.
The bus arrived and we got on. Only eight passengers were permitted to travel standing. I was inside the bus when the conductor called, "Only eight standing passengers! Could the last one to get on please get off?" I saw those youngsters inside, right in front of me, and it occurred that they had jumped the queue!
I turned and saw the elderly lady with her dog about to get off. I moved quickly to get in front of her. I encouraged her to stay, knowing very well I would be late that morning, but it didn't bother me. It was only as I moved past her to get off the bus that I realized -- she was blind! Her dog was her guide dog!
Well, I eventually got to the office. After the day's work I went to the bus stand in front of my office to make the return journey. What a pleasant surprise! The lady and her dog were there! I was really pleased because I would get a better chance to speak with her. I started the conversation and she recognized my Asian accent! She asked if I was the same person who helped her that morning. Amazing! From there onwards it was one long happy conversation.
These beautiful memories are still fresh in my mind. By helping others, I feel content! | high23996.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "better the image of Chinese citizens as holidaymakers"
},
"options": [
"punish the Chinese poorly-behaved tourists",
"suggest correct measures to the Chinese poorly-behaved tourists",
"showcase the authority of the China Nati... | China is starting to blacklist poorly-behaved tourists as it seeks to rescue the image of its citizens as holidaymakers.
According to a regulation by the China National Tourism Administration (NTA) that entered effect this week, tourists will be blacklisted for offences including acting antisocially on public transport, damaging private or public property, disrespecting local customs, damaging historical exhibits on purpose or engaging in gambling or pornographic activities. Records will be kept in a two-tired system: provincial-level tourism authorities are responsible for cases under their jurisdiction while the NTA will be in charge of a nationwide register. People will be.blacklisted for two years after they offend, according to the regulation.
The NTA said tourism authorities will inform blacklisted tourists and "propose correction measures in order to _ the negative impact". It also said that tourism authorities reserve the right to report such violations to public security, customs and transport authorities as well as the central bank's individual credit department.
The regulation comes amid (......) growing concern about the ill manners of Chinese tourists both at home and abroad. In 2013, a Chinese tourist wrote his name on a relief carving in Luxor, Egypt. In December, a Chinese passenger threw a cup of hot instant noodles at a flight attendant on an international flight. Chinese tourists have been fined or put into prison for carrying prohibited items or purchasing wild animal products. | high13855.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A teenager who applies early."
},
"options": [
"A teenager who applies early.",
"A teenager who is popular.",
"A teenager who is smart.",
"A teenager who gets high grades in exams."
],
"question": "Who has the b... | If you are interested to find a part-time job or learn something different during your spare time, you can have a look at the following jobs offered by the DC Public Library.
Teens of Distinction Program
The DC Public Library offers part-time jobs for teens through the Teens of Distinction Program. Teens work 10-12 hours per week all year long, helping the library with important tasks and projects. The Teens of Distinction Program is now hiring! To apply, you have to:
* be a DC resident
* have and maintain at least a 2.5 grade point average
* be 16 to 18 years old
* be able to work 10-12 hours per week
* be able to work for DCPL for at least 9 months
Oh, and of course you have to impress us with your wonderful personality!
Teen Volunteer Opportunities
If you want to earn community service hours for school, Youth202 is a good choice.
Youth202 is a radio program created by youth and for youth. You can learn radio production skills, interview people around you, and help keep other teens to learn news, events, and anything else you think is important.
Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP)
Every summer, teens can work here to help library customers organize books and learn lots of new skills, such as program planning, writing and media production.
On Friday, January 25 at 12:15 pm, the application for the 2014 SYEP will be open to teens between the ages of 14 and 21.
Applications will be processed on a firstcome, firstserved basis. Space is limited this year, so teens are encouraged to apply early, and remember not to miss the deadline, Saturday, February 16. | high8488.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can carry birds , foxes , etc .without hurting them"
},
"options": [
"can take care of their owners",
"are the fastest runners of all dogs",
"have their teeth removed when they are young",
"can carry birds , foxes , etc... | The dog, called Prince, was an intelligent animal and a slave to Williams. From morning till night, he had a number of clear duties, for which Williams had patiently trained him and, like a good pupil, Prince lived for the chance to prove his abilities. When Williams wanted to put on his boots, he would murmur. "Boots" and within seconds the dog would drop them at his feet. At nine every morning Prince ran off to the general store in the village, returning shortly not only with Williams' daily paper but with a packet of Williams' favorite tobacco. A trained gun-dog, Prince had a large soft mouth specially evolved (;) for the sake of carrying hunted creatures, so the paper and tobacco came to no harm, never even showing a tooth mark.
Williams was an engine driver, and he had to work at irregular times -- "days", "late days", or "nights". Over the years Prince got to know these periods of work and rest, and knew when his master would leave the house and return and _ If Williams overslept, Prince barked at the bedroom door until he woke. On his return, Williams' slippers were brought to him, the paper and tobacco too.
A curious thing happened to Williams during the snow and ice of last winter. One evening he slipped and fell on the icy pavement somewhere between the village and his home. He was so badly shaken that he stayed in bed for three days; and not until he got up and dressed again did he discover that he had lost his wallet containing over fifty pounds. The house was turned upside down in the search, but the wallet was not found. However, two days later, Prince dropped the wallet into Williams' hand. Very muddy, and wet through, the wallet still contained fifty-three pounds. | high22450.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "helpful"
},
"options": [
"expensive",
"funny",
"helpful",
"tiring"
],
"question": "In the writer's opinion, traveling can be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | People who like their traveling have their reasons. They believe that traveling can help them expand their field of view, especially in the geographical and historical sense. They also think that touring will give them more chances to enjoy different kinds of food and experience new things that would never be brought by other activities. But those who dislike traveling also have some reasons.
Traveling, in my opinion, dose more good than harm. Most importantly, it broadened our mind. We can get in touch with othercivilization , culture, customs and ideas.
Through history, most people traveled because of necessity --not for pleasure. People traveled just in order to remain alive. They searched for food to eat or places to live in. They sometimes ran away from enemies. This is not to say that no one ever traveled just for the fun of it. In ancient times, for example, rich Romans traveled all the way to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games, and festivals. Of course, some people decided to travel just out of curiosity. They wanted to find out what it looked like beyond the horizon . Also business travel has been going on for centuries. Traders could not only make money but also learn to speak several languages and be introduced to different cultures.
So, traveling does enrich our mind and draw new ideas to us. There is no doubt that we can get much from it. | high886.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "may be treated unfair."
},
"options": [
"will be respected by the locals.",
"will forget their ancestors.",
"may be treated unfair.",
"may have difficulty overcoming homesickness."
],
"question": "Students study... | Recently more students are choosing to study abroad as they think it is worthwhile. However, some people think it is not a good idea. There are a number of disadvantages in studying abroad. The following paragraphs will explain why students have these views and the advantages of studying abroad will be discussed.
Students studying abroad may suffer from racial discrimination . As they left their home country, they will become part of a minority group in the new country. The majority group may have a sense of superiority and try to bully them. It is common that Americans or the British discriminate against people from other countries since many of them think that white people are better than others.
In addition, the students may lose their own cultures. Since they have moved to a new place, all the thing there - people, lifestyle and the living environment---would be different from those in their own country. As they will have close contact with the local people and culture, they will be influenced by the new culture even without realizing it. It is ironic that a Chinese person speaks better English than Chinese and forgets about Chinese culture after studying abroad for a few years.
On the other hand, studying abroad will widen the view of students. Although they may give up their own culture, they can really learn from others. As students of the modern world , they should not limit their scope to their home country, but get exposed to the world. Studying abroad can help them expand their horizon and learn many things in the host country, as they will meet and make friends with people from all over the world. So, studying abroad is good for them.
Furthermore, students will learn how to be mature and independent. Students, when in their home country, usually rely on their parents. Statistics show that Chinese students usually rely heavily on their parents; they will leave problems alone and ask their parents to solve them. If they are studying abroad, on many occasions they have to learn how to cope with difficulties they meet. As a result, studying abroad benefits them.
Moreover, the education system of the foreign country may be better than the home country's education system. The home country's education system is very limited. Many teachers just spoon-feed their students. They will ask the students to recite a lot of things and then ask them to write them down. This choice of subjects in school, especially in secondary school, is very narrow; the students cannot choose what they want most. But in some schools in Britain and America, students can choose from a wider range of subjects at school. For example, media studies and corporate communications are courses of study in some schools of those two countries. If students choose to study abroad, they may have the opportunity to learn more things under a better education system.
All in all, studying abroad will change and influence a student in many aspects. Although it is uncertain if the effects will be positive or negative, I believe students should seize the opportunity to study abroad because they will meet many new things and have new experiences in the new country. If they are clever enough, I think they can find a balance between learning about the new culture and holding onto their own one. | high21159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They are all from poor families."
},
"options": [
"They are all weak at learning.",
"They are all disabled children.",
"They are all from rich families.",
"They are all from poor families."
],
"question": "Which... | Teach in nice and beautiful Ecuador ! The government school we work with has about 200 pupils aged from 5 to 14 years old. The children come from many different economic backgrounds and family situations. Some of the children are supported by the upper-class employers of their parents; others cannot attend school every day as they sell something in the streets for parts of the week.
This school really needs volunteers and you'll be greatly appreciated. You'll work with disadvantaged children who will benefit greatly from your help! You will be able to teach English and many other subjects--IT, sports, music, art, drama, anything you have a good knowledge in! Please let us know if you have a special interest and we will do our best to tailor-make your project!
SUMMARY FACTFILE
Price: From PS775, excluding flights
Duration: From 2 weeks to 6 months subject to visa requirements
Start Dates: All year round--you choose your start and finish dates
Requirements: At least aged 17, no qualifications necessary, but you'll have to be enthusiastic. You'll need to know a little Spanish to do this project, but if you have no knowledge of Spanish at all, you can combine your project with 1-week intensive Spanish course in Quito before starting your project.
WAHT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
* An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure in the fascinating culture of Ecuador
* The great satisfaction of helping disadvantaged children and adults and knowing that you made a difference to them
* New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development
* An entry on your CV that makes you stand head and shoulders above others in the job market
* And best of all...an unforgettable experience! | high18900.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Aaron looked on honesty as the best policy."
},
"options": [
"Aaron looked on honesty as the best policy.",
"Walt had surely gotten a fat raise early that year.",
"Stealing had never happened at a wedding.",
"Nobody che... | Ray's wedding had gone off smoothly. Everyone seemed to have had a good time. A few people had too good a time; they went home with designated drivers. All evening, the gift table remained unguarded. Who would steal anything, Ray thought. He had never heard of such a thing happening at a wedding. But his best friend Aaron said there was a first time for everything. He walked out regularly from the inside festivities to check on the gift table, making sure no one doubtful was hanging around it.
Ray and Julia went on a 3-week honeymoon to Italy right after the wedding. When they got back, they opened all the gifts and sent out thank-you notes. But there was one problem. A married couple that used to be good friends had obviously given nothing. This surprised Julia, because Walt and Mary said they were excited to be invited. And, they actually seemed to have had a great time at the wedding. Frankly, Ray didn't even care if they hadn't given a gift. He just needed to know whether to send a thank-you note. Ray called Aaron. Aaron said maybe Walt had left an envelope on the gift table like Aaron had. "Yes, but we got your envelope with the cash inside," Ray said.
"Maybe my envelope looked too thin, and some thief thought Walt's envelope looked nice and fat."
Aaron asked Ray if he had looked everywhere for Walt's gift. Had he called up the wedding site to see if anything had been left behind? Ray said that he had looked everywhere and made a lot of calls that were fruitless.
Ray didn't know what to do. If he sent Walt and Mary a thank-you note for a gift they hadn't given, they would be _ . If he didn't send them a thank-you note for a gift they had given, they would get angry.
"What would you do?" Ray asked. Aaron said he would call Walt up and tell him the problem.
"You can't go wrong with simply being honest," Aaron said.
"Oh, yes, you can," Ray contradicted him. "Sometimes it's best to let sleeping dogs lie." But he thought about it, and finally decided that Aaron was right. He called Walt and told him the problem. Walt said that yes, he had given an envelope. In fact, the envelope contained $500 cash.
"$500?!" Ray asked. "That's a lot of cash, Walt!" Walt admitted that it was, but he had gotten a fat raise early that year and Ray's was the only wedding he'd been to in quite a while. Ray thanked him very much, and apologized sincerely for someone stealing Walt's generous gift. Walt told him that it was "only money".
When Ray told Aaron about Walt's gift, Aaron laughed. "The only thief at the wedding was Walt! I stopped playing cards with him last year because I caught him cheating. And it was only a $10 pot! I'm sure I told you about that."
"Yes, you did tell me," Ray said. But, of course, he had to send Walt a thank-you note anyway. | high10384.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "begging passengers for some money"
},
"options": [
"looking for his long-lost friend",
"asking people for spare clothes",
"begging passengers for some money",
"talking about his painful experience"
],
"question"... | I was on my way home by train. The train's gentle rocking made me feel sleepy, despite the fact that I was standing with what felt like a building in the bag on my back. I turned slightly to reduce some of the pain in my shoulder and saw the door at the end of the car.
An obviously homeless man walked through the door. He was dressed in a dirty heavy coat. He dragged a bag that looked thirty times as heavy as mine. He asked people for spare change in the polite, experienced voice of a person who had done this before. I glanced down as I did a quick check of my pockets, hoping for spare change to give him that wouldn't leave me short for the rest of the week. I came up empty and lifted my head just as his path crossed mine. Shrugging apologetically, I told him I had no change, expecting him to move through the door next to me and continue going to the next cars.
However, he stood and stared at me, saying something quietly. Then I realized he was asking me to take him home. Suddenly money didn't matter that much to this man who lived in poverty without even enough money to purchase socks to stave off the chill. Not food, not clothes, not even a blanket. Just affection.
I felt worse than I had done about not finding any spare change. My heart sank and I couldn't even think of the proper words to say besides "I can't, I'm sorry." He asked me, "What's wrong with my request?" The answer was on my lips before I knew it. I told him that I was not good enough for him.
It was after the man had left that I thought about the answer I had given him and wondered why it felt so right to say so. I realized that I should have requested love over money or food. The fact that he could appreciate something so simple and invisible is more than I could ever have expected of myself. | high18914.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Your hearing pitch may be decreased."
},
"options": [
"Your eyes become weak and can not see well.",
"You may feel energetic and fresh.",
"Your hearing pitch may be decreased.",
"Your tongue may lose the function of tas... | While learning the science lessons, I used to get a doubt--why ear, nose, tongue and eyes should be called as special senses? The basic reason is that these are the channels through which we maintain contact with the surroundings. Though apparently it may feel like these are individual sensory organs, they do show some connectivity. Interestingly, our hearing is less sharp after we eat a heavy food. Isn't it good for a sound nap after a stomach-full meal? That does not mean we go deaf after a meal, but the hearing pitch does change after a heavy meal.
We usually give credit of the taste to our tongue, but do you know that unless saliva dissolves something, our tongue cannot recognize the taste of the food eaten. Taste is nothing but the food chemicals dissolved in the saliva being sensed by the taste buds present on the tongue. Try to dry off your tongue and mouth with a tissue paper and then taste something.
Women are much better smellers than men. They are born with this characteristic ability and can correctly recognize the exact fragrance of the sample. We all can store almost 50,000 different smells, which are strongly tied to the memories.
Pupils do not respond to light alone, but to the slightest bit of noise around too. Thus surgeons, watchmakers and those professionals who have to perform a much delicate job do prefer to have a sound-free environment. Even a small noise can enlarge their pupils, change the focus and make their vision less clear.
Each and every one of us has a particular or individualistic or characteristic smell, which is unique to us, except the twins. This smell is very subtle yet can be sensed even by a newborn. It may be due to this smell that the newborn recognizes the presence of his parents around. | high16939.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The young."
},
"options": [
"The young.",
"Adults over 50.",
"The older people.",
"High-technology devices."
],
"question": "Who usually act as the teachers in the 50 Plus Center?",
"question_type": "factiod... | When people imagine a classroom, they usually think of older people teaching younger ones. But when it comes to learning about high-technology devices, the opposite can often be true. A training program called the 50 Plus Center in the eastern American city of Columbia, Maryland offers free technology classes to adults over 50.
The training program also offers many other kinds of lectures from Qigong and Tai Chi to yoga and Latin jam dance. There are a lot of exercise programs including playing cards and physical exercises where many people just relax and spend some time together.
Myra Stafford is 73 years old. She signed up for the class to learn how to use her iPad. She is learning quickly with the help of the young and she enjoys learning from them. She says she is more confident today than she was before. Working with young people makes her feel wonderful because they don't make her feel that she is old or dumb.
Eleven-year-old Zhion Perekins is a teacher of the technology class. He says some of the older adults know nothing about high-technology devices and they are very anxious, so patience is very important when working with them.
He gains more than just social skills from teaching older residents. He has learned a lot on how to communicate with people. He used to be a shy person, but now he has become outgoing.
There is a huge growing population over 60. The training program offers an opportunity for the old people to buy products online using high-technology devices. As senior citizens get more excited about what they want to buy, it is likely that they will go into the market and buy it, so that could lead to an increase in economy. | high10390.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He had nobody to keep the shop when he went for lunch."
},
"options": [
"Nobody could prepare lunch for him every day.",
"He had nobody to keep the shop when he went for lunch.",
"He was too busy to have lunch every day.",
... | There once was a very honest shopkeeper whose business was to provide goods to the local people. He would open his shop at 8:00 a.m. after having his breakfast and at 1:00 p.m. he would go for lunch. In the evening at 8:30 p.m. he closed his shop to complete his daily routine.
However, to get time for lunch was really difficult because he didn't have anybody to help him at that time. Therefore, it was his daily practice that whichever customer was shopping at 1:00 p.m. would be asked to oversee the shop until the shopkeeper returned from lunch.
One day, a group of four thieves planned to steal from his shop while he was gone for lunch. One of the thieves went at 1:00 p.m. to be the customer that would be asked to oversee the shop.
The thief, pretending to be a customer, went in at 1:00 p.m. and started buying several items. As planned, the shopkeeper asked the thief to sit on his chair for thirty minutes until he returned from lunch. Then, the other three thieves quickly came and told the pretend customer to help, but something had changed within him and he knew deeply in his heart that if he was given responsibility for the shop, he should not perform any dishonest acts during that time. His friends did not agree. As the now honest man tried to stop them, they resisted and a fight started. And at the same time the shopkeeper returned and asked why there was a fighting. The now honest man explained the entire plan. The shopkeeper had been searching for an honest man who could take ownership of the shop and run it. The shopkeeper felt that he had found the right man. | high24035.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "can do what a normal teenager can"
},
"options": [
"can do what a normal teenager can",
"is realizing as many dreams as he can",
"can make a sport event more valuable",
"can add value to society"
],
"question": ... | Nicolai Calabria has already become one of the best 106-pound wrestlers. He has successfully climbed to the top of the highest mountain in Africa, and most importantly, he's changed the attitude of any normal person who watches him compete.
The 17-year-old teenager has one leg. He was born that way, but his goal is to show it's not the one thing that defines him. He would also be the first one to tell you that he just wants to prove to others and himself that he's just like other normal ones.
When Calabria was young, his parents tried different prostheses to find out which was most comfortable for their son as he tried to keep up with the family, who has a preference for sports.
At first, the Calabrias had their middle child in a prosthesis that looked and functioned like a real leg, but soon they decided to choose a different path when they found it wasn't beneficial to his movement. Then the family moved him to arm crutches and from there a new burst of energy was found.
Getting others to believe that he could take off on the soccer field took a little bit longer. When the Calabrias moved to Concord, they had a hard time persuading the town soccer team to allow a child like him to compete with able-bodied kids. After months and months of debates and meetings, the family received the answer they were looking for. Since then, witnessing a young man on crutches who competes against those with two legs has become _ in the Concord community.
"At that time I had nothing but discouragement working with the soccer community; however, now I have nothing but admiration for the fact that he's been allowed to play, and people see that he adds value to game," his father said. "I just think it's a great result." | high7977.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "5 billion."
},
"options": [
"5 billion.",
"10 billion.",
"15 billion.",
"200 billion"
],
"question": "According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?",
"question_type": null
... | For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such messages.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1, 000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth. In addition, they will scan the entire sky to "listen" for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to _ more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal they stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution of life. Based on the inhabitable(that can be lived in)planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn't been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilization much more advanced than ours have developed. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.[ | high13699.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "All parts of it were not made by using a technology called 3-D technology."
},
"options": [
"It was born in a car factory in Chicago.",
"All parts of it were not made by using a technology called 3-D technology.",
"It is a pi... | On a Saturday morning earlier this September, the world got its first look at the Strati. This electric vehicle is unlike any other currently on the road. It rolls on four wheels, but its body and chassis weren't built in a factory. Instead, Strati's designers used a technology called 3-D printing. It created those parts of the car in one piece, from the ground up.
"Compared to a typical vehicle on the road, the Strati definitely looks different," says Greg Schroeder, a senior research engineer at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. He did not work on the new car. His organization studies trends and changes in the auto industry.
It took 44 hours to print the new car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. Over the next few days, the car's designers installed additional parts. These included the car's engine, brakes and tires. Then, early on September 13, Jay Rogers climbed into the car, started its engine and drove the vehicle onto the street. Rogers helped found Local Motors. It's the Arizona-based company behind the Strati. Two weeks later, his team printed a second Strati, and just as fast, at a fair in New York City.
Justin Fishkin, a local Motors official, sees the Strati as a window into the future. Today, car buyers are limited in their choice of a vehicle. They can order only what car companies have already designed. But in the future, he says, you may be able to design your own car online and then get it printed to order.
Manufacturing experts say 3-D printing has begun to revolutionize how they make things. The technology has been around for decades. But these machines used to be so expensive that only large companies could afford them. In the last few years, though, that has changed. Many of the machines are now inexpensive enough for small companies--or even individuals --to own. Some local libraries make them available to the public. High Schools are beginning to use them in classrooms. Wide access to these printers means people can now design and print a wide variety of new things.
The car's printer is a one-of-a-kind device.
The technology behind the 3-D printer used in Chicago is an example of additive manufacturing. This process builds solid objects, slice by slice, from the bottom up. ("Strati" means layers, in Italian.) A mechanical arm moves a _ from one side to another, back and forth. As it moves, the nozzle deposits a liquid--often melted plastic or metal (but it could be food, concrete or even cells) --that quickly hardens or bonds to become solid or semi-solid. This creates a single, thin layer. Once a layer is complete, the printer starts depositing the next one.
"There's a lot of interest in 3-D printing in the auto industry," says Schroeder. Right now, the technology is particularly useful for building models of cars or car parts.
To compete with current auto manufacturers, the 3-D printer would have to increase in a hurry, Schroeder says. By contrast, he notes, a Ford F-150 pickup truck rolls off an assembly line at a rate of roughly one per minute. To print as many Stratis would require many more printers. Schroeder says he doesn't see 3-D printing soon taking over for such high-volume manufacturing. But, he adds, "Who knows what will happen in the long term?"
Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee designed the 3-D printer used in Chicago. Lonnie Love, a research scientist at the lab, led the effort.
Additive manufacturing often is slow and expensive. It also may produce materials that are unreliable, Love says. So for two years, his team searched for ways to make 3-D printing better. They built new machines and tested them over and over.
All of that work paid off: their new machine is fast and uses less expensive material than earlier printers. In addition, it prints a plastic embedded with fibers of carbon to produce a stronger material. This helps ensure the material won't crack or break under pressure. | high13841.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "People do not drink hot water."
},
"options": [
"People do not drink hot water.",
"People prefer to drink sodas.",
"People drink from any tap they find.",
"People drink from water dispensers."
],
"question": "Wh... | Food for thought in the US
Before I left for America, everyone warned me to watch my weight because it's easy to put on weight there. That's true. One thing I still cannot _ is the food and drink.
Almost every American person loves sodas, especially those full of ice cubes. I remember the first day I came to my host family. When I asked them for a glass of hot water, they all looked at me and thought I was crazy!
At my school there's no water dispenser but there's one in each classroom in China. All the American students drink water from taps outside the restrooms that are specially designed for drinking. The water is cold and the school doesn't have hot water.
The most popular food here is hamburgers and French chips, which are junk food in China. Most students who eat at school prefer those to salads. They also eat lots of pizzas and hot dogs. As a result, you can always see some really fat people in school.
Luckily, my host mom is really a great cook. She always makes food from different countries and eats a balanced meal every day. So I have a lot of fruit and vegetables. At my host family's home, they usually eat biscuits.
These old-fashioned biscuits are low in fat and flavored with buttermilk, butter, and a bit of honey. Oh here comes the most interesting thing: the word "biscuit" in China actually means "cracker " here. Real biscuits are a kind of soft cake.
I was also amazed by the rich kinds of food in American supermarkets and their reasonable prices. For example, one brand of yogurt has 20 kinds of flavors! You're sure to find one that you like. And most of the food provides you "light", "original" or "no sugar" options to choose from. | high22444.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "what they saw with their own eyes"
},
"options": [
"their companions' observations",
"what they saw with their own eyes",
"what they learned from the Greeks",
"the most advanced theories at that time"
],
"questi... | Renaissance is a French word. It means "rebirth". It's a strange name for a period of history. What was exactly " reborn" during the Renaissance?
To answer this question, we need to look back at the time of the Roman Empire. At this time Roman artists, scientists and writers influenced by Greek ideas were the world's most advanced. They had become skilled observers of the natural world around them, and had become experts in studying animals, plants, the human body or the stars and planets. They wrote down their ideas about what they saw, and based their theories about the world on their observations.
During the fourth and fifth centuries the Roman Empire slowly broke down. Many of the Romans' art and sculptures were destroyed and some manuscripts were lost as well. But most importantly, some of the ancient attitudes were lost. A questioning approach to the world was replaced by an unquestioning one.
Why did this happen? One reason was to do with the influence of the Christian Church. Through the thousand years following the fall of the Roman Empire, the Church controlled many aspects of life including education and learning. The Church ran all the universities and thought that the aim of a university should be to teach old ideas more clearly, not to introduce new ones. The scholars in the universities were expected to study God and heaven from the Bible and ancient books, rather than the world around them.
Take medicine for example. The main textbook for doctors had been written by a Greek doctor called Galen more than a thousand years earlier. But when Roger Bacon, a thirteenth-century priest , said that a new approach to medicine was needed --- doctors should do their own original research instead of reading writers from the past such as Galen-the Church put him in prison.
By the time of the fourteenth century, however, some parts of the Christian Church were becoming less strict about their ideas and there was a new state of mind among artists, doctors and scientist. People wanted to find out more about the world by studying it. This attitude of investigation had been common in classical scholars, and it was 'reborn' during the Renaissance. | high14848.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the Future Tower"
},
"options": [
"the Travel Pavilion",
"the Safari Park",
"the Future Tower",
"the Pyramid"
],
"question": "If you are interested in knowing about what people's life will be, you may visit _ ... | Welcome to Adventureland!
Everyone loves Adventureland! The parks and exhibitions were built for you to explore
, enjoy, and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You
will go away enriched, longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before, and experience different ways of life. Visit the Amazon jungle village, the Turkish market, the Tai floating market, the Berber
mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives, and
things they make. You can try making a carpet, making nets, fishing...
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the
future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we'll be living then. Spend some
time in our space station and climb into our simulator for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several. In the Safari Park you can drive among African
animals in one of our Range Cruisers: see lions, giraffes, elephants in the wild. Move on to theOcean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see...
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventureland. Run out of film, need some postcards and stamps?
For all these things and many more, visit our underground shopping center. Come here for
information and ideas too. | high14690.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The US Open."
},
"options": [
"The Australian Open.",
"The French Open.",
"The Wimbledon Open.",
"The US Open."
],
"question": "Which of the following tournaments is the last to be held?",
"question_type": n... | Beautifully cut grass, elegant white clothes, cheering fans and exciting matches make Wimbledon, in London, the home of tennis.
Last Monday, the famous British tournament opened at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. It is the third Grand Slam tournament of the tennis season. Wimbledon comes after the Australian Open and the French Open, and is followed by the US Open.
As the oldest tennis tournament in the world, Wimbledon is famous for its special rules and traditions. The players' clothing, including their shoes, must be entirely white.
In 2002, the Russian player Anna Kournikova was forced to change from her black shorts into another pair on court. Between 1988 and 1990, US legend Andre Agassi refused to play because of the all-white rule.
The UK's unpredictable summer weather is part of the tournament. If it begins to rain, players and fans have to wait patiently for it to stop. Then, they cheer when the covers come off the grass courts.
Many British fans do not think the courts should have a roof, because they want to keep tradition.
Wimbledon is not just famous for great tennis matches. Fans like to eat strawberries and cream while watching. Every year 27,000 kilos of strawberries and 7,000 liters of cream are eaten.
Many British people are very proud of the tournament, but disappointment is another Wimbledon tradition for loyal fans of British players. Wimbledon has not been won by a British woman since 1977, and not by a British man since 1938. | high20535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "provides training chances for young people"
},
"options": [
"is a popular brand of bikes",
"provides training chances for young people",
"is a training project offered by the government",
"aims at making money by sellin... | Sixteen-year-old Karlos Dearman's future is looking much brighter than he might previously have imagined. "I love bikes, but I've never thought I'd end up with working with them," he says. "This program has changed my life."
Karlos is learning to refurbish old bicycles in the workshop of ReCycle Bikes, an independent non-profit bike project in Sheffield. It provides training chances for young people aged 14 to 16 with the help of the local government, particularly those struggling in mainstream education or rejected from school.
"It's about engaging young people with education and youth training by teaching them work and life skills," explains Des Pearce, workshop training manager. "These young people have so much potential, but often don't realize it."
Founded in 2001, ReCycle Bikes repairs bicycles donated by the public, which are sold for PS20 after refurbished. Abandoned bikes supplied by the government make sure a steady flow of bikes, but a recently formed partnership with Sheffield University should improve the further development.
"The student population presents a large and ready market," says Pearce. "So we approached the university last year and offered to host bike sales on the campus . They thought it was a great idea, and agreed to provide us with more support. This means we can train young people to repair extra 500 bikes over three years."
Having set up ReCycle Bikes on his own, Pearce now has the staff and resources to track the profession development of those who have passed through his workshop. "But we are planning exit interviews with the young people to make sure what they plan to do, and these will allow us to check on their progress," says Pearce.
That most of the teenagers enjoy the work is, according to Pearce, easily explained. "Most kids have ridden a bike and know how to oil a chain or mend a flat tyre. As low-cost transport, cycling gives the young and old a sense of freedom and independence, and the effect on their well-being is big. Add to that a growing concern for the environment, and it's no surprise that bike sales are on the increase." | high17399.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Polly's"
},
"options": [
"a mother's",
"Polly's",
"Charlie's",
"Tough Big Sister's"
],
"question": "From whose point of view is the story told?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | After 20 years as a full-time wife and mother, I decided to be a school bus driver for I loved kids. After hard practice, by the time school started that year I'd gotten the hang of it. I was happy in my new work. I became a combination of chauffeur, nurse and friend. And if the kids needed it, I'd put on my "Tough Big Sister" act. It was a lot like my previous job---being a mom.
When I think about my years of bus driving, many things crowded in, but mostly, I remember Charlie.
Charlie, eight years old, with blond hair and crystalline gray eyes, began riding my bus in September of my fourth year driving. They all had stories to tell me about their summers. Charlie, though, ignored me. He didn't even answer when I asked his name.
From that day on, Charlie was a trial. If a fight broke out I didn't have to turn my head to know who had started it. If someone was throwing spitballs I could guess the culprit's name. If a girl was crying, chances were Charlie had pulled her hair. No matter how I spoke to him, gently or firmly, he wouldn't say a word. He'd just stare at me with those big gray eyes of his.
I asked around some, and found out Charlie's father was dead and he didn't live with his mother. He deserves my patience, I thought. So I practiced every bit of patience I could muster. To my cheery "Good Morning", he was silent. When I wished him a happy Halloween, he sneered. Many, many times I asked God how I could reach Charlie. "I'm at my wit's end." I'd say. Still I was sure that this child needed to feel some warmth from me. So, when he'd pass by, I'd ruffle his hair or pat him on the arm.
Toward the end of that year, the kids on my bus gave me a small trophy inscribed "To the Best Bus Driver Ever". I propped it up on the dashboard. On top I hung a small tin heart that a little girl had given me. In red paint she had written, "I love Polly and Polly loves me."
On the next-to-last day of school I was delayed a few minutes talking to the principal. When I got on the bus I realized that the tin heart was gone. "Does anyone know what happened to the little heart that was up here?" I asked. For once with 39 children, there was silence.
One boy piped up, "Charlie was the first one on the bus. I bet he took it." Other children joined the chorus, "Yeah! Charlie did it! Search him!" I asked Charlie, "Have you seen the heart?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he protested . Standing up, he took a few pennies and a small ball out of his pockets. "See, I don't have it."
"I bet he does!" insisted the girl who had given me the heart. "Check his pockets."
Charlie glowered when I asked him to come forward. His gaze burned into mine. I stuck my hand into one pocket. Nothing. I reached into the other pocket. Then I felt it ---the familiar outline of the small tin heart. Charlie stared at me for a long time. There were no tears in those big gray eyes, no plea for mercy. _ I was about to pull the tin heart out of Charlie's pocket when I stopped myself. Let him keep it, a voice seemed to whisper.
"It must have fallen off before I got here," I said to the kids. "I'll probably find it back at the depot." Without a word, Charlie returned to his seat. When he got off at his stop, he didn't so much as glance at me.
That summer Charlie moved away.
Eventually I retired. And there my story as a school bus driver ends, except for one more incident. A dozen years after retirement I was in a department store in Kansas City, when someone said tentatively, "Polly?"
I turned to see a balding man who was approaching middle age. "Yes?"
His face didn't look familiar until I noticed his big gray eyes. There was no doubt. It was Charlie.
He told me he was living in Montana and doing well. Then, to my surprise, he hugged me. After he let go, he pulled something from his pocket and held it up for me to see. An old key chain....bent out of shape, the lettering faded. You can probably guess what it was---the little tin heart that said, "I love Polly and Polly loves me."
"You were the only one who kept trying," he explained. We hugged again, and went our separate ways. That night I thought over his words. You were the only one who kept trying. Before I fell asleep I thanked the Lord for the reassurance that I'd done a good job and for all the qualifications he'd given me to do it with. | high11930.txt |
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