questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "advertisement"
},
"options": [
"advertisement",
"news story",
"lab report",
"letter of thanks"
],
"question": "This passage most probably is a(n) _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | Dear Customers,
I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read--as I relax into the chair, I also relax into the author's words, stories and ideas. The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into the background, and what remains is the author's world.
Today, we at Amazon are excited to announce Mindle, a wireless, portable reading device with instant access to more than 90,000 books, magazines and newspapers.
We've been working on Mindle for more than three years. Our top design objective was for Mindle to disappear in your hands--to get out of the way--so you can enjoy your reading. We also wanted to go beyond the physical book. Mindle is wireless, so whether you're lying in bed or riding a train, you can think of a book, and have it in less than 60 seconds. No computer is needed--you do your reading directly from the device.
We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones. But unlike mobile phones, there are no monthly wireless bills, no service or data plans, and no yearly contracts. There is no software to install (,). We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology.
Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper. Sharp and natural with no strong light, reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen. Mindle weighs only 10.3 ounces--less than paperback--but can carry two hundred books.
Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks!
Jeff Bezos Founder & CEO | high573.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "suffers from a disease"
},
"options": [
"enjoys being alone",
"is always upsetting",
"suffers from a disease",
"doesn't like his schoolmates"
],
"question": "Gavin is always alone because he_.",
"question_ty... | Gavin Joseph, a teenager with Asperger's Syndrome, was beaten up by a group of people for just being different. Asperger's Syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a person's ability to socialize. But instead of putting them into prison for what they did to him, Gavin offered them a chance to become more tolerant and understanding.
On Thursday night, some kids were talking about how "it's weird " that he is always by himself, attending events alone and watching people, and it was "creepy" that he wanted to be friends with people he didn't know.
On Friday night, another kid that overheard that conversation decided to take matters into his own hands and become judge and jury, and this is the result of that. He didn't ask questions, didn't get to know Gavin, never met him, and didn't give him a chance to leave. Gavin was called to meet someone, surrounded by people he didn't know, choked, punched , and left lying on the pavement so he would "learn his lesson".
Gavin emerged from the attack with a concussion , a fractured nose, a bruised esophagus and some damage to his eyes, but thankfully, none of the injuries resulted in permanent damage.
But here's the truly amazing part -- Gavin refused to press charges against the people who did this to him. Instead of wanting to see them punished, he wants to see them educated. Gavin asked that his attackers do community service that is disability-related. According to his mother, Gavin also asked that they watch a 20-minute video statement he taped while their families were present so they could see the damage they did and hear the event from his perspective.
"If you are reading this, I hope you talk to your teens," his mother wrote. "Tell them about disabilities you can't see, teach them to be tolerant of people that are different, teach them that if they continuously see someone alone that maybe it is not their choice to be alone, remind them to ask questions first and get to know one another." | high19933.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the call number and time on the timer"
},
"options": [
"the volume level and the AM/FM indicator",
"the AM/FM indicator and the radio station",
"the time remaining on the timer and the date",
"the call number and time o... | Shower Radio --- Warranty and Directions
Introduction
Congratulations! You are now the owner of a So Fine Shower Radio! It is sure to provide entertainment for many hours. In addition, the radio features a timer for those days when you are in a hurry.
Before using the radio, please read all directions, fill out and mail in the warranty card, and put warranty information in a safe place. Although we do not expect problems with the radio, you may need to refer to the warranty information at a later time.
Warranty
This radio is warranted for a one-year period that begins on the date of purchase. If it fails to work because of a problem of materials, please return it to the following address: So Fine Radio Corp, 1279 Delta Way, Monga.
We will not pay shipping costs for returning the radio to us. We will either repair or replace the radio. Please allow at least four weeks for looking at the problem and repairing the radio. If you have not heard from us within six weeks, call our customer service department at 1-800-123.
Radios that are returned to us for problems other than a problem of materials will be subject to service fee as well as the cost of the repairs. Customers will be informed of the charge by postcard. Radios will not be returned to customers until these fees are paid.
Directions
Please read all directions before using it.
Please note that this radio is designed and built to operate well in a damp environment. The self-contained batteries and circuits are contained in the enclosed space that will bear heat and humidity.
To Operate the Radio
1. Put two AA batteries in the enclosed space at the back of the radio. Be certain to follow the diagram, or the batteries will not provide electricity. The radio should NOT be adapted in order to be fixed into the wall; this will damage the waterproofing .
2. Turn the POWER dial in a clockwise direction until it clicks. Continue turning the dial until the desired volume is achieved.
3. To find the desired station, press the station selector button. The tuner will automatically go to the next highest signal. The station's call number will be visible in the digital screen. When the station with the highest frequency has been reached, the selector will start again at the lowest frequency.
4. To switch between AM and FM stations, move the sliding AM/FM switch.
To Operate the Timer
1. Press the Timer Set button. Each time the button is pressed, five minutes will be put on the timer. The amount of time on the timer will be visible for five seconds on the digital screen.
2. When the time on the timer doesn't work, a beep will sound for ten seconds. The timer may be reset again one minute.
Troubleshooting
Before returning the radio for service, please check the following items:
Problem: Radio cannot be heard.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Check Power/Volume Control.
Problem: Timer does not work.
1. Check batteries to be certain that they still have power and are put in correctly.
2. Follow directions above for setting timer.
3. Turn the power control on. The timer will not work when the radio is not on.
4. Adjust the volume control which regulates the volume of the beep as well as the radio volume. | high3828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "thought of as part of people's life"
},
"options": [
"regarded as eco-friendly exercise",
"thought of as part of people's life",
"looked on as a way to lose weight",
"considered as a way to entertain"
],
"questi... | In the Netherlands,cycling isn't seen as eccrfriendly exercise; it's part of everyday life, as it's people's top choice to school and work. There are more bicycles than residents in the Netherlands. In cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, up to 70 percent of all journeys are made by bike.
So how did cycling become such a popular means of transportation in the European country?
In the 1970s, the Dutch government began to improve its cycling infrastructure due to both a social movement demanding safer cycling condition for children and the oil crisis in the Middle East, when oil producing countries stopped their exports to Western Europe.
To make cycling safer and more appealing, the Dutch have built the widest cycling net- work in the world. The country has over 40,000 kilometers of bicycle lanes and paths,which are clearly marked. They have smooth surfaces,separate signs and lights for those on two wheels. The lanes are wide enough to allow side-by-side cycling and passing.
In many cities the bike lanes are completely segregated from motorized traffic. And in many traffic situations cyclists are given priority over drivers. Sometimes, where space is limited and both must share, you can see signs showing an image of a cyclist with a car behind accompanied by the words "Bike Street:Cars are guests".
As young people aren't allowed to drive alone until they are 18,cycling offers Dutch teen- agers an alternative form of freedom. The government also makes cycling training lessons a compulsory part of the Dutch school curriculum .
Bike parking facilities are ubiquitous in the country. Cyclists are accommodated in the way motorists are elsewhere. Take Groningen, a city in the northeastern part of the Netherlands,for example. The city's central train station has underground parking for 10,000 bikes. | high5281.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "at the workplace"
},
"options": [
"in the Olympic stadium",
"in the hotels of London",
"at the workplace",
"at the staff's homes"
],
"question": "Interxion intends to place the space capsules _ .",
"questi... | With roads and tube lines set to be more crowded than ever this summer, a few people may be tempted to use it as an excuse for a day off.
But for employees at data services provider, Interxion, a chaotic commute during the Olympics will _ . That's because, in an effort to keep things from progressing slowly this summer, bosses at the London company are asking staff to sleep at work -- in space pods. Far from sleeping on the job, engineers will be asked to stay behind and sleep in the closed capsules to avoid the rush hour.
And while other companies are planning to offer staff the luxury of working from home during the Games, the firm behind the capsules hopes to get more workplaces on board.
Podtime, the firm behind the unusual cabins, are describing them as the perfect solution to the Olympics' crowded commute. On their official website they state 'London businesses will be severely affected by the transport problems caused by the Olympics.'
Reasonable prices and various pods provide the best solution to this by allowing your staff to stay on site as necessary, in comfort and privacy. Coming in a range of colours, the capsules, made of polycarbonate, sell at anything from PS1,375. The stock models are fitted with either foam mattresses or a standard single mattress as well as a storage shelf, mirror and power points.
These types of capsules have been around for years, in hotels, but Interxion is thought to be among the first to have them installed at the workplace.
An independent report carried out by Oxford Economics last year estimated that around 450,000 visitors will stay in London while 5.5 million people will visit for at least a day during the Games. This will inevitably mean more cars on the road and greater congestion on the Underground. | high21274.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "heavy burdens of high school students"
},
"options": [
"Chinese high school students study more",
"high school students need more rest",
"heavy burdens of high school students",
"big headaches of high school students"
... | Chinese high school students have the longest study hours compared to their peers in Japan , the US and South Korea. A survey conducted by the four countries said.
The survey, released by the China Youth and Children Research Center on Monday, was jointly conducted with instructions in the four countries in September-October of 2008. It covers nearly 4,000 students in senior schools and vocational high schools in the four countries. About 78.3 percent of Chinese students said they spend more than eight hours at school and 56.7 percent said they study at least two more hours each day at home .by contrast, only 24.7 percent of their peers in the US , 20.5percent in Japan and 15.4 in Korea study more than two hour s after school.
Around 60 percent of all students surveyed said their burden for studies was the heaviest. However the Japanese felt their burden was the worst with respondents reaching 79.2 percent
Among the five biggest headaches for young people in the four countries were: 0ver-sheduling ranked first, followed by a boring leisure life, unsatisfied appearance, little time for exercise and making friends, and no spare money
"Moderate study pressure can better drive students to develop, however, too much will press their development space, and can even cause harm to their physical and psychological health" the survey said
"Balancing their studies and all round development is a very important task" it said. | high3196.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "offer rental services to others"
},
"options": [
"help others move to a new home",
"offer rental services to others",
"prepare to move to a new home",
"like outside activities"
],
"question": "The passage is mai... | Moving should be an exciting time -- you're off to a new home, maybe moving up to a larger home. But for many people, moving turns into a stressful experience. It doesn't have to be that way. Some planning and a little research can make your next move the best one ever.
Organization is the key to a successful move, so list your friends. Write down all the details that you need, especially things that might be lost during the move.
Once you decide to move, start packing things immediately. You can find all the supplies you need, such as boxes, packing tape and more at truck rental outlets like Budget Truck Rental. The experts there can help you figure out how many and what types of boxes you'll need.
About a month before your moving date, reserve your moving truck. The company you choose makes a big difference. Budget Truck Rental has 30,000 trucks nationwide for you to choose.
Take care of your mail. Stop by your local post office and write the new address where your mail should be sent. You'll also want to change the address on any magazine subscriptions or other services you receive by mail.
Make sure you have a group of friends to help you move. If you still have some boxes to pack, your friends can help you put the boxes into the truck while you finish up. | high21512.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Good health was not there for everyone."
},
"options": [
"Good health was not there for everyone.",
"She should take dance lessons.",
"She had to struggle to live a better life.",
"She should wear beautiful dresses."
... | Grandma celebrated her fifty-third birthday just weeks before grandpa died of cancer in 1965. Although his passing was very difficult for her, I think their shared struggle to make his life longer taught grandma that good health was not to be taken for granted, and she made up her mind to live the rest of her own life as fully and as long as she could. One day, when she announced to attend lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Portland, Oregon, where she lived, we rolled our eyes in embarrassment and helplessly wished she would just stay home and bake cookies as normal grandmothers did. Many years filled with countless dance lessons passed before we learned to appreciate the wonder of having a dancing grandma.
I suppose grandma's primary motivation for wanting to learn to dance was social. She had been a shy girl, always very tall and heavy, and had married into grandpa's quiet lifestyle before developing any elegance or confidence in her personal appearance. Dancing, on the other hand, filled her life with flash lights, wonderful parties, beautiful dresses, handsome young dance instructors, and the challenge of learning. Although the weekly dance lessons did not change her ample, two-hundred-pound figure, grandma surprised everyone with energetic performances on the dance floor, which soon gave her as much elegance and confidence as any Miss American competitor.
Having taken weekly dance lessons for years, my grandma learned various dances easily and was soon participating in dancing matches all over the Northwest. When I was fourteen, grandma proudly invited me to watch her compete in one of these matches to be held in the grand ballroom of the Red Lion Inn. My attitude was still unenthusiastic at that point, but to make her happy, my mother and I attended the match. As if to prove me wrong, grandma made a wonderful showing in every event she entered. I thought she was truly the queen of the ball during the dance, and my thoughts were shared by the judges a short time later when she was awarded a gold cup for her outstanding performance. | high10917.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The appearance and living habits of hoatzins."
},
"options": [
"Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons.",
"The relatives and enemies of hoatzins.",
"Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon.",
"The appearance and living ha... | Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak , they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes. | high2288.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "advertisements"
},
"options": [
"members",
"advertisements",
"pictures",
"students"
],
"question": ".Facebook makes money from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Mark Zukerberg is the founder and CEO of Facebook, an extremely popular social working website that started in the United States.
Now, millions of student users visit Facebook daily and the website is one of the top ten widely visited sites on the Internet worldwide. College and high school students use Facebook to communicate with friends and share both information and pictures for free. The company earns money through advertising.
Many other companies have been rumored to be interested in buying Facebook. Just a few years after Mark started the company, he was approached by Terry Semel, who was the CEO of Yahoo. Terry offered Mark one billion dollars($1,000,000,000) to sell Facebook to Yahoo. Mark said no, though. He stands behind his dreams at the very beginning. He knows the value of the company could fall down; however, he is in this to build something unbelievable, not be bought out by another company.
Maybe he was smart. Now Facebook is rumored to be worth billions of dollars and bigger companies like Microsoft or Google want a share of the company. Some private firms are also interested. Facebook could sell 15billion dollars if Mark decides to sell it at all. Perhaps Mark will just keep working from his California office to continue his dream of building something cool. | high1781.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "once cloned goats successfully"
},
"options": [
"tried to clone animals",
"cloned many kinds of animals",
"been able to clone pets for people",
"once cloned goats successfully"
],
"question": "From the passage w... | Many people consider their pets members of the family and are very sad when they die, but what if you could clone your dog, cat or bird?
A scientist in New Orleans, who has proved his ability to clone other animals, is now offering the possibility to pet owners here in Wisconsin.
Scientists have not been able to clone dogs, cats or other pets, but if and when the time comes, several companies will be ready and able to do the job.
The question is: Are you ready to clone your pet? Brett Reggio is betting on it.He is working on his Ph. D at Louisian State University. He's successfully cloned a goat five times and wants to try the process on family pets. So he started a business called Lazaron. "What Lazaron provides is the first step in the cloning process. "He said."It's for curing and storing the fiberglass cells that will be used for cloning."
"Your first reaction is yeah! I think I'd like that." said Donna Schacht, a pet owner.
"I don't believe you can ever replace a special love," pet owner Paulette Callattion said.
Most pet owners will tell you freezing your pet's DNA in hopes of one day cloning it is a personal decision.
Scientists say that cloning your own pet doesn't mean that the offspring will have the same intelligence, temperament or other qualities that your pet has. | high215.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he is forced to do things"
},
"options": [
"he is forced to do things",
"be cannot work at his best",
"he feels his brain shut down",
"he thinks of his work as too heavy"
],
"question": "An employee may have a f... | When we think of leadership ,we often think of strength and power .But what are these really ,and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things ,If this is even possible .it is short-term ,and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will. they may do it because they feel they must ,but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term ,They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down ,making the person unable to function at his or her best .If they associate you with this emotion of fear. They will become less functional around you ,and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot .but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively .Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion .We can order someone to do something ,which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level ,so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation . Today's work place is all about relationships as a human being as well as a worker .Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like .Leaders understand the way things work .They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions , and how to handle them ,and those of others . Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you ,which is the key to the leadership skills . | high23305.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Big cities."
},
"options": [
"Big cities.",
"City life.",
"Population.",
"Gross Domestic Product."
],
"question": "The passage mainly discusses _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | However urban life strikes you, cities worldwide have been growing ever more rapidly. Some of this growth has occurred in the developed world, but the most dramatic increase has been in the Third World. Almost all the world's population growth over the next 30 years will take place in the cities of developing countries
By the year 2030, for the first time in history, 60 percent of the world's people will be living in cities.
This is actually good news in some ways. "Cities are the fundamental building blocks of prosperity," says Marc Weiss, chairman of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, " both for the nation and for families." Industrial and commercial activities in urban areas account for between 50 and 80 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in most countries of the world" there's the crazy notion that the way to deal with a city's problems is to keep people out of them,"Weiss continued. "But the problems of the rural life are even more serious than those of the city." For better or worse, urban-watchers are clear on one point: The quality of life for most people in the future will be determined by the quality of cities. Those cities will be bigger than ever. And yet, population numbers by themselves don't determine a city's prospects; after all, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Hamburg, Germany, have the same population. Nor is explosive growth necessarily the determining factor. "City problems," one authority points out, "mostly have to do with weak, ineffective, and usually unrepresentative city governments." | high1959.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Ponce de Leon"
},
"options": [
"Ponce de Leon",
"William Shakespeare.",
"Kathleen Deagan",
"Michelle Reyna"
],
"question": "According to the passage, who searched for a fountain of youth _ ?",
"question_... | American author Mark Twain once noted that "life would be surely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18." Twain's words were only one of many complaints about aging. The ancient Greek poet Homer called old age "hateful", and William Shakespeare termed it "terrible winter".
Alexander the Great, who conquered most of the known world before he died around 323 B.C., may have been looking for a river that healed the
of age. During the 12th century A.D., a king called Prester John ruled a land that had a river of gold and a fountain of youth.
But the name linked most closely to the search for a fountain of youth is 16th-century Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. He thought it would be found in Florida. In St. Augustine, the oldest city in the U.S., there's a tourist attraction. It is said to be the fountain of youth that Ponce de Leon discovered soon after he arrived in what is now Florida in 1513. However, elderly visitors who drink the spring's water don't turn into teenagers.
But the tale of the search for a fountain of youth is so appealing that it survives anyway, says Ryan K. Smith, a professor of history. "People are more attracted by the story of looking and not finding than they are by the idea that the fountain might be out there somewhere."
Still, a few grains of truth have helped to support
. Kathleen Deagan, a professor of archaeology, says a graveyard and the remains of a Spanish mission dating back to St. Augustine's founding in 1565 have been discovered near the so-called fountain of youth. Michelle Reyna, a spokesperson for the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park in St. Augustine, says the fountain has been a tourist attraction since at least 1901 and may have been attracting visitors since 1860. | high16396.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To make them feel less sad."
},
"options": [
"To show his generosity.",
"To make them feel less sad.",
"To show his thanks to them.",
"To encourage them to work hard."
],
"question": "Why did the author decide t... | The rumors had been spreading for months but it still came as a shock when the hospital would be closing. It had served this poor neighborhood for nearly 100 years but it would close because of the health care crisis.
The day after the announcement co-workers found out that pretzels had been _ . Soft pretzels are the lifeblood of this city. So losing access to soft pretzels is no small matter.
A week later, I decided to cheer up my co-workers by picking up some soft pretzels at a local store. I arrived just as it opened so I was the only customer. But I only had $6 in my wallet. I was working inside a large office at the hospital and knew I'd need more than the half dozen pretzels my six dollars would buy. A man's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Can I help you?"
I said, "I only have $6. I'm not sure how many pretzels I need. You see, I work at a hospital and it's closing and they stopped selling pretzels." The man's smile disappeared. "What hospital?" "Oh, Northeastern Hospital."
The guy looked deeply shocked. "I used to sell medical supplies and that was one of my hospitals." Then he turned around and grabbed a box of 25 pretzels and slid them across the counter.
I was surprised by his generosity and started to reach for my wallet, "Oh I can pay. Please let me ..." The guy smiled, "Just tell them Joe Sullivan said to do something nice for someone else."
And so that day everyone in medical records was treated to a soft pretzel. Word spread fast as people came asking, "Is it really true?" It was as if I'd carried in a box of gold. It mattered to them that a stranger cared. | high20624.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "lived in so many underground cities"
},
"options": [
"lived in so many underground cities",
"knew so much about the earth",
"understood their language",
"were ahead of them in space technology"
],
"question": "T... | In 1901, H.G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book describing a trip to the moon. When the explorers landed on the moon, they discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. They expressed their surprise to the "moon people" they met. In turn, the "moon people" expressed their surprise. "Why," they asked, "are you traveling to outer space when you don't even use your inner space?"
H.G. Wells could only imagine travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really did land on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the "moon people" asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The "Chunnel", a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan's Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called "Alice Cities." The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development say that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth's space. The surface, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H.G. Wells' "moon people" would agree. Would you? | high17088.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Digging sand to find something."
},
"options": [
"Sleeping in your tent.",
"Digging sand to find something.",
"Setting camp fires far away from the beach.",
"Driving at the speed of 30 mph along the beach."
],
"... | Long Beach, a 28-mile area of beach, lies in southwestern Washington, and is generally called Long Beach Peninsula. Communities there take you back to old days of a simple life. Here, visitors can relax and enjoy the good of a total rest.
Bird watching
There are different kinds of birds on Long Beach. It's best if you watch them from a distance and don't try to frighten them. The Southwest Loop Route Map can be got through the Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Office by calling 1-800-451-2542.
Horses
A popular activity on Long Beach is horseback riding. Two businesses in the city of Long Beach offer guided horseback tours along the beach: Black Country Wilderness Outfitters and Skipper's Equestrian Center. You may also bring your own horse. Among the adventures offered with horses is a wagon ride along the beach, a carriage ride through Seaview or Long Beach, a back country pack trip, or a sunset ride by horseback on the beach.
Camping
RV and tent camping aren't allowed on the beach. Camp fires are allowed within 100 feet off the beach, but must be away from the dry grass.
Swimming and other activities
Swimming is allowed, but you must be careful. The waters are very cold and dangerous. Surfing is advised only for experienced surfers. Beach driving is allowed at certain areas on the beach. The speed limit is 25 mph. Building sand castles, digging sand to find something, riding bicycles and flying kites are also popular activities in the area.
Enjoy your trip to Long Beach, Washington! | high14581.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "help farmers"
},
"options": [
"help farmers",
"support traditions",
"understand farmers",
"represent farmers"
],
"question": "Jerry Miller startedsinglesinag.orgin order to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | The website FarmersOnly.com calls itself an online dating and friendship finder. The idea started in the mind of a man, Jerry Miller in Ohio. He wondered how farmers could meet new people who understand the life of a farmer. Jerry Miller is not a farmer but he represents a lot of farmers.
As he tells it, the idea for the site was planted when a farmer told him one day that she was recently divorced and would like to date. _
So, in 2005, Jerry Miller launched his website. "You don't have to be a farmer to be onFarmersOnly.com, but you do have to have the good old-fashioned traditional values of America's Heartland."
You also have to live in the United States or Canada to be a member of the site. Some services are free, but a full membership costs fifty dollars for a year. As of last week the site listed more than 58,000 members. Many of them are farmers in the United States. Others are students or workers involved in some way with agriculture. Jerry Miller tells us about thirty marriages in the last year have resulted from his website.
Some farmers have also found love through a group,Singles in Agriculture, which was formed as a nonprofit organization in 1986. It organizes gatherings that usually end with a dance, but is not a dating service. The purpose is to support educational and social activities that offer people a chance for friendship. Its website,singlesinag.org, says there are more than 1,000 members across the nation and as far away as France. | high1971.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "infectious diseases have declined"
},
"options": [
"people have become less depressed",
"people have been exercising more",
"physical illnesses have increased",
"infectious diseases have declined"
],
"question":... | There can be no doubt about the positive changes that have taken place in the last hundred yeas. In Western countries we eat more nutritiously, we are wealthier, we are healthier and there are more opportunities. But then, why, in the midst of so much excitement and opportunity, has life satisfaction declined so much? Why is depression the most common illness in the Western world? And why, when most infectious diseases have been conquered and rates of heart attacks and stokes have been reduced, do so many people report that they are feeling ill?
It is argued that "functional illnesses" such as constant tiredness, the inability to sleep and anxiety that makes you ill, are caused by the body's failure to adapt to social change. Modern life is exhausting because we are often compelled to live by its standards, even though technically we have a choice to live otherwise. Everybody thought we would benefit from the invention of machines to carry out the more dull tasks in our life, leaving us many more opportunities for leisure and relaxation. And yet the opposite has happened.
Only recently a lifestyle survey found that for 42% of its 5,000 interviewees, lack of sleep was their principal health concern, followed by 34% worrying about general exhaustion. A quarter acknowledged experiencing stress and depression. Working long hours in companies with a restricted social life is threatening our health and people feel unable to cope. The new technological age that claims freedom by allowing us greater flexibility is, in fact, slowly working to destroy us.
Jobs for the whole life are an old story. If people take time out to recover, somebody else will come along to fill their position. Who, in this current every-man-for-himself climate, wants their employer to think they cannot cope, especially when there are mortgages and families at stake? | high22033.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "4"
},
"options": [
"2",
"3",
"4",
"5"
],
"question": "Traveling benefits people in _ ways",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "People... | The fast development of modern technology has not only provided people with more income, but also enable them to enjoy long weekends and holidays. Never before have so many people traveled to so many different parts of the world and, with the help of fast, comfortable forms of modern transport, more and more people are tempted to leave their homes to see more of the world. It seems as if there are travelers everywhere.
People travel because traveling benefits them in a number of ways. First, it enables them to get much pleasure from sight-seeing and photo-taking. Second, traveling makes them fully relaxed and ready to get back to work happily. Third, it offers them an opportunity to visit old friends and make new friends as well. Finally, it allows them to see different customs, learn new things, gain new experience and enables them to come back with a broader mind.
With so many advantages to traveling, I think people should be encouraged to travel from time to time, especially on holidays, if their pocket and health permit. | high12696.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she was curious about people and things there"
},
"options": [
"they often bought her some gifts",
"she was curious about people and things there",
"she could have tea parties and eat sandwiches",
"she could learn to se... | My grandmother was from a town in Michigan. Summer after summer, I enjoyed staying with my grandparents as a young child. I was from the city and loved the small town they lived in. People knew everyone, their kids, their pets, their ancestors. The bond with them continued to grow as I grew and they got older. Grandma was always using her hands for something exciting. She would make little sandwiches and we'd have tea parties. She'd make beautiful quilts for each one. I remember the small thimble she would use while doing her needle work.
A few years ago, when Grandma left this earth, I bid farewell to a loving grandmother. How quickly our lives can change. We had just had tea together a couple of months earlier, on her 91st birthday.
I missed her very much. On one particular birthday, when I was feeling a little low, something happened to make me feel like she was sharing that special day with me. I was arranging some colorful pillows that she had made, and suddenly I felt something inside one pillow. It was small and hard. I moved the object to a seam that I carefully opened, and to my delight out came a tiny silver thimble! How happy I was to find something that had been a part of her. Not realizing it had fallen off her finger, I pictured her sewing it in that little pillow that I just happened to place on my bedspread that day. I carefully laid the thimble alongside the others I've collected over the years, where I could continue to see the gift God chose to reveal to me. What a precious memory of a very special lady who somehow, I knew, was laughing in delight at sewing her thimble inside my pillow.
I made some tea, using my best china, as Grandma always did, and enjoyed my tea and Grandma's thimble. What a wonderful birthday that was! | high6978.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Charlie"
},
"options": [
"Arsenal",
"Charlie",
"Tiaamii",
"Noah"
],
"question": "Which of the following names is best accepted according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Recently a couple in New Zealand were forbidden from naming their baby son 4 Real. Even though New Zealand has quite generous rules about naming children, names beginning with a number are not allowed. They decided to call him Superman instead.
In many countries around the world, unusual names for children are becoming more popular, especially since the increasing trend for celebrities to give their children _ . In Britain, you can call a child almost anything you like--the only restrictions on parents relates to offensive words such as swear (,) words.
Some parents choose names which come from popular culture. For example, there have been six boys named Gandalf after the character in the Lord of the Rings novels and films. Equally, names related to sport are fairly common--since 1984, 36 children have been called Arsenal after the football team.
Other parents like to make up manes, or combine names to make their own unique version, a method demonstrated by Jordan, the British model, who recently invented the name Tiaamii for her daughter by combining the names Thea and Amy (the two grandmothers). She was quoted as saying that the accent and double letters were added to make the name "more exotic".
Other countries have much stricter rulers when it comes to naming children. Countries including Japan, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Argentina have an approved list of names from which parents must choose. In China, there are some rules about what you may call a child --- no foreign letters or symbols are allowed. As a result a couple were recently banned from calling their baby @.
In Britain, some names which were previously thought of as old-fashioned have become more popular again, such as Maisie or Ella for a girl, or Alfie or Noah for a baby. But the most popular names are not the odd ones. The top names are fairly traditional -- Jack, Charlie and Thomas for boys and Grace, Ruby and Jessica for girls. | high22755.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Progress in fighting snakebite deaths."
},
"options": [
"Snakebite deaths around the world.",
"Progress in fighting snakebite deaths.",
"Snakebite treatment around the world.",
"The chances of surviving a poisonous snak... | Researchers are finding new ways to save snakebite victims.Experts discussed the latest findings during a recent conference.
Scientists in Australia have shown that a chemical called nitric oxide could increase the chances of surviving a poisonous snakebite.The scientists injected rats with a deadly amount of snake venom.Then they rubbed an ointment containing nitric oxide on the skin around the injection site.The study found that the rats lived about one-third longer than if nitric oxide had not been used.But the treatment had to be started very quickly.
Dirk van Helden led the research.He says the nitric oxide ointment also showed promise in humans.The study appeared earlier this year in the journal Nature Medicine.Scientists say the findings could help save many lives.A recent study found that poisonous snakes cause as many as ninety-four thousand deaths worldwide each year.But Ulrich Kuch of the Biodiversity and Climate Research Center in Frankfurt,Germany,says that number appears to be low.
Mr Kuch says many deaths could be _ if snakebite victims are treated correctly,but they often go to traditional healers or do not seek any help at all.He said,"Sometimes it's because there is no treatment available--no antivenom ,which is the specific drug to treat snakebites--or health care staff do not know how to treat snakebites,and sometimes its because transportation to get to a health facility is not available or too expensive.
Here is no single antivenom that can be used to treat all snakebites.The antivenom must be specific to the kind of snake that bit the person.In some countries the treatment is costly,while in others there is no such treatment. | high9493.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "those who consider work the center of their life"
},
"options": [
"those who are hardworking",
"those who consider work the center of their life",
"those who keep themselves healthy and alive",
"those who live a busy, s... | Here are a few tips to help you, the workaholic, re-focus and get the best out of life.
EIGHT HOURS OF SLEEP! Make it a point to get at least eight hours of sleep and plenty of rest. Don't believe that you can always "catch some sleep or rest later." Your body cannot make up for lost sleep or rest time because it is not physiologically possible.
STRICTLY FAMILY ON WEEKENDS! Resolve to make Saturdays and Sundays strictly for family time. And stick to this! Mondays until Fridays you make an excuse not to relax and spend time with your family because it's work time, why not make a similar excuse for Saturdays and Sundays? "I can't work today because I'm spending time with my family."
GET SOME FOOD IN! Make sure you get food in your stomach. Workaholics are known to be food-skippers. If you can't afford to get off your desk or from doing paperwork, have food delivered to you. It's always a good idea if you have crackers on your drawer to ease the hunger pangs.
CONFINE WORK! Resolve to _ work in your office. Don't bring work to your home! Keep those files in your office desk where they belong. Practice working only within your working hours. If you have an eight-to-five working schedule, stick to it.
WORK UP THOSE MUSCLES! Exercise, exercise, exercise! Set aside at least an hour each day or every other day for exercise. You body needs to be conditioned, and working non-stop isn't going to give it the proper physical conditioning it needs. Since most workaholics tend to have their behinds stuck on their chairs, it's even more important that you get some exercise.
MAKE A PLAN! Plan your day. Work on only one or two things at a time. It's much easier to work on something and finish it first and then move on to the next rather than do a number of things all at the same time and never finish or accomplish anything at the end of the day. Make out a list of priorities. Write down things that need to be worked on immediately or are urgent, keeping the least ones at the bottom of your list. After you've done this, be guided by this list. Turning this activity into a habit will also help you manage your time better, be more organized, and accomplish more. | high8955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "takes in foreign students, from beginners to the advanced"
},
"options": [
"is at the centre of London",
"lies far away from London",
"takes in foreign students, from beginners to the advanced",
"accepts students only a... | Classes for foreign students at all levels
3 months, 6 months, 9 months and one year course Open all year
Small class (maximum 12 students)
Library, language laboratory and listening center
Accommodation with selected families 25 minutes from London
Course fees for English for one year are PS1, 380, with reduction for shorter periods of study. | high10081.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "cannot accurately reflect the reality in the United States"
},
"options": [
"is an accurate way to describe the United States",
"is a place where people from different cultures should assimilate completely",
"cannot accuratel... | The United States has always been a country of many cultures. Before Europeans came to North America, many groups of Native Americans lived here. Different Native American groups had different cultures. The first Europeans in the United States were from England and Holland, but immigrants came from all European countries. Many people also immigrated from Asia and Africa. Sadly, many Africans were brought to the United States as slaves. Many immigrants come from Latin America too. Today, the United States has people from more cultures than ever.
In the 19th century, people spoke of the United States as a " _ ." People thought that all immigrates should forget their native cultures and languages and become English-speaking Americans. They felt that people should assimilate - join American culture. However, not everyone wanted to assimilate completely. Many people tried to keep parts of their cultures, such as foods, customs, and languages. However, their children often forgot their parents' or grandparents' language. But most Americans, even those whose families have been here a long time, can tell the countries their s came from. And of course, new immigrants take great pride in their curare and language.
For all of these reasons, melting pot is no longer a good way to describe the United States. Instead, people now call the United States a " _ ." They say salad bowl because in a salad, you can still see all of the individual parts (lettuce, tomato, and so on), but all the different parts mixed together and begin to take on the flavor of one another. | high20142.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "excited"
},
"options": [
"excited",
"confused",
"depressed",
"disappointed"
],
"question": "Mr.Pontellier comes back home from his night out in a/an _ state of mind.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | It was eleven o'clock that night when Mr. Pontellier returned from his night out. He was in an excellent humor, in high spirits, and very talkative. His entrance awoke his wife, who was in bed and fast asleep when he came in. He talked to her while he undressed, telling her anecdotes and bits of news and gossip that he had gathered during the day. She was overcome with sleep, and answered him with little half utterances.
He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, showed so little interest in things which concerned him and valued so little his conversation.
Mr. Pontellier had forgotten the candies and peanuts that he had promised the boys. Still, he loved them very much and went into the room where they slept to take a look at them and make sure that they were resting comfortably. The result of his investigation was far from satisfactory. He turned and shifted the youngsters about in bed. One of them began to kick and talk about a basket full of crabs.
Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after. Then he lit his cigar and went and sat near the open door to smoke it.
Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had made him sick. Mr. Pontellier was too well familiar with fever symptoms to be mistaken. He assured her the child was burning with fever at that moment in the next room.
He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his business. He could not be in two places at once; making a living for his family on the street, and staying home to see that no harm done to them. _
Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room. She soon came back and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her head down on the pillow. She said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. When his cigar was smoked out, he went to bed, and in half a minute was fast asleep.
Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake. She began to cry a little, and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her nightdress. She went out on the porch, where she sat down and began to rock herself in the chair.
It was then past midnight. The cottages were all dark. There was no sound except the hooting of an old owl and the everlasting voice of the sea, which broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night.
The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her nightdress no longer served to dry them. She went on crying there, not caring any longer to dry her face, her eyes, her arms.
She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as had just happened were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against theabundance of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had come to be self-understood.
An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with vague pain. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul's summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood. She did not sit there inwardly scolding her husband, expressing sadness about Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken. She was just having a good cry all to herself.
The mosquitoes succeeded in driving away a mood which might have held her there in the darkness half a night longer.
The following morning Mr. Pontellier was up in good time to take the carriage which was to convey him to the ship. He was returning to the city to his business, and they would not see him again at the Island till the coming Saturday. He had regained his calmness, which seemed to have been somewhatweakened the night before. He was eager to be gone, as he looked forward to a lively week in the financial center. | high3800.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the reform may accomplish the very opposite"
},
"options": [
"the new exam and admission system will make no difference",
"English shouldn't be removed from China's college entrance exam",
"the reform may accomplish the very ... | The English test will be removed from China's college entrance exam by 2020, according to the Ministry of Education. The national college entrance exam, known as the "Gaokao" has been used to evaluate Chinese students for three decades. The Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for reforming exams and enrollment. Tests will be held several times a year to allow students to choose when and how often they sit the exam so as to reduce study pressure and change China's once-in-a-lifetime exam system.
The decision has aroused a heated discussion among Shanghai educators and parents who doubted the reform would reduce the burden of learning English or if the substitute test could reflect a student's English skills and help students learn English better. Cai Jigang, a professor from Fudan University said, "The reform shows China is to give students more test-taking chances. But more chances might become more of a burden since Chinese students are likely to repeat the test until they get the highest score."
"In my opinion, the reform doesn't mean English is no longer important for Chinese students after it will be excluded from the unified college entrance exam," said Yu Lizhong, chancellor of New York University Shanghai, "In a way, English is even more important than before since the test would only serve as reference, while every college and university, even every major, canhave different requirements of a student's English skills under a diverse evaluation system."
Yu said some students will have their study pressure reduced if the major they choose doesn't need excellent English while others still need to study hard if they want to be among the best students.
The education ministry said the reform would not affect students attending the college entrance exam over the next three years. But parents with younger children are concerned. Zhang Hui, the mother of a fourth-grade girl at Pudong Zhuyuan Primary School, said English was her daughter's strength, so canceling the English test would not favor her child. | high10095.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "What his father would do with an ax."
},
"options": [
"Why her father refused to eat breakfast.",
"If the hoghouse was big enough for many pigs.",
"How pigs were born at night.",
"What his father would do with an ax."
... | "Where is Papa going with that ax ?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.
"Out to the hoghouse," replied Mrs. Arable. "Some pigs were born last night."
"I don't see why he needs an ax," continued Fern, who was only eight.
"Well," said her mother, "one of the pigs is a runt . It's very small and weak. So your father has decided to do away with it."
"Do away with it?" shouted Fern. "You mean kill it?"
"Don't shout, Fern!" she said. "Your father is right. The pig would probably die anyway."
Fern pushed a chair out of the way and ran outdoors. The grass was wet and the earth smelled springtime. Fern's shoes were wetting by the time she caught up with her father.
"Please don't kill it! It's unfair," she said.
Mr. Arable stopped.
"Fern," he said gently, "you will have to learn to control yourself."
"This is a matter of life and death, and you talk about controlling myself." Tears ran down her cheeks and she took hold of the ax and tried to pull it out of her father's hand.
"Fern," said Mr. Arable, "I know more about raising a group of pigs than you do. A weak pig makes trouble."
"But it's unfair," cried Fern. "The pig couldn't help being born small. If I had been very small at birth, would you have killed me?"
Mr. Arable smiled. "Certainly not," he said, looking down at his daughter with love. "But this is different. It's a pig."
"There is no difference," replied Fern. | high3814.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "couldn't accept the government's decision to join in the coming war in Iraq"
},
"options": [
"couldn't accept the government's decision to join in the coming war in Iraq",
"wanted to have more time to keep his diary",
"was no... | On 17 March 2003, Robin Cook, Leader of the House of Commons and former Foreign Secretary, resigned from the Cabinet in protest against the coming war in Iraq. His resignation speech inspired the first long applause in the history of the House and marked the end of the ministerial career of one of Labor's most brilliant politicians.
For the previous two years, Robin Cook kept a diary, a personal record of the life of Labor's second term, a diary that forms the center of the narrative . The Point of Departureis Robin Cook's plain account of this extraordinary period in our political history, the most important political publication of the decade. Though surprised by his abrupt dismissal as Foreign Secretary, he became determined to bring about some changes in Parliamentary democracy that he believed was essential if Parliament was to move into the 21stcentury. As Tony Blair told him, "This is the job for you."
Drawing on first-hand experiences in the Commons and the Cabinet, of encounters in conferences, and late night conversations, we follow his gathering disillusionment as the political compass of the government changes to directions which he believes to be completely mistaken: from its failure about Lords reform and its unwillingness to provide leadership for social change, to a foreign policy which has led us away from our responsibility in Europe, into closer relationship with the most right-wing government in American history, and participation in Bush's war on Iraq.
This is the story of a government in power and the tensions between those who govern. But above all it is a story of a politician who truly wanted to bring democracy closer to the people, but who saw a government increasingly separated from the values of himself and his party, and who developed a growing belief that on Iraq, its position was morally, diplomatically and politically wrong.
Robin Cook first entered Parliament as MP for Edinburgh Central in 1974. He held a number of senior positions in Opposition -- Shadow Foreign Secretary, Shadow Health and Social Services Secretary -- before becoming Foreign Secretary in 1997. In 2001 he was appointed Leader of the House of Commons, a position from which he resigned in March 2003 in protest against the coming war in Iraq. | high20156.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "are defeated in an important match"
},
"options": [
"are defeated in an important match",
"win 1,000 yuan in a lottery",
"finally give up some bad habits",
"meet old friends by chance"
],
"question": "You may me... | Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942. He is known for his contributions to the fields of cosmology and quantum gravity , especially in the context of black holes. He experienced extreme difficulties and obstacles in his life, which only made him stronger. Finally he contributed much to the careers he devoted to and became one of the most famous scientists in the world.
Hawking was outstanding in his school life. After a successful period of education at St. Albans School, the entrance of Oxford opened to him. In March 1959, at the age of 17, Hawking took the scholarship examination with the aim of studying natural sciences at Oxford. Then Hawking went to Cambridge to do research in cosmology.
When Stephen Hawking was dreaming about his future, he faced extreme difficulties and obstacles. Symptoms of disorder first appeared while he was enrolled at Cambridge; he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs, hitting his head. The diagnosis of motor neuron disease came when Hawking was 21, shortly before his first marriage, and doctors said he would not survive more than two or three years. Hawking gradually lost the use of his arms, legs, and voice, and is now almost completely paralyzed .
Despite his disease, he describes himself as "lucky" --- not only has time to make influential discoveries, but also has, in his own words, "a very attractive family".
As someone has said, when we meet frustration, someone fights, someone cries, someone escapes, someone tries. Hawking succeeds because he tries. | high21248.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "question a social practice"
},
"options": [
"praise some customs in China",
"question a social practice",
"show how to regift",
"tell an embarrassing story"
],
"question": "This article is written to_.",
"qu... | Last week at a friend's birthday party, there was a mooncake eating contest and I persuaded my good friend Jonathan to take part in it. Even though he had just finished a big dinner, he managed to win the contest. Not only did he win a bottle of nice whiskey, but also a big box of expensive Hong Kong mooncakes. A few days later, I was hosting an opening party for my new office. Jonathan showed up with the lovely box of Hong Kong mooncakes he had won the other night. I thought it was a lovely joke, and the mooncakes were delicious. Still, it got me thinking about the concept of regifting in prefix = st1 /China.
In the States, we have a tradition around Christmas similar to giving mooncakes, only we call them fruitcakes. Fruitcakes are made from terrible preserved fruit and nobody likes to eat them. You often find your friends giving the fruitcake you gave them to someone else, and so on. But fruitcakes aside, it isn't very often to catch someone regifting something in America, as it's seen to be very cheap and embarrassing . An obvious way to tell if something has been regifted is to check the wrapping .
However, many of my friends in Chinawill proudly regift an old gift, especially if it is still wrapped in a pretty box. I find it somewhat uncomfortable to receive a gift that I know wasn't bought for me. But I also understand that the gift is perfectly good, it just lacks the special meaning of being picked out by a friend. There are many occasions in Chinese culture when gifts are necessary. There are traditional items such as tea, cigarettes and liquor which seem fine to regift. These gifts are not personal and have no special meaning. But is it really proper to give someone something that was never bought for them in the first place? | high17922.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Over two-thirds of parents turned to their teenagers on tech matters."
},
"options": [
"Few parents trust their children to give them advice.",
"About half of the parents have no idea how to use a computer.",
"Most teenagers ... | A recent report found 46% of parents agreed that their child knew more about the Internet than they did. And now new research shows parents are turning to their children for lessons in technology.
The new study of around 1,000 parents showed that 67% of parents have asked their teenager children for technology-related advice. 44% have asked their teenager for help using the Internet, and 41% have received teen advice about how to use the TV or home entertainment system.
Ahad Surooprajally, a father of five children, says his children help him with technology in the home. "They've grown up surrounded by technology," he explains. "We have four computers and four iPads in our house. If I want to know something technical they're the ones I go to."
He says his nine-year-old son Habeeb is the only person in the house who really understands the TV. So he tells Habeeb which film he wants to watch and Habeeb connects his mobile phone to the TV. "You teach your kids everyday life lessons, but the tables are turned when it comes to technology," says Ahad.
As well as learning how to use technology properly, there is another advantage of parents asking their children to help them understand the digital world. They may be able to get a better understanding of what their kids are doing online.
Will Gardner of the charity Childnet International says, "We have to continuously encourage parents to find out more about what their children are doing online. If the kids are using a social networking site, get them to show you around it if you are not using it already." | high12682.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "17"
},
"options": [
"17",
"15",
"14",
"13"
],
"question": "Kids can have full-time jobs at the age of _ in the USA.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | If you live in the United States, you can't have a full-time job until you are 16 years old. At 14 or 15, you work part-time after school or on weekends, and during summer vacation you can work 40 hours each week. Does all that mean that if you are younger than 14, you can't make your own money? Of course not! Kids from 10-13 years of age can make money by doing lots of things.
Valerie, 11, told us that she made money by cleaning up other people's yards. Lena, 13, makes money by knitting dog sweaters and selling them to her neighbors. Reisa said she had started taking art classes and showing her works to people. People ask her to draw pictures for them and they pay her for them. Jasmine, 13, writes articles for different magazines!
Kids can learn lots of things from making money. By working to make your own money, you are learning the skills you will need in life. These skills can include things like how to get along with others, how to use technology and how to use your time wisely. Some people think that asking for money is a lot easier than making it; however, if you can make your own money, you don't have to depend on anyone else. The five dollars that you make will probably make you feel a lot better than the twenty dollars you ask for. | high8799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "some bits about pocket money inBritain"
},
"options": [
"how to get pocket money",
"some bits about pocket money inBritain",
"how to spend pocket money",
"teenagers everywhere get pocket money"
],
"question": "T... | Pocket money
Most British parents give their teenagers pocker money. Teenagers get between PS7 and PS20 a week. They spend it on fast food, designer clothes, the cinema, concert, magazines and mobile phones.
Lazy parents?
37% of parents pay teenagers to clean the lounge, 66% of parents pay teenagers to take the rubbish out.
Lazy teens?
51% of teenagers don't make their beds before they leave home.Only 13% of teenagers wash the car for money.Some parents even pay their teenagers to do their homework.
Equality? Not yet!
Boys get more money than girls for most odd jobs.For washing the dishes, boys get about PS4 and girls get about PS1.
And if you need some more money?
Teens get an extra PS250 a year out of their parents on top of pocket money!About 50% of teens get gifts of money from their grandparents.Go to Mum if you need extra money!She gives more than Dad.
Where you live makes a difference!
Parents in prefix = st1 /Scotlandand the North of England give most pocket money.
Spending
51% spend their money on clothes.39%buy cosmetics, juwellery and toiletries.Less than 40% of teenagers save any money.Here are some children who tell us about their pocket money:I get PS30 a month, I have to take the rubbish out and tidy my room. --Emma,15, Edinburgh .I get PS10 a week. But I have to clean the car, hoover the house and load and unload the dishwasher. I usually save the money. --James, 12, Sheffield..I getPS7.5 a week.I have to be "good" but I don't have to do any jobs for the money. --Lain, 13, Cardiff.I getPS5 a week. But our neighbors go away a lot and they give me PS25 a week for looking after their cats. --Richard, 13, Belfast | high22741.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "activities to make the ties between the Chinese and American students stronger"
},
"options": [
"visits to the Nixon Library",
"the Chinese students' visit to the U.S.",
"a meeting discussing relations between China and the U... | 'As I stood in front of the grave of President Richard Nixon, I was thinking about the time 25 years ago when this president helped bring the United States and China closer together. Young people of our two countries should help this relationship grow.'
This remark was made by a Shanghai student when speaking to his fellow students at the Nixon Library in California, U.S.A. He was one of 80 middle school students from China attending a month-long 'Youth Summit'. The Summit was to mark the 25th anniversary of President Nixon's journey to China, which was the turning point in China-U.S. relations.
The Youth Summit was aimed at increasing understanding and friendship between young students of the two countries through visits and discussions. Seventy-five American students were selected to visit China. They also visited the Nixon Library on July 21 before leaving for Beijing the next day. The head of the Library said he was pleased to see the American and Chinese students talking and laughing together.
One Chinese student said, 'I didn't find it particularly difficult to talk with Americans. We have our differences, but we have a lot in common. Dialogue is good for us.' | high9487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "make children watch TV less"
},
"options": [
"make children watch TV less",
"make children play outside more",
"make children do more homework",
"make parents watch more TV programmes"
],
"question": "The purpos... | WASHINGTON--There are more than 222 million TVs in American homes. And it would make Frank Vespe very happy this week if every one was turned off.
Vespe is head of the TV--Turnoff Network, the Washington organization behind TV Turnoff Week. For TV Turnoff week, American kids are encouraged to go one week without watching TV. This year it runs from April 23 to 29.
"Our real meassage here is to see what lift is like without TV and then make watching TV a conscious decision,"said Vespe.
Vespe said that most of the kids who go without television for a week go back to watching, but not as much."They watch more selectively. They do more things as a family. It helps them put TV in its place.
One kid who is turning off her television is Sarah Foote, 9, of Virginia."
Sarah admits it won't be too hard to give up TV. She's allowed to watch only educational television, and her favourite show from last year isn't on any more.
Of course, there are plenty of good things about TV: programmes can be entertaining, even educational.
Even so, some experts aren't sure TV Turnoff Week is the answer.
"Too much TV is not good. A little bit of TV for young kids is good because it adds to their vocabulary. The bottom line is moderation ,"says Susan Neuman, a university educator who studies kids and reading.
Neuman says the real problem is that parents do not keep track of what their kids are watching.
They do not set limits on TV viewing. Also, in some families, TV might be the only thing there is to do.
What message does Sarah have for other kids?
"It's a very good idea. I survived a whole week without TV. It also teaches you to enjoy time doing different things and not being sucked into something on TV, because you do not want TV taking up all of your time,"Sarah said. | high22999.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The BBC has the largest network of foreign correspondents in the world"
},
"options": [
"The number of the people working for the BBC news service is the largest in the world",
"The percentage of the BBC's budget spent on news coll... | Many people think that the BBC news programs are better than those on other channels because the BBC is not a commercial company. It pays for its programs from the television license money which everyone must pay if they have a television.
The BBC, which is often known as "Auntie", is the biggest news collecting operation in the world. It has the world's largest network of foreign correspondents (;). Ten percent of the BBC's annual budget is spent on news collecting, reporting and presenting. More than 1,700 people work for the BBC news service.
The BBC produces more than 214 hours of news and current affairs programs for radio and television each week. Each television news program costs about PS78,000 per hour and each radio news program costs approximately PS4,800 per hour. In the UK, about 19 million people -- almost 35% of the total population, watch the BBC television news progams every day.
Developments in technology are improving news collection and presentation every year. The BBC now uses special cameras in the TV news studios to film the news presenters, and captions-- the words and sentences at the bottom of the screen, are now produced automatically by computer. | high15853.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To find the reasons for myopia."
},
"options": [
"To find the reasons for myopia.",
"To find the ways to treat myopia.",
"To prove the bad effects of myopia.",
"To prove the prevalence of myopia."
],
"question":... | For better eyesight, doctors advise limiting the hours of screen time and encourage having enough eye resting time.
However, another study shows that sitting in front of computer or TV screens for long hours is not the only reason formyopia . An Australian research team studied young children in Sydney and Singapore to find the reasons for myopia.
The research team found that theprevalence of myopia among children in Sydney was lower than children in Singapore, even though they spent more time in front of computer and TV screens. The major finding is that children in Sydney spend longer hours on outdoor activities than those in Singapore.
Indoor and outdoor sports activities both make the eyes focus on more distant objects, which prevents the eyes from changing shape. But outdoor activities may better help avoid myopia than indoor sports activities.
Jane Gwiazda, who does research in sight problems, says: "Natural light is good for eye growth. And extra vitamin D from the sun might contribute to eye growth."
Many doctors suggest that every child get its first eye test done when he/she is about two and half years old, and even if his/her sight seems perfect.
It is necessary for myopic children to wear glasses to prevent headaches, trouble reading or injuries. It is also important that schools invite doctors to test their students' eyes.
If that is not possible, school teachers should at least encourage parents and children to have regular eye examinations and wear glasses. And parents should remember not only to limit the total screen time for their children, but also to encourage them to spend time outdoors. | high229.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "private car"
},
"options": [
"licensed taxi",
"unlicensed taxi",
"private car",
"specially-trained"
],
"question": "The ride-share cars were driven by _ drivers.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | Mistrust _ Zhengzhou Ride-share Effort
More than 300 private car owners from a central Chinese city volunteered to offer free rides to citizens to ease crowded public transportation, but many local people didn't accept the offer for fear of being cheated.
The ride-share program was begun in October in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan Province, when Ye Zhantong, a private car driver, started to gather volunteers to offer the free service. The drivers tied a green silk ribbon on the car to differentiate themselves from unlicensed taxi drivers. But the free rides haven't been popular among the public as increasing reports of dishonesty have dried up many local citizens' trust towards strangers.
Ye said some of the volunteers have dropped out after they felt their kind intention was being questioned. Passersby walking in heavy rainfall or passengers who missed a bus would remain silent and walk away when the volunteers would stop and offer a ride.
"It's so common that people give us the cold shoulder, and sometimes, take our kindness as ill will," said one of Ye's volunteers, identified as Binge. "Many would even say: 'Let's get out of here quickly to avoid being cheated by him.'" Some commenters on Weibo explained why they hesitated to participate in a ride-share program. "Trusting a stranger might bring huge risks. I can't take the risk," one Internet user wrote.
Some said Ye's group wasn't authorized, and cheaters pretending to be kind drivers might volunteer. They suggested traffic authorities issue rules to regulate, protect and promote ride-share programs. | high23339.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Britain"
},
"options": [
"France",
"Britain",
"Spain",
"The North"
],
"question": "The battle of New Orleans was fought by Jackson against _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | New Orleans, Louisiana, was established as part of the French Empire in 1718.
Its location on the east bank of the Mississippi River gave it control of the American hinerland and it became strategically important to many nations. It was transferred from France to Spain, returned to France, and finally sold by Napoleon to the United States in 1803. The city was the site of a famous battle fought in 1815 between the British, who hoped to control it, and the Americans under General Andrew Jackson.
The riverbed of the Mississippi is constantly silting and the river is now actually higher than the city. Levees hold back the river and giant pumps are used to move water from the city into the river.
Although New Orleans has been a part of the United States for almost two centuries, its population takes great pride in its French heritage. Louisiana still retains parts of the Code Napoleon which, for many years, was its only law.
New Orleans is carefree city and it boasts its hot, spicy Creole seafood and its native Dixieland Jazz. The Jackson Square neighborhood maintains its French colonial homes and in other sections are pre-Civil War mansions. Visitors are surprised to find that behind this interesting surface of yesteryear is a busy industrial and port city. Grain and coal come from the Midwest and foreign goods are unloaded here. New Orleans is no longer a sleepy Southern town----but it's still fun to visit. | high14595.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He was not an enthusiastic reader"
},
"options": [
"He enjoyed reading magazines",
"He could hardly read",
"He found no time to read",
"He was not an enthusiastic reader"
],
"question": "What was the writer's at... | "Take your time," Mr. Ballou encouraged."Read, borrow, and keep.Find something you like.What do you read?"
"Pick for me, then." I said.
He looked up and down at me as though measuring me for a suit.After a moment, he nodded, and handed me a dark red book, fairly thick.
"The Last of the Just," I read."By Andre Schwarz-Bart.What's it about?"
"You tell me," he said."Next week."
I started after supper, sitting outdoors on an uncomfortable kitchen chair Within a few pages, the yard, the summer, disappeared.Translated from French, the language was beautiful, simple, impossible to resist.When the evening light finally failed I moved inside, read all through the night.
To this day, thirty years later, I clearly remember the experience.It was my first meeting with world literature, and I was amazed by the strong power a novel contain.I lacked the vocabulary, however, to translate my feelings into words, so the next week, when Mr. Ballou asked,"Well?"I only replied, "It was good."
"Keep it, then,"he said."Shall I suggest another?"
I nodded, and was presented with Margaret Mead's Coming of Age in Samoa.
To make the story short, Mr. Ballou never paid me a cent for helping cut his grass that year or the next, but for fifteen years I taught anthroplogy at Dartmouth College.That summer when I started to read became a turning point in my life which change the course of all that followed. | high22027.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hunting"
},
"options": [
"hunting",
"shooting",
"eating",
"fighting with their enemies"
],
"question": "Pygmies are small in size, but they are brave in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | In the Ituri forest of America live many tribes,one of which is Pygmy. Most of the Pygmies in the tribe are not taller than four feet. They weigh only about eighty pounds each.
In spite of their small size, they are the best hunters among all the jungle people. Even the great elephant can be caught by them.
Since they do not plant any crops, Pygmies are constantly moving around. They seldom sleep in one camp for more than a few days. In their camps there is not furniture at all except for some weapons such as spears, bows and arrows. There are no cooking pots either. Food is eaten uncooked or smoked over a lire. So when the tribe moves to a new camp there is nothing to carry except these weapons and babies too small to walk.
Pymies can move on the tree tops almost as skillfully as monkeys. Often they travel great distances through the branches without touching the ground.
One of the surprising facts about these small men and women is their great appetite . A Pygmy can eat up sixty bananas at a single meal besides quantities of meat. After eating, they will lie on their hard earth bed and groan in all night. But in the morning, they are ready to eat the same amount of food or fight among themselves. | high1965.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "signaling a change in personal beliefs"
},
"options": [
"satisfying an interest in novelty",
"signaling a change in personal beliefs",
"displaying membership in a social group",
"following traditional rules"
],
... | One's style of the dress reveals the human obsession with both novelty and tradition. People use clothing to declare their membership in a particular social group; however, the rules for what is acceptable dress for that group may change. In affluent societies, this changing of the rules is the driving force behind fashions. By keeping up with fashions, that is, by changing their clothing style frequently but meanwhile, members of a group both satisfy their desire for
and obey the rules, thus demonstrating their membership in the group.
There are some interesting variations regarding individual status. Some people, particularly in the West, consider themselves of such high status that they do not need to display it with their clothing. For example, many wealthy people in the entertainment industry appear in very casual clothes, such as the worn jeans and work boots of a manual laborer. However, it is likely that a subtle but important signal, such as an expensive wristwatch, will prevail over the message of the casual dress. Such an inverted status display is most likely to occur where the person's high status is conveyed in ways other than with clothing, such as having a famous face. | high16382.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "are not so free"
},
"options": [
"find nowhere",
"are not so free",
"have no rights",
"have to travel a long way"
],
"question": "Smokers in the U.S. _ to light a cigarette now.",
"question_type": "cloze... | The U.S. government may issue stronger regulations about the use of tobacco.
Many governments and private buildings have "No Smoking" regulations. In airplanes, on trains and at cinemas, Golf courses are seriously thinking of keeping out smokers, so are schools, shopping malls and even football fields.
So where do people go to fill their lungs with nicotine? The government is working on it.
One suggestion is that the government set aside a piece of land somewhere in the United States where smokers could go when they want a cigarette. Yellow Stone Park has been in the list, but many people don't agree because they fear that second-hand smoking would make the bears there sick.
The Mojave Desert in California is also being studied, and so are Las Vegas Casinos .
The smokers were not too nervous about the government idea.
They say they are not going to California just to light up. They have a right to smoke at home. To make life more pleasure for those who find it hard to give up smoking, the government is seriously thinking of getting somewhere for the smokers.
The tobacco companies are fighting the idea like mad. They say nobody has proved that cigarettes are bad for you. They say as a matter of fact, the doctors have proved that a cigarette saved a person's life after that person was shot.
Other places under consideration are: the cold areas in Alaska, the Rocky Mountain in Colorado and the Whitewater River in Arkansas. | high20630.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They were introduced there by sailors accidently."
},
"options": [
"They were attracted there by wildlife.",
"They escaped there from Campbell Island.",
"They were introduced there by sailors accidently.",
"They were br... | The largest campaign of killing rats in history is set to poison millions of rats on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Scientists say the campaign planned for 2013 and 2014 will restore beautiful South Georgia to the position it once held as the world's most important nesting sites for seabirds.
It was sailors in the late 18th century who unintentionally introduced rats to what had been a fresh environment. "If we can destroy the rats, at least 100 million birds will return to their home on South Georgia," says Tony Martin, a biology professor at the University of Dundee who was invited to lead the project.
South Georgia is by far the largest island to get rid of animals that destroy native wildlife after being introduced deliberately or accidentally by people. Though rats and mice have done the most damage, cats, foxes, goats, deer, rabbits and other species have been targeted in the campaigns around the world.
South Georgia is seven times the size of New Zealand's Campbell Island, currently the largest area ever killing rats. The successful war against Campbell Island rats was carried out in 2001 with 132 tons of poison dropped from five helicopters.
"New Zealand pioneered the techniques for ridding islands of rats and in fact our operation on South Georgia is based on New Zealand's technology." Says Martin. "Some New Zealanders will be helping our campaign, including our chief pilot, Peter Garden, who was also chief pilot for the projects at Campbell Island and Rat Island, in the Aleutian chain of the north Pacific."
The second and third stages in 2013 and 2014 will involve dropping as much as 300 tons of poison from the air onto every part of the island where rats might live. It is a huge operation, carried out during the stormy southern autumn when the rats are hungry and the risks of poisoning native wildlife are less than in the spring and summer months. "Ideally we'd do in winter but the weather makes that too risky," Martin says.
The ecological payback will be priceless. But Martin says, "The full benefits will take decades to arrive, because some of these birds are slow to hatch." | high5054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because my sisters will always be there for me."
},
"options": [
"Because we fight over toys,food and attention.",
"Because my sisters are the same age as I.",
"Because my sisters will always be there for me.",
"Because... | I'm telling Mother about a new girl in school,and she suddenly looks up and says,"Who're your two best friends?" I'm not sure what to say.I've been friends with Jill since I was three or so,and I really like Jaime,a friend in kindergarten."Well,what about Karen and Cindy?" She seems upset,like I hurt her feelings."But they're my sisters." "Yes,but they can still be your best friends.Friends may come and go,but your sisters will always be there for you."
At the time,the idea of my two sisters being my closest friends seemed strange to me.We fought all the time over toys,food and attention.How could my sisters be my best friends?They weren't the same age as I.We all had our own friends in school.But my mother never let the three of us forget it:Sisters are lifelong friends.Her wish was to give us something that she never had.Growing up an only child,she longed for siblings .When she gave birth to three daughters,the fulfillment of her dream had only just begun.She'd given us each a gift and she wanted to make sure we did not take that gift for granted.She'd frequently tell us how lucky we were.She never showed favoritism to one daughter over the other.And when we were teenagers,Mom always punished us equally.
We didn't always get along beautifully and fought just like any other siblings.But we realized that our mother was right.Today I share things with my sisters that I do with no one else.My sister Cindy and I ran the New York City Marathon together,sidebyside,even holding hands when we crossed the finish line.When my sister Karen got married,I was her maid of honor.The three of us trust each other with our greatest secrets.
It was twentythree years ago that my mother first asked me who my two best friends were.Today she doesn't have to.She already knows. | high18620.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Vancouver is a city located on water."
},
"options": [
"Vancouver is the third largest city in Canada.",
"Vancouver is a city located on water.",
"Vancouver is not far from the Coast Range.",
"The largest industrial cen... | Vancouver is located in the southwest corner of Canada in the province of British Columbia. Vancouver is the largest city in the province and the third largest in Canada. It covers an area of 113 sq km. It is surrounded by water on three sides and overlooked by the Coast Range. Its climate is one of the mildest in Canada. Temperatures average 3degC in January and 18degC in July. Vancouver's most rainfall occurs in winter.
Archaeological evidence shows that coastal Indians had settled the Vancouver area by 500 BC. British naval captain George Vancouver explored the area in 1792. Vancouver was founded as a sawmill settlement called Granville in the 1870s. The city was united in 1886 and renamed after Captain Vancouver.
As the main western terminus of Canada's transcontinental highway and rail routes, Vancouver is the primary city of western Canada, as well as one of the nation's largest industrial centers.
The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest and most various port, trading more than $43 billion in goods with more than 90 trading economies annually. Port activities generate 69,200 jobs in total with $4 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) and $8.9 billion in economic output.
Vancouver is a major tourist place. In addition to the city's scenic location, visitors enjoy beautiful gardens and world-famous Stanley Park, one of more than 180 city parks, and a combination of natural forest and parklands near the city centre. | high17513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Whether students deserve high marks just for trying hard."
},
"options": [
"How students can get a good grade in the course.",
"Whether students are allowed to answer calls in class.",
"Whether students deserve high marks jus... | Would you want a doctor who got high marks in medical school just for trying hard? Apparently many college students would have no problem with that. They believe students are owed a good grade simply because they put a lot of effort into a class.
The researchers asked more than 800 undergraduates if they agreed or disagreed with some statements. For example: "If I have completed most of the reading for a class, I deserve a B in that course." And: "A professor should not be annoyed with me if I receive an important call during class."
Just 16 percent thought it was OK to take that phone call. But 66 percent agreed that a professor should consider effort and not just the quality of a student's work when deciding grades. And 40 percent thought they should get a B, the second highest mark, just because they did most of the reading for class.
Some experts are not surprised that students often see no difference between effort and results. Social critics like to say that in children's activities these days everyone gets an award just for trying, so no one will feel rejected.
Yet competition to get into the best colleges is fiercer than ever. Students may worry that low grades will keep them out of graduate school or a good job.
And there may be another explanation: pressure from parents to get a good return on the family's investment. These days, college can cost more than a house.
A former teaching assistant recently wrote to the New York Times about his experience with grade expectations. He would try to explain it this way when students asked for a top grade just for studying hard in chemistry class:
What if a baseball player came to spring training and worked harder than all the others, but still could not play well? Would the team accept him anyway, just because he tried so hard?
The students would say no. But most of them would still ask for an A. | high3425.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "become more attractive"
},
"options": [
"show that she is unique",
"catch up the present fashion",
"become more attractive",
"have more confidence"
],
"question": "A girl wants to have a tattoo in order to _ ... | Every girl wants to have a great-looking tattoo design that makes them more attractive. Small and lovely tattoo designs are the path to go for girls planning to get tattooed for the first time.
Nowadays, more and more females are getting a tattoo inked on their body. In the last fifteen years, tattoos have grown from being a sign of rebelliousness and trouble to a state of popular acceptance as a mark of fashion.
Tattoos are permanent so you need to be sure that you like it before getting one. A great way is to have small tattoos that look beautiful as well. You can get a cherry blossom tattoo on the foot, perhaps, a hibiscus flower on the shoulder or a lovely butterfly on the lower stomach; whatever design you choose, it can definitely add to your attractiveness and charm.
Deciding to get a tattoo needs careful thought and reflection. Otherwise, you could make some serious tattoo mistakes. Try to avoid big and obvious designs if possible. Another important part of choosing a tattoo design is the location. What part of the body do you want it on? Choosing a hidden location can often make the tattoo the perfect adornment . As for professional women, tattoos should normally be where they can be hidden.
Most importantly, no matter what tattoo design you choose the final goal is that the design should be something you like. If you are into the tattoo and really feel passionate about it you will carry yourself in a different manner when you get it inked on your body. | high15304.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the countryside"
},
"options": [
"the clubs",
"the schools",
"big cities",
"the countryside"
],
"question": "From the passage we know that square dancing came from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | In America, square dancing has been the most popular form of folk dancing since the early days. In early times, when men and women worked in groups to build a barn or harvest crops, they danced when the work was done. The music came from the violin for the most part, but if there was no one to play a musical instrument, clapping was used to produce the rhythm to which people dance. The early settlers danced in a store, in a barn, or in a farm kitchen.
A square is formed by four couples who stand facing the centre of the square. Each couple stand on one side of the square, the boy on the left and the girl on the right.
The caller is an important part of the dance, since he tells the dancers which steps to do. If the dancers do not know the steps, he teaches them. It takes time to learn to be a good caller, and good callers are always in demand .
These are the names of some of the steps the dancers do: Form a square; Circle; Honour your partner; Swing your partner; Form a star. There are many more. As the callers tell the dancers what to do next, they move to form the pattern he calls.
Large or small numbers of people can dance at one time. Sometimes 800 or 1,000 people may be dancing at the same time. Or there may be only one square of eight people.
Special clothes are worn by some when dancing. This makes the dance more colourful to watch. The special clothes are different from place to place. Women often wear full skirts of various colours with a pretty blouse. Men have coloured shirts and western trousers that they wear only when square dancing. In some country areas, everyone wears his best clothes.
Today in some parts of the United States you will find some schools, clubs, or groups square dancing for fun. | high8570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it was a way to show their culture to attract visitors"
},
"options": [
"they wanted to look more beautiful",
"their leader Li Qin asked them to do so",
"it was a way to show their culture to attract visitors",
"it was ... | The Baima is a minority group of about 1,400 people. They have lived in Northern Sichuan and Southern Gansu Provinces for centuries. They have long depended on the forests as their main source of income. But since a ban on cutting down forests was introduced in the late 1990s to fight yearly flooding, the villagers have had to look for other means of earning a living.
Several are now in the process of developing a small tourism industry as their lands are rich in forests and natural scenery and are the home of the giant pandas. Xiangshujia, in particular, is becoming a popular bed and breakfast centre for tourists heading to Wanglang to see the giant pandas. Visitors are also starting to take notice of the Baima people themselves.
As our jeep stopped in the courtyard of a house, we were greeted by the village leader Li Qin and young Baima girls dressed in traditional costumes with white feathers in their hair. As we took our places on wooden benches near an open fire, the girls began to sing traditional songs as they served us.
"The number of tourists is growing," said Li Qin. "We realize that to attract visitors we have to show our culture by offering more traditional singing and dancing and ensuring our houses are built in the traditional way."
Relations between the Baima people and the reserve were once tense following the ban on cutting down forests. Villagers had to make a new living. They entered the Wanglang Nature Reserve to collect wild mushrooms and herbs , often at the expense of disturbing the pandas' habitat. But things greatly improved as villagers started receiving training in how to sell things to tourists.
"Our aim was to deter the villagers, because they often disturbed the pandas' habitat, and to ensure they could have a long-lasting means of earning a living," emphasized Chen Youping, director of the Wanglang Nature Reserve. "All the money from the reserve goes back into the community and conservation projects," said Chen. "We take into consideration first the animals and then tourism." | high7643.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "see amusing movies you like"
},
"options": [
"watch fallow deer, horses, buffalos and pigs",
"hear birds' singing",
"buy all kinds of presents for your friends",
"see amusing movies you like"
],
"question": "Whe... | Sherwood Forest Farm Park
Lamb Pens Farm
Edwinstowe, Mansfield
Tel: 01623 823558
_
Lovely traditional breeds of farm animals, horses, wallabies, fallow deer, water buffalo and Kune pigs are waiting to greet everyone. Play areas, pets' corner, bird garden, a tearoom and a gift shop make this the ideal venue for the whole family.
Open daily 3rdApril ---17thOctober 10. 30 am---5. 15 pm.
Just off A6075 between Edwinstowe and Mansfield Woodhouse
Admission: Adult: PS5.00, Child: PS 3.50
Under 3 FREE
(All children under 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult)
Family Ticket 2 Adult +2 Children PS 15.00
Season Tickets Adult PS18.00 Child PS12.00
Visit as many as you like during the season
Excellent reductions for pre-booked groups/school | high1232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It describes horrors of war."
},
"options": [
"It was put on a long time ago.",
"Its hero is a soldier.",
"It describes horrors of war.",
"It is an Oscar-winning film."
],
"question": "What can we know about Miy... | NOWADAYS, most animated films rely heavily on computer technology. But his magical world - where witches cast spells and castles float in the sky - is brought to life by hand. Nevertheless, Hayao Miyazaki is referred to as Japan's Walt Disney and considered by many to be the world's greatest living animator.
This month, the 72-year-old Miyazaki announced his retirement. The Japanese animator has directed 11 animated full-length films over the past four decades, including the Oscar-winning Spirited Away (<<>> ) and his latest release, The Wind Rises (<<>> ), which tells the life story of a man who designed Japanese World War II fighter planes.
Just as The Wind Rises shows, Miyazaki is well-known for his obsession with flight, especially human flight. Other striking aspects of Miyazaki's films include his themes of environmental protection and the horrors of war.
Miyazaki's work is also famous for its lack of clearly defined good and evil characters. He sees the 21st century as a complex time when old norms need to be re-examined.
As a storyteller, he is an inventor of fairy tales full of mystery. In the Miyazakian universe, wizards turn into birds of prey; young girls are transformed overnight into 90-year-old women; greedy parents are changed into pigs; and shooting stars become fire demons .
As a visual artist, most of Miyazaki's grace comes from his vivid colors and lovingly drawn landscapes - a rolling meadow covered with flowers and shadowed by clouds, or a range of rocky hills rising toward snow-capped mountain peaks
People attribute Miyazaki's success to his long pursuit of his hand-drawn technique, although in an interview with CNN he called himself an "extinct species" in the age of digital animation.
A recent television documentary on the making of The Wind Rises showed a disappointed Miyazaki throwing a pile of drawings into the trash. He is said to have redrawn thousands of frames of the much-praised Princess Mononoke (<<>> ) when they did not meet his standards.
But his huge attention to detail has earned him the respect of the entire animated film world. Even John Lasseter - head of Pixar, the famous US computer animation studio - once called Miyazaki "one of the greatest filmmakers of our time". | high13775.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "stay away from the animals"
},
"options": [
"give nutritious food",
"stay away from the animals",
"stand close",
"use tools"
],
"question": "When travelers feed the animals, they should _ .",
"question_ty... | A safari park is a park in which wild animals are kept. They are mainly located in east or central Africa. They often occupy a very wild area, with mountains and rivers. To visit the park and look at the animals, people have to drive around in a car for a few of hours because the park is huge.
In south Africa there is a safari park, which contains all sorts of wild animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, wild pigs, deer and giraffes.
There is a wild road leading through the park, but nobody is permitted to walk on the road. Anyone traveling in the park has to go in a car because wild animals may fiercely attack people. From the car he may see almost every types of African wildlife. Some of these are getting rare because people kill them for various reasons. For example, rhinoceroses are killed for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines for colds and headaches. Perhaps they will be seen only in museums and books one day.
Travels may purchase food for the animals. They can feed them when they tour the park. Of course, they should not feed them in a close distance because the wild animals may attack people. In addition, they should only give proper food to the animals.
A traveler may carry a gun with him in his journey. The gun is given to him by the government. However, it is not used for hunting. In fact, a seal is fixed to it. The traveler may fire at a wild beast to defend himself in case he is attacked. However, he has to prove to the government that he has been attacked and that he has not fired at a harmless animal. | high9108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "choose food in similar ways"
},
"options": [
"eat entirely different food",
"are not satisfied with their food",
"choose food in similar ways",
"depend on one sense in choosing food"
],
"question": "We can infer... | Many animals recognize their food because they see it.So do humans.When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate,you know that these are things you can eat.You can also use other senses when you choose your food.You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good.You may dislike some types of food because they do not look,smell or taste very nice.Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food.A few animals depend on only one of their senses,while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food,some animals spend their lives eating only one type.The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo f).Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice.A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage,even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden.However,most animals have a more varied diet .The bear eats fruits and fish.The fox eats small animals,birds and fruits.The diet of these animals will he different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet.We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us.In countries such as France and Britain.people eat foods with too much sugar.This makes them overweight,which is bad for their health.Eating too much red meat and animal products,such as butter, can also be bad for the health.Choosing the fight food,therefore,has become an area of study in modem life. | high13013.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they can work on computer"
},
"options": [
"they work in large groups",
"they can work on computer",
"the teachers are interesting",
"math questions are easy there"
],
"question": "Students in Yet Sen Middle Sch... | Most middle school students find it boring to learn math. But students in Yet Sen Middle School in New York, US, don't think so. Why? Because they are in the school of One Program, which asks students to work on their own or in small groups on computers to have math lessons.
"The program gives the students a new learning style. No traditional classroom can compare with it. We give each lesson according to the students' interest and their strong and weak points, "said Joel. Klein, the school's headteacher, "We're looking for a new way that interests students. "
Students enjoy these math lessons, especially lessons with video games. They must find out the answers to math problems to get through the game. One such game is Dimension M. As students move through mazes with their keyboards, some questions come up.
Caleb Deng had to answer the question: What is 5+(6x3)? He _ on paper quickly because there was just a minute left to play.
"I was right, "said Deng, 14, as he ended the game with a high score . "This really makes math lessons more exciting, since we are fighting to learn better. " | high8216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in a newspaper"
},
"options": [
"in a newspaper",
"in a school magazine",
"in a store window",
"on a company notice-board"
],
"question": "You may find the above advertisements _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | If you're travelling in the following cities, these exciting events may drag you out of the house.
CONCERTS
Mayday Noah's Ark World Tour
Info: Jul 13, Xiamen; Jul 19/20, Shanghai; Aug 3, Shenzhen; Aug 17, Beijing
The rock band Mayday is about to bring their attractive tour to an end -- and, as usual, it's going to happen in a grand way. On Aug 17, they will rock the National Stadium, or the Bird's Nest Stadium, and hold their last Noah's Ark concert in China, before heading to Europe in September.
Tanya Chua 2013 Concert Tour
Info: Aug 10, Shanghai; Aug 31, Beijing
In her music career of more than 15 years, the 38-year-old Singaporean singer-songwriter has never been short of popular songs that astonish the heart. Now, for the first time since 2008, when she played a small Christmas concert in Shanghai, Chua is visiting China as part of a concert tour.
THEATER
What is Success?
Director: Edward Lam
Performers: Chu Hung-chang, Ethan Wei, Shi Yi-hsiu
Info: Aug 9-10, Guangzhou; Aug 16-17, Chongqing; Aug 29-Sept 1, Beijing
In Part Three of Edward Lam's Four Great Classics Series, which looks back at Luo Guanzhong's novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it is sure to give you a surprise. Will it be true? Find out for yourself!
To Live
Director: Meng Jinghui
Performers: Huang Bo, Yuan Quan
Info: Jul 30-Aug 4, Beijing; Aug 6-7, Tianjin; Aug 9-11, Hangzhou; Aug 13-18, Shanghai
After their world show in September, theater director Meng Jinghui and his team are back for another tour around China. While audiences can renew their memories of Yu Hua's new realism works, film stars Huang Bo and Yuan Quan will also impress audiences with their excellent performance.
EXHIBITIONS
Andy Warhol: 15 Minutes Eternal
Info: Apr 29-Jul 28, Shanghai
Launched in 2012 -- the 25th anniversary of the pop artist Andy Warhol's death -- the exhibition brings the largest ever collection of Warhol's work to Asia. It includes more than 300 paintings, photographs, drawings and 3-D art, including his works such as Marilyn Monroe, Mao, Campbell's Soup and Self-Portrait. | high7125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "developing their social skills by having some online conversations."
},
"options": [
"searching for the newest app and install them to their tablets or smart phones.",
"developing their social skills by having some online conversat... | Children are hooked on computers. Some spend up to six hours a day on their gadgets. They can be playing games live with others elsewhere in the world, updating their status on social media, texting friends or looking for the latest app to download to their tablets or smart phones.
This worried Martin Strott, headmaster of the Old Hall School in Wellington, in the west of England. He was so concerned that he challenged his students to take part in a week of 'digital detox'. Strott told the local newspaper, the Shropshire Star, that he encourages the pupils to have a good knowledge of the computer from a young age, but is concerned that too much screen time will affect the development of their social skills. He said that this over-reliance on digital devices "erodes family time and they're missing out on messages from body language and facial expressions from those around them".
According to the headmaster, the parents are happy with the movement. But what about the children? Nine-year-old Fred usually spends around two hours on his gadgets at home after school and around 12 hours on weekends. For him, the digital detox experience was "really hard". Fred spent it playing outside, especially basketball. He said that he'll probably engage in different activities from now on but he did miss his phone and online games.
The idea of keeping children away from their tech for a while to prevent 'addiction' is not particularly new. There have been similar movements in the US. But are they effective in the long run? Well, even if kids go back to their gadgets, the hope is that at least they'll think about how they use their time.
What about you: do you spend too many hours hooked on your digital devices? | high19258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To offer people information."
},
"options": [
"To become wealthy.",
"To offer people information.",
"To heal the wounds from the war.",
"To turn down uninteresting stories."
],
"question": "What is the purpose o... | As De Witt Wallace lay in bed recovering from injuries that he unfortunately came by in World War I, he found there was a wealth of interesting information to read. Realizing few people would have the time to get through all this information, he knew exactly what to do. In 1920, this young American submitted a sample magazine containing shortened articles to publishers across America. However, all turned him down.
Undeterred, De Witt and his new bride Lila Bell Acheson published the first issue of Reader's Digest in February 1922. Working from home, the Wallaces printed 5,000 copies, which were sold by mail to 1,500 people and priced at 25 cents. From these humble beginnings grew the world's most widely-read magazine.
The magazine became popular and, by 1935, sales topped one million. In 1938, the first international edition was published in the United Kingdom. During World War II, editions were published for the first time in Latin America and Sweden. After the war Reader's Digest moved into Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, South Africa and Switzerland. In 1950, Reader's Digest published its shortened Books (now known as Select Editions in Australia). In 1959, music, the first non-print product line, was introduced. In 1962, Reader's Digest revolutionized direct mail by introducing easy-to-enter Sweepstakes and a year later the first Reader's Digest general book was published. In 1986, video was added to the Reader's Digest product line.
In 1973, the Wallaces gave up active management of Reader's Digest. De Witt died in 1981, aged 91; Lila in 1984, aged 94. With no heirs to the Wallace empire to take control, Reader's Digest became a public company in the early 1990s and is now headed by a Chief Executive Office and Chairman of the Board. | high11604.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "what people in western countries do"
},
"options": [
"what a group of people usually do",
"what people in western countries do",
"what people in eastern countries do",
"what people in united states do"
],
"quest... | In western countries, especially in America, some social customs have lasted still today. For example, ladies first, that is to say, women in those countries are respected in many ways.
In the U.S. and Europe, you will see men usually open doors for women and women generally walk ahead of men into a room or a restaurant unless the man have to be ahead of the ladies to choose the table, to open the door of a car or to give other services. On the street, men almost walk or across the street on the side of the ladies which is closer to traffic, but if a man walks with two ladies, he should walk between them. | high3343.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "its response to an unclear event is pessimistic"
},
"options": [
"its response to an unclear event is pessimistic",
"it will pay little attention to an unclear event",
"it is easy for it to make right decisions",
"it ha... | How can we measure animals' emotions? A new study of animal's emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University's professor Mike Mendl was published online.
An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators will develop a negative emotion or "mood", such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.
The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal's experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a "pessimistic" response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more "optimistic" response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey .
Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University's School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, " We can use "optimistic" or "pessimistic"decision-making as a symbol of an animal's emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a _ new approach to studying a variety of animal species."
"Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives," Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl's study can help them to better understand and assess an animal's emotions. | high5732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "How we perceive the food we eat."
},
"options": [
"How we perceive the food we eat.",
"What ingredients the food contains.",
"When we eat our meals.",
"How fast we eat our meals."
],
"question": "What is said to... | In recent years, a growing body of research has shown that our appetite and food intake are influenced by a large number of factors besides our biological need for energy, including our eating environment and our perception of the food in front of us.
Studies have shown. for instance. that eating in front of the TV (or a similar distraction) can increase both hunger and the amount of food consumed. Even simple visual cues( ). like plate size and lighting, have been shown to affect portion size and consumption.
A new study suggested that our shot-term memory also may play a role in appetite. Several hours after a meal, people's hunger levels were predicted not by how much they'd eaten but rather by how much food they'd seen in front of them --- in other words, how much they remembered eating.
This difference suggests the memory of our previous meal may have a bigger influence on our appetite than the actual size of the meal. says Jeffrey M . Brunstrom , a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Bristol.
"Hunger isn't. controlled solely by the physical characteristics of a recent meal. We have identified an independent role for memory for that meal." Brunstrom says. "This shows that the relationship between hunger and food intake is more complex than we thought."
These findings echo earlier research that suggests our perception of food can sometimes trick our body's response to the food itself. In a 2011 study, for instance, people who drank the same 380-calorie milkshake on two separate occasions produced different levels of hunger-related hormones, depending on whether the shake's label said it contained 620 0r 140 calories. Moreover, the participants reported feeling more full when they thought they'd consumed a higher-calorie shake.
What does this means for our eating habits? Although it hardly seems practical to trick ourselves in to eating less, the new findings do highlight the benefits of focusing on our food avoiding TV and multitasking while eating.
The so-called mindful-eating strategies can fight distractions and help us control our appetite, Brunstrom says. | high18146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To warn people of emergencies via messages."
},
"options": [
"To warn people of emergencies via messages.",
"To popularize the use of cell phones.",
"To estimate the monthly number of messages.",
"To promote the wireles... | Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry's trade association, CTIA, estimates more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvements to the nation's emergency alert system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.
"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alert system by carriers--telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president, likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2014. | high17275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Safety problems caused by wearing headphones."
},
"options": [
"Recent research on the risks to pedestrians",
"Safety problems caused by wearing headphones.",
"The advantages and disadvantages of headphones",
"Traffic a... | The number of accidents involving pedestrians wearing headphones is on the rise , a report suggests, causing fresh warning from road safety groups in Britain .
A US-based study found a total of 116 reports of death or injury to pedestrians wearing headphones between 2004 and 2011 , jumping from 16 in 2005 to 47 in 2011 .
Most victims were men (68%) and under the age of 30 (67%) , with around one in ten of all cases (9%) under the age of 18 .Some 89% of the cases occurred in urban areas and more than half (55%) of the victims were struck by trains .
Eighty-one of the 116 accidents (70%) resulted in the person's death--- even though a warning was sounded in around a third of the cases .
The study concluded , " The use of headphone may be a safety risk to pedestrians , especially in environments with moving vehicles(cars) . Further research is needed to determine if and how headphone use threatens pedestrian safety ." British road safety groups warned pedestrians to be careful.
Floor Lieshout , director of Youth For Road Safety , said, " This study shows once more the importance of using all of our senses while we are near traffic . It is important that we find an attractive way to make youth learn about the risks of wearing headphones in traffic ."
Andrew Howard , who is the head of road safety at the Automobile Association , added that some pedestrians can be "so focused in their own little world they forget the world going on around them".That can include headphone wearers , Howard said, but also people talking on phones.
However , Howard said that more researches needed to be done.
Earlier studies have shown that people wearing headphones or talking on phones can suffer "inattentional blindness" which makes them isolated from the world around them .
Ian Harvey , at the charity Civic Voice , said that " to defeat isolation and to help build a civic society , people need to interact with each other .
He said , " A basis for any civilized society is communication--- Surfing the web , listening to MP3s , reading blogs or sending e-mail is not interacting with a person; it's interacting with a machine.
"If people feel socially isolated , they need to have more face-to-face interactions with other human beings and in time , will begin to feel happier and more connected to the world and place they live in ." | high4438.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded"
},
"options": [
"it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible",
"with it NASA won't need to ship any water up the space station",
"it can ... | Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine , sweat and water got from air. They said "cheers," clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.
The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will have NASA money because it won't have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or cargo rockets. Besides, it's important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttles Endeavour, but it couldn't be used until samples were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and congratulated engineers in two NASA centres that worked on the system.
"This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction," American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. "The taste is worth trying."
The new system takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the vapor is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water vapor is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters . When six crew members are aboard it can make about six gallons from urine in about six hours.
"Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap," said Marybeth Edeen, the space station's national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami. | high11610.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Now more British people say sorry because of the British class system."
},
"options": [
"British people are sincere while saying sorry.",
"Now more British people say sorry because of the British class system.",
"British peop... | The hit movieNotting Hillbegins with a famous scene. Hugh Grant bumps into Julia Roberts and spills orange juice all over her. After the _ , Grant repeatedly says: " I am so sorry. I am so sorry."
His actions in this scene are very British. If Roberts' character were from Britain then she would probably apologize repeatedly as well--even if the crash were not her fault. But this doesn't happen in the film, as Roberts is from the US.
A report in The Telegraph last week said that three-quarters of British people apologize when they bump into someone in the street -- regardless of whether they are responsible or not. In fact, we Britons use "sorry" in many situations. For example, if we mishear someone, we say "Sorry?" The person we are talking to will also apologize by replying: "No, I am sorry!" This can go on for up to five minutes as we compete over who is the most sorry.
Life is never as simple as "duibuqi" and "meiguanxi".
How we use "sorry" has changed. Traditionally, "sorry" was used to express deep regret, but a survey in 2007 showed that we use it to mean anything from "what" to "whatever".
Why are Britons so sorry? Mark Tyrell, a psychology writer in the UK, thinks about our apologetic tendencies are rooted in the British class system. We say sorry because historically the new middle classes in Britain had to apologize for not being working class, but also for not really being upper class. Another theory is that we apologize to avoid confrontation . For example, if you bump into someone they might get angry. To avoid this we instantly say "Sorry!".
True manners are about being considerate and the modern day obsession with apologizing show that we are perhaps not as thoughtful as we once were. The word has lost some of its meaning. Do you see my point? Sorry, it might just be a British thing... | high3357.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she was being followed by someone"
},
"options": [
"she had left her report in the bar",
"there was a killer in the city",
"she was being followed by someone",
"the streets were dark and empty"
],
"question": "T... | As the sound of footsteps behind her grew louder, she quickened her pace. She didn't want to turn around as the memory of that morning's newspaper headline made her afraid of what she would see: "City Killer Claims Fourth Victim."
"Why did I stop for a few drinks in the bar after work?" she thought to herself. Now it was dark and the streets deserted. She was alone and _
She felt as if she was walking in the rain. Her clothes were damp from nervous sweat and as each short hot breath hit the night air, it turned to steam, coating her glasses in a thin film so all she saw seemed covered in fog.
The footsteps were closer now. She needed to get off this street. Her eyes began a useless search for an open store or lighted window. Passing a small lane she looked through,for a possible escape route. But the lane was a dead - end and she laughed to herself at the irony.
The sound of a car behind her turning onto the street interrupted her self - pity. Escape was at hand. But as she was about to throw herself onto the road and shout for the car to stop, the car's headlights cast a shadow that paralyzed her with terror.
It was the footsteps' owner. The figure was huge and in its raised arm it held what looked like a lead-pipe, no doubt the one that was about to claim victim number five.
The shadow dissolved as the car passed by and disappeared into the distance. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was all happening as if in slow - motion. She was waiting for her life to flash before her eyes like all those novels said it would - but it didn't. The only thing she thought of was her dear husband. She recalled phoning him from work that very afternoon and joking about, of all things, the city killer. It was a night full of ironies.
There was a voice talking to her now but she was lost in thoughts of her fate and didn't respond. The hand then began turning her around. It was surprisingly gentle given what was about to come. She allowed it to guide her without resistance. (;)
She looked up. She recognized the face, but she didn't know from where. Its mouth was still talking to her but she couldn't understand. Then she remembered. The face belonged to the foreign looking man who had served her at the bar. She looked down to his hand and saw in it not a lead - pipe but a rolled up copy of a work report she had been correcting in the bar as she drank.
His words suddenly started to register in her brain and she could hear him. "Miss, Miss. Are you OK? You left this in the bar and it looked important so I thought I'd better give it to you." | high2049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how fiber optics works"
},
"options": [
"how fast light travels",
"how fiber optics works",
"how light travels in a glass of water",
"how fiber optics helps mankind"
],
"question": "The purpose of the experiment... | It is not always easy to understand inventions and new developments in science. To understand fiber optics , however, you can try an experiment.
Put a drop or two of milk into the glass of water. Turn off the lights. Shine the light from your flashlight through the top of the glass at an angle of about 45 degrees. Put a piece of white paper against the glass when the beam of light is shining. Move the paper so you can see where the beam is coming out of the glass. You should see a spot of light. Some of the light has passed through the water and through the glass. You see it on the paper. You also see another beam going down into the glass. It is being reflected down into the glass.
Next move the flashlight so that the beam is coming straighter down(30 degrees) into the water. You will see the same phenomenon: some of the light is reflected back into the glass. And some escapes out. Now move the beam of light from the flashlight slowly up until you cannot see any light escaping. This point is called the "point of total internal reflection." The word internal means "inside." All the light is staying inside the glass. There is no beam showing a bright spot on the white paper. All the light energy is inside the glass.
The glass of milky water is like a strand of glass. A fiber optic tube is a bundle of long thin strands of glass, really many tubes. However, the principle is the same: at a certain angle, all the light energy that goes into the glass fiber comes out the other end.
Light is energy. Sound is energy. Radio waves and electricity are both energy. They can all be changed into light, and as light they can all travel along a glass fiber. Light travels at the rate of 186,000 miles per second. Therefore, a message can travel that fast in a glass fiber. This is the principle, or law of nature, that makes fiber optics work. | high18152.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "6"
},
"options": [
"4",
"5",
"6",
"7"
],
"question": "How many people expressing their opinions are mentioned in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Military training has long been considered a ritual that freshmen must go through in order to officially start their college lives. While some question the necessity of such training. Many students see military training as a campus tradition that should be maintained.
Early in February, the Ministry of Education issued a new regulation that colleges and universities should carry out a minimum of 14 days compulsory military training for freshmen.
In a report by Beijing Evening News, Hou Zhengfang, a Beijing-based education PhD, questioned the benefits of military training. "The training routine does little to improve students' physical fitness over only two weeks' time. Maybe some disaster prevention training, such as earthquake survival or escaping from fires would be of greater benefit."
Meng Yang, a 19-year-old freshman at Guangxi University, fainted during training. She said that many students, especially girls, are willing to train under direct sunshine. "For me, military training is physically challenging and even damages my health."
According to Li Jian from the student affairs office of Guangzhou University, feeling dizzy happens frequently during military training and the school has received a lot of complaints from both students and parents: "But I still think military training is a good thing. Students are easier to manage after the military training. They became more positive about their new environment after the training."
Although autumn is fast approaching Beijing, the noon heat burns 3300 freshmen on Tsinghua University's campus. Chu Jinjing, a freshman majoring in medicine, did feel some discomfort while training in sweaty clothes in the glaring heat, the 18-year-old still enjoyed being part of group going through strict exercises. "By going through this tough training, students bond faster and a sense of belonging to the school can be formed. I've made a lot of friends already."
According to the Ministry of Education, the purpose of military training is to teach students discipline, the spirit of teamwork and endurance. But in reality, according to Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21stCentury Education Research Institute, the effect is not satisfying. "Such goals require long-term development. It is unrealistic to expect military training to make a difference in only 14 days." He thus suggests that it should be up to schools to conduct military training in a way that best suits their students.
However, Wang Wenhui, an 18-year-old freshman from Xi'an Jiaotong University, sees military training as a tradition that reaches beyond character building. "From junior and senior high school to college, we join military training to start a new journey. I would feel a bit incomplete without it." | high5726.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The lost generation."
},
"options": [
"The millennials.",
"The lost generation.",
"The boomerang kids.",
"The delayed adults."
],
"question": "Which of the following terms is NOT used to describe today's 20-som... | Today's 20-somethings are often called" millennials . " They grew up around the time of the millennium in the year 2000
Are these adults? The law says yes. But societies have their expectations for what being an adult means. Some say today's 20-sometbings are having a" delayed adulthood. " The term "boomerang kids" means young people leave their parents' house but, like a boomerang thrown through the air, later return.
Research psychologist Jeffrey Arnett says these terms suggest many Americans are frustrated with 20-somethings. He says Americans should consider the positive aspects. They usually have various school and work experiences or they might. try living in different cities or countries.
Cheryssa Jensen
Cheryssa Jensen might agree. She says she expected to get married right after college and to find a job near her parents. Instead, she traveled the western part of the U. S. , went to a dozen different cities there. Her job also took her to Taiwan, Sweden and Denmark. After a year of traveling, she was not sure what to do.
"Some words were nagging at me, saying, 'What else, what else can you do, what else can you do while you re young?"
Julia Shaw
Julia Shaw is 28, just a year older than Cheryssa, but very different in the way she has lived her life so far.
After college, Julia began her career as a writer. She and her husband have stayed in Washington, and have lived there for the last two years.
Julia says many people are surprised that she is married and settled in one place. But she believes she is more free than many other people of her generation and she says marriage has made her life more stable.
Though their stories are different, Julia and Cheryssa still have some things in common. Both say their families are proud of them Both say they do not feel pressured by society to follow a particular path. And both say they are happy with their decisions.
Julia Shaw and Cheryssa Jensen have something else in common. They have not made a high-paying career their first priority. Instead, most in the survey said the most important things to them are being good parents, having a successful marriage and helping other people. | high17261.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "$ 40"
},
"options": [
"$ 60",
"$ 20",
"$ 40",
"$ 10"
],
"question": "A secondhand jacket will probably cost you _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Below are some classified ads from an English newspaper.
*FOR SALE
Come to our moving sale -- Plants, pottery, books,clothes, etc. Sat, Dec. 14th -- 9a. m.---5p. m. 1612 Ferndale, Apt. 1. Call 800 4696.
Used fur coats and jackets. Good condition. $ 30 -- $ 50. Call 800 0436
Moving: Must sell. TV21, $ 50; AM/FM radio A/C or battery, $ 15; cassette tape recorder, $ 10. Call 800 0739
*LOST AND FOUND
Found: Cat, 6 months old, black and white markings. Found near Linden and South U. Steve. 800 4661.
LOST: Gold wire rim glasses in brown case. Campus area. Reward. Call 8002896.
FOUND: Nov. 8th -- A black and white puppy in PackardJewett area. Call 8005770.
*PERSONAL
OVERSEAS JOBS--Australia, Europe, S. America, Africa. Students all
professions and occupations, $ 700 to $ 3000 monthly. Expenses paid, overtime
Sightseeing. Free information at Students' Union.
The International Center plans to publish a booklet of student travel adventures. If you' d like to write about your foreign experiences, unusual or just plain interesting, call us (800 9310) and ask for Mike or Janet.
*ROOMMATES
FEMALE ROOMMATE
WANTED: Own room near campus. Available December 1st. Rent $ 300 per month until March 1st. $ 450 thereafter. Call Jill for details, 800 7839.
*DOMESTIC SERVICE
Early hour wake up
Service: For prompt (on time), courteous (polite) wakeup service, call 800 0760.
*HELP WANTED
Babysitter -- my home
If you are available a few hours during the day, and some evenings to care for 2 schoolage children, please call Gayle Moore, 800 1111,
Person wanted for delivery work. Own transportation. Good pay. Apply 2311 E. Stadium. Office 101, after 9 a. m.
Waitress wanted 10a. m. --2 p. m. or 10:30 a. m. --5 p.m. Apply in person.
207 S. Main, Curtis Restaurant.
Help wanted for house cleaning 1/2 day on weekends. Good wages. Sylvan Street. Call 800 2817. | high1540.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "English is becoming increasingly acceptable in France."
},
"options": [
"French people have great difficulty speaking English.",
"English is becoming increasingly acceptable in France.",
"Great changes take place in France be... | A recent survey found that the French are the second-most insecure people in Europe after Italy about their proficiency in English. Only 13 percent of the French respondents believed they are proficient in the language, according to the European data agency Eurostat.
The situation is no better in business circles, where three-quarters of French executives feel unprepared to hold an interview in English and only 16 percent say they feel comfortable with the language, a separate survey showed.
The survey results aren't surprising. The French seem to have always had this cold and gloomy attitude toward the English language. But what struck me is that, despite the French pessimism, living in Paris without being able to speak the language of Moliere is easier these days than in the past.
New immigrants are part of the reason. I can have an easy chat with the owner of the laundry in my neighborhood. Buying the medicine I need at the local pharmacy is effortless. Ordering a meal in English at the restaurant two blocks away from my apartment does not make me feel awkward. It is all because the people who run these businesses are immigrants.
Greater tolerance and acceptance of non-French speakers is a reflection of the fact that France, willingly or not, has begun to embrace globalization more comfortably. For instance, you will never get the same look you would have had 15 years ago if you ask for directions in English on the streets of Paris.
I have also met many native French who are happy to communicate in English. They are usually the kind of people who are open-minded and are sensitive to the changes beyond their own territories. They are very interested in gaining insight into what is happening on the other side of the globe.
In my hometown, English is also being hotly debated since Beijing education authorities decided to reduce the importance of English proficiency in college entrance exams and increase that of the Chinese language and literature. The Chinese and the French share similarities in attitudes toward foreign languages. We are both so proud of our own languages and cultures that we can feel uncomfortable when we are forced to communicate in another language.
But like it or not, English is still the most widely used language in the world, at least for the foreseeable future. After all, it is not about abandoning one's own language but about being able to fit more easily into this globalized world. | high13007.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "introduction"
},
"options": [
"explanation",
"introduction",
"comment",
"background"
],
"question": "Ubayd' s experience serves as a(n) _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | In October, Ubayd Steed, a sixth grader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was taking a math test when he noticed a classmate looking at his paper. " I quickly turned my paper over," he said. Later that day, Ubayd met the cheater and told him not to do it again.
Unfortunately, Ubayd' s experience is not unusual. Whether it's kids copying class -mates' answers during tests or friends sharing homework, cheating happens in schools every day. Experts say the behavior starts in the lower grades. Surveys show that one in three elementary students admits to cheating.
Jacob Harder, a fourth grader in Ware, Massachusetts, has had classmates ask to copy his homework. "I wouldn't want to just tell them the answers," he says. So instead, he explains the task and encourages his classmates to do it themselves.
But many kids find it hard to say no. "l hear from kids all the time, ' I can' t say no to a friend,'" says Eric Anderman, a professor at The Ohio State University who studies cheating in school. He says it' s important to say no from the start. "Then you _ , and the other kid gets the message," he says. Plus, he points out, "a real friend is not going to disown you because he or she couldn't copy your math homework."
The kids doing the copying may feel they need to cheat to be accepted by other kids. And some students may cheat simply because others do. "If you' re in an atmosphere where cheating is common, you may think that if you don' t cheat, you' re at a disadvantage," says Michael Josephson, founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics.
But Josephson says students shouldn't think that way. "There are a lot of things kids do," he says. "You have to decide what kind of person you' re going to be."
When school becomes too challenging, Anderman suggests going to the teacher rather than relying on the work of others. "It' s good to ask for help," he says. | high12319.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he didn't have a father to teach and love him"
},
"options": [
"he didn't have a father to teach and love him",
"he couldn't get good school education",
"his brothers or sisters didn't teach him",
"he was living in the ... | My life began much like most children before my father left us. I grew up without knowing what a father was and no one was there to teach me how to behave and how to tell right from wrong. Because of this, I developed problems with alcohol and spent seven years as a boy in the street, before ending up in a rehab clinic when I was 20.
Inside I met my counselor , Bill, and he taught me a lot of things. The main thing was the gift of giving. It was the night before an important test and I was very nervous. Bill saw this and suggested that we should go out for a walk. As we walked and talked, Bill suggested we should go for a coffee. I told him I was broke, and when I got paid, I would pay him back. He stopped then and looked at me in a serious but loving way and said, "No, you won't." He told me that I didn't owe him anything and he was doing this because he wanted to. He then told me something that has followed me to this day, "One day you'll be around someone and they'll need a coffee, and you'll be able to buy it for them. That's how you can pay me back."
I'm a primary school teacher now; far away from the life I had ten years ago. My job is simple and I buy young people coffee now. Bill taught me how to do that. | high8202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Excited."
},
"options": [
"Disappointed.",
"Moved.",
"Excited.",
"Astonished."
],
"question": "What's the audience's response to ASIMO's performance?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answ... | The lights dimmed,the musical hall grew quiet and out walked the conductor shiny and white and 4 feet and 3 inches tall.
ASIMO, a robot designed by Honda Motor Co., met its latest challenge Tuesday evening: Conducting the Detroit Symphony , in a performance of "The Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha".
"Hello, everyone," ASIMO said to the audience in a childlike voice, then waved to the orchestra. As it conducted, it perfectly mimicked the actions of a conductor,
nodding its head at various sections and gesturing with one or both hands. ASIMO took a final bow to excited shouts from the audience. Later, cellist Yo-Yo Ma joined ASIMO onstage to receive an award for his efforts in music education.
Honda spokeswoman Alicia Jones says it is the first time ASIMO has conducted an orchestra, and it may be the first time any robot has conducted a live performance. But ASIMO has its limits. ASIMO's engineers programmed the robot to mimic Charles Burke, the Detroit Symphony's education director, as he conducted the piece in front of a pianist about six months ago. But it can't respond to the musicians.
"It's not a communicative device. It simply is programmed to do a set of gestures," said Leonard Slatkin, the orchestra's musical director. "If the orchestra decides to go faster, there's nothing the robot can do about it. Hopefully, I keep that under control."
But several musicians also said ASIMO was more realistic than they expected. "The movements are still a little stiff , but very humanlike, much better than I thought," Hutchinson said. | high15476.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was hit and got angry"
},
"options": [
"She found an employer",
"She wanted to be a lawyer",
"She was hit and got angry",
"She had to take care of her sister"
],
"question": "Why did Mumbet run away from the... | Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as "Mumbet" or "Mum Bett."
For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley's wife tried to strike Mumbet's sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued for her freedom.
While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.
Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants . One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.
Mumbet's tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: "She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal." | high7131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "fishermen"
},
"options": [
"sailors",
"fishermen",
"King Charles and his family",
"The families of king and queens"
],
"question": "The first English people living in the \"green village\" were _ .",
"que... | Greenwich is on the River, five miles from the middle of London, and its history is two thousand years old. The first English people were fishermen there, and they named the place Greenwich, meaning "green village". Later the English kings and queens lived at Greenwich in their beautiful places.
The name of the earliest palace was Placentia. Its windows were made of glass--the first in England. But trouble was coming to Greenwich. In 1649, a war started in England and for eleven years there was no king. The men who had worked for him at Placentia decided to live in the place themselves. They sold all its beautiful things, and bought small pieces of the palace garden with money. Finally, the war ended and King Charles II came back. But Placentia was falling down. So King Charles built a new and bigger palace, which is now open to the public.
At this time, Charles was worried about losing so many of its ships at sea because their sailors did not know how to tell exactly where they were. So in 1675, Charles made John Flamsteed, the first astronomer in England, try to find the answer. Flamsteed worked in a new building on the high ground in Greenwich Park. From it with a telescope which he made himself, Flamsteed could look all round the sky. And he did, night after night, for twenty years. Carrying on Flamsteed's work a hundred years later, an astronomer called Harrison finally made a clock which told the time at sea, and helped sailors to know where they were.You can see Harrison's clock, still working, in Greenwich's museum of the sea. Because of Flamsteed's work, every country in the world now tells its time by Greenwich time. | high8564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To spend his holiday"
},
"options": [
"To meet his girlfriend",
"To work as an engineer",
"To spend his holiday",
"To visit the Andersons."
],
"question": "Why was Duret in New York?",
"question_type": null
... | Brave Frenchman Found Half-way Around the World
(NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River.
Tuesday's Daily News said 29-year who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.
He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Scaport museum. He handed the girl to her father, David Anderson, who had dived in after him.
"I didn't think at all," Duret told the Daily News. "It happened very fast. I reacted very fast. "
Duret, an engineer on vacation ,was walking with his girlfriend along the pier when he saw something falling into the water . He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. In an instant ,he took off his coat and jumped into the water.
When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said . Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes.
Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from cookers. Duret caught a train with his girlfriend shortly after.
The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his tale of heroism until he was leaving the next morning . "I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same ting. " | high15310.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "You can't always make people believe the truth."
},
"options": [
"People should take the blame for what they didn't do.",
"People rarely tell the truth.",
"If you defend yourself, people will believe you.",
"You can't a... | The host poured the tea into the cup and placed it on the small table in front of his guests, who were a father and daughter, and the cover on the cup. Apparently thinking of something, he hurried into the inner room, leaving the thermos on the table. His two guests heard a cupboard opening.
They remained sitting in the sitting room, the ten-year-old daughter looking at the flowers outside the window, the father just about to take his cup, when the crash came, right there in the sitting room. Something was hopelessly broken.
It was the thermos, which had fallen to the floor. The girl looked over her shoulder, shocked, staring. It was mysterious. Neither of them touched it, not even a bit. True, it hadn't stood steadily when their host placed in on the table, but it hadn't fallen then.
The explosion caused the host to rush back. _ the steaming floor, the host said, "It doesn't matter! It doesn't matter!"
The father started to say something. Then he said softly, "Sorry, I touched it and it fell."
"It doesn't matter," said the host.
When they left the house, the daughter said, "Daddy, did you touch it?"
"No, but it stood so close to me."
"But you did not touch it. I saw your reflection in the window glass."
The father laughed. "What would you give as the cause of its fall?"
"The thermos fell by itself. The floor is not smooth. Daddy, why did you say that you..."
"That won't do, girl. It sounds more acceptable when I say I knocked it down. There are things which people accept less the more you defend. The truer the story you tell, the less true it sounds."
The daughter was lost in silence for a while. Then she said, "Can you explain it only in this way?"
"Only in this way," her father said. | high7657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "aims to help poor children throughout the world"
},
"options": [
"is a global painting Olympic for students worldwide",
"is a platform to find out children who have a gift for painting",
"is held once every four years like th... | The 2ndWorld Cup Live Painting Competition
Brief Introduction
The 2ndYouth World Cup Live Painting Competition is a global charity event hosted by Canada Youth Arts Development Foundation and supported by UNICEF. It is a global painting Olympic of the world's children and youth, and also a global charity event aiming to help poor children worldwide.
We don't have ready formulas, but we believe in action. The Youth World Cup Live Painting Competition aims to change things for the better. The competition will be a platform to raise awareness for the welfare of poor children. We hope that this annual competition and charity event will grow into an annual celebration of painting, the Olympic of cultural and artistic exchange.
All participants are separated into four groups
*Children Group 1 (Age 4-7)
*Children Group 2 (Age 8-12)
*Youth Group 1 (Age 13-17)
*Youth Group 2 (Age 18-25)
Main categories for this edition are
*Friendship
*Dream
*Environmental Protection
Tools
Pen, pencil, oil, water color, any painting tools and materials are welcome.
Size
A3 size (43cm x 28cm)
Entry fee
There is no entry fee.
Eligibility
This competition is open to anyone worldwide aged 4-25 years old.
Deadline
June 30, 2014
Prize
*The Committee will issue one First Award (Gold Medal), three Second Awards (Silver Medals), six Third Awards (Bronze Medals), and Best Innovation Award, Best Color Award, Best Structure Award, Best Method Award, Best Quality Award.
*First Award will receive the Golden Cup and $500 CAD, Second Award--Silver Cup and $300 CAD, Third Award--Bronze Cup and $100 CAD.
*All winners of the First Award, Second Award and Third Award from each group will have the opportunities to attend the final competition for live painting competition, which is to be held in Richmond Olympic Oval, Richmond, Canada on August 12th, 2014. All participants in the final competition will receive a certificate, which will be delivered directly from the Organizing Committee. | high6549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he was afraid of her"
},
"options": [
"he was afraid of her",
"she bought all for him",
"she needed much money",
"he loved her very much"
],
"question": "Mr. Jackson had to give all his money to his wife because... | Mr. and Mrs. Jackson worked in the same workplace. The man was skillful and could make all kinds of parts and repair the machines. The boss liked him and paid him more than his workmates. But he had to give all his money to his wife and she bought the food, clothes and drinks for him. He was angry with her but couldn't say anything. All the men in the workplace were afraid of their wives and they felt sorry for each other.
It was March 8 and all the women had a day off. The men could say all they wanted. They said they had to do all the housework at home but the women always spent much money on their clothes. And they didn't think it was fair that women had their own festival but they didn't. The more they said, the angrier they became. They decided to write a letter to the UN and advised them to rescind the" Women's Day". And they asked Mr. Jackson to do it. The man agreed and began to write it at a table.
Just at that moment when Mr. Jackson finished it, his wife came in. She had left her key in the workplace and came to look for it. The man hurried to hide the letter. But it was too late. She made him hand it to her. Having read it, the woman returned the letter to him and said with a smile, "How can you post it to the UN if I don't supply you the money for buying a stamp?" | high18634.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a site of communication"
},
"options": [
"a site of communication",
"a weather station",
"a factory to produce weapons",
"a battle field to fight enemies from the outside"
],
"question": "We can learn from the t... | In the late 1500s, a large powerful gun was placed on top of the Signal Hill, in prefix = st1 /Newfoundland, to prevent attacks from the outside. Flags were also flown there to warn sailors of bad weather. It's fitting, then, the Italian Gulielmo Marconi should have chosen this site to receive the world's first radio signal -- in Morse code -- from England on December 12, 1901.
Marconi, combining earlier ideas with his own, led us to a new communications age. For the next 50 years, until the appearance of television, radio ruled the air waves.
Today, it's the TV that rules. No single person can say to have invented television.
In 1884, the German Paul Nipkow invented a device that sent pictures mechanically , and in 1906, Boris Rosing, a Russian, used a ray and a disc to create the world's first TV system. Then in the early 1920s, another Russian, Vladimir Zworykin,invented a picture display tube. He took out a patent for color1 TV, even though it wouldn't be developed for another 25 years.
In 1924, a Scot entered the scene -- John Logie Baird. He first succeeded in sending a moving picture and a year later got the first actual TV picture. In 1926, Baird showed TV in aLondonlaboratory. Two years later inNew York, Felix the Cat became the first TV star.
TV excited everyone's imagination, but hardly anyone had a set, with just two thousand in use worldwide in the mid-1930s.
Since the late 1940s, TV technology has developed very quickly. Computers may finally be combined with all televisions to give people a total all-in-one communications network.
Today, it's possible to sit and watch TV in the middle of a forest or in the Arctic. It's surprising when one considers that Marconi was on Signal Hill in the same century. | high17507.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the earthquake"
},
"options": [
"that the information about high buildings is limited in Tokyo",
"that the workers haven't mastered enough modern science and technology",
"the earthquake",
"the heavy traffic"
],
... | In Japan's capital city of Tokyo, earthquake danger limits the height of buildings. The city has spread out so far and the traffic has become so heavy that it is very difficult to go from one place to another. The price of the land, too, has skyrocketed. All these explains why a group of Japanese land developers came to the conclusion that there was nowhere to go but down. So far they have dug out space underground for fifteen shopping centres.
What are some of the advantages of shopping and eating underground? Clean air is one of them. The city of Tokyo has one of the most serious smog problems in the world. Another advantage is that you escape the ever-present threat of traffic accidents on the city's busy streets. Still another is the convenience of getting around: you are usually right next to, or even in, a subway station. And you can even spend the night underground if you like. The Kibosh station, for example, in downtown Tokyo, has a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and barbershop. | high11176.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Short stature and short life"
},
"options": [
"Short people and their taller peers",
"Men and women",
"Short stature and short life",
"Long life and short life"
],
"question": "The title of the passage should be... | Short people, studies have shown , are more likely to have a stroke , suffer from high blood pressures and heart disease and be bullied in school .
Now, researchers report that short people--at least in the past--were also more likely to die at a younger age than their taller peers.
Their study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health , found that short bones have something to do with short life for more than 1,000 years. The conclusion was based on 490 sets of adult skeletal remains from an archaeological site in northeastern England , YC dating from the 9th century to about 1850 .
About 55% of men and 73% of women died before the age of 45, and 39% of men and 56% of women died before age 30. The risk of death before age 30 declined as bone length increased.
"This study provides evidence from an archaeological sample that long bone length is connected with age at death--those with smaller bones tend to die younger," according to Dr. D.J. Gunnell of the university of Bristol in the UK and colleagues .
While it is not clear why short stature might be linked to earlier death , the researchers point out that height is _ of childhood nutrition, which may have long-lasting effect on health .
"Mechanism for height-mortality associations in the past may differ from those today , for example , short stature may have increased the risk of death in childbirth and this may explain the higher risk of premature mortality in women," Gunnell and colleagues write .
"However, short bones, it would appear, have always been a marker of a short life," the authors conclude. | high3431.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Those between 15 and 59"
},
"options": [
"People over 60.",
"Children under 14.",
"Those between 15 and 59",
"People between the age of 16 and 44."
],
"question": "Which group makes up the largest percentage of ... | China is a country with a large number of disabled persons. Almost 60 million people have vision, hearing, speech, limb, intellectual or mental disabilities. There is one disabled person in every 20 Chinese, and one out of every five households on average has a disabled family member.
According to nationwide surveys of the disabled children under 14 account for 16 percent of the total disabled population, and they display the greatest need for rehabilitative training as they display the highest recovery rates after early treatment. Those disabled between the ages of 15 and 59 account for 44 percent, but often their disabilities are not very serious. Although they are more or less able to work, they require vocational training, cultural education and special employment.
The disabled over 60 years of age account for 40 percent. Many of them become disabled due to illness or loss of various functions. Some live alone without any income, and therefore their insurance, rehabilitation, and medical needs have become a social issue.
The illiterate and semi-illiterate suffer from limited employment opportunities, and often they become socially disabled as well. These people, often neglected , pose another social problem. | high16619.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he had a bad childhood"
},
"options": [
"he lived without his parents",
"he had poor health",
"he received little care at school",
"he had a bad childhood"
],
"question": "The author's friend got into depression... | Without any hesitation,he said,"I'd be better off dead." Hearing those words come out of my best friend's mouth tore my heart apart.He has repeated that phrase more than once,and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met my best friend about three years ago.After knowing me for six months,he told me about his struggles with depression.Sadness was not the only emotion that came over me; I was shocked.He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time.I soon learned that he was physically and emotionally abused as a young child,causing him to have suicidal thoughts.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults,especially those in his family.In spite of this,he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. _ .It does not matter where I am or what I am doing,for he takes priority.Sometimes he just needs the assurance of my voice telling him that everything is going to be okay and that I will not let him down.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice the scars on his arms from cutting.It seems that other kids have every right to make fun of him and to look down on him.But no one holds such a right,so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly.When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices,I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally.Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the security he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me,he would not be alive.He said that my encouraging words convinced him not to take the way out .Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can impact on someone's life.With the fragility of life as it is,I believe in the necessity of encouragement. | high13991.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To earn money for her family."
},
"options": [
"To learn English well.",
"To earn money for her family.",
"To get self-confidence.",
"To become a typist."
],
"question": "Why did Lynn leave school at an early ag... | Lynn was a young French Canadian girl who grew up in the farming community. At the age of l6, her father thought that she had enough schooling and forced her to drop out of school to contribute to the family income. In l922, with limited education and skills, the future didn't look bright for Lynn. Her father demanded that Lynn find a job as soon as possible, but she didn't have the confidence to ask for a job.
One day, Lynn gathered her courage and knocked on her very first door. She was met by Margaret Costello, the office manager. In her broken English, Lynn told her she was interested in the secretarial position. Margaret decided to give her a chance.
Margaret sat her down at a typewriter and said, "Lynn, let's see how good you really are." She directed Lynn to type a single letter, and then left. Lynn looked at the clock and saw that it was 11:40 a.m. Everyone would be leaving for lunch at noon. She thought she should at least attempt the letter.
On her first try, she got through one line but made four mistakes. She pulled the paper out and threw it away. The clock now read 11:45. "At noon," she said to herself, "I'll move out with the crowd, and they will never see me again."
On her second attempt, things didn't get any better. Again she started over and finally completed the letter, full of mistakes, though. She looked at the clock: 11:55--five minutes to freedom.
Just then, Margaret walked in. She came directly over to Lynn, and put one hand on the desk and the other on the girl's shoulder. She read the letter and paused. Then she said, "Lynn, you're doing good work!"
Lynn was surprised. She looked at the letter, then up at Margaret. With those simple words of encouragement, her desire to escape disappeared and her confidence began to grow. She thought, "Well, if she thinks it's good, then it must be good. I think I'll stay!"
Lynn did stay at Carhartt Overall Company...for 51 years, through two world wars and 11 presidents--all because _ had the insight to give a shy and uncertain young girl the gift of self-confidence when she knocked on the door. | high942.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "people will have to face the terrible heat for more days."
},
"options": [
"people have to beat the heat themselves",
"it is getting cooler and people will feel pleasant soon",
"people will have to face the terrible heat for ... | Millions of citizens throughout the central US are jumping into pools, sitting in the shade, and turning on their air conditioners as they try to beat the heat.With record-breaking temperatures and unbearable humidity attacking the central US.17 states from Texas to Michigan have all received heat advisories and warnings.
"Even with the air conditioning on, it's 82 degrees Fahrenheit in the house," said North Dakotan Betty Smokov.'The heat is really unpleasant and sticky.'"I According to the National Weather Service, the heat is not likely to ease up soon.
In Western Oklahoma, the heat is even worse.There, temperatures have frequently climbed to above 110 degrees over the past several weeks." _ " said Daryl Williams, a weather forecaster in Norman, Oklahoma.On Saturday night, the asphalt at a busy road in Enid, Oklahoma, crumbled due to the extreme heat.
Across the area, citizens are keeping cool in many different ways.Cities like Chicago and Detroit are providing relief for their citizens by opening cooling centers for those without air conditioning in their homes.Others are heading to the water to cool down.But in some cases, the water itself needs cooling.Dwight Anderson, an amusement park owner in Omaha, Nebraska, had to put two tons of ice cubes into his park's swimming pools to lower the water's temperature from 88 degrees to 82 degrees.
But not everyone is complaining about the heat.Sixty-five-year-old Detroit citizen Marcellus Washington enjoyed the weather as he walked along the Detroit River to stay cool."What a wonderful weather! It's a very pleasant day, " he said. | high22594.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sea water quality is improved."
},
"options": [
"The species of fish in the ocean are reducing.",
"Sea water is polluted.",
"Sea water quality is improved.",
"Less productivity of ecosystem."
],
"question": "Whi... | Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, led the international team that did the study. Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at increasing speed. At this rate, he says, all seafood species could collapse by 2048 and seafood supplies from the world's ocean could be almost gone by then.
Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments. But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty in fifty years. Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems, but others are doing a good job of protecting fish populations. Government officials in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research.
The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine.
The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems. These complex systems help control water quality. The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appeared to increase the risk of fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth.
The scientists examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas. They also looked at records of catches worldwide. They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for nineteen fifty to two thousand three. And they examined archeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas. That research reached back over a thousand years.
Boris Worm says the findings were, in his words, "beyond anything we suspected." But he also said the situation is not too late to correct. He said that with good fisheries management, some species could completely recover in three to ten years. | high12457.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "As a result of scientific invention, some things that may be harmful have been added to our food."
},
"options": [
"Because of science there is no polluted food any more.",
"Science makes food have less value.",
"As a result ... | The food we eat seems to have profound effects on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that 80 percent of all human illness are connected with diet and 40 percent of cancer is connected with the diet. Therefore, that food is connected with illness is not a new discovery. In 1940's scientists realized that nitrates , which are often used to keep color1 of meat, and other additives caused cancer. However these additives remain in our food and it becomes more difficult to know which additives are helpful or harmful. Farmers sometimes give drugs to animals not because the animals are ill but because they want to sell the animals at higher prices. For example, farmers try hard to make animals grow big so that they can sell the big animals for more money. Although the Food and Drug Administration has tried again and again to control farmers to do so, farmers go on doing this. | high23852.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because she was curious."
},
"options": [
"Because there might be danger.",
"Because her son was doing a good deed.",
"Because she was curious.",
"Because she intended to help."
],
"question": "Why did the autho... | It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The streams were long gone back into the earth. If we didn't see some rain soon we would lose everything.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He was obviously walking with a great effort... trying to be as still as possible. Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house.
Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful long step toward the woods. This activity went on for over an hour: walking very carefully to the woods, then running back to the house. Finally, my curiosity got the best of me. I quietly walked out of the house and followed him on his journey.
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much greater purpose. As I looked at him secretly, I saw the most amazing site.
Several large deer appeared threatening in front of him. But Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. And I saw a baby deer lying on the ground, obviously suffering from heavy loss of water and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy's hand.
I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save a life. As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops... and more drops... and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, Himself, was crying with pride. | high13749.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She was trying to do homework when it got dark."
},
"options": [
"She was trying to do homework when it got dark.",
"She was having trouble with math problems.",
"She was trying to earn some money.",
"She was working on... | A person has to be sixteen to drive, seventeen to see certain movies, and eighteen to vote. People can get terrific discounts on all sorts of stuff-provided they're over sixty-five. Everywhere we look there are age limits that define what people can and can't do. But creativity has no boundaries, no limitations. Anyone can invent. And they do. Inventors are popping up at the youngest ages.
Sitting in the car waiting for her mom to return from shopping, Becky decided she might as well try to finish her math homework. But it was growing dark and getting hard to see the paper.
"I didn't have a flashlight, and I didn't want to open the car door because then the whole car would light up." recalled Becky. "So I thought it would be neat to have my paper light up somehow, and that's when the idea came to me."
It isn't every day that a ten-year-old invents a product eagerly sought by several businesses, but that's exactly what Becky Schroeder did when she created a tool that enabled people to write in the dark. Her invention? The Glo-sheet.
That night Becky went home, trying to imagine different ways of making her paper glow in the dark. She remembered all sorts of glow-in-the-dark toys-like balls and Frisbees-and wondered how they were made. She was determined to find a solution. So they very next day, Beck's dad took her on an outing to the hardware store. They returned with a pail of _ . She took the paint and stacks of paper into the darkest room in the house-the bathroom. There, she experimented.
"I'd turn on the light, turn it off, turn it on," said Becky. "My parents remember me running out the room saying 'It works, it works! I'm writing in the dark!' "
She used an acrylic board and coated it with a specific amount of phosphorescent paint. She took a complicated idea and made it work rather simply. When the coated clipboard is exposed to light, it glows. The glowing board then illuminates or lights up the paper that has been placed on top. Two years after her initial inspiration, in 1974, Becky became the youngest female ever to receive a U.S. patent.
She didn't actively market her Glo-sheet. She didn't need to. The New York Times wrote an article about an incredible invention-patented by a twelve-year-old, and the inquiries and orders streamed in. | high6561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he couldn't afford both the time and the money"
},
"options": [
"he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe",
"he was too busy to go too far away from home",
"he couldn't afford both the time and the money",
"he beli... | Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr. John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest Fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all-expenses-paid birthday trip to the capital he just could not refuse.
He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. "It's very exciting. There's no doubt about it," he said.
Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. "But I've been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home," he joked.
Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. "There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea -- too much I thought. All my money went to the family then," he said.
During the next two days Mr. Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr. Gareth Wardell.
The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. "I don't like the chair -- people will think I am getting old. " he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized -- no wine, no tobacco and no anger.
Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, "I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket. " | high14026.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "introduce the topic of the passage"
},
"options": [
"tell us the history of telescopes",
"introduce the topic of the passage",
"show people his contributions",
"tell us about the craters on the moon"
],
"questio... | Four hundred years ago, an Italian scientist named Galileo Galilei became the first person to see the craters on the moon. Galileo was one of the first people to use a telescope to study the sky. Since then, telescopes have become the most important tool used by astronomers. Scientists never stop finding new ways to make these instruments more powerful. In the next several years, two new telescopes with different purposes are to be used.
One of the telescopes, called Pan-STARRS, could save humans from dying out. Nick Kaiser, a scientist who works on the project, says the Pan-STARRS telescope has been designed to find "90 percent of all killer asteroids near Earth".
Pan-STARRS, like most telescopes, uses mirrors and lenses to provide pictures of outer space. Giant mirrors are used to "gather" light. They reflect the light onto the lens of a camera, which can then record the image.
When completed, Pan-STARRS will include four telescopes which will be put on top of a mountain on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Only one telescope is in place and working now. Each telescope will take pictures of one patch of sky for about 30 seconds, and then move on to another patch. Every night, each telescope will take pictures of about 1,000 patches. Every week, each telescope will have photographed the whole sky.
Each of the four telescopes will take pictures of the same patches of sky. One telescope, working alone, may sometimes incorrectly show an asteroid. If there are three other telescopes working, astronomers can use them to see if there really is an asteroid coming our way. By using four telescopes instead of one, scientists hope to get a better picture of space. If a giant asteroid was identified, astronomers would try to break it up long before it reached Earth. | high20383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To learn a low-carbon lifestyle - a promising but difficult purpose"
},
"options": [
"To purchase a cheap bulb - your wise alternative.",
"To choose an energy-saving residence - a must of your life",
"To learn a low-carbon li... | One of my China Dialogue colleagues in Beijing recently bought a Philips energy-saving light bulb to replace a standard one.He was happy with his choice.It may have cost 30 yuan (just under US$4.50) - ten times the price of a filament bulb - but he wanted to save energy as part of his low-carbon lifestyle.And according to the shopkeeper, he would save, in the long run, much more than the 30 yuan he was spending.
Yet only one month later, his expensive light bulb blew up, before he had saved even a small part of the purchase price.Will he stick to his high-cost, low-carbon lifestyle?
China's environmental organizations have started to advocate low-carbon lifestyles and the decrease of carbon footprints to help fight against climate change.But they have overlooked one fact: in China, low-carbon living comes at a high cost.It means buying energy-saving bulbs and appliances, and environmentally friendly building materials and daily goods.Cost can no longer be the only standard for purchases.An energy-saving and environmentally friendly product is more expensive than a standard alternative - whether it's a simple light bulb or the house it shines.For average consumers, even buying an ordinary bulb is a huge burden.How can we persuade ordinary people to choose an energy-saving residence? This is not a trend they can afford to follow; perhaps this fashion is only for the rich.
Most consumers today do not cause huge carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.Their responsibility lies not in choosing a low-carbon lifestyle today, but in avoiding a high-carbon life in the future.The principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" - a basis of sustainable development - can be applied here as well.
In China, low-carbon living still is resisted by a lack of social infrastructure . Even if your salary allows you to make that choice, nobody is there to help you accomplish it.
Consider energy-saving homes. You need to find out whether or not the developer has used natural materials wherever possible; how effective the insulation(, ) is; and what the green credentials of installed equipment are.You can read up a little, but you'll still be lucky to avoid being puzzled by the developers' marketing.Many so-called energy-saving buildings are nothing of the sort, and some are even more energy-hungry than the average home - as Li Taige warned in his article "Energy-efficient buildings? Not always", on China Dialogue last August. | high5068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the Internet"
},
"options": [
"a TV programme",
"a teacher's lecture",
"a newspaper",
"the Internet"
],
"question": "This passage is most probably from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Teaching materials for learning Chinese are provided here. There are sites where you may find interesting instructions suitable for you. Here are some sites to begin your surfing.
You may start with these pages from this website -- just to get a little taste of it without working too hard.
* A Is For Love
Flash cards for learning a few Chinese words
* Listening to the sound of Chinese
Play a few words of Chinese on your computer.
* A few Chinese words
Each word is enlarged for easy study.
If you are studying Chinese, these tools can help.
* Zhongwen site
More than a dictionary!
* Clavis Sinica
Excellent program by Professor David Porter. It displays a whole document in Chinese [GB] or [BIG5], and gives individual word's definition, pronunciation as well as much more information when you click on that word. If you are studying Chinese, this is a very useful tool.
* Chinese Character Visual Dictionary
If you like to know more, go to the following sites on the Internet.
* The Chinese Outpost
Pronunciation, Character and Grammer By Mark Andrew Baker. The best. A must-visit site.
* Learn Cantonese / Mandarin Online
* Internet Based Chinese Teaching and Learning
* Rainland Kids discover Chinese -- Site is in Germany
If you want to have a better understanding of China, go to this one.
* Wanfang Data
As an affiliate of Chinese Ministry of Science && Technology, Wanfang Data has been the leading information provider in China since 1950s. With a wide range of database resources and value-added services, Wanfang Data has become a gateway to understanding Chinese culture, medicine, business, science, etc. | high2707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "more than explicit meanings"
},
"options": [
"images through words",
"more than explicit meanings",
"more about images than words",
"little about people's psychology"
],
"question": "By watching TV, children lea... | Daniel Anderson, a famous psychologist, believes it's important to distinguish television's influences on children from those of the family. We tend to blame TV, he says, for problems it doesn't really cause, overlooking our own roles in shaping children's minds.
One traditional belief about television is that it reduces a child's ability to think and to understand the world. While watching TV, children do not merely absorb words and images . Instead, they learn both explicit and hidden meanings from what they see. Actually, children learn early the psychology of characters in TV shows. Furthermore, as many teachers agree, children understand far more when parents watch TV with them, explaining new words and ideas. Yet, most parents use an educational program as a chance to park their kids in front of the set and do something in another room.
Another argument against television is that it replaces reading as a form of entertainment. But according to Anderson, the amount of time spent watching television is not related to reading ability. TV doesn't take the place of reading for most children; it takes the place of similar sorts of recreation, such as listening to the radio and playing sports. Things like parents' educational background have a stronger influence on a child's reading. "A child's reading ability is best predicted by how much a parent reads." Anderson says.
Traditional wisdom also has it that heavy television-watching lowers IQ scores and affects school performance. But here, too, Anderson notes that no studies have proved it. In fact, research suggests that it's the other way around. "If you're smart young, you'll watch less TV when you're older," Anderson says. Yet, people of lower IQ tend to be lifelong television viewers.
For years researchers have attempted to show that television is dangerous to children. However, by showing that television promotes none of the dangerous effects as conventionally believed, Anderson suggests that television cannot be condemned without considering other influences. | high10240.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Their body temperature becomes lower"
},
"options": [
"They eat too much for lunch.",
"The weather becomes a lot warmer.",
"Their body temperature becomes lower",
"They sleep too little at night."
],
"question":... | Are you sometimes a little tired and sleepy in the early afternoon? Many people feel this way after lunch.They may think eating lunch is the cause of the sleepiness.Or,in summer, they may think it is the heat.However, the real reason lies inside their bodies.At that time--about eight hours after you wake up--your body temperature goes down.This is what makes you slow down and feel sleepy.Scientists have tested sleep habits in experiments where there was no night or day.The people in these experiments almost always followed a similar sleeping pattern. They slept for one long period and then for one short period about eight hours later.
In many parts of the world,people take naps in the middle of the day.This is especially true in warmer climate ,where the heat makes work difficult in the early afternoon.Researchers are now saying that naps are good for everyone in any climate.A daily nap gives one a more rested body and mind and therefore is good for health in general.In countries where naps are traditional,people often suffer less from problem such as heart disease.
Many working people,unfortunately, have no time to take naps.Though doctors may advise taking naps,employers do not allow it! If you do have the chance,however,here are a few tips about making the most of your nap.Remember that the best time to take a nap is about eight hours after you get up.A short sleep too late in the day may only make you feel more tired and sleepy afterward.This can also happen if you sleep for too long.If you do not have enough time,try a short nap--even ten minutes of sleep can help you. | high16631.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "wonderful experiences"
},
"options": [
"unbearable hardships",
"various adventures",
"funny events",
"wonderful experiences"
],
"question": "The writer's trip to the two seas was full of _ .",
"question_ty... | Two European Summer Must 'Seas'
When you think of summer,the beach,clear water, sunny skies, and relaxing days are a few things that come to mind, and two of the best places to experience these summer feels are two gorgeous European bodies of water: the Mediterranean Sea and the Adriatic Sea! These two incredible Seas hold some of my favorite travel memories and I would revisit each one in a heart beat!
The Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea can be accessed from various European countries as well as a few North African countries. And while many think of visiting Ibiza, Malta, or the Greek islands to experience the Mediterranean, my Mediterranean beach days came while visiting the seaside city of Marseille in the South of France! Marseille was a lovely city with easy access to the Sea, also with pretty sandy beaches. The gorgeous crystal clear blue water made it unlike any beach day in America! Not only were the beaches amazing, but the city of Marseille was adorable and filled with numerous cute shops and seaside restaurants. And the Mediterranean-style food was delicious!
The Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is equally as stunning and surely worth a visit! The Croatian coast has numerous beach clubs, some private and some public, that tourists are able to visit and you can experience the beauty of the Adriatic Sea there! Zrce Novalja, a Croatian seaside town I visited, was impressively featured by the rather rocky beach in place of sand. The rocks were small and smooth, making swimming in the sea and wading in the water just as easy as sandy beaches! Plus the locals in Croatia are also extremely friendly, making the experience even more memorable. | high19502.txt |
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