questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Despite being blind, her nephew described the eagle as if he could really see it."
},
"options": [
"An eagle remained in her nephew' s backyard for a long time.",
"The sight of an eagle made her nephew so excited.",
"Her neph... | I IMCKKD up the phone. Without so much as a hello ,a voice said: "What's new? We have an eagle in the backyard.
It look me three second* lo recognize my nephew's a voice. He was excited.
"He's sitting on top of a dead tree in the backyard .He's been there a long lime. We're tilling in the sunroom watching him."
But actually, my nephew is blind.
Ketinitis pigmentosa brgan stealing his sight when he was 12. He' s in his 20s now.
"It's a big thing. Dad said it must have a wingspan of 6 feet (1.88 meters). We've got an eagle out hack!"
I could believe they had the rare pleasure of spotting an eagle. What I couldn't believe was that my nephew, without sight, was giving the comment. It shouldn't have been that surprising,really?
His sight might be gone, but he sees plenty. From memory, mostly; from conventions around him; from listening to television and radio. He has an amazing memory. We took him into town with us when we were visiting his parents once. Our GPS wasn' t working, so he gave us directions turn by turn, complete with landmarks, approximate distances and cautions on curves in the road. He knew exactly where we were and got us to where wanted to go.
Second to his family, there are two things that have been important in this young man's life: a guide dog and a job.
The guide dog gave him the confidence he didn't know he had.
The job, "well" as his dad said: "Having a job makes him like everybody else. Now, he has something to come home and complain about at the end of the day."
I never have a conversation with my nephew without asking about his job in case lie wants to complain. But I know-and I know that he knows work is a gift.
We were created to work. We were made to produce goods and services, to invent and solve problems. Work is what drags us out of bed in the morning.
Work gives us something to do and somewhere to go. If that doesn't I sound like a big deal, talk to someone who' s unemployed. It is working hard that enhances the lime that you don't work, from kicking back and reading a book to watching an eagle in your backyard. | high6603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "avoid the absorption of light"
},
"options": [
"change the direction of light travel",
"gather materials to scatter light.",
"avoid the absorption of light",
"grow bigger to stop light."
],
"question": "One way ... | Life in the Clear
Transparent animals let light pass through their bodies the same way light passes through a window. These animals typically live between the surface of the ocean and a depth of about 3,300 feet--as far as most light can reach. Most of them are extremely delicate and can be damaged by a simple touch. Sonke Johnsen, a scientist in biology, says, "These animals live through their life alone. They never touch anything unless they're eating it, or unless something is eating them."
And they are as clear as glass. How does an animal become see-through? It's trickier than you might think.
The objects around you are visible because they interact with light. Light typically travels in a straight line. But some materials slow and scatter light, bouncing it away from its original path. Others absorb light, stopping it _ in its tracks. Both scattering and absorption make an object look different from other objects around it, so you can see it easily.
But a transparent object doesn't absorb or scatter light, at least not very much, Light can pass through it without bending or stopping. That means a transparent object doesn't look very different from the surrounding air or water. You don't see it ----you see the things behind it.
To become transparent, an animal needs to keep its body from absorbing or scattering light. Living materials can stop light because they contain pigments that absorb specific colors of light. But a transparent animal doesn't have pigments, so its tissues won't absorb light. According to Johnsen, avoiding absorption is actually easy. The real challenge is preventing light from scattering.
Animals are built of many different materials----skin, fat, and more----and light moves through each at a different speed. Every time light moves into a material with a new speed, it bends and scatters. Transparent animals use different tricks to fight scattering. Some animals are simply very small or extremely flat. Without much tissue to scatter light, it is easier to be see--through. Others build a large, clear mass of non-living jelly-lie material and spread themselves over it .
Larger transparent animals have the biggest challenge, because they have to make all the different tissues in their bodies slow down light exactly as much as water does. They need to look uniform. But how they're doing it is still unknown. One thing is clear for these larger animals, staying transparent is an active process. When they die, they turn a non-transparent milky white. | high10122.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "By using the nickname of the reconstructed Chicago."
},
"options": [
"Through his observation of the country life.",
"Through the combination of different ideas.",
"By taking other people's advice.",
"By using the nickn... | The garden city was largely the invention of Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928). After immigrating from England to the USA, and an unsuccessful attempt to make a living as a farmer, he moved to Chicago, where he saw the reconstruction of the city after the disastrous fire of 1871. In those days, it was nicknamed "the Garden City", almost certainly the source of Howard's name for his later building plan of towns. Returning to London, Howard developed his design in the 1880s and 1890s, _ ideas that were popular at the time, but creating a unique combination of designs.
The nineteenth-century poor city was in many ways a terrible place, dirty and crowded; but it offered economic and social opportunities. At the same time, the British countryside was in fact equally unattractive: though it promised fresh air and nature, it suffered from agricultural depression and it offered neither enough work and wages, nor much social life. Howard's idea was to combine the best of town and country in a new kind of settlement, the garden city. Howard's idea was that a group of people should set up a company, borrowing money to establish a garden city in the depressed countryside; far enough from existing cities to make sure that the land was bought at the bottom price.
Garden cities would provide a central public open space, radial avenues and connecting industries. They would be surrounded by a much larger area of green belt, also owned by the company, containing not merely farms but also some industrial institutions. As more and more people moved in, the garden city would reach its planned limit-----Howard suggested 32,000 people; then, another would be started a short distance away. Thus, over time, there would develop a vast planned house collection, extending almost without limit; within it, each garden city would offer a wide rang of jobs and services, but each would also be connected to the others by a rapid transportation system, thus giving all the economic and social opportunities of a big city. | high2465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A New Magazine"
},
"options": [
"How to Read a Magazine",
"A New Magazine",
"An Invention of Printing",
"Magazines in London"
],
"question": "Which is the best title of the passage?",
"question_type": null
... | London has a new magazine.However,it is not printed on paper any more.Everyone who has a television can receive it because it is already on TV!
In order to read this magazine,you need to have a decoder.Each page of it is numbered,so you have to dial a number to choose which subject you want to read about.You have a wide choice of topics to choose from-everything from cooking to the latest news.
If you want to read some news,the first thing you have to do is to check at the index page which has an easy-to-remember page number,1 00 for example.From page 100,you can then choose from the news articles on page 101 to 109.From here,you will have to key in the numbers again.Then,the news will appear written across your screen.If you want to go out in the afternoon,you can press 181,and a brightly color1ed weather map will appear on the screen.But if you want to buy some cheap things,you can press 162 for a list of the week's best bargains.And whether you should drive or just take the train,you can simply press 189 for the traffic report.This new magazine on TV is very simple to use.But probably,the best thing about the service is that is being updated all the time.Journalists type new materials directly onto screen and the page of the magazine is replaced in minutes.
London already has three services.One,transmitted by ITV ,is called ORACLE while the other two,on BBC,are called CEEFAX because they let you see facts.Although CEEFAX and ORACLE have been operating for some time, they have not been well publicized.BBC engineers do not think that their idea will ever replace books and newspapers because this new invention can't be taken with you wherever you go.But many people would agree that this is a breakthrough as great as the invention of printing, which could change not only our reading habits but also our lifestyles. | high17895.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The possibility of preserving human bodies by freezing."
},
"options": [
"Easy but practical ways to remove water from living cells.",
"The possibility of preserving human bodies by freezing.",
"The practice of preserving foo... | Since the beginning of history, man has been attracted by the idea of living forever, of winning the fight against death and disease. So far, this has only remained a dream. Many people have wondered whether it would be possible to find a way to preserve human bodies, and what would be the best way.
It has long been known that meat of fruit can be kept fresh for long periods by freezing; in ancient China, for example, food was stored with ice to keep it fresh. This method could also be useful for preserving humans.
However, most living beings that exist under warm conditions die when frozen. This is because of the harmful effects of freezing ice crystals , which not only are larger than the volume of the water originally in the cells, but also form sharp cutting shapes that harm the cells.
In the 1940s Dr B.J. Luyet and a group of scientists in England were working on the problem of freezing cells without damaging them. Since the harm caused by ice crystals was the main cause of damage, Luyet suggested removing some or all of the water from the cells before freezing them.
Using living cells form chicken, Luyet and his assistants discovered that they could partly dry the chicken cells, using a mixture of the white part of an egg and glycerin . Some success was obtained. The chicken cells were dried, frozen for a period of time, and then carefully unfrozen. Almost all the cells recovered when they reached normal temperatures.
Since then, the cooling of whole animals to a temperature far below freezing point for later unfreezing has become more of a possibility, and the glycerin method would probably be used to accomplish this. When this can be done completely and successfully, science will have moved much closer to its aim of freezing and storing incurable patients until the day they can be cured. | high4014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "supports students in using social networking sites"
},
"options": [
"supports students in using social networking sites",
"used to think badly of students' using social networking sites",
"suggests schools set up their own so... | Your teenage daughter is supposed to be doing homework, but you catch her chatting online. She tells you that she's talking about the math test tomorrow. Before your eyes start rolling, listen up: teens are using social networking sites for more than just gossip, according to a new study by the National School Boards Association.
The students who took part in the online survey, aged 9 to 17, said they spent almost as much time on social networking online as they did watching television. And it is what these kids are talking about online that is causing such a cheer: education. Of the students who took part in the study 60 percent reported that some of the most popular social networking topics were college planning, learning outside of school, careers, and schoolwork. They also reported posting writing and art projects that might have nothing to do with schoolwork.
Ann Flynn, director of education technology for the National School Boards Association, says
social networking tools into educational
is the way forward. Flynn says a school in Cleveland, Ohio is posting students' book reports on a blog for students of their own ages, parents and other teachers to read and comment on. "If someone reacts other than the teacher, a child is much more likely to take an assignment seriously," Flynn says.
Not only students but also parents can benefit. Now parents can go online and know what the class is doing. So, next time your child says her blog is educational, get curious, sit down and check out the blog with her. You might just learn something new yourself. | high16553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To answer if life in the tropics is improving."
},
"options": [
"To answer if life in the tropics is improving.",
"To do research about environment, society and economy.",
"To warn people of the problems in coming decades.",
... | By 2050, half of the world's population will live in the tropics--the ly warm belt that circles the globe--according to State of the Tropics, a report released today. Rapid population growth, along with economic growth, means that the region's influence will grow in coming decades, the authors of the 500-page work predict.
The project, first launched in 2011, aimed to answer one significant question: Is life in the tropics improving? To find out, the researchers analyzed environmental, social, and economic indicators collected over 6 decades. It finds that the region has made "extraordinary progress" in many areas. For example, more people have access to safe drinking water, and the number of protected areas is increasing. The tropics also have outperformed the rest of the world in economic growth over the past 30 years.
However, some challenges remain. Investment in research and development, for example, has increased cautiously, but tropical nations still invest less than the rest of the world. "As a proportion of GDP the Rest of the World invests almost four times as much in research and development than the Tropics." concludes the report.
The report also includes a new analysis of how climate change will affect the region. Many plant and animal species are moving poleward in an attempt to stay within their preferred environmental conditions in the tropics, the authors write. However, some organisms may not be able to keep pace with the changing conditions, they predict. As a result, they can experience population declines or go extinct.
In addition, an expanded tropical zone also threatens health and safety issues, the authors warn. As regions become more suitable to insects such as mosquitoes and ticks, the spread of insect-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and Lyme disease could rise, causing a burden to human health and the economy.
Bruna, a researcher, says he sees a lot to be concerned about in the report. "While we've made incredible advances in some areas, I think the risks for the tropics that are highlighted in this report are things that we really need to be concerned about." | high19106.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "four ways to save money"
},
"options": [
"four ways to save money",
"how to set goals to save money",
"where to keep money",
"how to live well with little money"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .... | You have a nice salary, but you still feel short of money. At the end of each month, you often ask yourself, "Where has all my money gone"? To help you better run your salary, here come some money-saving tips.
First, you need to set goals to encourage yourself to save money. For example, you plan to have a good dress in one year, to have a car in two years' time or to buy a house in five years.
Second, form money-saving habits and stay away from the ones that waste money. Learn to keep a diary of how much you spend and what it's for. Think twice before using money on expensive skin care products . The best way to keep your skin in good condition is enough sleep.
Third, pay attention to your daily things. Leave no more than one light on when you leave home. Buy vegetables from a market where vegetables are less expensive and fresher, not a supermarket. When going to a supermarket, take a notebook with you. Write down what you want to buy.
Fourth, save your social life. Take the dishes that haven't been eaten up away for next day when you have dinner in a restaurant. When it's your turn to offer a meal, invite your friends to your home, and cook the dinner yourself. If you are to attend a party and an expensive present is needed, ask several friends to go together to share a present. | high4772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "driving in London is terrible"
},
"options": [
"cycling is good to her health",
"she doesn't like driving at all",
"driving in London is terrible",
"it is a fashion to cycle in London"
],
"question": "Liz Parle ... | Liz Parle,24,a Birmingham--bom eare owner,cannot drive."I did try to learm,but I failed my test a few times," Parle told the Guardian.Then she moved to London,where running a car coil be a nightmare ,so now she cycles everywhere.
Parle is by no means an exception.According to the Guardian,in the UK,the percentage of 17 to 20--year--olds with driving licenses fell from 48 percent in the early 1990s to 35 percent last year.Meanwhile,road traffic figures for cars and taxis,which have risen more or less every year since 1949.have continued to since 2007.
Motoring groups put it down to oil prices and the economy.Others offer a more fundamental explanation: the golden age of motoring is over.
"The way We run cars is changing fast,"Tim Pollard,associate editor at Car magazine,told the Telegraph,"Car makers are worried that younger people in particular don't desire to own cars as we used to in the 70s,80s,or even the 90s.Designers commonly say that teenagers today de--sire to own the latest smart phone mote than a ear."
"The digital generation don't care about owning things.Possession is a burden.and a car is a big investment for-most people--not just the vehicle,but the permits,the parking space,"Da--vid Metz. professor at the University College London's Center for Transport Studies,told the Guardian.
"It's not just about the cost."'Metz said."Other factors are likely that there are more peo-pie in higher education,which typically takes place in city centers where the car isn't the neces-sary part."
Metz added there's nothing wrong if you want a little house in the country,and a car to get you to and from it.Yet there is something earelessin limiting new buildings to a particular form of transport,especially if that form of transport shows signs of decline. | high21499.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Chips."
},
"options": [
"Chips.",
"Crisps.",
"Shoofly Pie.",
"Mississippi Mud Pie."
],
"question": "What do British people call French fries?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Recently, I came across an interesting article on the differences between British English and American English. I had a lot of fun reading it and thinking of as many differences as I could as an American.
Their cars have "bonnets ",while ours have "hoods". They park their cars in a "car park" while we leave our in a "parking lot". Our "cookies" are their "biscuits", while their "rubbers" are our "erasers".
Then there are the food words. Would you want to eat something called "Toad in the Hole" or "Bangers and Mash" or "Spotted Dick"? I'm here to report they are all very tasty. There are American equivalents , of course. We've got "Shoofly Mud Pie". What they call "crisps" is what we call "potato chips" and when we ask for "chips" in England we will get what we know at home in America as "French fries".
They find it hysterical that we call the "toilet" the "bathroom" and they really double over with laughter when we ask for the "restroom". American ladies in England who ask for the "little girl's room" or the "power room" will be met with blank stares. A "fag" is a "cigarette" in the UK, which can lead to endless confusion for British visitors looking for a cigarette in America. Americans on the other hand are endlessly confused by English signs put up over doorways saying "Way Out". We Americans walk on the sidewalk not the pavement. "Pavement" in America is the actual cement the sidewalk is made of. | high10644.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Alaska"
},
"options": [
"Princeton",
"Washington",
"Alaska",
"In the southwesternUnited States"
],
"question": "Where did the 30 sparrows spend their summer?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Even bird brains can get to know an entire continent ----- but it takes them a year of migration to do so, suggests a Princeton research team.
The scientists have shown that migration adult sparrows can find their way to their winter nesting grounds even after being thrown off course by thousands of miles.
The team first brought 30 sparrows to Princeton from northern Washington State, where the birds had been in the process of migrating southward from their summer breeding grounds inprefix = st1 /Alaska. Half the birds were juveniles of about three months in age that had never migrated before, while the other half were adults that had made the round trip to their wintering site in the south-western United States at least once.
After the birds were released, they attempted to resume their migration, but both age group grew disoriented quickly.
"All the birds scattered at first," Wikelski said. "It was clear that they were turned around for a couple of days. But while the adults eventually realized they had to head southwest, the younger birds resumed flying straight southward as though they were still in Washington."
"The adults," said team member Richard Holland, "recovered their bearings because they possess something the younger birds do not, which is an internal map."
"These birds need two things to know where they are and migrate effectively: a 'map' and a 'compass'," saidHolland, a postdoctoral research associate in Wikelski's lab. "What we've found is that juveniles use their compass, but the adults also use their map."
Hollandsaid, "The birds do not lose the compass as they age, but somehow develop the map, eventually applying both tools to keep on track during migratory flights. Scientists already have determined that the compass is based on the sun or the magnetic field, but where the map comes from remains a mystery----one that the team will be exploring in coming years." | high18218.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the boy's parents ordered him to"
},
"options": [
"the old man preferred to fish alone",
"the old man was unlucky",
"the boy's parents ordered him to",
"the old man's sail suggested a permanent defeat"
],
"quest... | He was an old man who fished alone in a boat in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish. In the first forty days a boy had been with him. But after forty days without a fish the boy's parents had told him that the old man was now definitely and finally salao, which is the worst form of unlucky, and the boy had gone at their orders in another boat which caught three good fish the first week. It made the boy sad to see the old man come in each day with his skiff empty and he always went down to help him carry either the coiled lines or the gaff and harpoon and the sail that was furled around the mast . The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.
The old man was thin and gaunt with deep wrinkles in the back of his neck. The brown blotches of the skin cancer the sun brings from its reflection on the tropic sea were on his cheeks. The blotches ran well down the sides of his face and his hands had the deep-creased scars from handling heavy fish on the cords. But none of these scars were fresh. They were as old as erosions in a fishless desert.
Everything about him was old except his eyes and they were the same color1 as the sea and were cheerful and undefeated.
"Santiago," the boy said to him as they climbed the bank from where the skiff was pulled up. "I could go with you again. We've made some money."
The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him.
"No," the old man said. "You're with a lucky boat. Stay with them."
"But remember how you went eighty-seven days without fish and then we caught big ones every day for three weeks."
"I remember," the old man said. "I know you did not leave me because you doubted."
"It was papa who made me leave. I am a boy and I must obey him."
"I know," the old man said. "It is quite normal."
"He hasn't much faith."
"No," the old man said. "But we have. Haven't we?"
"Yes," the boy said. "Can I offer you a beer on the Terrace and then we'll take the stuff home."
"Why not?" the old man said. "Between fishermen." | high20787.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because that was part of an agreement between Israel and Palestinians."
},
"options": [
"Because they would take part in the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.",
"Because that was part of an agreement between Israel and Palestinians.... | (RAMALLAH, West Bank) -- Israel freed 26 Palestinian prisoners early Wednesday, the second of four groups to be released as part of an agreement that started the current Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which had broken down since 2008. In all, 104 prisoners are to be released in four rounds over the coming months.
In the West Bank and Gaza , the mood was overexcited as hundreds of Palestinians welcomed the prisoners back home, after many had spent more than 20 years behind bars.
Crowds of people rushed toward the 5 prisoners released to Gaza, raising them on their shoulders, waving Palestinian flags and dancing to music. Relatives held signs that read "we will never forget our heroes." More than 2,000 people welcomed the 21 prisoners released to the West Bank, who were greeted at a ceremony by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.
Hazem Shubair, thrown into prison in 1994 for the death of an Israeli according to the Israeli Prison Service, was over delighted upon his return to Gaza. "I am speechless," he said. "Thanks to God. God is greater than the aggressors (meaning Israel)".
Abbas said a final peace agreement with Israel was possible on the release of the prisoners. "There will be no final agreement without the release of all the prisoners," he told the violent crowd.
Israel's Supreme Court earlier refused an appeal that intended to cancel the prisoner release. An organization of bereaved families behind the appeal has said it fears the prisoners, all in connection to the deaths of Israelis, will return to violence once freed. | high9256.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It can seat 14 diners at most."
},
"options": [
"It was constructed in New Zealand.",
"It will exist for another 20 years.",
"It was finished in March 2004.",
"It can seat 14 diners at most."
],
"question": "Wha... | Undersea restaurant Ithaa
Ithaa is the very first undersea restaurant in the world located 5 meters below sea level in the Republic of Maldives. The 5-by-9-metre restaurant can hold 14 people at a time and has a transparent roof offering a 270 panoramic underwater view. The restaurant was designed and constructed by M. J. Murphy Ltd., a design consultancy based in New Zealand. It was opened on April 15, 2005. Food served in the restaurant can be described as contemporary European with Asian influence.
Tip: Work on technical designs and drawings for Ithaa started in March 2004. Once constructed, Ithaa would be put into the water. Because of technical challenges, limited resources, and quality control problems in building something underwater, the restaurant can only exist for about 20 years.
Skyline Queenstown Restaurant
The famous New Zealand restaurant offers delightful fresh seafood, salads, roast meats and delicious desserts, while the panoramic view from the windows will attract you day or night. It' s the ideal place for that special night out and the best place in Queenstown to watch the sun go down! With live music creating a relaxing atmosphere and never ending scenery to admire, you will be entertained as you eat in the restaurant.
Tip: Unlike other restaurants, the Skyline Queenstown Restaurant has tiered seating to guarantee beautiful lake and mountain views from every table.
Revolving Restaurant Allalin
Located in the Allalinhom mountain, Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Revolving Allalin is the highest revolving restaurant in the world at about 3,500 m. The restaurant offers a rich selection. Valaisian platter, pasta and pizza ... all this and much more is on the menu of the world-famous restaurant. Enjoy the eating delights offered in the world's highest revolving restaurant, while some mountain tops slowly pass by.
Tip: Known as the 'Pearl of the Alps', Saas-Fee offers many sports and activities: The popular holiday village features the Metro Alpine, the highest underground railway in the world up to the skiing area and the highest revolving restaurant at 3,500 m. | high14422.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "working as pilots or astronauts"
},
"options": [
"taking jobs outside home",
"working as pilots or astronauts",
"educating their children at home",
"operating machines at home"
],
"question": "It can be inferred... | Women nowadays do not just want to work to help meet the rising costs of living and education for their children. They also want a career that will enable them to bring out their skills and use their potentials so that they can experience a sense of fulfillment and pride that come from achievements and success. Some careers that have been traditionally dominated by the male species have been made open and filled up by women as well. It is no longer a surprising occurrence today to see many women working as pilots, astronauts, engineers, in construction sites, and in the printing business that operates hightech machines.
Many women are also taking their chances on managerial and executive positions that mostly men are the ones sitting on. Many of them also do well in the line of education as teachers, deans and even presidents of universities. You can also see many women as lecturers and reviewers of different businesses. One example is that of the online printing company reviews where women usually have a say on what is the best choice for online printers for any marketing needs.
From the income that women are getting from their work, they are able to maintain a family and able to provide a better education for their children and able to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle.
However, there are still pronounced biases against women in high leadership positions. There still exists the socalled genderrole stereotyping. Women need help to cope with and manage the typical stereotyping of women workers and managers. Those who look for jobs advertised in the classified sections of the newspaper often discover that many corporate positions are closed to women. And most often than not, many give preference to men by indicating in their ads phrases such as "male preferred" or "male applicants only". Even in some family run or owned corporations, seldom can you see women managers and presidents.
Surveys show that although a man and a woman have the same level or handle the same position in an organization, the man would get a higher or bigger compensation package compared to women. Because of this, many women are just contented,to be in _ positions in finance, human resources, sales, manufacturing and other supportive roles.
There are still other barriers that prevent women from reaching their full potentials in the world of employment. Our culture does not encourage women to excel in government and in businessrelated jobs. Women who are able to make it on top and handle leadership roles are sometimes regarded merely as tokens. The abilities and skills of women are normally questioned by their own peers, and sadly even by other women.
If you are a woman who have the interest, ability and drive to pursue management careers,career counseling is of great help to help you find direction and increase motivation to pursue your career goals. It will help you have the selfconfidence to get you in the same career opportunities open to men in this society that still prefers men for top level positions. | high6165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups"
},
"options": [
"the population of the United States includes a large variety of ethnic groups",
"the early immigrants brought about the unique American... | American culture is unique because it is formed and developed under certain conditions. The major factors contributing to the making of this new nation and the forming of a new culture are the hard environment, ethnic diversity (;) and plural religion, which is quite different from other nations in the world. What is more, these elements are still influencing the American culture.
The early immigrants who were English Puritans settled down in northeast part of America from 1607 to 1892. Frontiers were pushed further west. The frontiersmen looked for a land of rich resources and a land of promise, opportunity and freedom. Actually they looked for a better life. So individualism , self-reliance, and equality of opportunity have perhaps been the values most closely associated with the frontier heritage of America.
In history, people from different countries in the world rushed to America three times. They brought their own culture to America and later on, different cultures were mixed together. Thus the unique American culture was formed, a common cultural life with commonly shared values.
The fundamental American belief in individual freedom and the fight of individuals to practice their own religion is at the center of religious experience in the United States. The great diversity of ethnic backgrounds has produced religious pluralism ; almost all of the religions of the world are now practiced in the United States.
Nowadays, we can see the continual influence of the three elements in the current American society. American family is typically parents and their unmarried children. Middle-aged and elderly people generally do not live with their married children. The people in America have a very strong desire to start a new life in a new place. Quite a number of people change residences every year. The average American moves fourteen times in his lifetime. | high12053.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People may ask their convenience friends to pick up their children for them."
},
"options": [
"People may share their sorrow and pain with their convenience friends.",
"People may borrow a large sum of money from their convenience ... | Women were friends, I once would have said, when they totally love and support and trust each other, and bear to each other the secrets of their souls, and run--no questions asked--to help each other, and tell _ truths to each other(No, you can't wear that dress unless you lose ten pounds first.) when these truths must be told.
In other words, I once would have said that a friend is a friend all the way, but now I believe that's narrow point of view. Friendships serve many different functions,meet different needs and range from those as all-the-way as the friendship of the soul sisters mentioned above to that of the most casual playmates.
Convenience friends are women with whom we'd have no particular reason to be friends: a next-door neighbor or the mother of one of our children's closest friends. They'll lend us their cups for a party. They'll drive our kids to school when we're sick. They'll take us to pick up our car when we need a lift .As we will for them. But we don't , with convenience friends, ever come too close or tell too much; we maintain our public face and emotional distance.
Special-interest friends aren't intimate ,and they needn't involve kids or cats. Their value lies in some interest jointly shared .And so we may have an office friend or a tennis friend.
"I've got one woman friend," says Joyce," who likes, as I do, to take music courses, which makes it nice for me and her. I'd say that what we're doing is doing together, not being together."
Crossroads friends are important for what was for the friendship we shared at a crucial ,now past, time of life. A time, perhaps, when we roomed in college together or went together through pregnancy, birth and that scary first year of new motherhood.
Crossroads friends develop powerful links, links strong enough to endure with not much more contact than once-a-year letters at Christmas. And out of respect for those crossroads years, for those dramas and dreams we once shared, we will always be friends.
Crossroads friends seem to maintain a special kind of intimacy ----dormant but always ready to be revived ---and though we may rarely meet ,whenever we do connect, it's personal and strong. Another kind of intimacy exists in the cross-generational friendships, the friends that form across generation in what one woman calls her daughter-mother and her mother-daughter relationships.
There are good friends, pretty good friends and very good friends, and these friendships are defined by their level of intimacy. We might tell a good friend, for example, that yesterday we had a fight with our husband. And we might tell a pretty good friend that this fight with our husband made us so mad that we slept on the couch. And we might tell a very good friend that the reason we got so mad in that fight that we slept on the couch had something to do with a girl who works in his office. But it's only to our very best friends that we're willing to tell all, to tell what's going on with that girl in his office. | high8148.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Moving My Car, Moving My Heart"
},
"options": [
"A Famous Moving Company",
"Moving My Car, Moving My Heart",
"SUV! My Favorite",
"A Successful Deal"
],
"question": "Which of the following would be the best title... | I found a new job that meant a move from Florida to California. We got a date from the moving company to move our belongings, but we weren't sure what to do about the car. We had moved before, but never so far. We thought driving our car across the country wouldn't be good for us or the car, and we were pretty nervous about entrusting our new SUV to anyone.
A friend suggested Mountainside Auto Transport. Moving day arrived, and Mountainside's driver showed up right on time. We had agreed to meet early in a shopping mall parking lot right down the street from us. When I saw the truck I realized why. It was huge! We watched as the driver skillfully guided our car onto the truck and waited while he secured it in place. Then he was off, and we were free to spend some time saying good-bye to our families before enjoying a relaxing flight across the country and settling into our new home.
Just over a week later, we were pleasantly surprised when Mountainside called us to say they were able to deliver the car the next day -- 4 days earlier than we expected. The delivery was more smooth than expected.
We have to say that it certainly was a wise decision to use Mountainside Auto Transport to move our car. They were very nice people who were a pleasure to do business with.
They were the right people to deliver the car. Instead of a _ , they turned our moving experience into a very moving story! | high22190.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "2nd June, 2008"
},
"options": [
"8th July, 2008",
"2nd June, 2008",
"17th July, 2008",
"13th July, 2008"
],
"question": "To join in the school, you have to apply before _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | London Summer School in Classics
Dates
The London Summer School in Classics 2008 will be held at King's College London. It will run from 8th July until 17th July. Applications close on 2nd June, 2008.
For an application form, please download either the 2-page PDF or the word format document from the foot of the page.
If you have any problems downloading the application form or any questions, please contact: London Summer School in Classics, King's College London.
Tel: 020 7848 2299
Fax: 020 7848 2545
Organization
The school is organized by the colleges of the University of London. The summer school offers eight days of intensive teaching in Greek and Latin. There are four language classes each day as well as lectures and a debate, between 10:30 am and 4:30 pm. The course is not residential , and there is no teaching during the weekend of 12th to 13th July.
The fee is PS85.00. Travel grants are available as a contribution to your travel costs, but may not cover all your expenses. The travel grants are arranged during the summer school.
Teaching is generally in groups of 12-15 people and it, as far as possible, comprises of students of roughly the same level of experience. The style of teaching is friendly, but demanding: a lot of work is expected from students during the school, but they usually find the whole experience both stimulating and valuable. Some classes concentrate chiefly on reading, while others offer a mixture of grammar and translation practice. Our tutors include some of the most experienced and talented teachers of Classics in the London area and beyond.
The Summer School in Classics caters for a wide range of interests and for both school & university students as well as those who wish to learn Greek or Latin, or to revive their knowledge of the languages. Our principal concern is to provide a thorough program of language learning in a lively university environment. | high7290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "was of similar size"
},
"options": [
"was of similar size",
"was fond of games",
"looked like an animal",
"was good at sports"
],
"question": "The writer thought Amery\" a fair game\" because the boy .",
"... | I first went to Harrow in the summer term. The school had the biggest swimming pool I had ever seen. It was a good joke to come up behind a naked boy, and push him into the pool. I made quite a habit of this with boys of my own size or less.
One day I saw a boy wrapped in a towel on the side of the pool. He was no bigger than I was, so I thought him _ . Coming secretly behind, I pushed him in, holding on to his towel so that it would not get wet, I was surprised to see an angry face come out from the water, and a being of great strength masking its way by face strokes to the shore. I fled, but in vain. He overtook me, seized me violently, and threw me into the deepest part of the pool. I soon climbed out on the other side, and found myself surrounded by a crowd of younger boys." Do you know what you have done?" they said, "It's Amery; he is in Grade Six. He is champion at gym; he has got his football honor."
I was frightened and felt ashamed. How could I tell his position when be was wrapped in a bath towel and so small." He didn't seem pleased at all, so I added in a most brilliant word," My father, who is a great man, is also small." At this be laughed, and after some general words about my rude behavior and how I had better be careful in the future, signified the incident was closed. | high1839.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "make sure that they have the area you want"
},
"options": [
"explain your requirements in a form in detail",
"make sure that they have the area you want",
"go to the school to get the application form",
"complete the Ad... | A2 and AS Level Revision at Easter 2012
Course Dates
Courses run from Monday to Friday each week.
* One Week Courses
Monday 6 April--Friday 10 April
Monday 13 April-- Friday 17 April
* Two Week Courses
Monday 6 April--Friday 17 April
Students may arrive a day earlier (Sunday) and/or depart a day later (Saturday) at extra cost.
Number of Students per Class
The average number of students is usually between 1 and 4 per class. As the numbers increase in a class, the number of "contact hours" is suitably increased to allow extra time. Many students will find themselves in privately tutored classes giving them ultimate flexibility and attention of the Revision Tutor.
Fees
One Week Boarding Fees: 1,495 GB Sterling (5 days/4 nights)
Two Week Boarding Fees: 2,895 GB Sterling (12 days/11 nights)
One Week Day Fees: 1,095 GB Sterling (5 days)
Two Week Day Fees: 2,165 GB Sterling (10 days)
Optional Extra Elements
Extra Night's Accommodation : 70 GB Sterling (including meals)
Additional Private Tutoring: 60 GB Sterling per hour
How to Apply
We provide you the majority of A2 and AS subjects. Before you apply, please contact us to tell us which subject areas you would like to cover. We will then be able to check whether a space is available. Once a space has been confirmed as available, you will need to apply online or via the PDF, and also compete the Additional Information PDF. After you apply, we will require you to fill in a detailed form explaining your requirements. If you have any question, don't hesitate to ask us. | high375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it grows quickly"
},
"options": [
"it grows quickly",
"it isn't as high as a tree",
"it doesn't grow in forests",
"it is hollow"
],
"question": "Bamboo is a kind of grass because _ .",
"question_type": "c... | Bamboo flooring is a growing trend in home flooring and is also a great improvement to traditional hardwood floors.It is the most environmentally friendly kind of natural flooring that you can select for your home.It is also a renewable resource,is stronger than steel,and does not suffer from problems as a result of temperature changes.
Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth,and only takes five years to grow to adult form.Bamboo is harvested every five years,and starts to re-grow immediately after being harvested.For this reason,bamboo is a kind of grass,not a tree.Bamboo is hollow but very hard and can stand up to 50,000 pounds of pressure per square inch.
Bamboo flooring has become very popular with its rich and beautiful golden earth colors.But it is important to shop around for a good-quality bamboo flooring product that contains no formaldehydes ,which is said to be the best kind of bamboo flooring.Many brands use cheaper bamboo that may contain formaldehydes,and this can cause indoor air pollution problems as certain chemical materials in the bamboo slowly release their pollutants into the air.
So,why should we turn to bamboo to save the enviroment?In fact,bamboo cannot save the environment directly,but it is an excellent replacement product for much of the hardwood species of trees that are being harvested in rainforests.Once harvested,if these hardwood trees do grow back,it can take up to 200 years!Rainforests are the lungs of our planet and they make a significant contribution to global oxygen production.
By selecting bamoo flooring,you can reduce the demand for hardwood materials and help save the environment for future generations.Of course,everyone wants to buy good-quality bamboo flooring.The brands from our shop are very high in quality and have received a lot of public praise. | high4941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The reason for the rising oil prices ."
},
"options": [
"The dependence on imported oil.",
"Improving safety standards",
"The reason for the rising oil prices .",
"Expanding oil production."
],
"question": "Whic... | The US will seek to expand its own oil production in an attempt to reduce dependence on imported oil and bring down fuel prices , President Obama says . New contracts for exploration will be signed in non-protected areas of Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico.
In his weekly speech , the President insisted the US could reduce its need for imported oil and improve safety. Using his speech to tell Americans that he understood their concerns about rising prices, President Obama focused particularly on the price of fuel, which has risen in recent months.
US consumers have historically enjoyed cheap fuel , but have seen prices rise in recent months even though US oil production in 2010 reached its highest level for seven years.
Although the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was serious, Mr Obama said the Gulf remained a key part of the country's future energy supply.
The President's proposals come after Republicans introduced a series of proposals that would expand and speed up oil and gas production.
The White House has criticized the Republican proposals for safety reasons , but Mr Obama was clear in his speech that he felt safety and environmental standards could be maintained even though production might rise.
" I believe that we should continue to expand oil production in America --even as we increase safety and environmental standards ,"he said.
"As a nation, we should be investing in the clean, renewable sources of energy that are the solution to high gas prices."
Mr Obama has previously called for a step-change in energy policy, saying the US must move towards getting 80%of its electricity from clean energy sources by 2035. | high5487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "will have the opportunity to work with governors"
},
"options": [
"will work for the school as a part-time teacher",
"will have the opportunity to work with governors",
"doesn't have to work with parents",
"must be awar... | Deputy Head Teacher Wanted
Position:Deputy head teacher
Employer:Bracknell Forest Council
Published:10:00 AM,Mon.Dec.12.2011
Closing date:10:00 AM,Mon.Jan.16,2012
Working pattern:Full-time
Salary:PS20,000-PS34,999 per year
Location:Jennett's Park Primary School,Bracknell,Berkshire
The governors are seeking to employ an enthusiastic deputy head teacher to be a key partner in founding and leading our brand new primary school in Bracknell.
We offer:
*a brand new school building
*the opportunity to work in close partnership with the head teacher and governors to create and develop a new staff team
*a growing community looking forward to their new school opening
*the opportunity for further professional development which will support you through the next stage of your career
*the opportunity to lead key projects across the school
You will be:
*an excellent classroom practitioner ,who will enjoy shaping and delivering a broad,balanced and creative curriculum in class
*able to lead the staff by focusing on teamwork
*committed to working in partnership with parents and the nearby community For further information,you can contact the head teacher,Ms.Maria Soulsby,by dialing 32899918 or you can send an email to maria.soulsby@bracknell-forest.gov.uk.You can also come to visit our school in person.
If you have not heard from us two weeks after the closing date,that means your application has not been accepted. Apply using Bracknell Forest Council application forms only;CVs will not be accepted.
This school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment.
All staff employed in the school must be aware that a check on the criminal record will be done. | high21472.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they're not convenient to share"
},
"options": [
"they cost more money",
"they're difficult to carry",
"they're not convenient to share",
"they can't be downloaded from the Internet"
],
"question": "Etextbooks a... | Last year college students in America spent an estimated $700 on textbooks on average. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials.
The association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now just make up 2%~3% of sales. But he says that is expected to reach 10%~15% by 2012.
Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. An etextbook can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access to them after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device ,so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of etextbooks?Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find it out. Earlier this year they tested them with 500 students in 20 classes.
The university is unusual. It provides laptop computers for all 7,000 of its fulltime students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to etextbooks.
The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And 56% said they were better able to find information.
But most found that using etextbooks did not change their study habits. And 60% felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all,almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better.
But the survey found that cost could be a big influence.55% said they would choose etextbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase.
Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State University. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the etextbooks now available because the majority are not interactive .
He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video,activities,games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now,most of the books are just words on a screen. | high4799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce Ann's happy study and life in America"
},
"options": [
"tell us Ann's decision to settle in America",
"tell us Ann is accustomed to life in America",
"introduce Ann's happy study and life in America",
"introdu... | Deciding which English-speaking country to study in wasn't difficult for Ann; She had always wanted to visit America. "I wanted to study in an English-language country and I always wanted to visit America because it always seemed to me a very beautiful and friendly country." Ann is more than happy with the quality of the education she is receiving in America, particularly with the subjects and strong academic support." I am very happy with the quality of education I am receiving. All my subjects are useful and connected. I am happy with help I receive from the lecturers and tutors."
Also of particular satisfaction for Ann is the practical element of her American course. "I find it very important and useful. The theory is a good thing to know but nothing gives you more skills and knowledge than practical work."
Where her future employment is concerned, Ann is very confident her American qualification will be of great help. " _ "
Ann is also really enjoying life in America; She is making friends and taking time out to enjoy herself. "People are very friendly and helpful. University is a good place to find new friends from America and from overseas. It is a friendly environment with lots of things to do, not only studying. And of course there are the beaches, not to mention the beautiful weather." | high3948.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "More than half of the respondents have serious foot problems."
},
"options": [
"The number of men and women who have foot problems is similar.",
"Walking as little as possible can protect your feet from pain.",
"More than hal... | If you know the following fact, you'll understand why many people suffer from foot problems. The average person walks the equivalent of three times around the Earth in a lifetime. That is enormous wear and tear on the 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 muscles that make up the foot.
In a recent survey for the American Podiatric Medical Association, 53 percent of respondents reported foot pain so severe that it affected their daily function. On average, people develop pain in their 60s, but it can start as early as the 20s and 30s. And usually women give care to their feet while men don't.
"A lot of people think foot pain is part of the aging process and accept it, and walk with pain," said Dr Andrew Shapiro. Though some foot problems are inevitable, their progress can be slowed.
The following questions will help you assess whether you should take more preventive action as you age. Do you have flat feet or high arches ? Either puts feet at risk. Shoes that support the arch and heel can help flat feet. People with high arches should look for roomy shoes and softer padding to absorb the shock. Proper exercises also strengthen muscles, supporting the foot.
Do your shoes fit? In the survey, more than 34 percent of men said they could not remember the last time their feet were measured. 20 percent of women said that once a week they wore shoes that hurt, and 8 percent wore painful shoes daily. Feet flatten and lengthen with age, so if you still stick to the shoe size you wore at the age of 21, get your feet measured.
Do you walk? Putting more mileage on your feet is the best way to exercise the muscles and keep them healthy. | high18595.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Regretful."
},
"options": [
"Satisfied.",
"Proud.",
"Regretful.",
"Anxious."
],
"question": "How do people feel when they say\"I'm just a housewife\"?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | When people introduce themselves,I always hear them say"I'm just a housewife."I don't understand why their introduction is always filled with regret and self-pity.Is it,really a crime to be a housewife?Is it really embarrassing when you choose not to work outside and instead choose to work in your home?
How could you be"just a housewife"when the basic social unit of society depends on you and your service?A housewife works for the longest hour,supporting your husband,child studies,caring for elders,managing finances,paying bills,grocery shopping,cooking according to individual taste,cleaning,etc.A housewife could be anyone:daughter,wife,mother,teacher,financial advisor,fashion designer and nurse,gardener,driver,cook,and so on.Don't think you are not being paid for it.You get the reward that no money can offer----the love and affection of your family,their trust in you,a happy home and your own satisfaction.
It is you who choose to be in this occupation,willingly or for any other reason.After a busy day,all wait to return to the comfortable home set by you.They know you will be there to absorb all their stress and tiredness and relax them.Would the life have been the same had you been working outside to earn some money?Would you along with your family have been able to buy all the content in life that you are enjoying now with that money?
Respect yourself for what you are.Introduce yourself to the world with the same dignity.The world understands the importance of your job; it's time to make them accept it.Introduce yourself with pride and with twinkle in your eyes"I am a housewife".Kick that"just"out. | high19853.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Coffee."
},
"options": [
"Tea.",
"Chocolate.",
"Adenosine.",
"Coffee."
],
"question": "What is considered to fight depression best?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | *What prevents depression:tea,coffee or hot chocolate?
Women who drink for or more cups of coffee a day are a fifth less likely to become depressed.Drinking two or three cups reduces the risk by 15 percent. This is the result of a study of 51,000 women over ten years, published in the Journal of the American Medicine Association.
One theory is that caffeine reduces the effect of the chemical adenosine in the brain, which can make us feel sleepy by slowing down nerve cell activity. Some anti-depressants also work by blocking the adenosine receptors. Coffee was found to be far more influential on depression levels than hot chocolate or tea due to the high caffeine content.
*How many eggs can we healthily eat: one a day or two a day?
Neither-eat them freely. We've long been warned to stick to two or three eggs a week because of their high cholesterol content. But according to the Food Standards Agency, there is no recommended limit to how many eggs we can healthily eat, unless you have been told to cut down by your doctor.
There is no evidence that eating eggs raises cholesterol levels, and researchers found that eggs contain less cholesterol than in the past because hens are no longer given bone meal, which was banned in the 1990s after the BSE cresis.
Research by the British Egg Council found that a medium egg gives you around 100 mg of cholesterol, a third of the 300mg recommended daily limit. | high413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Jame's"
},
"options": [
"Joe's",
"Maria's",
"Ron's",
"Jame's"
],
"question": "Which of the four designs can remind you of the past of the country?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | Australian Flag Designs by Readers of the Sun-Herald
We received dozens of responses after inviting readers to send in their designs for a new flag. The designs we received include:
James Anthony, Drummoyne
James reduces the Union Jack down in size and changes its shape to become a reminder of the British tradition rather than canceling it altogether. At the same time he suggests enlarging the stars of the Southern Cross. His design attempts to use the best of both worlds in a newly designed flag.
As he says, "the British part of the Australian Flag is too big and the Australian bits are too small. When you make the stars bigger the Australian flag can look impressive."
Joe Bollen, Turranmurra
Joe's flag has the main elements of a risen sun, white horizon , red earth at the base and the Southern Cross. He intends to make the risen sun a special Australian symbol on the flag. He believes it represents life. The Southern Cross shows that we live in the Southern Hemisphere.
Maria Ieraci, Sydney
Maria deleted the Union Jack but otherwise kept the flag as is with the Southern Cross and Federation Star. She says, 'There is only one correct way to change the Australian flag" and that is "to drop the Union Jack ---- when Australia becomes a Republic", which she hopes will be before 2010.
Ron Bennett, Sydney
Ron recommends using the Aboriginal colors but replacing their image of the sun with the map of Australia. He says, "Australia is unique being an island continent with an instantly recognizable outline at that" and "this will leave no doubt as to which country the flag belongs." | high1187.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A good name will bring you money."
},
"options": [
"A good name will bring you money.",
"A person should rely on his friends for business.",
"Advertising can make customers believe its wonderful.",
"A company can rely o... | When you were looking for a reliable, honest auto mechanize, how did you find him? Before you went into that restaurant you recently tried, how did you know that it served great good? If you are like most people on the planet, you want to lower your risk of a big ugly surprise so you asked people you trust to refer to a business they trust. Marketers call this friend-to friend recognition of business "word-of -mouth advertising.
When you do a treat job for your customer for a band job, people are going to talk about your business. Unfortunately, because we humans seem to feel negative emotions more intensively than positive ones, there're more likely to tell more of our friends about bad experiences with busyness than positive ones. Understand this: customer believes their own experience. You can't make them believed that your company is wonderful when they felt they were treated badly.
So, to get positive word-of-mouth going for your business in this service- based economy, you've got to do a really outstanding job for everyone, exactly.
And when you do, you build a great reputation. That takes time. But it forms a close link with your customers in a way that no advertising and no promotional coupon ever could.
The good news is that because there are so many different businesses chasing after your customers' money, people want to know whom they can trust. So people are going to be talking about you. Create a free sales force for your business - an army of delighted customers who tell everyone that they know how good your company is to do business with. That's great antidote to _ . | high23503.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "His daughter would dive with him."
},
"options": [
"His daughter had grown up.",
"He had become a famous diver.",
"His father would dive with him.",
"His daughter would dive with him."
],
"question": "In what wa... | Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter's age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry's later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry's first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. _ The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition. | high6830.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Should University Heads Use Terms of Youth"
},
"options": [
"Should University Heads Use Terms of Youth",
"Must University Presidents Learn to Please Students",
"Must University Presidents Meet Students' Needs",
"Should... | The prestigious Peking University and Tsinghua University held graduation ceremonies on the same day this year. The presidents of the two universities delivered excellent speeches at the ceremonies as they used words, phrases or ways of expression that are very popular on the Internet currently. At the same time, graduation speeches by other university presidents were also under the spotlight for the same reason. Their speeches were warmly welcomed by students as they contained many fashionable words today, such as "floating clouds" ( meaning "too small and of little importance to mention") and "gelivable" (meaning " very helpful") . In the speeches , these university presidents recalled campus life together with students and finally moved all the audiences. They were very different from the usual run of lectures.
Many university presidents have changed their regular manner of addressing graduation ceremonies from an advising and preaching mode to a more fashionable and funny approach. They try to use those words popular among young people in their speeches.
In the past, university presidents' speeches were criticized for being too standard and lacking sentiment. Now , they quote fashionable words in their addresses, reflecting they are starting to adopt more everyday attitudes to students. The use of these new expressions has _ a heated discussion. It focuses on the question of whether university presidents should speak in an informal way at graduation ceremonies.
Supporters agree with the new approach. They consider it good to build close ties with students by using the youth's own words. Opponents argue the new ways have no practical value or significance for education but are merely to please those leaving university. | high1193.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Eat at home as many times as possible"
},
"options": [
"Eat out as many times as possible",
"Eat at home as many times as possible",
"Eat foods with a lot if iron, calcium and fat",
"Eat more highly processed foods"
... | People who eat at home most of the time have better nutrition than those who go out to eat , a recent study shows. Cornell University professors Lana Hall and Karen Bunch interviewed(,) 3900 people in the survey. "People who eat less than 30 percent of their food away from home eat the most nutritiously," they said.
"In general, Americans don't have nutrient, except for iron and calcium," they reported. They have the opposite problem----over--consumption , especially of fat.
The food at many fast food restaurants is often low in vitamins. "People who eat more than 30 percent of total calories away from home eat foods that are generally low in nutrients per calorie," the professors said. More calories and enough nutrient intake are required to achieve.
One of the major health risks is eating too much fat. The professor found than fat consumption became greater as income went up. It also went up in houses where the female worked. This is probably because these people eat more highly processed foods. | high407.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "known for his body language and amusement in his comedies"
},
"options": [
"famous for directing films",
"famous for his spoken English",
"well known for making films",
"known for his body language and amusement in his ... | Mr.Bean is an internationally recognized comedy character on TV and in films.He constantly gets into awkward and absurd situations,which greatly amuses audiences regardless of their nationalities or culture.The humour is always made clear through a series of simple and funny acts that rely purely on body language,which is universal.
One of my favourite shows is that Mr.Bean has a meal in a fancy restaurant.After being seated at his table,Mr.Bean takes out a card,writes a few words on it,seals it in an envelope and places it on the table.After a moment,he looks back at the envelope but this time he looks surprised,as if he did not know it was there.He opens it to find a birthday card and delightedly puts it on the table for everyone to see.
When he looks at the menu,an astonished look swiftly appears on his face.He takes all the money out of his wallet,counts it and puts it in a saucer .He then looks from the menu to the money with concern until he finds one thing that makes him smile.Then he orders a dish called "steak tartare".When the dish arrives,he is shocked to discover that "steak tartare" is actually raw hamburger.He makes an attempt to eat it,but it is clear from the look on his face that he finds the taste truly _ .He cannot hide his feelings,except when the waiter asks if everything is all right.When this happens,he smiles and nods,indicating that everything is fine.When the waiter is not looking,however,he busies himself hiding the raw meat anywhere he can reach--the sugar bowl,the tiny flower vase,inside a bun and under a plate.He becomes so desperate in the end that he even hides some inside the purse of a woman sitting near him and throws some down the trousers of the restaurant's violinist!
I like to watch Mr.Bean on TV,but I wouldn't like to meet someone like him in real life and I certainly wouldn't like to have dinner with him! | high8809.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To develop a green economy."
},
"options": [
"To bring people together.",
"To study the environment.",
"To improve people's health.",
"To develop a green economy."
],
"question": "What is the purpose of the Gree... | For the past four years, the Green Festival in Washington, D.C., has brought together people from around the country who are interested in the environmental movement. The groups call the festival "a party with a purpose". They say the purpose of the Green Festival is to create an economy in which natural resources are used in a way that does not destroy the environment. To the people who organize the event, "green" means having a safe and healthy community and a strong local economy.
Throughout the two-day event, over one thousand people volunteered to help the festival run smoothly. Four hundred businesses and organizations showed their products and projects. About three thousand visitors came to the party. They could find everything from naturally made organic food to clothing made from bamboo plants.
There were over one hundred fifty speakers and discussion groups. For example, you could learn how to be an environmentally friendly traveler. You could also watch several movies about political and environmental issues. Then you could listen to some live music performances. After sitting for too long, visitors could take a yoga exercise class. There was even an area for children. Younger visitors could enjoy fun games and lessons on subjects like protecting the rainforest and creating chocolate sweets.
Green building was one of the important subjects at the festival. Many companies and organizations aim to create environmentally safe buildings. They design structures with reduced energy use, fewer chemicals and more recycled materials. The Loading Dock is an organization based in Baltimore, Maryland. Its message is that "a person could build a house with what others throw away". The Loading Dock collects donations of used building materials such as flooring, lighting, doors, and windows. These materials would otherwise end up in a landfill trash center. Then, the group resells the materials. This way, the materials are recycled. This form of recycling provides entire families and neighborhoods with low cost solutions for rebuilding their communities.
Spending a day at the Green Festival showed people many solutions for improving the health of our planet. People have _ green choices, from the things people buy to the ways people eat, think, and live. The Green Festival connects a wide community of people who care deeply about, and are working to improve, our shared environment. | high12912.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "left the college for his career ahead of two years"
},
"options": [
"got an important award from HarvardUniversity",
"left the college for his career ahead of two years",
"addressed at HarvardUniversityfor the high-profile sp... | The richest man in the world can now also claim a degree from the college he dropped out of three decades ago. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates delivered the commencement address at Harvard University on Thursday, and was awarded the L. L. D. honorary doctorate .
"Our speaker is known as the most influential entrepreneur of the personal computer revolution. He was named as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2004, 2005, 2006 and again in 2007, " said Harvard's president, Derek Bok. Then Bok spoke more directly to Gates: "Just think what you could have achieved if you had stayed another two years."
Gates told the students, many of whom will soon be launching into full-time careers, that work isn't the only thing of importance.
"Judge yourself not on the professional accomplishments but on how well you have addressed the world's inequities, how you have treated people who have nothing to do with you," he said.
In recent months, Gates has been giving a larger part of his time and energy to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on issues including global health and education. In 2008, he plans to make the foundation his chief responsibility.
But for the most part, the Microsoft co-founder stuck to the serious message about trying to make the world a better place. He urged the graduates not to get discouraged about seemingly intractable challenges of poverty and poor health.
As many as 30,000 people were expected to attend the outdoor commencement ceremony. Gates wasn't the only high-profile speaker on the prefix = st1 /Cambridgecampus this week. On Wednesday, former President Bill Clinton delivered Harvard's Class Day speech. Gates and Clinton have collaborated on great efforts to fight the AIDS epidemic in developing countries. Recent past Harvard commencement speakers have included journalist Jim Lehrer in 2006, actor and writer John Lithgow in 2005 and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan in 2004. | high23517.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Many species have been extinct because of the need for fur."
},
"options": [
"People raise minks and foxes to get their fur.",
"Early humans used fur to keep warm.",
"There are blanks in legal system to regulate the fur indus... | Made from the hide of bushy-haired animals, fur is known as the first material used for clothing.It was used by early humans like the hominoids to keep warm during the winter season or when they traveled to cooler regions.Traditionally, animals were hunted down to produce fur coats.At present though, some animals like the mink and the fox are bred and farmed for their fur.Now, wearing fur is considered a luxury because of its price and availability.
Fur coats are produced and used all over the world especially in cooler countries like Russia and Northern Europe.These are usually made from the fur of bigger animals like bears, wolves and foxes which are hunted down for their meat and hide.Because of this, several of their species have become endangereD.Yet, until now, there has been no law passed to regulate the fur industry.That's why Animal rights groups, including stars, continue to campaign against fur clothing including fur coat manufacturing.
Dennis Rodman is the first man, and the first sports star, to do a photo shoot for PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" series.
During the Fashion Week of NYC in 2005, Rodman came not to sit in the front row at a show, but to unveil his provocative (, ) new PETA advertisement.In the very tents where designers were pushing fur.In PETA's advertisement, Rodman appears nude --- except for his tattoos --- alongside the caption ( ), " Think Ink, Not Mink," and urges :" Be comfortable in your own skin and let animals keep theirs."
Rodman watched Pamela Anderson's three-minute video showing how animals live and die before being made into fur coats."If you actually look at the video firsthand, it gives you a different perspective on animals and how they're treateD.It's _ to see what they go through," he saiD. | high22609.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to emphasize the importance of elevators"
},
"options": [
"to contrast their functions with elevators,",
"to emphasize the importance of elevators",
"to reveal their secret war against elevators",
"to explain people's p... | For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets,and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a member of a small group of elevator experts who consider _ a misunderstanding. Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense, they argue,the elevator's role in American history has been no less significant than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk?the car and the elevator have been locked in a "secret war" for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread horizontally ,and elevators pushing them toward life in close groups of towering vertical columns.
If we tend to ignore the significance of elevators, it might be because riding in them tends to be such a brief, boring, and even awkward experience^one that can involve unexpectedly meeting people with whom we have nothing in common, and an unpleasant awareness of the fact that we're hanging from a cable in a long passage.
In a new book, Lifted, German journalist and cultural studies professor Andreas Bernard directed all his attention to this experience, studying the origins of elevator and its relationship to humankind and finding that riding in an elevator has never been a totally comfortable experience. "After 150 years, we are still not used to it", Bernard said. "We still have not exactly learned to cope with the mixture of closeness and displeasure." That mixture, according to Bernard, sets the elevator ride apart from just about every other situation we find ourselves in as we go about our lives.
Today,as the world's urban population explodes,and cities become more crowded, taller, and more crowded, America's total number of elevators--900,000 at last count, according to Elevator World magazine's "2012 Vertical Transportation Industry"are a force that's becoming more important than ever. And for the people who really, really love them, it seems like high time that we looked seriously at just what kind of force they are. | high6824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Troublesome."
},
"options": [
"Troublesome.",
"Dangerous.",
"Interesting.",
"Clever."
],
"question": "What did the author think of the squirrel at first?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | I was sitting in the room reading when I heard a loud noise. To defend my home from break-in, I picked up my defense weapon--- a broom and went out. There on the roof of my porch , I saw a grey fluffy squirrel. I drove her away with the broom, but the next day I heard her again.
I searched squirrels on the net and found because their teeth keep growing, they have to constantly chew on things to shorten their teeth. This was disturbing so I asked my husband to call in some wildlife control people.
On Monday morning two men showed up, with guns in their hands. I pointed uneasily to the hole in my porch roof. They held up their guns. Suddenly I saw in my mind the baby nursery inside. I stopped them and confirmed that they wouldn't harm her. They hesitated, but finally put down their guns. Then they brought out a bottle of deodorizer and sprayed it into the squirrel's home. They told me she would not like the smell and would leave.
There was no sign of Mrs. Squirrel, so they blocked the hole, took my cheque for $250 and left. Shortly after they left, Mrs. Squirrel returned from her shopping trip. She was mad at being driven out and began feverishly clawing at the porch roof. In order to stop the destruction of my home, I drove her away with the broom again.
Each day thereafter, Mrs. Squirrel continued her attack on my possession. I then called the company to report that "SHE'S BAAAAAACK..." The receptionist said that if Mrs. Squirrel had managed to find another way into my porch roof, it would be a new charge. I replied I couldn't continue contributing my husband's hard-earned income to their silly wildlife experts and hang up.
I went to the porch and banged on the roof. Mrs. Squirrel came out and glared at me. We negotiated some terms, came to an agreeable arrangement and went back into our respective homes.
All is quiet these days, although large quantities of materials have been removed from my garage wall and my daughter claims that some of her doll-house furniture has disappeared. I still hope that Mrs. Squirrel would leave, but I will wait until it is warmer and hopefully until after the birth of the little ones. | high3784.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Watching too much TV can decrease your life time."
},
"options": [
"Sitting in front of the TV is harmful.",
"Watching too much TV can decrease your life time.",
"Those who never watch TV can live longer than those watching."... | Sitting in front of the television may be relaxing, but spending too much time in front of the TV may take years off your life.
That's what Australian researchers found when they collected TV viewing information from more than 11,000 people older than 25 years. The study found that people who watches an average six hours of TV a day lived an average 4.8 years less than those who didn't watch any television .Also ,every hour of TV that participants watched after age 25 was associated with a 22-minute reduction in their life expectancy .
It's no mystery that sitting in front of the TV isn't exactly healthy. The more TV you watch, the less physically active you are. And the less exercise you get, the more likely you are to develop disease such as diabetes or hear problems.
Lennert Veerman is the lead author of the study ,which was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine .Working at the University of Queesland, Veerman acknowledges that it may not just be the sedentary nature of watching TV that lowers life expectancy,but also the poor diet that onscreen junk-food advertising can promote. But Veerman says that association between watching too much TV and lower life expectancy exists, even after adjusting for diet.
Veerman says that it might make sense for doctors to start asking their patients about how much time they spend in front of the TV, and to treat TV time as they would be other risk factors for poor health, such as lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet.
Veerman points out that people who are concerned can simply turn off the TV and get off the couch. "Exercise is good," he says, "but even light physical activity also improves health." | high21300.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a dog"
},
"options": [
"a child",
"a wolf",
"a dog",
"a servant"
],
"question": "Sultan was the name of_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_... | Poor Sultan,who was lying close by them,heard all that the shepherd and his wife said to one another,and was very much frightened to think tomorrow would be his last day.So in the evening he went to his good friend,the wolf,who lived in the wood,and told him all his sorrows,and how his master meant to kill him in the morning.
"Make yourself easy,"said the wolf,"I will give you some good advice.Your master,you know,goes out every morning.very early with his wife into the field,and they take their little child with them,and lay it down in the shade while they are at work.Now you lie down close by the child,and pretend to be watching it,and I will come out of the wood and run away with it.You must run after me as fast as you can, and I will let it drop.Then you may carry it back,and they will think you have saved their child,and will be so thankful to you that they will take care of you as long as you live."
The dog liked this plan very well,and accordingly so it was managed.The wolf ran with the child a little way.The shepherd and his wife cried out,but Sultan soon overtook him and carried the poor little thing back to his master and mistress.Then the shepherd patted him on the head and said,"Old Sultan has saved our child from the wolf,and therefore he shall live and be well taken care of,and have plenty to eat.Wife,go home,and give him a good dinner and let him have my old cushion to sleep on as long as he lives."So from this time forward Sultan had all that he could wish for. | high18581.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a waiter or a waitress"
},
"options": [
"a secretary",
"a waiter or a waitress",
"an accountant",
"a salesclerk"
],
"question": "If you don't know how to use a computer,you can just apply for the position as ."... | Want to find a job?Now read the following advertisements.
FAIRMONT HOTEL
Five waiters and Ten Waitresses
---Aged under 22
---At least high school graduate
---Good looking; men at least 1.72meters tall and women 1.65
---Those knowing foreign languages preferred
---Paid 1600-2200dollars per month
One Secretary
---Aged under 30
---Female preferred
---Good at writing and skilled at computer
If interested,call 465-4768or write to:Mr.Jack Hundris Room 0825,Fairmont Hotel
567Wood Street,San Markers,78003
Fax:6954828
WILSON BOOKSTORE
Accountants
---Aged between 25and 40
---With an experience of at least two years
---With a degree and an accountant certificate
---Paid 3000-4000dollars monthly
---With a knowledge of computer
Salesclerks
---Basic education of 12years or more
---Good at computer
---Paid 1800-2200dollars monthly
Tel:447-4398Fax:3485269 | high19847.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "social status"
},
"options": [
"family size",
"social status",
"body weight",
"work experience"
],
"question": "Stress level is closely related to .",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"an... | People with less education suffer fewer stressful days,according to a report in the current issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.
However,the study also found that when lesseducated people did suffer stress it was more severe and had a larger impact on their health.
From this researchers have concluded that the daytoday factors that cause stress are not random .Where you are in society determines the kinds of problems that you have each day,and how well you will deal with them.
The research team interviewed a national sample of 1,031 adults daily for eight days about their stress level and health.People without a high school diploma reported stress on 30 percent of the study days,people with a high school degree reported stress 38 percent of the time,and people with college degrees reported stress 44 percent of the time.
"Less advantaged people are less healthy on a daily basis and are more likely to have downward turns in their health."lead researcher Dr.Joseph Grzywacz,of Wake Forest University Medical Center,said in a prepared statement."The downward turns in heBaptistalth were connected with daily stressors and the effect of daily stressors on their health is much more devastating for the less advantaged."
Grzywacz suggested followup research to determine why lesseducated people report fewer days of stress when it is known that their stress is more acute(severe)and chronic (lasting).
"If something happens every day,maybe it's not seen as a stressor"Grzywacz says."Maybe it is just life." | high20778.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Children who sleep poorly are at risk of being overweight."
},
"options": [
"Researchers find why children become overweight.",
"Kids who are overweight are in need of more sleep.",
"Children who sleep poorly are at risk of b... | Getting too little sleep or not spending enough time in rapid eye movement(REM) sleep is connected with being overweight among children, according to a new study.
For three nights, researchers studied the sleep patterns of 335 young people, aged 7 to 17. They looked at total sleep time, time spent in REM, time it took to fall asleep. Body-mass index was checked at the start of the study, and 45 persons in the research were overweight, while 49 were at risk of becoming overweight.
Compared to normal-weight children, those who were overweight slept about 22 minutes less per night and didn't sleep as well as them, which means shorter REM sleep, less eye activity during REM sleep, and a longer wait before the first REM period.
After more research, the researchers concluded that one hour less of total sleep was connected a double increased risk of being overweight. One hour less of REM sleep was connected with a three times increased risk.
Although the reasons are still being researched, the relationship between short sleep duration and overweight may be the result of behavioral and biological changes, which are caused by sleep loss, wrote Dr. Xianchen Liu of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh and his colleagues.
They explained that sleep loss causes changes in hormone levels that may have an effect on hunger, and less sleep also means a person has more waking hours in which to eat. Sleep loss also leads to tiredness the following day, which may lead to less physical activity and fewer calories burned. | high21466.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the corner of Greek Street and Queen Street"
},
"options": [
"Queen Street",
"Elizabeth Street",
"the corner of Greek Street and Queen Street",
"the corner of Queen Street and Elizabeth Street"
],
"question": "Y... | If you go to Brisbane, Australia, you can easily get a small book called Discover Brisbane free. The book tells you almost everything in Brisbane: the restaurants, the shops, the cinemas, the streets, the buses, the trains, the banks, etc. Here is something about banks on page 49:
ANZ Banking Group
Cnr. Greek && Queen Sts .................. 228 3228
Bank of New Zealand
410 Queen Street ........................... 221 0411
Bank of Queensland
229 Elizabeth Street ........................ 229 3122
Commonwealth Banking Group
240 Queen Street ........................... 237 3111
National Australia Bank Ltd
225 Adelaide Street ........................ 221 6422
Westpac Banking Corp
260 Queen Street ........................... 227 2666
Banking hours are Mon.-Thu. 9:30 am to 4 pm. Fri. 9:30 am to 5 pm. All banks close Sat. Sun. && Public Holidays.
Australia has a decimal currency with 100 cents to the dollar.
Notes available are: $100, $50, $20, $10, $5
Gold coins are: $2 && $1
Silver coins are: 50, 20, 10&&5 cent
Copper coins are: 2 && 1 cent | high10863.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "come from the same family"
},
"options": [
"will soon die out completely",
"were once a relative of English",
"are the same as before",
"come from the same family"
],
"question": "Many European and Indian langua... | Throughout history, people have been interested in knowing how language first began, but no one knows exactly where or how this happened. However, we do know a lot about languages, the languages of today and also the languages of earlier times. There are probably about three thousand languages in the world today. Chinese is the language with the most speakers. English, Russian and Spanish are also spoken by many millions of people. On the other hand, some languages in the world have less than one hundred speakers.
There are several important families of languages in the world. For example, most of the languages of Europe are in one large family called Indo-European. The original language of this family was spoken about 4,500 years ago. Many of the present day languages of Europe and India are modern forms of the language of 4,500 years ago.
Languages are always changing. The English of today is very different from the English of 500 years ago. In time some even die out completely. About 1,000 years ago English was a little -known relative of German spoken on one of the borders of Europe.
If a language has a lot of speakers or if it is very old, there may be differences in the way it is spoken in different areas. That is, the language may have several dialects. Chinese is a good example of dialect differences. Chinese has been spoken for thousands of years by many millions of speakers. The differences between the dialects of Chinese are so great that speakers of Chinese from some parts of China cannot understand speakers from other parts. | high361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The knight."
},
"options": [
"The knight.",
"The businessman.",
"The franklin.",
"The woman."
],
"question": "Which of the following can be described as kind-hearted?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"an... | My name's Geoffrey Chaucer. It was 16thApril 1386, and I was in London at an inn in Southwark. Tomorrow I would go to Canterbury, to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket, together with twenty-nine other people. Before I say more, I want to tell you about some of the people with me.
First there was a knight, a good man who fought well and knew many different countries. He was a true friend to everyone, and always helped people when they needed it. His clothes were old, dark, and dirty from many years of fighting.
Then there was a businessman with an expensive hat on his head. The man, who looked wealthier than he truly was, always said, "I'm doing very well." A very quick thinker, he talked about ships and the sea a lot, and showed much interest in changing money from different countries.
After the businessman came a franklin with a white beard. He asked people from near and far to visit him at home as he liked eating and drinking and having a good time with others. He was an important man, he knew right from wrong, and people listened to him.
There was a woman from Bath. Her face was open, and nice-looking, but she couldn't hear very well. In her red dress, she was a big woman with a big smile and big teeth, laughing a lot and talking easily. She knew all about love.
So there we were, all thirty of us, at the inn. The landlord, a tall fat man, brought us the best dinner in London. He would also join our journey tomorrow. After we finished eating, the landlord smiled, suggesting "We're going to Canterbury tomorrow, and that's four days from here. One by one, let's all tell a story on the road to make the time go quicker. And to the teller of the best story we can give a free dinner here at my inn when we get back. What do you say?" We all said "yes" happily to him. Then the question for us was: _ ? | high10693.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Pet owners can be as devoted as the dog"
},
"options": [
"Pet owners can be as devoted as the dog",
"there were no dogs in Beijing before 2003",
"Beijing strictly bans dogs above 35cm high in practice",
"Chang Jiwen spo... | Xiangzi - Lucky, in English - is appropriately named. His owner Qiu Hong, a sports marketer,lets the dog enjoy two daily walks,a collection of imported American toys, $300 worth of monthly food and treats and his own sofa in her high-rise apartment. When Ms. Qiu feels bored, she takes Xiangzi out for a long run in her car.
In a sense, Xiangzi is not just a dog, but a social phenomenon - and, perhaps, a marker of how quickly the Chinese nation is booming through its transformation from poor farmer to first-world citizen.Twenty years ago,there were hardly any dogs in Beijing, but now there're 900,000 registered dogs with countless thousands of others unlicensed. How this came to be is, in some ways, the story of modern China as well.
"People used to be focused on improving their own lives, and they weren't really acquainted with raising dogs," said Ms. Qiu. "But with the improvement in the economy, people's outlooks have changed."
Having a dog can be a way to relieve the stress in people's lives, but mostly Beijing dogs have, as in the West, become objects of affection - even devotion - by their owners. It's easy to find dog-treat stores, dog Web sites, dog social networks, dog swimming pools - even, for a time recently, a bring-your-dog cinema and a bring-your-dog bar on Beijing's downtown nightclub row.
The doglike devotion of pet owners here seems to have softened the city government heart. In 1994, Beijing officials relaxed their no-dog policy to "severely restrict" dogs. In 2003,it was changed again to allow anyone to own a dog, but to limit city dogs to no more than 35 centimeters in height. And nowadays the restriction seems to be loosely carried out.
As for sti-fried Pekingese - well, that dog,too, may have seen its day. A formal suggestion to ban the eating of dogs has been made by a law professor named Chang Jiwen, who considered himself "not so much a dog lover as a China lover". "With China developing so quickly, more people should know how to treat animals properly," he said in 3 telephone interview. | high20988.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It consists of not so much famous destinations."
},
"options": [
"It takes place five days a week.",
"It consists of not so much famous destinations.",
"It lasts about half a day.",
"It includes a visit to a famous thea... | Shakespeare City Walk
This 90-minute leisurely walking tour does not go to the Globe Theatre (because everyone already knows it) , but instead uncovers less known monuments and locations in the City of London with connections to Shakespeare's life, his friends, his loves and his work.
The Shakespeare City Walk takes place on Fridays at 11 a.m. at Temple tube station.
Address: Meet at Temple tube station, London
Telephone: +44(0)790 5746733
Camera Walk
Learn how to take better photos as you explore London with a professional photographer on a Camera Trails tour. Walk around Brick Lane and Spitalfields on the Urban East tour, or take photos of Big Ben and St Paul's Cathedral on the South Bank tour.
Address: Trafalgar Square, London
Telephone: +44(0)798 957 9336
The Celebrity Planet
See celebrity homes, famous film locations, music landmarks and places linked to pop history on a Celebrity Planet tour. Find out about stars in Notting Hill, Mayfair, Primrose Hill or Chelsea, or try a Harry Potter, James Bond or Beatles tour.
Address: 40 Porchester Square, London
Telephone: +44(0)20 7193 8770
Email: info@thecelebrityplanet.com
Sandemans New London Tours
Sandemans New London Tours offer a completely free tour of Royal London, including the Changing of the Guard. There's also an Old City of London Tour, and a Grim Reapers of London Tour. Our expert guides work for tips, you contribute to the pollution problem of London's cars and buses.
Email: info@neweuropetours.com | high12084.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a man in Ray' s hometown"
},
"options": [
"Ray's colleague",
"a man in Ray' s hometown",
"Ray's relative in Africa",
"an African woodcarving artist"
],
"question": "We learn from the passage that Bull is _ .",... | Ray Travers sat back at the large desk, and looked around his plush office.He was tired.
Ray's eyes stopped at a painting on the wall.It was a gift given by an old friend, Bull, as a farewell gift when he left his hometown.He recalled the life spent in that small town; pleasant times.The many hours he spent talking lo his good friend, and the tales he was told about hunting in the Africa of old.
Memories flowed back more than ten years; he remembered how he enjoyed hearing about the wonderful hunting, and how he wished he could have shared those times.
Ray opened his desk drawer and brought out a wooden box.He opened the lid and exposed a work of art, a hand-made hunting knife.This was a gift from Bull, given to Ray more than 20 years ago.It was one of the first knives Bull had made, and Ray had called it "Zambezi", the river where Bull had been so many times.
He closed the box and sat upright at his desk; he was driving himself hard, and deserved a break.Things were going well with the business, everything running smoothly.He could afford a week off!
He went back home.A week in the hometown would be like going back in history."Man, it's going to be good," Ray said aloud, as he turned onto the highway and watched the city lights fast disappearing, as he looked in the rearview mirror.
It was well into the night when Ray pulled into an all-night gas station He walked around the gas station and the memories started ... He was finally back on the road, the powerful car going its way through the night, headlights piercing the darkness.Memories danced through the man' s mind. _ .
Slowly entering town he looked around.Ray sat in his car, looking at the old building, smiling. Inside it was almost as though it was the same people as 15 years ago. | high1805.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Previous experience in an elective office."
},
"options": [
"Minimum age of thirty-five years old.",
"Previous experience in an elective office.",
"Native of the United States of America.",
"Bottom residency of fourteen... | The candidate longing for election to the highest office in the United States must be native-born American citizen who is at least 35 years old and who has lived in the United States for at least 14 years. The election course is complicated, and the road to the Oval Office is long.
Potential candidates must present papers stating their intention to seek their party's recommendation; delegates then choose from among those running some months later at the national conferences. Before that, however, each state holds a primary election that determines how the state's voters want the party's delegates to vote. Methods of choosing the delegates vary from state to state. At the conferences, there are speeches and often heated discussions. It may take several rounds of voting before delegates can agree on a candidate. On the final day of the meeting, the presidential candidate announces his or her choice for vice president.
Election Day, by law, is the Tuesday that follows the first Monday in November. On this day, registered voters may cast their votes for president, vice president, and candidates for other federal , state, and local offices. The popular vote, however, does not determine who will be president. The president is chosen by a vote of the Electoral College, a group of 538 citizens from the 50 states and the District of Columbia who are chosen to cast votes for the president and vice president.
The rules for choosing electors, as with the delegates, vary. Each state also decides whether its electoral votes must reflect the popular vote. The number of electors in each state is determined by the number of representatives and senators that a state sends to Congress and, therefore, may change every 10 years, depending on the results of the United States census . The winner must get at least 270 of the electoral votes when the Electoral College meets in December of the election year. The election results are not official, however, until the following January, when Congress meets in a joint conference to count the electoral votes.
At the end of the road to the Oval Office is the swearing-in ceremony, at which the new or reelected president takes the oath of office on January 20. | high23259.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Experts are calling for more protection for youngsters from smoking."
},
"options": [
"About half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke.",
"Experts are calling for more protection for youngsters from smoking.",
... | SHANGHAI - Health experts in Shanghai are calling for more protection for young children as the latest research shows about half of the youngsters are suffering from secondhand smoke.
About 45 percent of children suffer passive smoking in families, 50 percent in public places, and almost 6 percent on public transportation, shows a research released by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center on Tuesday.
"Not only adults but also children and newborn babies are at risk for the adverse effects of passive smoking," said Tang Jingyan, a doctor at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center.
"Actually, those young children whose bodies are still growing and developing are more sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke."
Research has shown that children who are exposed to secondhand smoke will suffer from more colds, coughs and sore throats, and they are more likely to suffer from bronchitis, pneumonia and will have a higher risk of developing cancer.
Doctors even suggested that children suffering passive smoking are more likely to have behavioral problems and may not develop mentally as quickly as their peers.
Other research by the Shanghai Children's Medical Center has found that more than 80 percent of child patients in the center live in a smoke-filled household, where one or both parents smoke.
"Though doctors have stressed the harm of passive smoking over and over, it is still hard to reach a totally 'smoke free' home," said a pediatrician named Zhang Yiwen, noting that parents are often tempted to smoke even though they have learned the harmful effects of secondhand smoke.
China has 540 million people suffering from passive smoke, 180 million of them younger than 15.The age of smokers is also getting lower, earlier reports said.
"There are more young smokers than before.You can see young people wearing a school uniform and carrying a schoolbag light a cigarette on the street.Some of them are even female students," said Jing Xingming, a professor of children's developmental behavior at the center.
"Children like to imitate adults, especially their parents.If parents often smoke at home, it is very likely children will develop a smoking habit, which can cause a vicious circle," Jin said.
Reports from the Ministry of Health said China has about 350 million smokers, of whom 15 million are underage smokers.Also, around 40 million of the country's 130 million children aged between 13 and 18 had tried smoking, and 15 million had become addicted to tobacco. | high15933.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "whether the cat was good"
},
"options": [
"what he was doing",
"whether he was good",
"whether the cat was good",
"where his mother was"
],
"question": "James telephoned his brother at the end of his first day a... | Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar. James was particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful instructions about the pet's care. At the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother, "How is Edgar?"
"Edgar is dead." Herbert answered. There was a pause. Then James said, "Herbert, you're insensitive . You know how close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, 'Edgar's on the roof , but I have called the fire department to get him down.' And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their best, but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian's . Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That's the way a sensitive man would have told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget," James added, "how is mother?"
"Oh," Herbert said, pausing for a moment, "She's on the roof." | high349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He said thanks to the author's dad in person."
},
"options": [
"He gave something to author's dad.",
"He gave a big tip to the waitress.",
"He said thanks to the author's dad in person.",
"He did a magic show for the au... | Last week, while visiting my dad with my daughter, we went to a restaurant for dinner. When we were seated, my dad asked the waitress if there were any soldiers eating at the restaurant. Then waitress said there was a soldier having dinner with his friend. My dad told the waitress to tell the soldier and his friend that their dinner was paid for! He also said that he did not want to be known as the benefactor .
Then waitress later commented on my dad's thoughtful behavior saying that she had never seen anything like this before. At a local college, she had studied opera and so she used this to thank my dad by performing a piece from The Pearl Fisherman. Her voice brought me to tears because it sounded perfect!
After a while, the soldier appeared at our table (I don't know how he knew my dad paid the bill for him.) and said that he would be sent to the front the next morning and that he could not leave this country without saying "thanks" to my dad. My dad replied that it was he who wanted to say "thanks". They shook hands as the soldier left.
Before we left, the waitress came by again. She did a magic show as another way to show her "thanks" to my dad. Her show was really great. My dad left her a note with email address asking for her next performance time in addition to a $ 50 tip.
Everyone witnessed something exemplary in the human spirit that night. I can only hope to see more of this in the future. | high8821.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "with the success of Pickwick Papers"
},
"options": [
"because his social work",
"with the success of Pickwick Papers",
"because he was writing two novels at the same time",
"when he began to give readings of his works"
... | The success of Pickwick Papers made Dickens very popular. He suddenly found himself at twenty-four the most famous novelist of his day. Busy as his social life was, he worked on two novels at the same time-Oliver Twist and Pickwick Papers. He was particularly proud of Pickwick Papers, which was a huge success and was regarded as a comic masterpiece . "If I were to live a hundred years and write novels in each, I should never be so proud of any of them as I am proud of Pickwick Papers," he said.
It has been said of Dickens that he grasped the imagination of' his readers because his imagination grasped himself. The people in his works were so real that they could make him laugh or cry. When writing Oliver Twist he said that he could not rest until Fagin, the wrongdoer , had been hanged.
Dickens' marriage to Catherine Hagarth, with whom he had nine children, ended unhappily in 1858. He started to travel about giving readings of his works. His interest in theater gave his novels the qualities that made them suitable for reading aloud on the stage. A tiring trip to the United States affected his health. On June 9th, 1870, when he was working on a new novel, he died. Dickens had always wanted to die of working. | high24250.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "meet with his friends as planned"
},
"options": [
"have an unforgettable trip",
"meet with his friends as planned",
"experience the hard life there in person",
"be the first person to travel alone in the Yukon"
],
... | A man walked down the trail on a cold, gray day. He was wearing heavy clothes and fur boots. But he still felt cold and uncomfortable.
The man was on his way to a camp near Henderson Creek. His friends were already there. He expected to reach Henderson Creek by six o'clock that evening. It would be dark by then. His friends would have a fire and hot food ready for him.
A dog walked behind the man. It was a big gray animal, half dog and half wolf. The dog did not like the extreme cold. It knew the weather was too cold to travel.
The man continued to walk down the trail. He came to a frozen stream called Indian Creek. He began to walk on the snow-covered ice. It was a trail that would lead him straight to Henderson Creek and his friends.
As he walked, he looked charily at the ice in front of him. Once, he stopped suddenly, and then walked around a part of the frozen stream. He saw that an underground spring flowed under the ice at that spot. It made the ice thin. If he stepped there, he might break through the ice into a pool of water. To get his boots wet in such cold weather might kill him. His feet would turn to ice quickly. He could freeze to death.
At about twelve o'clock, the man decided to stop to eat his lunch. He took off the glove on his right hand, opened his jacket and shirt, and pulled out his bread and meat. This took less than twenty seconds. Yet, his fingers began to freeze.
He hit his hand against his leg several times until he felt a sharp pain. Then he quickly put his glove on his hand. He made a fire, beginning with small pieces of wood and adding larger ones. He sat on a snow-covered log and ate his lunch. He enjoyed the warm fire for a few minutes. Then he stood up and started walking on the frozen stream again.
A half hour later, at a place where the snow seemed very solid, the ice broke. The man's feet sank into the water. It was not deep, but his legs got wet to the knees. The man was angry. The accident would delay his arrival at the camp. He would have to build a fire now to dry his clothes and boots.
He walked over to some small trees. They were covered with snow. In their branches were pieces of dry grass and wood left by flood waters earlier in the year. He put several large pieces of wood on the snow, under one of the trees. On top of the wood, he put some grass and dry branches. He pulled off his gloves, took out his matches, and lighted the fire. He fed the young flame with more wood. As the fire grew stronger, he gave it larger pieces of wood.
He worked slowly and carefully. At sixty degrees below zero, a man with wet feet must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire. Fortunately, his fire was beginning to burn more strongly. He sat under the tree and thought of the old men in Fairbanks. The old men had told him that no man should travel alone in the Yukon when the temperature is sixty degrees below zero. Yet here he was. He had had an accident. He was alone. And he had saved himself. He had built a fire.
Those old men were weak, he thought. A real man could travel alone. If a man stayed calm, he would be all right. | high14393.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "our brains are wisest between our 40s and 60s."
},
"options": [
"our brains are wisest between our 40s and 60s.",
"we lose many brain cells as we age.",
"our brains are at their worst after our 60s.",
"people are wiser ... | Have you ever walked to the shops, only to find when you get there that you've completely forgotten what you go for? Or have you struggled to remember the name of an old friend? For years, we've accepted that a forgetful brain is as much a part of aging as wrinkles and grey hair. But now a new book suggests we've got _ all wrong.
According to The Secret Life Of The Grown-up Brain, by science writer, Barbara Strauch, our brains actually get better with age. In fact, she argues many new studies have found that the brain hits its peak between our 40s and 60s --much later than previously thought.
Furthermore, not losing many brain cells as we age, we preserve them, and even produce new ones well into middle age. For years it's been accepted that the brain, much like the body, got worse with age. But the longest, largest study into what happens to people as they age suggests otherwise.
This continuing research has followed 6,000 people since 1956, testing them every seven years. It has found that, on average, they performed better in cognitive tests in their late 40s and 50s than they had in their 20s. Specifically, older people did better in tests of vocabulary, spatial orientation skills, verbal memory (how many words you can remember) and problem solving.
Where they were weaker was in numeracy (how quickly one can multiply, add, subtract and divide) and the speed at which they could move. However, with harder tasks, such as problem-solving and language, we are at our best at middle age and beyond. In short, researchers are going to come up with scientific evidence that we do get wiser with age. | high22621.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "high school students"
},
"options": [
"high school students",
"school teachers",
"parents and teachers",
"married couples"
],
"question": "The author writes this passage probably for _ to read.",
"questio... | While most high school students spend most of their time worrying about who
likes who, and different relationships between their classmates, I choose to focus on my school lessons and sports.
When I was young, my mother encouraged me to develop and keep friendship with boys in order to build strong relationships. But she told me not to risk a good friendship with a boy with the title of boyfriend. It' s indeed a wise choice to stay friends with those of the opposite sex. In my opinion, even though some high school relationship might continue after graduation, the probability of them lasting much longer is so slim that there really is not a point to it.
Firstly you have to think about such a question-- whether it is possible to hurt both of you, or even hurt both of your future husbands or wives. My second point is that you still can date if you hope marriage could possibly follow. Except this, there really is not any other reason for dating. Some students desire relationships for a chance to be romantic. While these are nice to have, there are many more important things at this point in our lives.
The titles of boyfriend and girlfriend put too much stress on a relationship between high school students. Just staying as common friends may be the best choice for us. I strongly recommend we should deal with it in an appropriate way and follow our teachers' advice if necessary. | high16584.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays."
},
"options": [
"To tell us how to prevent the thefts around the holidays.",
"To let the outdoor lights on all the time.",
"To tell us many families suffering from th... | How do you know if your home is an easy aim for thefts ? Around the holidays, many families don' t consider taking proper measures to prevent t heir homes from suffering holiday thefts. With just a few simple steps, you can better make sure of the safety of your home during all of the holiday celebrations. Here are a few tips for making it difficult to tell you are away from home.
* Either have a trusted neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers, or tell your mailperson to hold your mail until you return. Nothing says"Hey, we are not home! "like when your postbox is filled with all kinds of mails and you have many different newspapers in your driveway.
* Set several different lights in your house on random timers .Don' t leave your outdoor lights on all the time. Instead, put your outside lights on timers to be on during the nights. If an outdoor light remains on for days at a time, it means that nobody is home to turn it off.
* If you have pets that you are not taking with you on vacation, leave them with a friend, rather than having someo ne come into your house every day to take care of them. When thefts see a neighbor or friend entering your house every day, they will know you are not home.
* Close all your curtains when you leave town. This is effective to deter possible thefts, as no one can see what is in your house. If they don' t know what there is to take, then the risk is even greater for them to break in.
* This article just has suggested a few tips to help you keep your house safe while you are on holiday. Nothing can truly protect your home unless you have it monitore d by a professional home security system. | high20036.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the film has been very popular among teenagers"
},
"options": [
"Zhao Wei took the first place in film profit",
"the film has been very popular among teenagers",
"So Yong is a film which is hard to understand",
"people ... | 350 million yuan in one week puts famous actress Zhao Wei at the top of the list of most profitable female directors. Before her the place belonged to Xue Xiaolu, the director of Finding Mr. Right, which hit Chinese screens early this year.
With the box office success of So Young, people are once again turning their nostalgic eyes to youth -- an era of passion and pain, of hope and heartbreak. The reason why youth is such a soft spot for many people is that its intangible nature cannot be truly grasped until it is lost.
"It is the period between education and employment, between dependence and independence,"says Zhang Yiwu, professor of Chinese literature at Peking University.
But Jiang Chuling, the writer of So Young, says youth shares many similarities with home. When you leave home, you start missing it. "I think youth is meaningless for young people. Only when you look back does it acquire a special meaning," she says.
For Zhang Yueran, 31, who is regarded as one of the country's most promising young novelist, "heroism in youth" was a cultural asset of people born in the 1970s, but it was swept away by the materialism that is so common in today's world.
Nostalgia for the post-1980s and post-1990s generation, according to Zhang Yiwu, comes from their frustration and anxiety. Born into the most affluent society in 100 years, this generation of single children is not as tough as their predecessors.
"They have very high expectations toward life and their disappointment and frustration with reality is huge," says Zhang. "So they turn to the past for comfort, even though they are still young. "
So Young tells a love story set in the 80s and 90s. The idea of reflecting about past time has helped the film win a lot of appreciation. One audience member said, "I think the story can really bring back memories for a lot of people. It's got something we've all experienced, but can lead us to different feelings. "
"Everyone experiences youth and every generation considers their youth to have been special. But actually, most people's memory of youth is the same--it's a journey from inexperience to knowledge, from thoughtlessness to responsibility. And this journey is often marked by pain--the emotion that leaves the deepest scars within us", say Jiang. | high17856.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "total personality"
},
"options": [
"total personality",
"intellectual ability",
"personal qualities",
"communicative skills"
],
"question": "The author argues that a teacher's chief concern should be the develop... | We find that bright children are rarely held back by mix-ability teaching. On the contrary, both their knowledge and experience are enriched. We feel that there are many disadvantages in streaming pupils. It does not take into account the fact that children develop at different rates. It can have a bad effect on both the bright and the not-so-bright child. After all, it can be quite discouraging to be at the bottom of the top grade!
Besides, it is rather unusual to grade pupils just according to their intellectual ability. This is only one aspect of their total personality. We are concerned to develop the abilities of all our pupils to the full, not just their learning ability. We also value personal qualities and social skills, and we find that mixed ability teaching contributes to all these aspects of learning.
In our classrooms, we work in various ways. The pupils often work in groups: this gives them the opportunity to learn to co-operate, to share, and to develop leadership skills. They also learn how to deal with personal problems as well as learning how to think, to make decisions, to analyze and assess, and to communicate effectively. The pupils learn from each other as well as from the teacher.
Sometimes the pupils work in pairs; sometimes they work on individual tasks and assignments, and they can do this at their own speed. They also have some formal class teaching when this is proper. We encourage our pupils to use the library, and we teach them the skills they need in order to do this efficiently. And advanced pupil can do advanced work. It doesn't matter what age the child is. We expect our pupils to do their best, not their least, and we give them every encouragement to achieve this goal. | high16590.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "use coins"
},
"options": [
"enjoy themselves",
"work together",
"use coins",
"operate a machine"
],
"question": "The purpose of the Chimp- O- Mat experiment was to discover whether chimps would learn to _ .",
... | Six chimps were introduced to a slot machine called the Chimp- O- Mat, which would give out one grape when a white coin was insert into the slot. When Dr Wolf showed a young chimp named Moos how he could win himself a grape by inserting a coin, Moos immediately picked up another coin, pushed it into the slot, then stuck out his paw and waited for a grape to drop out..
Besides white coins, the chimps were given yellow coins to insert into the slot, but nothing came out because they were worthless. The chimps soon learned this fact. When a handful of white and yellow coins were thrown into the cage housing, Bula, Bimba and Alpha, the three chimps rushed for the white coins and never touched the yellow ones.
Now the chimps were madly in love with money. Would the six chimps value money enough to work for it? To find the answer, Dr Wolfe designed a work machine. The chimps were shown that when a large handle was lifted, they could pick one grape. When they had learned the skill of lifting the handle to get the grape, Dr Wolf made a change to the machines so that instead of the grape they would find a white coin. This coin would still buy them one grape at the Chimp- O- Mat.
Thus the complexity of getting a grape was not only doubled, but also the money to buy the grape could be achieved only by honest work. The handle they had to lift to get the coin weighed eighty pounds. Great effort is needed for a young chimp to raise that weight, yet the formerly lazy chimps not only quickly mastered the new operation, but also showed great eagerness to work for money. | high20022.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "falling asleep"
},
"options": [
"begging outside",
"buying goods",
"staying awake",
"falling asleep"
],
"question": "When the author saw the homeless man, he was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | I had made up my mind a long time ago that I would not give a homeless person money, because I could never be sure what that money would be used for. Instead, I decided, I would buy them a sandwich, a cold drink on a hot day, a cup of coffee, whatever I could manage.
I was out recently and saw a homeless man outside of a _ . I decided I would buy this man lunch. I bought a sandwich and soda.
Just as I was leaving the store, two policemen were approaching the man. Obviously the shop owners had complained of his wandering and the police were there to draw him away from the storefronts. Just as they were about to wake him, I asked one of the officers if it was all right if I just gave the man something before he went. I was not sure why I asked the permission but the policeman said sure and I just left the bag in the man's cart, got in my car and drove off.
As I was driving off I remember thinking "I hope people saw that". Then I had to seriously ask myself why I hoped people had seen me give the man a sandwich from Starbucks. Was it because I wanted people to think, "She's such a nice person!"? Why did I hope others had seen me do it? I continued to wonder this all evening.
The next morning, it came to me that I wanted people to have witnessed that small act of kindness not so that I would receive credit and praise but so that they might be inspired to do the same and in so doing that others still would witness their acts of kindness. Thus the whole spirit of pity and giving would be lasting. | high3960.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "An experiment with ants in space."
},
"options": [
"Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut.",
"How to keep ants alive in space.",
"How to make equipment for insects in space.",
"An experiment with ants in space."
... | Many people will remember the flight of the space shuttle Challenger, in June, 1983. The achievement of Sally Ride, America's first woman astronaut to fly into space, made this flight especially memorable. Students from two Camden, New Jersey, high schools, however, are probably to remember Norma rather than Sally whenever they think about the flight.
Norma didn't travel alone. She brought about 100 companions along with her. Norma was an ant, a queen ant who, with her subject, made up the first ant colony to travel into space. The ants were part of a science experiment designed by students to test the effects of weightlessness on insects.
The equipment designed by the students for their colony functioned perfectly throughout the long space trip. The young scientists and their teachers were very sad to find that their insect astronauts had all died at some point before the container was returned to the school and opened. The problem didn't occur in space, but on the ground after challenger had landed. The container remained in the desert for nearly a week before the ant colony was moved. The hot, dry desert air dried out the colony's container and the ants died from lack of moisture .
The project was tested success because it did provide useful information. Students will continue their efforts to pinpoint what went wrong. They will try to prevent the same difficulties from recurring on future missions. They don't want to be discouraged either by the demise of the ants or by the $10,000 shuttle fare they will have to pay to send the next colony of ants into space. Ks5u | high24244.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "only strong beliefs can't ensure you a promising future"
},
"options": [
"attitudes can be learned from one's parents",
"copying other's behaviors is a good way to succeed",
"only strong beliefs can't ensure you a promising f... | Beliefs form a big part of our lives. Successful people have always believed that they can be and will be successful in their lives, such as Michael Phelps. Many of us have seen Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals in a single Olympic Games. That has created a history for himself. Many people have admired his success and the first reaction in their mind will be, "Wow, how I wish I could be like him!" Have you ever wondered what brought him success?
In fact, anyone can achieve what they have wanted to achieve. It is about beliefs. Everyone is a born winner. It is this belief that drives an individual to be successful in his or her own field. All successful individuals have strong beliefs and it is one of the bases for their success. If we start to believe in ourselves, the things that we can achieve will definitely give us a pleasant surprise.
Other than having a strong belief, it is the attitude that drives the individual to create their own history. The devotion towards themselves and the drive must also be present. Imagine having a strong belief in oneself and having a poor attitude towards life. Then how would that individual turn out to be? One's attitude _ the drive, the devotion and the desire to achieve his goals. If one has strong beliefs about the goals that he can achieve and he displays good attitudes towards them, it would be no surprise to anyone that he will be able to achieve his goals.
Start believing in yourself and you will achieve your goals and with the right positive attitude, you will definitely be able to create the miracle that you have always dreamt of. | high14387.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "humans began to focus on the research scientifically"
},
"options": [
"humans began to focus on the research scientifically",
"humans discovered whales human-like sounds in 2012",
"Noc hated to be accompanied by dolphins and ... | Internet reports of whales sounding like people are not new. But in this case in San Diego, California, scientists for the first time recorded the utterances, did an acoustic analysis and were surprised to find a rhythm similar to that of human speech, Sam Ridgway of the National Marine Mammal Foundation reported on Monday.
The sounds marking is quite special : Whales make sounds through the system of the nose, unlike people, who use their throat. So this particular with whale had to make some tricky muscular and blowhole adjustments. "Such obvious effort suggests motivation for relatin", said Ridway, the main author of a study featured in the journal Current Biology. "The sounds we heard were clearly an example of vocal learning by the white whale."
The wale, named Noc, died five years ago. Ridgway says that back in 1984, he and others started hearing sounds near the whale and dolphin enclosure that recalled two people speaking in the distance, too far away to be understood. The sounds were later traced to one particular white whale when a diver in its tank came to the surface because he thought he heard colleagues tell him to do so. Noc had lived among dolphins and other white whales and had often been in the presence of humans. The whale made human-like sounds for around four years until it reached the age of sexual maturity, Ridgway said. | high22635.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Arable land covers 90 percent of the country' s total area"
},
"options": [
"Arable land covers 90 percent of the country' s total area",
"It was the rule of foreigners that made the Mauritius people live in poverty",
"More t... | Mauritius, an island country, lies 1, 200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1, 100, 000, about 750, 000 Indians, 300, 000 Clioers, 30, 000 Chinese and 20, 000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its special terrains . In the center there are volcanoes several thousand feet high, and 90 percent of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch _ in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered by Britain in 1810.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity has shown itself in this island country. | high12090.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To watch sports and plays."
},
"options": [
"To visit the volcano.",
"To shop and eat there.",
"To watch sports and plays.",
"To see how Pompeiians lived."
],
"question": "Why do large number of people come to P... | Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sight that Pompeii is famous for--its stadium and theaters, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2,ooo years.
Once Pompeii was a busy city of 22,000 people. It lay at the foot of Mt Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano. Mt Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not. In August of the year 79 AD, Mt Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ashes began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stones and ashes. Then in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city almost looked the same as it had looked in 79 AD. There were streets and fountains, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20,000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue color in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread--a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye-makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii. | high1811.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Positive."
},
"options": [
"Objective.",
"Positive.",
"Critical.",
"Indifferent."
],
"question": "What does the author's attitude towards the three words \"just in case\"?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | If "I love you" are the three nicest words in the English language, then "just in case" must be the three most annoying. They are often followed by "you never know..." suggesting a whole bundle of horrors if you don't go along with the "just in case" idea.
The first "just in case" you heard was probably from your mother. Do you remember "Always make sure your underwear is clean. Just in case"? You'd ask "In case of what?" and she'd say, "You never know..." If you kept asking she would finally say the ominous words. "You could be in an accident."
Through most of you school years, besides books, pens, etc... you carried around a heavy sweater, sunscreen, and a rain coat, just in case it got cold, or hot, or it rained. Thanks to Mom, "just in case" ruled your life. It was the same with Halloween candy.
"Don't eat in until Mom or Dad can check it out, just in case."
"In case of what?" you'd say.
"You never know."
"Know what?"
And then it came - _ . which ensured you would end up letting Mom and Dad eat all your candy. Simply because they loved you so much and wanted to protect you from harm.
"There could be poison in it."
As we get older the habit has become so deep-rooted that we force it on ourselves. We leave for the airport to catch our Flight half an hour before the aircraft leave its previous location, just in case the traffic is bad. "Just in case". The phrase is so much a part of our lives.
I'm going to print up this article now, but I'll also save it onto my hard drive, just in case my computer crashes. I'll also save it on a disc, and just in case the disc gets damaged I'll save it on my flash drive. Well...you never know. Thanks a lot, Mom! | high22153.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "South African English"
},
"options": [
"Canadian English",
"South African English",
"the Hiberno-English of Ireland",
"Australian English"
],
"question": "Which of the following native English dialects ranks fif... | The English language was first introduced to the Americas by British colonization, beginning in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. Similarly, the language spread to numerous other parts of the world as a result of British trade and colonization elsewhere and the spread of the former British Empire, which, by 1921, held sway over a population of 470-570 million people, approximately a quarter of the world's population at that time.
Over the past 400 years the form of the language used in the Americas--especially in the United States--and that used in the United Kingdom have diverged in a few minor ways, leading to the versions now occasionally referred to as American English and British English. Differences between the two include pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, punctuation, idioms, and formatting of dates and numbers. A small number of words have completely different meanings in the two versions or are even unknown or not used in one of the versions. One particular contribution towards formalizing these differences came from Noah Webster, who wrote the first American dictionary (published 1828) with the intention of showing that people in the United States spoke a different dialect from Britain, much like a regional accent.
It may be the case that increased worldwide communication through radio, television, the Internet and globalization has reduced the tendency towards regional variation. This can result either in some variations becoming extinct (for instance, the wireless, being progressively superseded by the radio) or in the acceptance of wide variations as "perfectly good English" everywhere.
Chief among other native English dialects are Canadian English and Australian English, which rank third and fourth in the number of native speakers. For the most part, Canadian English, while featuring numerous British forms alongside native Canadianisms, shares vocabulary, phonology and syntax with American English, leading many to recognize North American English as an organic grouping of dialects. Australian English likewise shares many American and British English usages alongside plentiful features unique to Australia, and retains a significantly higher degree of distinctiveness from both the larger varieties than does Canadian English. South African English, New Zealand English and the Hiberno-English of Ireland are also distinctive and rank fifth, sixth and seventh in the number of native speakers. | high9295.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "some people still try to make progress after 25.[:,,]"
},
"options": [
"most people are not open to new ideas before 25.",
"few people continue to improve themselves after 25.",
"some people still try to make progress after 2... | William James, the great psychologist , said that most men are "old fogies at twenty-five". He was right. Most men at twenty-five are satisfied with their jobs. They have closed their minds to all new ideas; they have stopped to grow.
The minute a man stops to grow -no matter what his years -that minute he begins to be old. On the other hand, the really great man never grows old. Goethe passed away at eighty-three, and finished his
only a few years earlier; Gladstone took up a new language when he was seventy. Laplace, the astronomer, was still at work when death caught up with him at seventy-eight. He died crying, "What we know is nothing; what we do not know is immense (extremely large)."
And there you have the real answer to the question, "When is a man old?"
Laplace at seventy-eight died young. He was still unsatisfied, still sure that he had a lot to learn.
As long as a man can keep himself in that attitude of mind, as long as he can look back on every year and say, "I grew", he is still young.
The minute he ceases (stops) to grow, the minute he says to himself, "I know all that I need to know," -that day youth stops. He may be twenty-five or seventy-five; it makes no difference. On that day he begins to be old. | high15927.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He misses it as a grown-up"
},
"options": [
"It was endless.",
"It was unpleasant.",
"He is glad that it is over.",
"He misses it as a grown-up"
],
"question": "How does the author feel about his childhood?",
... | Childhood was an illusion and the illusion was this: everything was bigger. No, I mean everything, not just houses and shops and grown-ups, but colors and flowers and journeys, especially journeys which seemed endless. "Are we there yet, Daddy?"
Funfairs were huge things that spread for miles around you with noise and lights and exciting danger. Rainy days at home when you were ill seemed to last for ever. Being a grown-up yourself was an unthinkable distant possibility. Every sound was louder, every game was grander, every pain unbearable.
As I've grown old, life has become smaller. Tastes have dulled. Surprises have turned into shocks. Days go by unnoticed. How can I regain childhood when it was an illusion?
I have only one repeatable and wonderful way and even in this way I can regain only part of that larger world. I can play upon the stage like a child and make the crowd laugh and laugh with them, sometimes helplessly like a child, and then, even though I'm a sixty-one-year-old man, I can almost catch the colors and sounds and stillness of those bigger years when I was little. | high4969.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "usually saw the birth or death of a family member"
},
"options": [
"were often absent when a family member was born or dying",
"were quite unfamiliar with birth and death",
"usually saw the birth or death of a family member",... | In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. This is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during the birth of a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.
Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally ill patients - even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of significant family members during the last few days of his and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience.
Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 terminally ill patients in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were aware of its possible result.
It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients' communications in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies. Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their great need to be informed, to be kept up-to-date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to deal with the coming of death and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance prior to death. | high20744.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "safe driving"
},
"options": [
"engines",
"safe driving",
"using horses",
"modern machines"
],
"question": "The passage mainly talks about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | You have heard the expression "horse sense". As you may imagine, it came from the time when the majority of people traveled in vehicles drawn by horses. A horse does have a lot of common sense, and there are many true stories about horses having saved their drivers from danger of death.
Today for the most part, people travel by train, ship, airplane, and car, but very little by the use of horses. Modern vehicles are _ by engines, and an engine does not have any sense. In case of danger, many horses could be depended on to help. Not so with the engine; the driver must do all the things.
In recent years, the speed of travel has increased greatly. With the increased speed comes greatly increased danger. The driver of a powerful engine needs to be careful. A moment of being careless may cost a life. In order to drive today, a person must be able to see clearly, and he must learn and follow carefully the rules for safety on the road. Greater attention is the price we pay for using a machine instead of a horse. | high11599.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To watch a scientist secretly."
},
"options": [
"To test a high-tech tool.",
"To save a baby from a car.",
"To study a new technology.",
"To watch a scientist secretly."
],
"question": "What is Banks' first real... | Which boy hasn't dreamed of being a cool secret agent ? The wonderful fighting abilities and the world-saving adventures are much more colourful than most people's everyday lives. Well, Cody Banks is just like any other boy,except that he is not just dreaming. He has a big secret his friends never know about. He was trained to be a spy by a special CIA programme,which was made to look like a summer camp. He learned high-speed driving,hand-to-hand fighting and the use of high-tech tools.
After proving he could become a young hero by saving a baby from a runaway car,Banks gets his first real task. He must make friends with a popular girl at school,Natalie Connors. Then,he must spy on her father,a scientist who has developed a dangerous technology .Banks must stop a group of bad people from forcing Natalie's father into using the technology to endanger the world.
The CIA may have taught him first-class self-defence moves,but they didn't show him how to talk to girls. Banks has zero ability when it comes to dealing with girls. How can he get around his problem and get an invitation to the girl's upcoming birthday party? Will he finally become Natalie's boyfriend and find out whatever he can about her father's work?
Agent Cody Banks has everything that young people are interested in: big explosions, breath-taking performances and funny girl-dating experiences. It was listed No.2 in the American box office last week.
"This story is interesting and fun for the whole family to enjoy,and especially cool for young boys," said Paul Perkins, a film reviewer in theUS. | high6819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To save people' s lives and property."
},
"options": [
"To identify the cause of disasters.",
"To save people' s lives and property.",
"To prevent natural disasters from happening,",
"To apply advanced technology to dis... | In a natural disaster--a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes--minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death.Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen.They are also studying how best to analyze and communicate this information once it is obtained.
On September 29, 1998, Hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour.Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean.
This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people.
Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century----residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions .
At the same time that people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied.A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans.Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk for flooding.Emergency management officials must begin evacuations well before a storm strikes.But evacuation costs money: businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures.The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city' s preparations for Georges cost more than 50 million.After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.
The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters.Disaster prediction is a process of providing scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions. | high15098.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he/she may be in a state of poor health"
},
"options": [
"he/she is sure to have cardiovascular problems",
"he/she may be in a state of poor health",
"he/she must be in danger of heart disease",
"he/she might get on poo... | Getting enough sleep on a regular basis is one important way to protect the health of your heart. Poor sleep is associated with a range of cardiovascular problems, including high blood pressure, heart attack, and heart failure. Both men and women are at increased risk for these conditions. But we continue to learn that when it comes to health problems associated with sleep, the particular risks to men and women are not always the same. A new study suggests that for women who already have heart disease, poor sleep may be particularly dangerous to their heart health.
Research indicates that poor-quality sleep--and waking too early in particular--is associated with increased inflammation among women with heart disease. There was no similar association found for men, suggesting that women with heart disease and sleep problems may be at particular risk for inflammation that can be damaging to the heart.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco investigated the relationship between sleep quality and inflammation linked to coronary heart disease. They also sought information about how an association between sleep and inflammation might differ between men and women. Their investigation included 980 men and women at first, and 626 completed the 5-year study. All of those included were suffering for coronary heart disease. The average age of men in the study was 66. Women were slightly younger, with an average age of 64. Researchers measured sleep quality by asking participants to rate their sleep over the previous month. They also asked for reports of some of the most common sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, waking frequently throughout the night, and waking too early in the morning.
After 5 years, researchers repeated tests for inflammation and once again sought reports on sleep quality and sleep problems. When they analyzed data for both men and women together, researchers found no links between inflammations and sleep quality. However, when they analyzed data taking gender into account, researchers found a relationship between inflammation and sleep existed for women, but not for men. | high14386.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "children are expected to be blue-collar or white-collar workers"
},
"options": [
"art plays a very important role in education of children",
"children are expected to be blue-collar or white-collar workers",
"schools should e... | Education is another area where the presence of arts and crafts is more than welcome. If children realize the importance of art and creativity from a young age, they can grow up to be more confident, more creative, and definitely more mature. Schools are the breeding grounds for future painters and movie makers, and these arts should be encouraged wholesomely in such an environment.
Sadly, many parents do not understand why art is important for children, and subconsciously force them to follow career paths that are common and conformist in nature. This is fair enough in its own way, because the world does need some standard blue collar and white collar jobs to continue its existence; but this is a choice that children should be allowed to make for themselves. The doors to creativity and expression must not be shut in their faces, even if it comes at a cost of making more money.
To put it more scientifically, here are some benefits of kids' art activities that give a suitable answer to the question "Why is art important in schools?"
1.Exposure to art, music and drawings at an early age improves the amount of brain activity in children.
2.It increases the span of knowledge in the minds of children, thus making them sharper and more educated.
3.It builds up the levels of self-confidence, self-esteem , motivation, cooperation and communication in children.
4.It helps children understand other people's opinions and points of view as well.
5.It helps them sharpen their problem-solving skills, decision-making and gives them the possibility of really exploring their imaginations. | high8834.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Davidson Academy of Nevada emphasizes social gift more than academic gift."
},
"options": [
"At the age of 3, Annalisee took an IQ test, in which she scored above 145.",
"Finding no school willing to take Annalisee, her father ... | Annalisee Brasil, a 14-year-old girl, is one of the brightest kids of her generation. When Annalisee was 3, her mother Angi noticed that she was stringing together word cards into correct sentences. After the girl turned 6, her mother took her for an IQ text. Her IQ is above 145, placing the girl in the top 0.1% of the population. Annalisee should be the star pupil at school. She is witty and pretty, and it's easy to imagine she would get along well at school. But Annalisee's parents couldn't find a school willing to take their daughter. So her mother homeschooled Annalisee.
But Angi felt something was missing in her daughter's life. Annalisee didn't have a rich social network of other kids. She had trouble getting along with others. She described herself as a " _ " and said other students sometimes were jealous of her.
What's needed is a new model for gifted education. That's the idea behind the Davidson Academy of Nevada. At the academy, all the kids are skipping ahead quickly. However, the academy's most important gift to its students is social, not academic. One of the main functions of the school is to provide a good social setting for the highly gifted.
Last year the school enrolled Annalisee, which has been good for her. She has made friends at the academy. She has also developed an interest in calculus and biochemistry . Socially, Annalisee is finally learning to get along with others. "It's been interesting having to deal with that and getting used to the judgments of other kinds," she said. "We get into arguments a lot, because we're all really smart people with opinions, and it doesn't always turn out that great. Sometimes I take things a little too personally."
What is the passage mainly about?
Annalisee Brasil----the star pupil at school.
A smart girl who entered a proper school and benefited from gifted education.
A smart girl who had trouble getting along with others.
A girl who was too smart to find a suitable school. | high3961.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "2%"
},
"options": [
"1%",
"2%",
"3%",
"5%"
],
"question": "People living in the capital city of Sudan make up more than _ of the total population.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Sudan is a rather large nation in the northeastern part of Africa. It has about twenty million people. It also has a short coastline along the Red Sea. Some northern areas of the country have deserts while the southern part has tropical rain forest.
Their capital city is Khartoum. At Khartoum the Blue Nile and the White Nile come together to form the Nile River, which is the world's longest river. Khartoum has about four hundred and seventy thousand people.
There are two groups of people who live in Sudan. In the northern part of the country, there are many Arabic-speaking Muslims. They make up about two-thirds of the total population. In the southern area, there are groups of people who speak African languages.
The northern and southern areas also have different histories. People in the south lived by themselves for many years. However, the northern area was controlled by foreigners for several centuries. After the World War II, Sudan became completely independent. | high20745.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "College enrollment in 2013 is not as high as that in 2009."
},
"options": [
"College enrollment in 2013 reached the highest point in history.",
"College enrollment in 2013 is not as high as that in 2009.",
"Only a small numbe... | In a 2013 study, it was reported that almost 66 percent of recent high school graduates went to college, a 4 percent decline since 2009, when college enrollment reached an all-time high.
So, what are the other 35 percent of high school graduates doing after they walk out of their school for the last time? Here are what some Robinson High students have planned.
For Robbie Claiborne, graduation means the start of a military career.He plans to join the Coast Guard after graduation."I was born around the ocean.I love the water.I want to fight for my country and for what I love," said Claiborne.
Others just want a break from school."I really want to take _ ," Liliam Clavijo said."I'd really love to work in Spain for a year before going to college."
Most students, however, are rather excited.Eban Trunk, a junior, has been planning his future career since middle school."I really want to be a mailman.It just seems like a cool job.Everyone loves the mailman," Trunk said."One day the idea just came to me, and I knew that was what I wanted to do."
For many students, a high school diploma means more choices."I'm not really sure what I'll do after high school," senior Joshua Loring said."I might do technical school.I'm in auto shop classes right now."
Meanwhile, Cassidy Grunderson plans on working at Busch Gardens full time."I just want to live on my own, get a job and move out," Grunderson said.
Stephen Hambleton, who teaches auto tech classes at Robinson, says many of his students choose to enter the automobile industry after graduation."It's an instant job, and after taking years of auto shop in high school, it's easy to get hired," he said.Several seniors in his class, including Loring, plan to enter the industry upon graduation.
"College isn't for everyone, and I really respect people who decide to do their own thing," said Coleman Parks, a senior student."I think too many people feel that they're only as valuable as their degree."
Graduates are proving that college isn't the only option when high school ends. | high10686.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "by 2010"
},
"options": [
"by 2020",
"in the first half of this year",
"by 2010",
"by 2008"
],
"question": "People in Shanghai can drink their tap water _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | People in Shanghai can quench their thirst with high quality water if the Shanghai Water Authority (SWA) is able to make good on its word. It has vowed to make the city's water match its status as a world class city.
"The current tap water quality meets national standards, but, compared with that of the European Union and the United States, it still needs to be improved." said the SWA's director general, Hang Jiayi.
In other developed countries, water fountains can be found almost everywhere--people do not bother with bottled drinking water.
By 2020, the water of the Huangpu River will be treated to reduce the amount of organic waste in it. Major water works that draw water from the Huangpu will need more treatment facilities to improve the colour, texture, ammonia and nitrogen content before 2010.
These treatment facilities are expected to cost 4 billion yuan, something that could affect the price of water, according to Chen Yin, SWA's deputy director general.
Chen said that replacing water pipes was also a key project. The city's aged pipes are mostly to blame for the bad water quality.
The SWA has started the water facilities renovation work, including the more than 14,000 kilometres of indoor piping, 107,000 tanks on top of the buildings, and more than 6,000 underground facilities.
World Water Day came on March 22, and this year's theme is "Water for the future". Beijing is also drawing up plans during China's Water Week, which runs until March 28.
By 2010, the water for the Shanghai EXPO is to be above World Health Organization standards. And, the people of Beijing will be able to drink their tap water as well. | high15926.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "upset"
},
"options": [
"enthusiastic",
"encouraged",
"embarrassed",
"upset"
],
"question": "How was the captain probably feeling when his truck charged down the street to the fire?",
"question_type": "factio... | Many years ago there was a huge oil refinery fire in a small town. Flames shot hundreds of feet into the air. The sky was thick with grimy black smoke. The heat was intense--so intense that firefighters had to park their trucks a block away and waited for the heat to die down before they could begin to fight the fire. However, it was about to rage out of control.
Then, all of a sudden, from several blocks away came a fire truck racing down the street. With its brakes screeching, it hit the curb in front of the fire. The firefighters jumped out and began to battle the blaze. All the firefighters who were parked a block away saw this, and they jumped into their trucks, drove down the block and began to fight the fire, too. As a result of that cooperative effort, they were just barely able to bring the fire under control.
The people who saw this teamwork thought, "My goodness, the man who drove that lead fire truck--what an act of bravery!" They decided to give him a special award to recognize him for his bravery in leading the charge.
At the ceremony the mayor said, "Captain, we want to honor you for a fantastic act of bravery in leading the charge. You prevented the loss of property, perhaps even the loss of life. If there is one special thing you could have--just about anything--what would it be?"
Without hesitation, the captain replied, "Your Honor, a new set of brakes of my truck would be great!" | high9294.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in the city"
},
"options": [
"in the city",
"on the farm",
"with his grandparents",
"away from his parents"
],
"question": "When the writer was small, he lived _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | As a youngster, there was nothing I liked better than Sunday afternoons at my grandfather's farm in western Pennsylvania. Surrounded by miles of winding stone walls, the house and field provided endless hours of fun for a city kid like me. I was used to tidy living rooms that seemed to whisper, "Not to be touched!"
I can still remember one afternoon when I was eight years old. Since my first visit to the farm, I had wanted more than anything to be allowed to climb the stone walls surrounding the houses. My parents would never _ . The walls were old; some stones were missing, others loose and falling. Still, my idea to climb across those walls grew so strong that finally, one spring afternoon, I had all my courage to enter the living room, where the adults had gathered after Sunday dinner.
"I, uh-I want to climb the stone walls," I said. Everyone looked up. "Can I climb the stone walls? "Immediately voices of disagreement went up from the women in the room. "Heavens, no!" You'll hurt yourself!" I wasn't too disappointed; the response was just as I'd expected. But before I could leave the room, I was stopped by my grandfather's loud voice. "Now hold on just a minute," I heard him say. "Let the boy climb the stone walls. He has to learn to do things for himself."
"Go," he said to me, "and come and see me when you get back." For the next two and a half hours I climbed those old walls -and had the time of my life. Later I met with my grandfather to tell him about my adventures. I'll never forget what he said. "Fred," he said, smiling, "You made this day a special day just by being yourself. Always remember, there's only one person in this whole world like you, and I like you exactly as you are."
Many years have passed since then, and today I host the television program Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, seen by millions of children throughout America. There have been changes over the years, but one thing remains the same: my message to children at the end of almost every visit. "There's only one person in this whole world like you," the kids can count on hearing me say, "and people can like you exactly as you are." | high1810.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To trick the lion."
},
"options": [
"To entertain the audience.",
"To show off his skills.",
"To get ready for a fight.",
"To trick the lion."
],
"question": "Why does the lion tamer use a chair?",
"question... | A typical lion tamer in people's mind is an entertainer holding a whip( ) at a chair. The whip gets all of the attention, but it's mostly for show. In reality, it's the chair that does the important work. When a lion tamer holds a chair in front of the lion's face, the lion tries to focus on all four legs of the chair at the same time. With its focus divided, the lion becomes confused and is unsure about what to do next. When faced with so many options, the lion chooses to freeze and wait instead of attacking the man holding the chair.
How often do you find yourself in the same position as the lion? How often do you have something you want to achieve (e.g. lose weight, start a business, travel more)--only to end up confused by all of the options in front of you and never make progress?
This upsets me to no end because while all the experts are busy debating about which option is best, the people who want to improve their lives are left confused by all of the conflicting information. The end result is that we feel like we can't focus or that we're focused on the wrong things, and so we take less action, make less progress, and stay the same when we could be improving.
It doesn't have to be that way. Anytime you find the world waving a chair in your face, remember this: All you need to do is focus on one thing. You just need to get started. Starting before you feel ready is one of the habits of successful people. If you have somewhere you want to go, something you want to accomplish, someone you want to become...take immediate action. If you're clear about where you want to go, the rest of the world will either help you get there or get out of the way. | high12091.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the French Spiderman climbed the world's tallest building"
},
"options": [
"another world record was broken by a Frenchman.",
"the French Spiderman climbed the world's tallest building",
"how Alain Robert got the name \"dared... | Daredevil climber Alain Robert, known as the French Spiderman, stood strong winds and rain to climb the world's tallest skyscraper, Taiper 101, Saturday.
Robert, dressed in a red rain jacket, tights and climbing shoes, climbed up ropes hung down the side of the 101-storey, 1,667-foot office tower, reaching the top in around four hours. "It was a very big moment and I felt a lot of satisfaction though I was already so tired and nearly all of my muscles were painful. I felt completely eased," said Robert after taking the ride down in one of the tower's lifts, the world's fastest.
Several hundred onlookers and shoppers gathered at the base of the tower watching and cheering Roberts progress through live pictures on a large television screen. At times he disappeared from view as clouds passed by the top of the tower surrounding the upper storeys.
The 42-year-old Frenchman has covered scores of well-known structures around the world including the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower-without permission or any safety equipment or ropes.
This time Robert was wearing a harness fastened to safety ropes for the entire climb. He used the ropes to pull himself up most of the way, using his hands and feet to climb up the walls for only short sections. He said the management had requested he wear the ropes and safety equipment, which had also become necessary due to the rain making the windows and frames very slippery. Robert said he would not carry his pity the next time. | high15932.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because they are against the present law of physics."
},
"options": [
"Because they are so unexpected.",
"Because the scientists do not believe them.",
"Because the scientists are careful and calm.",
"Because they are a... | The day after news broke of a possible revolution in physics ----particles moving faster than light ?a scientist leading the European experiment that made the discovery calmly explained it to a standing-room- only crowd at CERN.
The physicist, Dario Auterio, did not try to explain what the results might mean for the laws of physics, let alone the broader world.After an hour of technical talk, he simply said, "Therefore, we present to you today this difference, this unusualness."
But what unusualness it may be.From 2009 through 2011, the massive OPERA detector buried in a mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy, recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos ( ) arriving faster than light can move in an empty space.The neutrinos generated at CERN are hardly detectably early.If confirmed, the finding would throw more than a century of physics into disorder.
"If it's correct, it's _ ." said Rob Plunkett, a scientist at Fermilab, the Department of Energy physics laboratory in Illinois."We'd be looking at a whole new set of rules" for how the universe works.Those rules would bend, or possibly break, Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, published in 1905.Basical at the time, the theory tied together space and time, matter and energy, and set a hard limit for the speed of light, later measured to be about 186, 000 miles per second.
No experiment in 106 years had broken that speed limit.Physicists expect strict study to follow, which OPERA and CERN scientists welcomed.
Fermilab operates a similar experiment, called MINOS, that shoots neutrinos from Illinois to an underground detector in Minnesota.In 2007, MINOS discovered a just detectable amount of faster than-light neutrinos, but the permissible difference of error was too big to "mention" , Plunkett said.
Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data, which will take six to eight months.In 2013, the MINOS detector, now offline, will restart after an upgrade.It could then offer confirmation of the results. | high348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Six."
},
"options": [
"Four.",
"Five,",
"Six.",
"Seven."
],
"question": "How many kinds of fractures are mentioned in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | The medical term for a broken bone is a fracture.But there are different kinds of fractures.A single fracture is when a bone is broken in just one place.You may have heard the term hairline fracture.This is a single fracture that is very small,like the width of a hair.A complete fracture is when the bone comes apart.When a bone is broken in more than two places or gets crushed.the name for it is a comminuted fracture.Still another condition is called a bowing fracture.This happens with a bone that bends but does not break.It happens mostly in children.Ever heard of a greenstick fracture? This is when a bone is bent and breaks along only one side,like a young stick of wood.Another kind of break is an open or compound fracture.This is when the bone breaks the skin. This is very serious.Along with the bone damage there is a risk of infection in the open wound.
A lot of things happen as the body reacts to all injury like a broken bone.You might suddenly feel lightheaded.You might also feel sick to your stomach.People who are seriously injured can go into shock.They might feel cold,dizzy and unable to think clearly.Shock requires immediate medical attention.But while broken bones can be painful,they are generally not life-threatening.
Still,broken bones should be treated quickly because they can restrict blood flow or cause nerve damage.Also,the break will start to repair itself, so you want to make sure the bone is lined up correctly.
X-rays are taken to see the break.Treatment depends on the kind of fracture that is identified. A doctor sets a broken bone to make sure it is in the correct position.Severe breaks may require an operation to hold the bone together with metal plates and screws.Then,a hard _ may be put around the area of the break to hold the bone in place while it heals.Casts are usually worn for one to two months.In some cases,instead of a cast,a splint made of plastic or metal will be secured over the area to restrict movement. | high23258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they believe that the school will have a bright future"
},
"options": [
"they believe that the school will have a bright future",
"they believe the government is sure to approve the school",
"the school models itself on Hong ... | Will Nanfang University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen announce a new beginning for China's higher education reform? It's too early to answer. But its presence is challenging the Ministry of Education. Even without the approval of the ministry it seems that the school is determined to move forward and enroll 50 students, so-called child prodigies , to begin classes on March l, 2011.On graduating in 2015, these students will receive a diploma unauthorized by the Ministry of Education----unlike the students of their age from the state-run universities.
The school is committed to modeling itself on Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, but if the government will not approve the school, the situation could cause a lot of trouble for those 50 students if they want to do graduate studies at other higher learning institutions. Other schools could turn their applications down for their unauthorized diplomas.
The difficulties, however, have not frightened students and their parents away. On Dec.18, 2010 more than 1,000 students and their parents visited Nanfang University of Science and Technology for interviews.
Private investment marks the school out from other higher learning institutions in the nation. Not a penny comes from the government. So the government will have no voice in how the school will be run.
The Ministry of Education has published a comprehensive plan for education reform and development between 2011 and 2020.The goal is to make China's higher education internationally competitive. To accomplish this goal, the government should have the courage to let the educators who have big ideas try them out. The ministry should have applauded the independence. The school in Shenzhen has shown and encouraged more to do likewise.
Education reform in China has reached a new and crucial stage. Nanfang University of Science and Technology has a long way to go to prove itself competitive rather than a diploma mill. | high9280.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "notice small changes"
},
"options": [
"notice small changes",
"expect small changes",
"welcome small changes",
"exaggerate small changes"
],
"question": "After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _",
"... | You've just come home, after living abroad away, has this country changed for the better-or
for a few years.Since you've been for the worse?
If you've just arrived back inthe UK after a fortnights holiday, small changes have probably surprised you-anything from a Iocal grcengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 year:' living abroad ? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed ----or now take for granted ? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Dcbi: When we IcCheltenham, my home town, was a town of white ,middle-class families-all very conservative .The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotel and tourism.There are even severai snops only for foreigners.
Having been an inunigrant myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job.Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I'd think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they're more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked.But the differences between the place we'd left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening-in Cyprus, they're very relaxed-and I got pulled over by customs officers just for taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals hall.Everyone seemed to be on guard.Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country.I just wish more people would appreciate w,that they've got. | high22146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The wood of the violins was special."
},
"options": [
"They were made by experts.",
"The wood of the violins was special.",
"The way of making them was unusual.",
"The varnish was different from the others."
],
... | When I was a boy my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to.Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city, and so he did.
When I was 16,dad looked closely at the violin I played and said that he wanted to make one.He read about violinmaking,and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43.He bought the tools and materials,opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper,while he worked at a local company.He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments.
Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sounded so beautiful.Some experts told him that it was the special varnish that gave the instruments their beautiful sound.Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish--if that was the answer.
One of Dad's friends asked him which kind of wood was used to make violins.When dad explained that the top was made of spruce ,his friend said that he had all old piece of spruce which dad might be interested in.
He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him.It proved to be an excellent violin and it would become Dad's masterpiece.He believed that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself.
Later, the instrument was stolen. _ But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old,selling guitars and violins.
The violin has been missing for more than 25 years.Somewhere a musician is playing a late-20th-century violin with an excellent tone.The owner today may never understand why this Ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like Stradivarius. | high12085.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Eight"
},
"options": [
"Four",
"Eight",
"Nine",
"Eleven"
],
"question": "_ years after their marriage, the couple decided to travel forever.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | For most families, a long car journey is the _ of any trip.But for the Zapps, their 83-year-old vehicle has been a home for the past 11 years, as the couple travel around the world on a never ending trip of a lifetime, covering 142,000 miles over four continents.
Herman and Candelaria Zapp, who got married to each other in 1996 and to their journey in 2000, Set off from Patagonia, Argentina, heading for Alaska. They came back to Argentina in2004,but settled there only for a couple of weeks, before deciding the open road is the only way to live. They have been traveling ever since, with a trip around South America between 2005 and 2007, then central America, the U.S. and Canada until 2009.The car was shipped to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea as they traveled those countries and they are currently in the Philippines on a tour of South East Asia.
As a proof that life is possible in such a mobile style, the family of the two slowly grew to a number of six.They became, over the years and while on the road, parents to four children, Pampa (eight), Tehue (five), Paloma (three) and Wallaby (one). Remarkably, each of their kids has a different nationality.
"My grandfather knew that we wanted to travel and to never stop so he gave me the old Grdham-Paige car he used on his farm," Herman said. Each night the six Zapps either sleep in or around a tent set up next to their car, but more often than not they find a friendly local who will put them up for the night.The only hard rule the couple have to stick by, is the 40mph speed limit the 83-year old car is restricted to.
Their trip is supported with the money coming from selling books they write about the places they visit. | high20989.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "cell phone manners"
},
"options": [
"cell phone manners",
"how to make phone calls",
"where to make phone calls",
"where you can use your cell phone and where not"
],
"question": "This passage is mainly about ... | Read our guide because ---trust us--- you don't want to be the one everyone's rolling their eyes at.
GO RIGHT AHEAD:
GOLDEN RULE: Home is pretty much the only place where you can safely blab about anything without having to consider the needs of the people around you.
HANDLE WITH CARE in these places:
Waiting rooms: People here tend to be feeling anxious about their news --- not yours.
Shopping: Chatting while you're in line will slow down checkout and make other shoppers angry.
GO RIGHT AHEAD: Make calls quickly and quietly, and be respectful of those forced to listen.
DON'T DO IT in these places:
Museums/libraries/churches:
There are places we go for peace and quiet --- it's not proper to disturb others.
Movies and plays:
People pay to hear someone other than you perform.
Elevators/ bathrooms/ beauty salons/ public transportation:
No one around you can escape. Why force them to listen to your chitchat?
Restaurants:
People come here partly to get away from ringing phones and enjoy their conversations , so don't subject them to yours.
GO RIGHT AHEAD: Put your phone on vibrate if you must get a call but always wait until you are outside before you start talking.
While driving a car:
It's rude to put other drivers in danger. So instead of going by the Golden Rules above, use a voice-activated phone --- and use it as little as possible. You are four times as likely to get into a car accident if you're on the phone while you're driving.
Hang up already:
How to politely ask that loud cell-take to speak softly:
If you're in a place that has a manager, ask him or her to do _ . Otherwise, put on your sweetest smile, tap the offender on the shoulder, and try one of these carefully worded lines:
"Would you please end your call? I can't hear what they're saying?"
(Try this when you're watching movies and plays.)
"Excuse me, but you're making it really hard for me to concentrate ."
(Good for museums, libraries, and places of worship.)
"Is it possible for you to speak a little more softly? I have a bad headache."
(This will usually work just about anywhere.) | high20751.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Paul Weitz."
},
"options": [
"Paul Weitz.",
"Emma Stone.",
"Paul Rudd.",
"Nicolas Cage."
],
"question": "Who is a film director?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | Movies coming soon
The Croods
Length of time:1 hour 32 minutes
Style: Family, Action
Release date : November 22, 2014
Directors: Kirk De Micco, Chris Sanders
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds
Summary
A prehistoric family are forced to flee their cave after it's destroyed by a disaster that threatens to change their lives forever in this animated film featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone.As a protective caveman father leads his family out of harm's way, the clan crosses paths with a clever teen named Guy (voice of Ryan Reynolds), who offers to help them reach a distant land where they will be safe from a terrible disaster that will soon change the entire world.
Admission
Length of time: 1 hour 47 minutes
Style: Comedy
Release date: November 22, 2014
Director: Paul Weitz
Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Nat Wolff
Summary
Tina Fey and Paul Rudd star in director Paul Weitz's comedy about an honest Princeton admissions officer.The officer meets a teenager who may be her long-lost son while recruiting students from an alternative high school.Years ago, Portia Nathan(Fey) quietly gave her newborn son up for adoption.Now she's got a great career recruiting students for Princeton university.Then, one day, she receives an unexpected call from her close college classmate _ , who runs an alternative high school that is home to some very gifted students.One such student is Jeremiah(Nat Wolff), who John believes could be the son that Portia gave up for adoption back in her youth.Meanwhile, as Portia puts her career in danger by changing Jeremiah's transcript , an unexpected love story begins to happen. | high10692.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Hu' s visit opens a new chapter in China-US ties."
},
"options": [
"Hu' s visit opens a new chapter in China-US ties.",
"The relation between China and the US.",
"The relation between China and the other countries.",
... | BEIJING--Just as the Chinese people joyfully await the traditional Spring Festival, President Hu Jintao returned here Saturday after successfully concluding a four-day state visit to the United States,which opens a new chapter in cooperative partnership between China and the United States.
During his visit,President Hu spared no efforts to make friends,to proclaim China' s philosophy of peaceful development and to express the Chinese people' s willingness to join hands with the world to greet a spring of harmonious development.
In Washington,President Hu and his US counterpart,Barack Obama,agreed to build a China-US cooperative partnership based on mutual respect and mutual benefit,and marke d out priorities of the development of China-US relations for the future.
Hu met with people from all walks of life in the United States,expounding to them the various policies of the Chinese government and China' s stand on developing China-US ties in the new era.
The strengthening of bilateral cooperation and the shaping of a new type of relationship between two great nations will give some enlightenment to the world when tackling regional and international issues,will strengthen the belief of the international communities jointly facing common challenges and will forge a new way for all countries to co-exist harmoniously in a globalized world.
During his visit,President Hu stressed that a China-US cooperative partnership should be based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. "Mutual respect and mutual benefit"is not only the keyword in defining China-US relations,but also the principle China honors in the common development with other partners.
As a goodwill messenger of a population of 1.3 billion, President Hu' s successful visit will more clearly define the relations between China' s development and the co-prosperity of the world,opening a new chapter in the history of international relations. | high20037.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "joy"
},
"options": [
"innocence",
"joy",
"the coming of spring",
"shyness"
],
"question": "Both the bluebird and the canary can be a sign of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | Blackbird
A good sign
Paradise
Magic
Seeing a blackbird for most is a good sign. It can also mean shyness and insecurity, which directly means a lack of self-confidence. The color black, as we know, is connected with supernatural power.
Bluebird
The arrival of spring
Hard work
Joy
Bluebirds are connected with joy, and they most often mean a happy condition or good news coming your way. They may also refer to the hope of an individual for their inner child, which means innocence .
Bluejay
Fearless
Truthful
Talkative
A bluejay can mean being faithful to others. Seeing a bluejay either in its natural habitat or in your dreams could also send across a message to develop an innate talent.
Canary
Joy
Freedom
Intellectual development
Canaries are happy birds that spread joy and a sense of well-being. For some, a flying canary can be a sign of the spread of unwanted information. It can also mean that you are the cause of the gossip as an individual. A canary is also a symbol of selflessness. | high3975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Australian Eastern coastline"
},
"options": [
"Warrook Cattle farm",
"Koala Conservation Center",
"Australian Eastern coastline",
"Philiip Island Visitors Information Centre"
],
"question": "Which of the followi... | Travel Voucher :
Please download Travel Voucher from this website.For every confirmed booking
you will be required to print a voucher which is presented at the destination.You will receive a link to your voucher by email once your booking is confirmed. | high16585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To interest students in a new community program."
},
"options": [
"To explain a new requirement for graduation.",
"To interest students in a new community program.",
"To discuss the problems of elementary school students.",
... | Community service is an important component of education here at our university. We encourage all students to volunteer for at least one community activity before they graduate. A new community program called "One On One" helps elementary students who've fallen behind. Your education majors might be especially interested in it because it offers the opportunity to do some teaching, that is, tutoring in math and English.
You'd have to volunteer two hours a week for one semester. You can choose to help a child with math, English, or both. Half-hour lessons are fine, so you could do a half hour of each subject two days a week.
Professor Dodge will act as a mentor to the tutors-he'll be available to help you with lesson plans or to offer suggestions for activities. He has office hours every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. You can sign up for the program with him and begin the tutoring next week.
I'm sure you'll enjoy this community service...and you'll gain valuable experience at the same time. It looks good on your resume, too, showing that you've had experience with children and that you care about your community. If you'd like to sign up, or if you have any questions, stop by Professor Dodge's office this week. | high22620.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To increase people's dining experience."
},
"options": [
"To produce all kinds of chocolate.",
"To replace the traditional chocolate.",
"To change the coffee flavor.",
"To increase people's dining experience."
],
... | Le Whif, an inhaler that allows chocolate lovers to meet their needs whenever they please without putting on weight, is to be released in British stores. The invention, called the world's first breathable food by its creators, let consumers suck in the taste of chocolate and coffee while taking on less than one calorie. Its makers claim it will enable dieters to enjoy their favorite snacks without worrying about their waistline.
The lip-stick-style tube contains hundreds of milligrams of tiny food particles which are small enough to become conveyed by air, but too large to enter the lungs. Each Le Whif contains enough flavor about eight to ten whiffs and costs $1.99 on its own or $4.99 for a pack of three. The inhaler is available in chocolate, raspberry chocolate and mint chocolate models as well as coffee flavor, which gives a dose of caffeine equivalent to a small short of strong black coffee.
It was invented by Prof. David Edwards. He said Le Whif was not designed to replace food but could be used to increase dining experience, such as allowing people to sample a variety of dishes from restaurant menus before ordering their meals He said, "In terms of living off whiffing we aren't even close to being there. But there clearly has been a revolution over the last few years where we are eating smaller amounts of food more frequently, and choosing food or its aesthetic pleasure. We will be launching new whiffing experiences probably every six months. It is reasonable to assume that the next line of whiffing products will be even more health-centered.
The product that was released in Paris in 2009 and the initial production run of 25,000 inhalers were sold out within a month. It has since been made available across France and in the US. In Britain Le Whif is to be sold firstly in House of Fraser for a month, after which it could become more widely distributed. | high24251.txt |
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