questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Dress up as baby bears to learn about bears."
},
"options": [
"Watch bears' performances.",
"Take care of bears",
"Dress up as baby bears to learn about bears.",
"Learn how to survive a bear attack."
],
"questio... | Discover Nature Schools programs
Becoming Bears (Kindergarten-2 grade)
By becoming baby bears, children learn from their "parent" to survive the seasons. Kids will find safety in the spring and learn kinds of food bears eat during the summer, and then create a cave for winter hibernation . After learning the skills needed to survive, students will go out of the cave as an independent black bear able to care for themselves. (1.5-2 hours)
Whose Clues? (3-5 grade)
Kids will discover how plants and animals use their special structures to survive. Through outdoor study of plants and animals, kids will recognize their special structures and learn how they enable species to eat, avoid their enemies and survive. Using what they have learned, kids will choose one species and tell how they survive in their living places. (3-4 hours)
Winged Wonders (3-5 grade)
Birds add color and sound to our world and play an important ecological role. Students will learn the basics of birds, understand the role birds play in food chains and go bird watching using field guides and telescopes. Students will do hands-on activities. Students will use tools to build bird feeders, allowing them to attract birds at home.(3-4 hours)
Exploring Your Watershed (6-8 grade)
We all depend on clean water. Examining how our actions shape the waterways around us. Go on a hike to see first-hand some of the challenging water quality problems in a city. Students will test the water quality to determine the health of an ecosystem.
* Each program is taught for a class with at least 10 students.
* All programs include plenty of time outdoors. So please prepare proper clothing, sunscreen and
insect killers for children.
* To take part in a program , please email dcprograms@mdc.mo.gov. | high5096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he spent quite some time looking for a suitable place to live in"
},
"options": [
"he spent a year writing about the place he lived in",
"he spent quite some time looking for a suitable place to live in",
"he stayed in an Ind... | I came to India a year ago to find a village in which I could live and write but it was many months before I settled down happily in this Himalayan community.I wasted a lot of time looking for the "typical" village, yet no such thing exists. Conditions vary too widely.But the villages I stayed in had much in common--poverty, dirt, ignorance. Often the villagers themselves were puzzled, suspicious. Why had I come? I had put aside my work as a political journalist because my ideas had changed. I had come to believe that what was happening in the Third World was more important than anything else. But to understand how three quarters of the world's people live, and how their future might affect ours, I felt that I first had to try and share their way of life.In the end I chose a mountain village because it was a little cooler than those in the plains. I took the bus from town along a bumpy road. Then came a rough walk down a steep path to the river. After this I began the climb into the Mils. Whenever I stopped to catch my breath, there was a magnificent view. After several hours' walk the village came into view. | high2921.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "attract people to go on the tours"
},
"options": [
"advise people to learn more about the Capital City",
"introduce Tour One Inc. to us",
"advertise a tour in the Capital City",
"attract people to go on the tours"
]... | Tour One invites you to join our tours of the Capital City. Your host will entertain you with historical anecdotes and offer an endless supply of "insider" tips to make your visit wonderful. Your time with us will be the highlight of your visit to Washington DC. Because class size does matter, Tour One uses a minibus for your convenience and personal attention. Also a minibus can easily get in and out of the popular areas. You're not here to waste time. Day tour picks you up at your hotel in DC at 9 am. Your personal tour guide will _ while you are visiting the White House, the US Capitol, the Arlington National Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial and the Korean War Veteran's Memorial.
Your 90-minute lunch break will be at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. The eventful day tour ends at 5 pm back at your hotel. The price is $60 per adult, $40 per child under 13 years. There are no admission fees because all government buildings, the Smithsonian Museum, memorials and monuments have free access. Tour One Inc. accepts credit cards, checks, cash and stock options. If you have any questions or wish to make reservations , please e-mail us at the bottom of the page.
The night tour will show off the true glory of the glowing symbols of the nation. We pick you up at your hotel at 7 pm and drop you back by 10 pm. You will visit the Iwo Jima, the Jefferson, the Kennedy Center and the FDR Memorials. The price is $25 per adult and $15 per child under 13 years. Contact us at TOUR ONE INC. POB 77084 Washington DC 20013. Office: 202-487-TOUR. Fax: 301-530-5542. E-mail: ThePresident@whitehousetours.com. | high21063.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They had to observe the official rules."
},
"options": [
"He was diagnosed with lung cancer.",
"He was unwilling to give away his money.",
"They had to observe the official rules.",
"They didn't want to disturb his peac... | Winning the lottery is not the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for many past winners. Sad stories do exist in large numbers for the past lottery winners and that's why some financial experts say "70 percent of lottery winners will squander away winning within a few years." Some end up losing all within two years, family relationships destroyed or even worse.
Wayne Schenk was an old soldier diagnosed with lung cancer. When he won a million dollars in a lottery he thought his troubles were over and he would get the advanced medical treatment that might save his life. But Lottery officials refused to pay him the total sum in a single payment and they said they could not make an exception to the regulations. When Schenk died in 2007, he'd only received one payment of $34,000.
Another lottery winner, Billy Bob Harrell, Jr. killed himself two years after winning 31 million dollars in the Texas lottery in 1997.He'd spent large amounts of money and given large amounts away, but he didn't end me expected peace that should have come with the freedom of money.
Other lottery winners have ended up in prison for crimes. Many suffer bankruptcy after the big jackpot is spent and given away, including some of the eight people who won the 365 million Powerball in 2006.
The examples given paint a sad picture of what can happen if you win a big lottery jackpot, but fortunately, these examples don't tell the stories of all jackpot winners. | high4388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "her mixed feelings during the months leading towards graduation and on the actual graduation day"
},
"options": [
"the great excitement during the months leading up to the big event--the graduation ceremony",
"her mixed feelings du... | High school graduation--the bittersweet feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago.
As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys--a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school. There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother's idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would subtly ask whether I had considered particular schools--all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established that, as long as the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget, I would be going away anyway, my family's perspective changed. Their concern shifted from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California. But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I be unbearably lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school? Would the other students like me? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn't be able to stand it? And what about the work--would I be able to keep up? (Being an A student in high school seemed to offer little assurance I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I selected turned out to be a horrible mistake? Would I be able to transfer to another school?
Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn't want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn't enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung of the ladder again.
Despite months of expectation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar melody of "Pomp and Circumstance" echoed in the background, I looked around at the other figures in white caps and gowns as we seriously lined into the hall. Tears welled up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was consumed by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze , I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma. As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn't easy saying good-bye to the old one--the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn't particularly fond of and the long travel each day between home and school that I hated. Good or bad, it was what I knew.
That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn't have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today. Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors for good. Although going back is impossible, it's comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time. | high9874.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "23 people were killed and dozens of others were injured."
},
"options": [
"34 people were killed.",
"There were many Israeli casualties.",
"23 people were killed and dozens of others were injured.",
"Many houses were bu... | CAIRO, Egypt (Reuters) April 24, 2006--Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai _ of Dahab on Monday, killing 23 people and wounding dozens of others, rescue and security officials said.
Witnesses said smokebillowed1up from the town's tourist bazaar, and residents said they saw body parts anddebris2on the street after an explosion at a restaurant.
People in the small beach and diving resort, which is popular with backpackers, described scenes ofcarnage3andchaos4.
A cafe worker who was about 200 meters (yards) from the scene said: "We saw many dead people. People were screaming. People were being taken to hospital. Egyptians went to give blood. There were body parts. There's police everywhere."
"There are ambulances and cars taking people to hospital," said another resident, who also did not want to be named.
The explosions took place at the Nelson Restaurant, the Aladdin Cafeteria and the Ghazala Supermarket, the Interior Ministry said.
The explosions took place in quick succession at about 7.15 p.m. (1715 GMT). "There is smoke coming from the area and there are people running everywhere," said one witness, who heard the blasts.
An official with the local ambulance service said many of the dead appeared to be foreigners.
Israeli divers often stay in the resort but with the Passover holiday over it is unlikely many were there. The Israeli ambassador in Cairo and Israeli authorities said they did not know of any Israelicasualties5.
One visitor said police were stopping cars and buses leaving the resort and had imposed restrictions on movements in and out of backpacker camps in the area.
It was the third set of three explosions on the eastern coast of the Sinai peninsula since October 2004, when a group attacked the Hilton hotel in the border resort of Taba and two other resorts on the northeast coast, killing 34 people.
Notes:
1 billow v.
2 debris n.
3 carnage n. ,
4 chaos n.
5 casualty n. | high7681.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are very smart whales."
},
"options": [
"They live in the Atlantic Ocean.",
"They are highly thought of.",
"They are very smart whales.",
"They are the smallest in number."
],
"question": "What can we learn... | In the Arctic Ocean waters live the social animals---belugas, which is also known as white whales. Highly intelligent, these whales use different sounds to communicate and find their way. Belugas are also among the smallest kinds of whales.
More than 210 belugas, including 31 in the United States, live in aquariums around the world. The Georgia Aquarium has asked for permission to bring 18 more belugas into the U.S. The whales were caught off the coast of Russia. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is considering the aquarium's request thoroughly. A law called the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) says the animals can only be brought into the country and put on display if they are caught without being hurt and there is an educational reason for doing so.
Georgia Aquarium officials say the 18 belugas will help people learn more about the species and allow scientists to better understand how to protect it. The aquarium would also breed the whales so the U.S. aquariums can continue to display them. "When we can study and observe, we gain a better understanding of their biology and diseases that affect them, and learn how to aid populations in their natural habitats," says William Hurley, Georgia Aquarium's chief officer. "Much of this research would be impossible in the remote locations and extreme climates where the animals live." The Georgia Aquarium would own the 18 belugas and would rent some to aquariums across the country.
Meanwhile, many scientists, including Lori Marino, a whale expert, feel strongly that the whales belong in the ocean, not in tanks. These scientists say the whales are being used for entertainment and not for education, and having them in aquariums is not necessary for the species to survive. Marino said, "Not only is it unfair to the belugas but there is no educational value in putting these whales on display." | high23674.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations"
},
"options": [
"Using their feet to sense the vibration of things",
"Using their ears to listen directly",
"Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations",
"Using thei... | Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes , which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light , which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae , feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they "hear" sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations .
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses. | high7859.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "has caused payment revolution in Germany"
},
"options": [
"was invented by the Edeka supermarket chain",
"has caused payment revolution in Germany",
"is more popular with young people",
"is preferred by most American cu... | A new system that scans customers' fingerprints and subtracts the grocery bill from their bank accounts has taken supermarkets in Germany to use the new system. "Almost a quarter of our customers pay with their fingers," said an employee at the headquarters. Edeka has tried the system at 70 of its supermarkets. It says it will introduce it at 200 others because customers like it.
"At first we thought that only the young who really keep up with the latest technology would be interested, but we were wrong," said Stefan Sewoester from IT Werke. "Almost two-thirds of the people who use the system are 40 and older," he said.
IT Werke, a computer company, is one of the pioneers of fingerprint payment software in Germany. It has helped about 150 shops, canteens and bars to put in the fingerprint scanning machines. Each costs about 2,000 euros.
To sign up for the service, customers must have their fingerprints taken and leave their addresses and banking details with the shop. The shop then takes the cost of goods directly out of the customer's bank account.
"It is especially a good thing for elderly people. Now they do not have to remember their pin to pay with their bank cards, or to scratch around for their glasses or cash." Sewoester said.
The stores benefit from the system too. It saves more than time in the check-out line. It also cuts out the hidden costs of accepting electronic card payments. | high764.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to share trust and cooperation"
},
"options": [
"to drive with a companion",
"to have personal independence",
"to gain certain responsibility",
"to share trust and cooperation"
],
"question": "The author conside... | One night recently, I was driving down a two-lane highway at about 60 miles an hour. A car approached from the opposite direction at about the same speed. As we passed each other, I caught the other driver's eye for only a second. I wondered whether he might be thinking, as I was, how dependent we were on each other at that moment. I was relying on him not to fall asleep, not to be distracted by a phone conversation, not to cross over into my lane and bring my life to a sudden end. Though we had never spoken a word to each other, he relied on me in just the same way.
Multiplied a million times over, I believe that is the way the world works. At some level, we all depend upon one another. Sometimes that dependence requires us simply not to do something like crossing over the double yellow line. And sometimes it requires us to act cooperatively, with friends or even with strangers.
As technology makes our world smaller and smaller, the need increases for cooperative action among nations. In 2003, doctors in five nations were quickly organized to identify the SARS virus, which saved thousands of lives. The threat of international terrorism has shown itself to be a similar problem, one requiring team action by police and intelligence forces across the world. We must recognize that our fates are not ours alone to control.
In my own life, I used to put great stock in personal responsibility. But, as time has passed, I've also come to believe that there are moments when one must rely upon the good faith and judgment of others. So, while each of us faces the case of driving alone down a dark road, what we must learn with experience is that the approaching light may not be a threat, but a shared moment of trust. | high1596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The sudden brake."
},
"options": [
"The sharp U-turn.",
"The steep dam.",
"The sudden brake.",
"A truck hitting the car."
],
"question": "What might be the main reason. For the car accident?",
"question_type... | The 30 miles of steep roads that snake through the mountains of Logan Canyon in Utah are enough to make most drivers'hands sweat. But Andersen, a 46-year-old father of four, wasn't expecting any trouble on the road last New Year's Eve, when he set off for a ski trip to the Bear River Mountains with nine-year-old daughter Mia, four-old son Baylor, and nine-year-old neighbor Kenya. Andersen had driven through the Canyon hundreds of times over the years.
The weather was fine-but the higher they drove, the more slippery the roads became. Rounding a sharp U-turn at mile marker473, Andersen saw a truck that had skated off the road and immediately tapped his brakes. In an instant, the car was sliding at 25 miles per hour toward the shoulder of the highway, then rolling down a steep ten-foot dam toward the extremely cold Logan River. As it hit the water, the car tipped toward the passenger side, hesitated, and then rolled onto its roof and sank into the river.
There was no time to tell the kids what to do. The crash had broken a few windows, and within seconds, the upside-down car was filled with water. "It was frightening how fast we were completely underwater,"remembers Andersen, a soft-spoken product development manager."You're thinking, is this how it's all going to end?"
Having lost all sense of direction, Andersen began to search the freezing water for the kids. Mia had been right next to him in the front seat; now, in the blackness, he couldn't find her."I thought, if I don't get out, maybe none of us are going to get out." Andersen got out of his seat belt, swam through a broken window, and, deeply and quickly, breathed air at the surface. That's when he saw a group of men, about ten in all, appear at the top of the dam. One after another, they raced down into the water. Helping onto safety all the three children, they began to shout at the father,"Who else is in the car?"Andersen says respectfully," _ ." | high23112.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Strasbourg"
},
"options": [
"Paris",
"Barn",
"Nancy",
"Strasbourg"
],
"question": "Where did the author get off the train?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"ans... | Sunday, October 5
Clear, 69degF
My wife, Eleanor and I took the train from Paris to Strasbourg, where we were met by our driver and guide, and the minibus which goes along with the boat. We stopped off in Barn for an hour on the way. Then we were taken to Nancy where the boat was kept.
After the other passengers arrived, we had our first dinner on the boat. After dinner we walked into downtown Nancy, a village with a large square and wooden houses.
Monday, October 6
Rained last night, cloudy in the morning, 69degF
We spent about two hours in Nancy, and then sailed on the Canal de la Marne au Rhine. Kind of a lazy day. Eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, after dinner we watched a tape on Baccarat, where we will visit tomorrow. It was pleasant to sit out on deck and watch the scenery go by at about 3 mph.
Tuesday, October 7
Light rain, 64degF
This mourning we drove over to Baccarat and toured its museum and the church, which has this unbelievable lamp that is going on a world tour the next day. We did lost of shopping, then walked across the bridge to see a very, very modern Catholic church with special Baccarat windows.
We drove to the top of the Voges Mountains and started down the eastern side. Later we drove to Sorrenbourg to see the 13th century church at the Cordeliers. It contains the largest window by Mar.
Wednesday, Ocrober8
Cloudy.65 degF
Today we sailed from Schneckenbush to Saverne. We went though two caves, an extremely unusual part of the journey. This river scenery is very different. We were in a mountain valley with grassland on one side and a forest beginning to show some color on the other.
Thursday, Ocrober9
Cloudy, 66degF
Our dependable minibus was waiting to load the luggage and take us to the hotel where everyone went their separate ways. Our boating days are over until next time. | high3381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He made the film Strange Skies."
},
"options": [
"He is an artist from Harvard University.",
"He opened a restaurant for plants.",
"He made the film Strange Skies.",
"He liked recording Italian skies."
],
"quest... | From Avatar to Lord of the Rings, plants are no strangers to playing big movie roles. However, no one has ever shot a film that plants themselves can watch until now. In a New York art gallery, seven house plants have spent the last seven weeks watching Strange Skies, the first travel documentary for a vegetable audience. All the plants sat in the cinema in rows, enjoying themselves in Italian sunshine.
The movie was made by American artist Jonathon Keats. It consists of Italian skies recorded over two months and made into a six-minute-long movie. The film shows the clear dawn , high clouds, amazing dusk and then beautiful night. The movie has no sound and the plants, of course, do not applaud. But Stephen Squibb, a professor from Harvard University, said these plants could benefit from it--the light of the movie keeps them alive because they can continue the process of turning light into energy.
"I realized there was a much larger audience--plants--that were not being serviced, "Keats said. "I wanted to provide plants with entertainment that companies such as Disney provide for humans. "Meanwhile, Keats also wants to explore plants' sensibilities further. He plans to open a"restaurant for plants"at a Californian museum.
One visitor, photographer Abbas Ebrahimi, admired the green audience, "Plants are better than us. We die and go, while in spring they come back each time. "But when talking about the movie, he said after thinking for a few minutes, "It doesn't mean anything to me at all. It's just about light. For some people, it might mean something. " | high5928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because she didn't like the greedy owner."
},
"options": [
"Because she didn't like the greedy owner.",
"Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor.",
"Because the basement was too cold to stay in.",
"Because she ... | Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guestroom. Instead the angels were given some space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,"Things aren't always what they seem."
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer. After sharing a little food they had, the farmer and his wife let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, "How could this happen?" "Why didn't you watch out for the cow? The first family had everything, yet you watched over his house," she accused . "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, you didn't help."
"Things aren't always what they seem," the angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer's bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. So things aren't always what they seem." | high21705.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It overlooks the River Ouse."
},
"options": [
"It overlooks the River Ouse.",
"It was built about 120 years ago.",
"It is located in the suburb of Bedford.",
"It takes you about an hour to drive from the hotel to Luton ... | Built in 1794 for the 5th Duke of Bedford, this hotel in the heart of Bedford overlooks the River Ouse, which winds through the beautiful Bedfordshire countryside. We offer a flexible approach to conferencing. With purpose-built meeting rooms offering a flexible and functional space, our hotel is designed for comfort and convenience. Day Delegate (/),24 Hour Delegate or room hire only can be arranged to meet your needs and we offer a range of food and drinks for all requirements. The Bedford Swan Hotel provides an impressive range of conference, training and function rooms which are suitable for up to 300 delegates. Our hotel is located about 30 minutes' drive from Luton Airport and a 20-minute walk from Bedford Train Station with regular trains to and from Central London.
What to expect:
*A professional service from the beginning
* Your own event consultant
* A great location with car parking
* Well-equipped rooms perfect for your meeting or event
* Various Day Delegate packages
* Personalized dining and refreshment breaks
* Accurate billing
Discounted Day Delegate Rates from PS 40 per person
* Hold your meeting before 30th November 2014 and benefit from our special day delegate rates
* Day Delegate Rate from PS40. 00 per person
* Minimum numbers of 10 apply
Call us on 02348 346566 or e-mail us on info@bedfordsvuanhotel.co.uk | high18184.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sprayable Energy lets users not worry about taking in unnecessary calories.."
},
"options": [
"A bottle of Sprayable Energyis cheaper than 40 cups of coffee. .",
"Sprayable Energy lets users not worry about taking in unnecessary ca... | Many people rely on a cup of coffee or two to wake them up in the morning or pick them up during the working day, but now a chemist has come up with a speedy alternative to crafting a cup of coffee.
U.S. biochemist Ben Yu has created 'Sprayable Energy,' which claims to be the world's first caffeine - based topical energy spray. He said tired workers can spray a 'shot' of caffeine onto their skin without experiencing a strong buzz, loading up on unnecessary calories or being stuck with a nasty aftertaste like they might get from drinking energy drinks or coffee.
The patent-pending caffeine spray is an odourless liquid that is absorbed through the skin and distributed through the body over a number of hours to deliver a caffeine hit that apparently lasts longer than guzzling a cup of coffee.
Each small aluminum bottle of Sprayable Energy contains around 160 sprays - the equivalent amount of caffeine to 40 cups of coffee and the creators say it is a much cheaper way of getting a caffeine fix than popping to a cafe. The only active ingredient in the spray is caffeine, which can naturally enter the human body through the skin by passing through cell membranes as it is very similar to nicotine in structure. Each spritz of Sprayable Energy contains around a quarter of the amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee, but apparently has the same effect as a full cup.
The website said: 'The reason for this is our product not being ingested, isn't almost entirely metabolised by the liver before entering your system and becoming available to your body.''Thus, a smaller amount of caffeine can have just the same effect as a very large amount of caffeine ingested through an energy drink or cup of coffee. Sprayable Energy`s website recommends that users apply the spray in places where they normally spritz perfume, such as the neck or wrists, but warns users not to exceed 20 sprays a day.
It claims that after spraying the product on the skin, users will feel 'awake and focused without being over-stimulated', which is common with coffee and energy drinks. | high10533.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "enjoyable"
},
"options": [
"surprising",
"boring",
"enjoyable",
"serious"
],
"question": "In this passage, the English week is described as _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009. The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere. A series of activities was held. There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy. They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities.
Handwriting was for the students in lower grades. Although most of them couldn't write so well, they were all very careful about it. In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers. They copied some articles from books or newspapers. And then they decorated them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them. How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8. These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity. Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn't help speaking highly of them.
The most important event was the English show on the last day. The students and teachers presented a lot of English songs and English operas. Each program won storms of _ .
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot. Just as the headmaster said, "It is a helpful week. It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies." | high2074.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "How John Milton studied Latin."
},
"options": [
"How John Milton wrote \"Paradise Lost\".",
"How John Milton studied Latin.",
"How John Milton became famous.",
"How John Milton became a poet."
],
"question": "Wh... | When John Milton, writer of "Paradise Lost", entered Cambridge University, in 1625, he was already skilled in Latin after seven years of studying it as his second language at St. Paul's School, prefix = st1 /London. Like all English boys who prepared for college in grammar schools, he had learned not only to read Latin but also to speak and write it smoothly and correctly. His pronunciation of Latin was English, however, and seemed to have sounded strange to his friends when he later visitedItaly.
Schoolboys gained their skill in Latin in a bitter way. They kept in mind the rules to make learning by heart easier. They first made a word-for-word translation and then an idiomatic translation into English. As they increased their skill, they translated their English back into Latin without referring to the book and then compared their translation with the original. The schoolmaster was always at hand to encourage them. All schoolmasters believed _ .
After several years of study, the boys began to write compositions in imitation of the Latin writers they read. And as they began to read Latin poems, they began to write poems in Latin. Because Miltonwas already a poet at ten, his poems were much better than those painfully put together by the other boys. During the seven yearsMiltonspent at university, he made regular use of his command of Latin. He wrote some excellent Latin poems, which he published among his works in 1645. | high19271.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire"
},
"options": [
"people did not know how to put out the fire",
"Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention",
"the sewing machines couldn't work fina... | Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew . And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.
Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection.
Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.
American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe's machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.
Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer's hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical. It could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.
However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement . Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties . In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention. | high4405.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They both carry their young in a pocket."
},
"options": [
"They both have thick fur.",
"They both have sharp teeth.",
"They both eat eucalyptus leaves.",
"They both carry their young in a pocket."
],
"question":... | A Koala Isn't a Bear
Koalas remind people of teddy bears.They have thick fur and large ears.Their broad, flat nose makes them look cute, similar to teddy bears.In fact koalas aren't cute.They have sharp teeth and very sharp claws! Koalas are marsupials.This means the mother carries her baby in a pocket while it develops, similar to a kangaroo.The baby koala lives in its mother's pocket for the first six months of its life.
The name "koala" comes from a native Australian word that means "no drink". The koalas get almost all their water from the eucalyptus leaves they eat.That's where they get their food too.Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, and only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees.The eucalyptus trees are where the koalas live.It's also where they sleep.Koalas sleep about nineteen hours a day!
Why do they sleep so much? Some people think it's because they're lazy.But koalas aren't lazy.They sleep so much because there isn't much nutrition in eucalyptus leaves.Koalas store hardly any fat, so they must save their energy.One way to do this is to move slowly and sleep a lot.
After a day of sleeping they like to move around and eat just after sunset.They live alone most of the time.Koalas are very protective of their trees.If a koala sees another koala eating in its favorite tree, it might tell the other koala to leave by "barking" at it.Koalas do "talk" to each other.Besides barks, the males make a deep grunting sound.The mothers and babies talk in soft clicking sounds.If they get scared they may scream like a baby. | high12324.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the clerk didn't treat him kindly"
},
"options": [
"his intended purchases were of poor quality.",
"there's nothing he wanted in the shop",
"the clerk didn't speak English",
"the clerk didn't treat him kindly"
],
... | One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality conflicted with mine. He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. My _ toward that clerk increased with each step.
On the outside, standing by the road, was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, dazzling smile covered his face. I gave way immediately. The magnetic power of that smile dissolved all bitterness within me, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked in passing. Then, I turned back. "I really owe you a debt of gratitude," I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. "Sir, but he doesn't speak English," she volunteered. "You want I should tell him something?"
At that moment I felt transformed. The young man's smile had made a big person of me.
"Yes," my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, "tell him I said 'Thank you!' "
"Thank you?" The woman seeded slightly puzzled. I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. "Just tell him that," I insisted. "He will understand; I am sure!"
Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning. From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody. | high9121.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "has the same meaning as \"John Blake Junior\""
},
"options": [
"is also the name of a computer",
"shows the traditional way of American baby naming",
"has the same meaning as \"John Blake Junior\"",
"tells something abo... | There was a strange father, John Blake, from Michigan, who named his children after a computer software term. He told the local newspaper the US traditional way of adding "Junior" or "II" after a boy's name was too common. So, when his son was born last week, he decided on the name John Blake 2.0, as if he were a software programmer.
Mr. Blake admitted that it took months to persuade his wife, Jamie, to accept the idea. Mrs. Blake said she asked several friends whether they could accept this name or not. "All the men," she said, "felt the name was cool." However,her women friends did not think so. "I think the women end up like it,"she said.
Mr. Blake told the local newspaper he got the idea from a film called The Legend of 1900,in which an abandoned baby is given the name 1900 to remember the year of its birth. "I thought that if they can do it , why can't we?" he said. After little John version 2.0 was born, Mr. Blake even sent a celebratory e-mail to the family and friends, which was designed to look as if he and his wife had created a new software. "I wrote things like there are a lot of new features from Version 1.0 with additional features from Jamie," he said. And he has already planned for his son's future. "If he has a child, he could name it 3.0," he said. | high14755.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Everyone has one of its variants."
},
"options": [
"It has two similar variants.",
"Some people don't have it.",
"It's bad for people's memory.",
"Everyone has one of its variants."
],
"question": "What do we kn... | Are you a forgetful person? You might be able to blame your genes, a new study in the journal Neuroscience Letters suggests.
Researchers from the University of Bonn have identified a variant on the DRD2 gene that seems to be associated with increased forgetfulness.
Everyone has one of two variants of the DRD2 gene, the difference is just one letter in the genetic code: Some people have the cytosine (C) variant, while others have the thymine (T) variant. The researchers wanted to see how having one variant over another was associated with forgetfulness.
To test this, they analyzed the DRD2 gene of 500 study participants, and also had the participants answer surveys about their forgetfulness (such as how often they misplaced their keys, or forgot names).
Most of the study participants--three quarters of them--had the thymine gene variant, while the other quarter had the cytosine gene variant. Researchers found an association between more forgetfulness problems and having the thymine gene variant of DRD2. Meanwhile, the cytosine gene variant seemed to have a protective effect against forgetfulness.
However, "there are things you can do to compensate for forgetfulness; writing yourself notes or making more of an effort to put your keys down in a specific location--and not just anywhere," study researcher Dr. Sebastian Markett, of the University of Bonn, said in a statement.
Research has also suggested that some age groups are more forgetful than others. A recent national poll showed that millenials, who were born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, are actually more likely than seniors to be absent-minded with things like what day of the week it is, where they put their keys and remembering to bring their lunch.
Meanwhile, another study recently published in the journal BMC Psychology showed that men are more likely than women to experience minor memory problems. | high9647.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To reduce childhood fatness rate."
},
"options": [
"To call on healthy eating.",
"To reduce childhood fatness rate.",
"To show the harm caused by fatness.",
"To educate people how to avoid illness."
],
"question... | First lady's campaign brings change
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Wal-Mart is putting special labels on some products to help shoppers quickly notice healthier ones. Millions of schoolchildren are helping themselves to vegetables from salad bars in their lunchrooms, and kids' meals at Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants come with a side of fruit or vegetables and a glass of low-fat milk.
These changes are taking place due to the campaign against childhood fatness, for which the first lady Michelle Obama began fighting three years ago.
Fatness has become a serious problem in the country. About one-third of U.S. children are overweight, which puts them at increased risk for any number of deadly illnesses, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
Still, Mrs. Obama faces challenge. Not everyone welcomes her effort. Some blame her for going too far and say she has no right to tell what people should and shouldn't eat. But nutrition supporters and others praise her for using her influence to help bring interests to the table. They said the first lady has raised public awareness about fatness, which will help decrease childhood fatness rates.
There is evidence of small decrease in childhood fatness rates in some parts of the country. New York reported a 5.5 percent drop in fatness rates in kindergarteners through eighth-graders between the 2006-07 and 2010-11 school years. In Philadelphia, the drop was 4.7 percent among students in grades K-12.
Fighting against children fatness is hard work, but it's well worth the effort. The first lady is planning a promotional tour. She has been talking up the campaign against childhood fatness on daytime and late-night TV shows and on the radio. She also plans discussions next week on Google and Twitter.
"We've been spending a lot of time educating and re-educating families and kids on how to eat, what to eat," the first lady said. "We're starting to see some changes and we're starting to show some improvement." | high23847.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "optimistic."
},
"options": [
"pessimistic.",
"optimistic.",
"sorrowful.",
"fearful."
],
"question": "What is the boy Tyler's attitude towards death?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | In my procession as an educator and health care provider, I have worked with numerous children infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The relationships that I have had with these special kids have been gifts in my life. They have taught me so many things, but I have especially learned that great courage can be found in the smallest of packages. Let me tell you about Tyler.
Tyler was born infected with HIV: his mother was also infected. From the very beginning of his life, he was dependent on medications to enable him to survive. When he was five, he had a tube surgically inserted in a vein in his chest. This tube was connected to a pump, which he carried in a small backpack on his back. Medications were hooked up to this pump and were continuously supplied through this tube to his bloodstream. At times, he also needed supplemented oxygen to support his breathing.
Tyler wasn't willing to give up one single moment of his childhood to this deadly disease. It was not unusual to find him playing and racing around his backyard, wearing his medicine-laden backpack and dragging his tank of oxygen behind him in his little wagon. All of us who knew Tyler marveled at his pure joy in being alive and the energy it gave him. Tyler's mom often teased him by telling him that he moored so fast she needed to dress him in red. That way, when she peered through the window to check on him playing in the yard, she round quickly spot him.
This dreaded disease eventually wore down even the likes of a little dynamo like Tyler. He grew quite ill and, unfortunately, so did his HIV-infected mother. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to survive, Tyler's mom talked to him about death. She comforted him by telling Tyler that she was dying too, and that she would be with him soon in heaven.
A few days before his death, Tyler beckoned me over to his hospital bed and whispered, "I might die soon. I'm not scared. When I die, please dress me in red. Mom promised she's coming to heaven, too. I'll be playing when she gets there, and I want to make sure she can find me." | high8559.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "can make an object seem to speak"
},
"options": [
"is a person who can make puppets",
"needs to work with another person",
"can speak without using his mouth",
"can make an object seem to speak"
],
"question": "... | Have you ever wished that you could make your little sister's teddy bear talk to her? Or have you ever wanted to bring a puppet to life? If so, you may be interested in learning the art of ventriloquism . A ventriloquist can make an ordinary object seem to be alive by giving it a personality, movement, and speech.
Your object can be a puppet, or a doll. Give your new "friend" a name, and then decide on the personality that he will have. The next step is to give your friend movements that agree with the personality you have chosen.
Now you can learn to make your "friend" talk. A ventriloquist will control his mouth and lips so that it will appear that his voice is coming from the object he is using. This will take practice, but you can do it.
First, decide on a voice that is different from your own. It could be higher or lower than yours, or could even have a special accent. Then, find a clean teaspoon and hold the handle between your front teeth. Now, using the voice you created for your friend and holding the handle of the teaspoon tightly between your teeth, look into a mirror and talk. Practicing with the spoon in your mouth will help you learn to keep your mouth from moving. Now try telling a joke in your normal voice and have your friend speak in his voice. Practice those words until you can say them without your lips moving at all.
Ventriloquism is fun. It also requires hard work to become good at it. The most important thing to do is practice. But if you are willing to take the time to give your friend an interesting personality, to practice lively movements, and to work on good mouth control, then you will be well on your way to becoming a ventriloquist! | high957.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Her vivid memories lead her to experience sufferings."
},
"options": [
"She hardly sleeps well at night.",
"She usually gets hurt easily by others.",
"She can't distinguish between reality and dreams.",
"Her vivid memor... | Rebecca, who is a 25-year-old woman, has a rare condition. She can remember all the events she has experienced in her life. The events are so vivid, as if they happened just moments ago. But her vivid memories often become a reality. Rebecca said, "When I relive memories, the emotions come back. So if it's something that happened when I was younger, my emotions are about what I felt then. I also re-experience pain. For example, I remember falling over and hurting my left knee when I was three. When talking about it now, I'm getting pain in my left knee."
However, there are times when Rebecca's memories prove to be too overwhelming, and she has learnt relaxation and mindfulness techniques to solve. "At school, it is a _ . I'm not very quick at processing things, so there is always so much going through my mind. At night, I have to sleep with the radio on and a soft light. If it's too dark or quiet, my mind just recalls all these memories and I can't sleep," Rebecca said.
In addition, Rebecca has no control over whether the memories she recalls will be positive or negative - recalling painful experiences with such vividness that she has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Rebecca said, "Recently, I went back to my old school for my sister's high school graduation. Being in that building again brought all those memories flooding back. I burst into tears and had to leave."
Rebecca and her mother Mrs. Barnes got in touch with the University of California in 2011. It was there that Rebecca knew she had Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM). It's reported that Rebecca is one of just 80 people worldwide, who have HASM. "Finding out about HASM has been such a positive experience. Now, Rebecca has been more positive and able to do things independently, which has been excellent," Mrs. Barnes said. | high13984.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "deliver a message"
},
"options": [
"deliver a message",
"tell a story",
"give an order",
"stand for God"
],
"question": "In the Old Testament of the Bible, the rainbow is used to _ .",
"question_type": "c... | Throughout history, rainbows have been a source of mystery and legend. Rainbows are also important symbols in a number of cultures around the world.
In the Old Testament of the Bible(<<>> ), for example, God shows Noah a rainbow to let him know that the Flood is over and that he will never destroy the earth again with flooding.
When it rains, the color1s that make up white light separate because they bend at different angles when they pass through water. The result is some of the color1s can be seen by the human eyes, as well as some that cannot.
Everyone knows that we can sometimes see rainbows on a rainy day. However, you actually have a chance of seeing a rainbow anytime there is light behind you and water in the air in front of you. So, if you want to know what it feels like to have the power of God, get a spray , stand with your back to the sun, and create a rainbow! | high21088.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he didn't receive timely treatment"
},
"options": [
"his tooth disease was very deadly",
"the doctor refused to treat him properly",
"he didn't receive timely treatment",
"something was wrong with his brain"
],
... | Perhaps it is hard to imagine that a bad tooth could be deadly. But doctors in the Washington area say a twelveyearold boy died last month of a tooth infection that spread to his brain. They say it might have been prevented if the boy had received the dental care he needed.
Experts at the National Institutes of Health say good dental care should start at birth. They say breast milk is the best food for the healthy development of teeth. Breast milk can help slow bacterial growth and acid production in the mouth.
When baby's teeth begin to appear,you can clean them with a wet toothbrush. Dentists say it is important to find soft toothbrushes made especially for babies,and use them very gently.
The use of fluoride to protect teeth is common in many parts of the world. This natural element is often added to drinking water supplies. The fluoride mixes with enamel ,the hard surface on teeth,to help prevent holes,or cavities from forming.
But the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry points out that young children often swallow toothpaste when they brush their teeth. The group notes that swallowing fluoridated toothpaste can cause problems. So young children should be carefully supervised when they brush their teeth. And only a small amount of fluoridated toothpaste,the size of a green pea,should be used.
Parents often wonder what effects sucking a thumb or sucking on a pacifier might have on their baby's teeth. Dental experts generally agree that this is fine early in life.
The American Academy of Family Physicians says most kids stop sucking their thumbs by the age of four. If it continues,the group advises parents to talk to their child's dentist or doctor. It could influence the correct development of permanent teeth. | high16624.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "inspired"
},
"options": [
"inspired",
"sympathetic",
"pitiful",
"unbelievable"
],
"question": "How did the netizens feel when they read the micro blog related to the dog?",
"question_type": "factiod_question... | The homeless dog, known as Xiao Sa, has been following a team of cyclists for 24 days along 1,833 kilometers of highway from Kangding, Sichuan province, to Lhasa in Tibet.
Nobody knows where the white dog came from or how long she has been straying on highway G318. Netizens call her the "dog with determination" and the micro blog "Go Go Xiao Sa" recording her life has attracted more than 37,000 followers in two weeks.
A picture of Xiao Sa in the arms of a young man in front of the Potala Palace on Thursday night drew more than 4,000 comments congratulating the small dog and expressing dreams of going to Lhasa.
The young man in the picture is Zhang Heng, 22, a student in Wuhan, Hubei province. As his graduation trip, he decided to face the challenge of riding to Lhasa alone. On the way he met a lonely dog. "She was lying, tired, on the street around Yajiang, Sichuan province," he said. "So we fed her, and then she followed our team."
"We felt she might want to come along with us, so we decided to bring her along to the end." A week later, Zhang and his buddies opened a micro blog account for her. "We thought the dog was encouraging us, and wanted others to know its story," he said. They created the name Xiao Sa by combining xiao meaning "little" with the last syllable of Lhasa.
During their journey, Xiao Sa, Zhang and his team covered more than 1,700 kilometers and climbed 10 mountains higher than 4,000 meters. Xiao Sa just ran up the mountains or along dirt roads.
"Many people stopped cycling in some sections, then took the bus, but the dog made it," he said. Zhang put the dog on the back of the bike when the team was riding downhill. "The speed can reach 70 kilometers per hour, impossible for the dog to catch us."
Zhang Heng, who accompanied Xiao Sa for 20 days, called her "a buddy and a friend". "I would like to take the dog home and take care of her. She has been a stray on the road for a long time. She needs a home." | high2712.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "For her birthday."
},
"options": [
"For a new hand bag.",
"For new notes.",
"For her husband's birthday.",
"For her birthday."
],
"question": "Why did Mr. White give his wife ten pounds?",
"question_type": "... | One day Mr. White gave his wife ten pounds for her birthday -- ten new pound notes. So Mrs. White went out shopping. She waited for a bus, got on it and sat down next to an o1d 1ady. After a while, Mrs. White noticed that the old 1ady's handbag was open. Inside it, she saw a wad of pound notes exactly like the ones her husband had given her. So she quickly looked into her own bag -- the notes had gone! Mrs. White was sure that the o1d lady next to her had stolen them. She immediately thought of calling the police. But as she disliked making a fuss , she decided to take back the money from the old 1ady's hand bag and say nothing about it. She looked around to make sure nobody was watching. Then she carefully put her hand into the o1d lady's bag, took the notes, and put them into her own handbag.
When she got home that evening, Mrs. White showed her husband the beautiful hat she had bought.
"How did you pay for it?" Mr. White asked.
"With the money you gave me for my birthday, of course" she answered.
"Oh? What's that, then?" he asked, as he pointed to a wad of pound notes on the table. | high18609.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the developing"
},
"options": [
"the batteries",
"the speed",
"the developing",
"the appearance"
],
"question": "The passage mainly talks about _ of a new car.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},... | When a handheld video game runs out of power,all you have to do is plug it in and charge it up.Within a few years,some of you might do the same thing with mom's car.Automobile companies are developing vehicles that will plugin to electric sockets ,just like many laptops,digital cameras,cellphones and small video game players do.Called "plugin hybrids ",these cars will get most of their power from electricity.Their drivers will rarely have to stop at gas stations.
The technology is more than just cool.In our automobilefilled world,plugin vehicles could reduce the amount of gasoline we use.That gas is made from crude oil ,which keeps rising in cost.Plus,driving around in these hybrids may even help the environment.Gasburning cars produce a lot of carbon dioxide,a type of greenhouse gas.These gases stay in the atmosphere,where they trap heat and cause global warming.
The first companyproduced plugin hybrids could hit the roads by 2010.But engineers still have a lot of work to do to make the technology practical and inexpensive.
Batteries are the biggest challenge.In the pluginhybrid world,lithiumion (Liion) batteries are getting the most attention.These batteries can store a large amount of energy in a small package,and they last a ly long time between charges.Liion batteries are standard in laptops,cellphones,heart devices and other similar portable devices.
But because cars are so big and heavy,it would still require a suitcasesized Liion battery to power about 12km of driving.What's more,the batteries are extremely expensive.
"A car filled with batteries could go a long distance," says Ted Bohn,an electrical engineer in Chicago."But it couldn't haul any people,and it would cost $100,000."
So researchers need to figure out how to make batteries smaller and cheaper,among other questions.
"The answers don't exist yet," Bohn says."As a kid I thought someone someplace knows the answer to everything.All of these questions haven't been decided.That's what engineering is about--making a guess,running tests and finetuning results." | high20396.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the Japanese kept the captain of a fishing boat from returning for questioning"
},
"options": [
"the Japanese government has bought the Diaoyu Islands from the Liyuans",
"two Japanese naval ships sailed in the Chinese sea around th... | Tensions have erupted over some barren rocks in the Pacific that you may never have heard of, but stay tuned--this is a boundary dispute that could get ugly and some day have far-reaching consequences for China, Japan, Taiwan and the United States.
The islands in dispute are called the Senkaku chain by Japan, the Diaoyu islands by China, and the Diaoyutai by Taiwan. All three claim the islands, which are really just five small islands and three barren rocks northeast of Taiwan, 200 miles off the Chinese coast.
The latest conflict occurred when a Chinese fishing boat collided with two Japanese naval ships trying to stop it near the islands. The Japanese prevented the Chinese captain from leaving the place for questioning and the two countries have been exchanging angry protests.
The reason to worry is that nationalists in both China and Taiwan see the islands as unquestionably theirs and think that their government has been weak in claiming this authority.
So far, wiser heads have generally won the argument on each side, but at some point a weakened Chinese leader might try to gain the legal right with the public by pushing the issue and recovering the islands. It would be a dangerous game and would have a disastrous impact on China-Japan relations, but if successful it would raise the popularity of the Chinese government.
In reality, of course, there is zero chance that the U.S. will honor its treaty with Japan over a few barren rocks. We're not going to risk a nuclear conflict with China over some islands that may well be China's. But if we don't help, our security relationship with Japan will be at the breaking point.
So which country has a better claim to the islands? My feeling is that it's China, although the answer isn't clear-cut. Chinese navigational records show the islands as Chinese for many centuries, and a 1783 Japanese map shows them as Chinese as well. Japan _ to "discover" the islands only in 1884 and took control of them by force only in 1895 when it also grabbed Taiwan.
The best approach would be for China and Japan to agree to refer the dispute to the International Court of Justice, but realistically that won't happen. And since some believe that the area is rich with oil and gas reserves, the claims from each side have become more insistent.
As Chinese nationalism grows, as China's navy and ability to project power in the ocean gains, we could see some military conflicts over the islands.
Taken from NewYork Times | high4377.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Neither country was given a high positive rating from each other."
},
"options": [
"Most of the Chinese surveyed gave a positive view to the U.S.",
"Neither country was given a high positive rating from each other.",
"America... | President Barack Obama speaks as he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping over international security issues during the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, March 31, 2016.
While they report slow progress over major disagreements, what do average citizens in those countries think about each other? A study by the Pew Research Center offers some answers. Only 38 percent of Americans said they have a positive view of China, according to a 2015 Pew survey. And in China, only 44 percent of people surveyed gave the United States a positive rating. Americans expressed concern about the large amount of U.S. debt held by China and the loss of jobs to China. Last year, the U.S. Treasury Department said China held $1.2 trillion in U.S. government debts. People polled in China said they believe the United States is trying to prevent China from becoming as powerful as the U.S.
The views reflect some of the tensions between the nations' leaders. The United States has been strongly against China's construction of artificial islands and military facilities along the disputed South China Sea. And there have been disagreements over how to respond to recent North Korean nuclear and missile tests.
A joint statement from U.S. and China after Thursday's Obama-Xi meeting said both countries agreed to work together on nuclear security. The Obama administration said China has agreed to sanctions to protest recent North Korean nuclear tests.
But Xi expressed opposition to a new missile defense system for South Korea, according to Chinese media reports. Such a system is being considered by U.S. and South Korean leaders to protect South Korea from a North Korean attack.
At the start of his meeting with Xi, Obama said, "Of great importance to both of us is North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons, which threatens the security and stability of the region." Xi said China and the United States "have a responsibility to work together."
As for issues dividing the two nations, Xi said both sides could "seek active solutions through dialogue and consultation."
The two leaders met during a 53-nation conference on nuclear security in Washington, D.C. | high19503.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "\"Thanksgiving, a National Holiday\""
},
"options": [
"\"Thanksgiving Day\"",
"\"Thank God for a Good Harvest\"",
"\"Thanksgiving Foods\"",
"\"Thanksgiving, a National Holiday\""
],
"question": "serves as the be... | Thanksgiving Day is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is the most traditional American holiday. The first Thanksgiving Day was held in Massachusetts in 1621. After a year of great hardship, the colonist wanted to give thanks to God for their first harvest. They invited their Indian thanks. But it wasn't a regular national holiday until President Lincoln declared that the last Thursday in November would be there after Thanksgiving Day in 1863. It is a day of family reunion and it is customary to invite friends to share the meal. In some large cities, there are important football games that are played on Thanksgiving Day.
For Americans, Thanksgiving Day is one of the few days of the year when the entire family gets together. Everyone is glad to see everyone else and there is a very busy exchange of greetings. The women soon disappear into the kitchen to help prepare the dinner. The men, meanwhile, settle down to watch a football game on television, or to discuss business or polities. If weather permits, some of the more athletic men go outside to play ball games with the children. Then everyone will sit down to dinner, in which traditional Thanksgiving foods such as stuffed turkey, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, and pumpkin pies are served. After dinner, people will sit around and talk. | high16630.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "musicals are not a new feature this year"
},
"options": [
"the Oscars has been trying hard to change",
"the Oscars' theme is a tribute to musicals",
"it is not the first time that the Oscars has had a theme",
"musicals ... | Like any awards ceremony of its age, the Oscars, now in its 85th year, has been trying hard to change.
So how did that go this year? When host Seth MacFarlane noted in his opening speech that it was the first time the Academy Awards had a theme, I thought: "well, that's a good start."
But when he revealed that the theme was a tribute to(...) musicals, I was less sure. After all, it's not the first time that musicals have featured at the Oscars.
In 2007, the cast of Dream-girls gave a special performance directed by movie director and musical veteran Bill Condon. Then there was the memorable 2009 show hosted by Hugh Jackman, who screams musicals. With Beyonce Knowles and Anne Hathaway, he performed several hit songs from move musical. And in 2010, how did Neil Patrick Harris introduce the hosts? By performing a musical number.
So I guess the Oscars could have done better this year. But I must admit, there were more music performances in the three-and-a -half-hour show than ever before. This suggests the Oscars has dropped some of its arrogance and wants to offer audiences more entertainment.
It's a timely move as the Golden Globes, also known as the "big party," has become a threat to the Oscars, stealing viewers and even its reputation. Just look at the Oscars' winning list this year.
You can't blame the academy for wanting to stick it to the Golden Globes. While they hired Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to host the show--certainly more audience-friendly than MacFarlane-- and Bill Clinton was invited as a presenter, who did viewers get at the Oscars? The First Lady of the US, Michelle Obama.
Way to go, Oscar! We know you're struggling to look fresh and young, but don't lose the pride and dignity that made you one biggest honor in the movie industry. Don't ever let that change. | high3418.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "You are who your friends are"
},
"options": [
"A friend in need is a friend indeed",
"How to make friendship last for ever",
"You are who your friends are",
"Friends are the most important in one's success"
],
"... | The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
"I hate all the terrible pianos in this town. I hate that rubbish they play on the radio. They can't even understand a bit of music."
"I'm never playing in that club again. Too many drunks and nobody listens to us."
But, one younger musician said, "There are a few clubs that book my band a few nights a month, and I'm trying to find other places to play. I'm also looking to book a few summer festivals this year."
I've heard that you are the average of the five people whom you spend the most time with, or to put it another way, you are who your friends are.
Attitudes are important. Whether they're positive or negative, they're rubbing off on you. If you're around people who complain about lack of work and about other musicians, or blame others, and you play the role of victim , chances are you will start to as well. So it's time to take a look at the people you call "friends".
This is an easy exercise: Make a list of the people who you hang out with, and simply stop spending time with the negative people on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don't become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Keep successful people around you and your own chances for success will be much better. Ask them how they do it. Ask if they will help you get the work you're looking for, or maybe give you some advice to help you on your career path. | high2706.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "inform the readers how to be truly happy"
},
"options": [
"persuade the readers to make a commitment",
"inform the readers how to be truly happy",
"explain to the readers what personal values are",
"instruct the readers... | You feel happiest when you create a healthy balance between giving and receiving. If you give and give without making time to fill your own needs, then it's likely you will burn out, or feel upset .When you take and take without giving anything back ,you never feel fulfilled, so you are always searching for ways to fill the _ in your life.
The way to create a healthy balance between giving and receiving is to know and then live by your values .I break values up into two groups which I call being and having values. Your being values are the character traits of the ideal person you would like to be. I suggest to my clients that they choose three being values that they are willing to make a commitment to live by. An example of some being values are: kind, loving, generous, inspirational, peaceful, wise and even powerful. By acting on these values you give to others through your actions and you inspire others by being a positive role model. Mastering being these character traits becomes your life purpose.
Your having values are the feelings you need to create in order to be happy. These could be companionship, achievement, support, being valued or financial security. This is what you receive. You take responsibility for filling your own needs by taking steps to create these feelings and conditions in your life.
When you make a commitment to live by your being values, it becomes easier to make conscious choices rather than reactionary ones. If your usual pattern is to talk about your problems, you could choose to think and act like a calm person. A calm person might go for a walk, meditate, or set a time limit before responding. If your usual pattern is to worry, you could choose to act like a responsible or wise person. In other words, you would act like the person you choose to be--this is the key to personal power.
When you choose to act on your values, you not only feel good about yourself, you reinforce your chosen beliefs. Over time acting in this way changes how you see the world, and in turn the way other people think of you. | high5069.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "development pressures"
},
"options": [
"development pressures",
"stealing",
"misuse by visitors",
"a war"
],
"question": "The town of Lamu faces danger from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | The Global Heritage Fund organization recently released a list of cultural treasures in the developing world that are in danger of disappearing. These"On the Verge" places face many threats. They included war, development pressures, stealing and misuse by visitors. The Global Heritage Fund says these places are important because they are records of our human civilization. And the group says countries can learn to use these treasures to help support responsible development in the future.
One such place is the town of Lamu. Lamu was once a very important trading center in East Africa. This ancient city became part of the United Nations Heritage list in 2001. But it still faces threats. For example, a modern port might be built nearby.
Other endangered places include Ani, a city in Turkey, the town of Maluti in India, the ancient city of Ninevah in northern Iraq, the Sans-Souci palace in Haiti, and the former capital of Ayutthaya in Thailand.
The Global Heritage Fund is nonprofit organization based in California. The group says it only focuses on developing countries which often have few resources to protect places of cultural importance. And, other major cultural organizations often pay more attention to protecting places in the developed world. For example, the fund points out the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has forty-five World Heritage places in Italy. UNESCO has forty-two in Spain. But Peru, famous for its ancient Incan buildings, has only nine World Heritage places. Guatemala has only three.
The Global Heritage Fund says its new report tries to place a value on cultural places so that they can also be considered as economic resources. It estimates that by 2025 these places of cultural importance could produce one hundred billion dollars a year in income for developing countries. | high20382.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To support the research on kids' cancers."
},
"options": [
"To show he was not afraid of brain tumors.",
"To help found an organization for cancers.",
"To support the research on kids' cancers.",
"To collect some of his... | 8-year-old Mario spent one day selling lemonade in New Jersey. But he didn't do it for spending money. "The people in the hospital need more medicine," Mario said.
Mario's lemonade stand raised money after a group called Alex's Lemonade Stand, which is an organization that raises money for research on cancers that affect kids.Their research might one day lead to a cure.The organization is named for Alexandra Scott, a girl who died of cancer eight years ago when she was eight years old.Alex' s Lemonade Stand actually began four years earlier before she died.That's when she announced that she wanted to sell lemonade to raise money for a cancer cure for all kids.
This year, thousands of kids across the country are selling lemonade to raise money for Alex's foundation.In Maryland, a group of kids at the Children's Guild held a fund - raiser for Alex in April.
And in Florida, Harrison began raise money for Alex's Lemonade Stand last year, when he was seven.This year, he raised more than $ 500 dollars.Harrison hoped it could help kids by scientists finding a cure.He also dreamed of finding a cure himself."When I grow up, I'm going to invent these little 'nano-bots' that can swallow cancer.They can fight cancer for you with their little mini - lasers and stuff," Harrison said.
"To see how that one simple idea grew into this national foundation, all of these supporters coming out in Alex's memory , it' s really special for me.It' s against my expectation,"said Liz Scott, Alex' s mother.
What made Mario's lemonade stand even more special and amazing than most is that he, too, has cancer--six brain tumors.But Mario is not giving up.And he is determined to help other kids like him--in memory of Alex." He lost a lot of friends who were in the hospital,"said Mario's mom, Anna."And he wants to be sure that he doesn't lose anymore." | high14027.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "get a real shark tooth as a souvenir"
},
"options": [
"feed sharks once a life time",
"get a real shark tooth as a souvenir",
"meet the biggest predators of sharks",
"draw some pictures of sharks"
],
"question":... | Get up close and very personal with the Aquarium's largest exhibit and its biggest predators with the new Shark Keeper program! After each participant prepares to feed the sharks and other fishes in the 120,000-gallon Lost City of Atlantis Exhibit, they will then get the once-in-a-lifetime chance to feed our sand tiger sharks! Participants will also experience a tour of other behind-the-scenes animal care work areas and take home a real-life shark tooth.
Program Outline:
*Greeting from Educator
*Educational Program: misunderstandings about sharks, biology, pictures, shark tooth comparisons, animal overview, what to expect during the experience.
*Behind-the-scenes food prep
*Brief overview of Safety and Policies
*Feeding
Schedule:
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 3:40 pm
Session: 3:40 pm
Length: 60 minutes
Requirements: All participants must be 16+.
Price: $50.00, plus Admission(Members: $45.00). Space is currently limited to three participants per scheduled session.
How to Book: Phone: 631 208 9200,ext.H2O(426)
Online: When purchasing your Admission ticket, please select the Shark Keeper add-on under the Aquatic Adventures section of the shopping cart.
Guests with Special Needs:
Long Island Aquarium&Exhibition Center makes every effort to accommodate guests with special needs. Please be aware that to participate in this program, guests must be able to navigate the animal habitat spaces with minimum assistance, and must be able to understand and take direction in English from staff members. To ensure the best experience, please contact the Call Center at 631 208 9200, ext. H2O(426) to discuss your individual needs.
Cancellations :
There is a 72-hour cancellation policy. Any cancellation made within 72 hours will not be refunded. No-shows will not be refunded or rescheduled. Guests arriving late (after the required program check-in time) will not be permitted to participate in the program and will not be refunded or rescheduled. We encourage guests to arrive at the Aquarium with plenty of time to park, enter, and check into the program. Adventurers should report to the Main Entrance at least ten minutes ahead. The sessions will begin quickly at the scheduled time. Please plan accordingly. | high9653.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A material that turns red before it breaks."
},
"options": [
"The collapse of an overpass in Zhuzhou,Hunan Province.",
"The Sichuan earthquake",
"A material that turns red before it breaks.",
"A way of preventing buildi... | A huge cloud of dust rose and an overpass disappeared. This was the scene in Zhuzhou,Hunan Province on May 17.Nine people were killed and 16 injured.
Things were similar last year in the Sichuan earthquake. Thousands of people were buried in the ruins and lost their lives. What if we could have warned them?
People are always _ to find a way of preventing buildings' collapse. Better materials and technology help,but they are not a solution.
Just like humans,a building has its own life cycle from "birth" to "death".If we know when a building is going to collapse,we can repair it in advance or get out of it before it falls.
Now,scientists at the University of Illinois have developed a material that turns red before it breaks. The invention could be used in things like climbing ropes or bridge supports.
The research was led by Nancy Sottos,a professor at the university's Beckman Institute,and Douglas Davis,a graduate research assistant.
The secret behind the colorchanging material is a type of molecule .A molecule is a group of atoms held together by chemical bonds. Imagine you and your friends standing in a circle,holding hands. Each person stands for one atom,your hands represent the bonds,and the entire circle represents a molecule. If one person lets go of his or her hands,the molecule changes color.
The research team put the molecule into a soft material. When the researchers stretched the material,it turned bright red for a few seconds before it broke into two pieces. When they repeatedly stretched and relaxed the material,without breaking it,it only turned a little red.
The major problem is that light can get rid of the red color. When the team shone bright light on the molecule,the broken bond was fixed,and the color disappeared.
If the bright light keeps the red color from appearing,the material's warning system will be useless. Scientists still have a lot of work to do before the colorchanging molecules can be used outside the lab. | high6560.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Alejandra Pachecho and Carl Khalid"
},
"options": [
"Alejandra Pachecho and Rodrigo Cruz",
"Alejandra Pachecho and Carl Khalid",
"Alejandra Pachecho and Mirna Hazim",
"Carl Khalid and Mirna Hazim"
],
"question":... | Alejandra Pachecho:No. Why not?That is because in this world some people drive very crazily. So most people who use cell phones to talk in the car usually pay more attention to what they are talking about than to driving. One of the reasons that I feel this way is that my friend had a car accident while using a cell phone. He lost his life and his friends did, too.
Rodrigo Cruz:That depends. The advantages of using a cell phone while driving are that you can call the police if there is a car accident, call for help when somebody's car breaks down, and call when somebody needs something before arriving home or at the office. The disadvantage is that people get distracted when they are driving at the same time they are talking on a cell phone. It can cause car accidents.
Carl Khalid:No. I would recommend if you want to use a cell phone while you're driving, pull over and take your time. You will avoid a lot of trouble. There are many advantages of using cell phones in cars. In emergencies such as accidents, a flat tire or engine problem, the cell phone is useful for calling 911 for help. Using the cell phone while driving can save time, but using it while driving can also cause a lot of problems such as missing a red light or signs, not watching cars, or not paying attention to the speed limit. It causes a lot of problems. All these problems could cause loss of concentration.
Mirna Hazim:Yes. A cell phone is helpful; it is one of the most important communication devices. For example, if you want to talk with somebody for an important reason, you can. One time when I was coming back from work at 10 o'clock at night, I had a problem in my car. It wouldn't move. I was scared to go into a store to call my brother because I didn't know the places there. I thought it could be dangerous. That night I found out that owning a cell phone is important. | high23853.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Families of the victims in the 9/11 attacks celebrated together."
},
"options": [
"Four people were killed in the firefight.",
"Families of the victims in the 9/11 attacks celebrated together.",
"President Obama thought highl... | As the United States nears the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 people, President Obama announced Sunday night that the al Qaeda leader and mastermind of that horrific day, Osama bin Laden, has been killed.
CNN reports that a senior government official confirmed that bin Laden was shot by a small team of U.S. soldiers while in a mansion with family members outside Islamabad . His body is now in American custody and is being handled according to Islamic customs. Three other adult men were killed in the firefight, including a son of bin Laden's, who was a senior member of the terrorist organization.
"Justice has been done," the president announced, saying that the operation he ordered after receiving intelligence information is "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al-Qaeda."
The immediate reactions ranged from cautious to ecstatic. Crowds cheered outside the White House. But officials said a "worldwide caution" would be set for Americans in case of al Qaeda retaliation .
Will bin Laden's death be the justice Americans have sought for nearly a decade?
Gordon Felt, president of Families of Flight 93, said it does bring comfort.
"This is important news for us, and for the world. It cannot ease our pain, or bring back our loved ones. It does bring a measure of comfort that the mastermind of the September 11th tragedy and the face of global terror can no longer spread his evil," Felt said.
President Obama says this victory does not close the book.
"His death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must and we will remain cautious," he noted. | high12456.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It was 5 pounds heavier than Dill's biggest one that year."
},
"options": [
"It weighed over 1,000 pounds.",
"It was missing after the competition.",
"It was 5 pounds heavier than that of 1982.",
"It was 5 pounds heavie... | Howard Dill is a giant among giant pumpkin growers. He grew world champion pumpkins for four years running,from 1979 to 1982, and missed winning the fifth year by only 5 pounds. Today, his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds are sold worldwide to more than 50 seed companies. The pumpkins grown from his Dill Atlantic Giant seeds commonly weigh in at over 1,000 pounds. "I don't have any training in genetics ; it was all trial and error," Dill says. He got his love of pumpkins from his father and has enjoyed growing them for years.
Dill still grows giant pumpkins, but not for competition. In the fall, visitors come to enjoy the pumpkins on his 90-acre farm in Nova Scotia, Canada. He plants ten acres of pumpkins for Halloween and two acres of giant pumpkins. One of giant pumpkins was recently baked into 442 pumpkin pies and sold at $5 each for charity.
It you want to try growing a giant pumpkin, Dill recommends starting with a soil test and then adding fertilizer as needed. Plant the giant pumpkin seed. A giant pumpkin can gain 15 to 20 pounds a day, so careful watering--every day or two--is necessary. You should wait about 130 days until the pumpkin matures and then you can harvest it.
Dill's favorite pumpkin set the Guinness Book record in 1981. It weighted 493.5 pounds. "I've grown them larger since, but that one meant a lot," he remembers. "I never would have imagined ten
years ago that there would be a 1,000-pounder, but there are many of them now," says Dill. The 2006 world record holder is Larry Checkon of Pennsylvania. He grew a 1,469 pounder. Dill says, "These world champions are grown from my seeds, so I feel like a winner right along with them." | high943.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To introduce the topic of the text."
},
"options": [
"To remember both of them.",
"To prove their wisdom.",
"To introduce the topic of the text.",
"To explain their relationships."
],
"question": "Why does the a... | Many people know the names Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison. However, most people don't know the name of the man who invented the television, Philo Farnsworth.
Philo Farnsworth was born in 1906 and grew up on a potato farm. As a boy, he loved to learn about science, and he read a lot of science books. When he was only thirteen years old, he drew a picture of a machine that could send pictures as radio sends sounds. He got the idea from the way the potatoes were planted in the field. The potatoes grew in long lines, side by side. This made a shape in Philo's mind. This shape helped Philo think of a way to send the TV picture onto a piece of glass. But he was poor, so Philo could not try to make his idea into a machine at that time.
Later, Philo worked at many different jobs. He worked with trees. He worked on broken radios. He worked on trains. He also worked as a street cleaner. At last, two rich men heard about his idea for television, and they gave him the money to make it. On September 7th, 1927, they watched Philo test the machine he built. When Philo turned on the machine, a small line could be seen on the glass. Philo said, "There you have it, electric television."
Later, a big company, RCA, said they had made the first television. Philo had to spend a lot of money on lawyers to fight them. Finally, he won. Then, World War Two started in 1939. During the war, Philo spent a lot of money helping the US army instead of _ his television company. After the war, other bigger, richer companies started making televisions. In the end, Philo had to sell his company. | high15339.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Somebody with measles visited Disneyland."
},
"options": [
"There were too many people visiting Disneyland.",
"Somebody with measles visited Disneyland.",
"California is a place fit for this illness's spread.",
"Some pe... | People from all over the world visit Disneyland to have fun, not to get sick. But last week, an outbreak of measles spread from the Southern California theme park. As of Monday, January 19, at least 52 people have got the easily spread illness.
The majority of the reported cases of measles are from people who visited the park before. According to the California Department of Public Health, these people were exposed to the illness at Disneyland from December 17-20.
Officials believe the cause is likely someone who caught measles abroad and visited Disneyland, but this has yet to be proved. However, in 2014, California had its highest measles infection rate in nearly twenty years. There were 66 cases of measles reported in the state--23 of them in Orange County, where Disneyland is located.
Measles spreads very easily. It can be caught from coughing and sneezing. Crowded areas like theme parks are especially suitable for its spread.
The illness starts with a fever and develops into symptoms including a cough, runny nose, red eyes and so on. About three out of ten people infected with measles will develop another health problem, including an ear infection or pneumonia .
The best way to _ measles is to get vaccinated . An unvaccinated person is 35 times more likely to catch measles than someone who received a vaccination. | high13990.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To make book signings less tiring."
},
"options": [
"To set up her own company.",
"To win herself greater popularity.",
"To write her books in a new way.",
"To make book signings less tiring."
],
"question": "Wh... | A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world's first long-distance signing device , the LongPen.
After many tiring book-signing tours from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here's how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams and computer screens.
Work on the LongPen began in Atwood's basement . At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.
The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.
"It's really fun", said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. "Obviously you can't shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don't get from a regular book signing."
The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, "It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn't afford it." | high7118.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The car will run in unusual way."
},
"options": [
"The car will run in unusual way.",
"The car will run down the hill.",
"The car will run backward.",
"The car won't work at all."
],
"question": "What will happe... | You won't have to look far to find some natural peculiarity for which science sometimes offer a theory. However, many places are complete unimaginable
Some places attract people more than others. The incapability to understand the real story behind some of these phenomena draws many people. They are just so mysterious that there is no explaining it.
1.Blood Falls, Antarctica
How is it that the coldest and driest place on the planet has a blood-red waterfall pouring down slowly into the McMurdo Dry Valleys, some of the most extreme desert lands on Earth? What causes the mysterious flow was only recently "discovered" in a study. Scientists believed for many years red algae gave the unusual color. But now research has shown that iron oxide is responsible for the hue. The waterfall even contains strange bacterial lifeforms.
2.Magnetic Hill, Moncton, New Brunswick
Be very careful if you choose to drive to the bottom of this hill. Stories about what happens there have been around since early 1900s. As impossible as it sounds, your car will start to "roll" uphill. "And it doesn't just work on cars--vans, trucks and even tour buses roll upward in total defiance of natural law," according to Tourism New Brunswick.
3.Racetrack Playa, Death Valley, California
Located in a remote valley between the Cottonwood and Last Chance Ranges, Racetrack Playa is a place of really beauty and mystery. The Racetrack is a dry lakebed, best known for its strange moving rocks. It looks like they "sailed" through the valley. Although no one has actually seen the rocks move, the long moving tracks left behind in the mud surface of the Playa prove their activity. The most logical explanation so far is that ice forms covering the stones, causing them to move. | high14999.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the connection between playing instruments and reading"
},
"options": [
"the importance of reading",
"the connection between playing instruments and reading",
"the necessity of learning to play an instrument",
"the vari... | A few years ago I was shopping with a friend and his 12-year-old daughter in downtown San Francisco.A street musician,whom my friend happened to know from his own musician day,was playing the saxophone on a street corner.His name was Clifford,and he had attracted a large crowd with his performance.After he finished,my friend introduced him to me and his daughter.Clifford asked her if she played any instrument.When she replied that she was taking trumpet lessons and played in her junior high school band,he said,"That's fine,little lady.Learn your instrument well and you can play anything."Somehow these simple yet wise words struck me as suitable not only for a trumpet player but also for a reader.If you learn to read well,you can read anything you want--not just newspapers and magazines,but more difficult material like philosophy,film criticism,military history--whatever interests you as your confidence grows.You would not be limited in any way.If you have the vocabulary -or at least a good dictionary near at hand--you can pick up a book,concentrate on it, and make sense of the writer's words.
In the United States,reading instruction often ends at elementary school,so students sometimes have difficulty as they progress through school.They must take their assignments,armed only with their elementary,school reading skills.The result,too often,is frustration and loss of confidence.And the assigned reading in your college courses will be even greater than they were in high school.Developing Reading Skills is designed to accomplish several tasks:to show you the skills that will enable you to read with greater comprehension,to help you deal with reading assignment with confidence,and to teach you to become an active reader. | high12330.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "find it hard to pay for what they need"
},
"options": [
"find it hard to pay for what they need",
"have to learn to make their own furniture.",
"take DIY courses run by the government.",
"seldom go to a department store... | As prices and building costs keep rising, the "do-it-yourself" (DIY) trend in the U.S. continues to grow.
"We needed furniture for our living room." Says John Ross, "and we just didn't have enough money to afford it. So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs." John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high. The Rosses took a 2-week course for $ 280 at a night school. Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house.
Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died. He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory. Last month, he received a car repair bill for $ 420. "I was deeply upset about it. Now I've finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself."
John and Jim are not unusual people. Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living. If you want to become a "do-it-yourself", you can go to DIY classes. And for those who don't have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself. | high1569.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It will cost the users some money for downloading the apps."
},
"options": [
"Normal mobile phones can be used to download the apps.",
"The apps enjoy high popularity in developing countries.",
"Only part of the messages sent... | If you hear the sound of a mobile phone beeping in a bag or pocket, you could think that someone has received a text message. Text messaging, or texting, is the art of sending a short, electronic message between two mobile phones. The users should pay a certain amount to send messages via SMS--- short message service. But in the last few years, with the development of smart phones, messaging in this way has been _
The rise of smart phones has seen an increase in the use of instant messaging apps. The apps offer a cheap alternative to traditional texts. Using wireless internet connections, people can send a number of messages to their friends at a very low cost. Unlike traditional mobile texts, the users usually only have to pay to download the app once, after which each message they send is free.
Instant messaging apps have become popular all over the world. Hundreds of millions of people use the apps to chat with their friends. These apps allow people to send pictures messages for free---something which previously was quite costly. Many of these apps also allow users to have access to a huge range of colourful emotions, which can help people express their emotions.
The research company Informa said that almost 19 billion messages were sent per day using chat apps last year, compared with 17.6 billion SMS texts. And it expects the chat app market to grow to 50 billion per day by 2015. So does this really mean the end of communicating by texting?
Pamela Clark-Dickson from Informa doesn't think so. She says that there are a large number of people who use normal mobile phones, particularly in developing countries and prefer the SMS messaging tool. For the moment, these users still find that SMS is the best messaging experience for them. | high9135.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly"
},
"options": [
"Not Sitting Too Much While Working",
"How to Avoid Sitting Too Much",
"Sitting Too Much Could Be Deadly",
"More and More People Sit Too Much"
],
"question": "Wh... | LONDON--Here's a new warning from health experts:Sitting is deadly.
Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for long periods--even if you also exercise regularly--could be bad for your health.And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place--at the office,at school,in the car or before a computer or TV--just the overall number of hours it occurs.Several studies suggest people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat,have a heart attack or even die.
In an editorial published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine,Elin EkblomBak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define physical activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.
While health officials have issued guidelines recommending minimum amounts of physical activity,they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated position.
"After four hours of sitting,the body starts to send harmful signals,"said EkblomBak.She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucose and fat in the body start to shut down.
Even for people who exercise,spending long periods of time sitting at a desk is still harmful.Tim Armstrong,a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization,said people who exercise every day--but still spend a lot of time sitting--might get more benefit if that exercise was spread across the day,rather than in a single bout .
Still,in a study published in 2009 that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years,researchers found people who sat more had a higher death risk,whether or not they exercised.
"We don't have enough evidence yet to say how much sitting is bad," said Peter Katzmarzyk of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge,who led the Canadian study."But it seems the more you can get up and interrupt this sedentary behavior,the better."
Figures from a U.S. survey in 20032004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting,from working at their desks to sitting in cars.
Experts said more research is needed to figure out just how much sitting is dangerous,and what might be possible to _ those effects.
"People should keep exercising because that has a lot of benefits," EkblomBak said."But when they're in the office,they should try to interrupt sitting as often as possible," she said. | high6206.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "According to their attitudes to the same thing."
},
"options": [
"According to their degree of health.",
"According to their wealth.",
"According to their attitudes to the same thing.",
"According to their habits."
... | There are two types of people in the world. Although they have an equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy, while the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons and events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are happy fix their attention on the convenience of things. They enjoy all cheerful things. Those who are unhappy think and speak only of unpleasant things. Through their remarks, they _ , offend many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind is founded in nature, such unhappy people should be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation . It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it can be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects.
Although this attitude is mainly an act of the imagination, it has serious results since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. If such people aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone speak a word in favor of their hopes. If they are criticized, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join in criticizing their wrong doings. So they should change this bad habit and stop worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, they will have a disagreeable time, especially when someone becomes mixed up in their quarrels. | high10527.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the safety and health of workers and customers"
},
"options": [
"conditions in the work place",
"the freedom of industries in the past",
"changes in industrial production",
"the safety and health of workers and customer... | Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed the need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore. At such times, they inquire into the causes of the disasters or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however. the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers.In the U.S, for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work. and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers. Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness. but they are having some good results. Our work places are safer and cleaner than before. The planes and cars which we use for travel are better. Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products. | high2060.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes."
},
"options": [
"You have your own plate of food in West while in China everyone shares the dishes.",
"On Chinese dinner table,chopsticks replace k... | Of course,the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork,but that's only superficial.Besides,in decent restaurants,you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork,if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough.The real difference is that in the West,you have your own plate of food,while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares.If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you're in the country for the first time,he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes.
The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes,to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes.Soup then will be served (unless in Guangdong style restaurants) to be followed by staple food ranging from rice,noodles to dumplings.If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes,you should say so in good time,for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all.
Perhaps one of the things that surprises a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests.In formal dinners,there are always "public" chopsticks and spoons for this purpose,but some hosts may use their own chopsticks.This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness.It is always polite to eat the food.If you do not eat it,just leave the food in the plate.
People in China tend to over-order food,for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed.When you have had enough,just say so.Or you will always overeat! | high21922.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It uses planes without human operators."
},
"options": [
"It can deliver heavy products by plane.",
"It uses planes without human operators.",
"It can delivery many products at a time.",
"It is much safer than other del... | Amazon. com has received a patent right to send its products to customers by drone planes. The company is the largest US-based online seller of products by mail and other services. Now, the company has received a patent for its planned drone delivery system.
In March, federal officials allowed Amazon to test its drone delivery plan. But even with a patent and the ability of drones to make deliveries, it does not appear the company will put its new delivery system in place any time soon.
The US Patent Office published the document, which describes Amazon's plans to use GPS to deliver products to homes and to wherever people are. The drone will use a customer's mobile device --- usually a smartphone ---to avoid hitting people or buildings and to find a _ area to land. The company wants to deliver products within 30 minutes after people order them on its website.[:++Z+X+X+K]
However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is worried about the safety. Although it allowed Amazon to test the system, the agency said the operators must be able to see the planes. That greatly limits the delivery area.
Loretta Alkalay is a professor at the Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in New York. Although Amazon is not yet offering drone delivery, Professor Alkalay says it will not be long before it does. She says there are worries that the drones will hit buildings or people, or that the products and drones will be stolen or damaged by people on purpose. But she says that is because many people believe the drones would only deliver the products to the front door of a house. "However, it is possible that homes will one day have special area on their roofs designed to receive product deliveries," she adds. | high11639.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "likes living in London"
},
"options": [
"was born in San Francisco",
"likes living in London",
"is living in New York now",
"doesn't like America"
],
"question": "The writer _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | I was born in New York, but I grew up in San Francisco. I began to live in London 25 years ago. If I am asked now where I want to live forever, I would say London. But I will always be American.
San Francisco, like London, has many parks. Every day my sisters and I were taken to play in the parks as children. I didn't go to school. I only had three hours of formal education when I was five. I was sent to school in the morning but came home at noon on the first day. I said I didn't enjoy it and hadn't learned anything. My parents thought that school was unsuitable for me. They agreed with me, so I never went back to school.
Then my mother taught me and my two sisters at home, in the way of an English lady who had good education. We learned languages and reading more than sciences and maths. Sometimes she taught us herself, but we also had other teachers. They asked us to take lessons every day. About once a week we walked to Golden Gate Park. While we were walking, my mother taught me to read music. One day I noticed a little toy train in the window of a shop and I remember now how I'd like to have it. I couldn't say "r" when I was small. My mother said if I could say an "r" well, I would have the toy train. I practiced and practiced. Then one morning I woke everybody up with my "r"s. I got the toy train. I usually get the things I want in life -- but I work hard for them. | high16156.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "behavior considered unacceptable in society's eyes"
},
"options": [
"a strong desire to do something strange or terrible",
"a crime committed on impulse",
"behavior considered unacceptable in society's eyes",
"an unfavo... | At some time in your life you may have a strong desire to do something strange or terrible. However, chances are that you don't act on your impulse , but let it pass instead. You know that to take the action is wrong in some way and that other people will not accept your behavior.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the phenomenon of taboo behavior is how it can change over the years within the same society, how certain behavior and attitudes once considered taboo can become perfectly acceptable and natural at another point in time. Topics such as death, for example, were once considered so upsetting and unpleasant that it was a taboo to even talk about them. Now with the publication of important books such as On Death and Dying and Learning to Say Goodbye, people have become more aware of the importance of expressing feelings about death and, as a result, are more willing to talk about this taboo subject.
One of the newest taboos in American society is the topic of fat. Unlike many other taboos, fat is a topic that Americans talk about constantly. It's not taboo to talk about fat; it's taboo to be fat. The "in" look is thin, not fat. In the work world, most companies prefer youthful-looking, trim executives to sell their image as well as their products to the public. The thin look is associated with youth, vigor, and success. The fat person, on the other hand, is thought of as lazy and lacking in energy, self-discipline, and self-respect. In an image-conscious society like the U.S., thin is "in", fat is "out".
It's not surprising, then, that millions of Americans have become obsessed with staying slim and "in shape". The pursuit of a youthful physical appearance is not, however, the only reason for America's fascination with diet and exercise. Recent research has shown the critical importance of diet and exercise for personal health. As in most technologically developed nations, the life-style of North Americans has changed dramatically during the course of the last century. Modern machines do all the physical labor that people were once forced to do by hand. Cars and buses transport us quickly from point to point. As a result of inactivity and disuse, people's bodies can easily become weak and vulnerable to disease. In an effort to avoid such a fate, millions of Americans are spending more of their time exercising. | high7130.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Newspaper articles about the weather."
},
"options": [
"Newspaper articles about the weather.",
"Bad weather forecasts in newspapers.",
"Introduction to climate in different places.",
"Popular science on climate."
]... | Hurricane Babette reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains, together with the force of the Atlantic Ocean, created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high. The damage to homes, business and crops will run into billions of dollars. Now that the storm is over, the long, slow rebuilding will begin.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel . It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. If your building does not have a basement, stay on the ground floor but lie flat under a bed or table. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to lie down in.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives, and property . | high8203.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "didn't think it was a big deal"
},
"options": [
"responded calmly",
"felt very ashamed",
"didn't think it was a big deal",
"didn't admit stealing the toy"
],
"question": "When the author' s son was caught playin... | Over the holidays, I took my three young children into a fancy chocolate shop to buy gifts. Halfway home, I noticed my 7-year-old son playing with a plastic noisemaker. Long story short: He had stolen the toy. I kept my cool -- even when he said, "but it was only $1.50, Mom!" --and explained why it was unacceptable to take things we didn't buy.
A few hours later, I marched my son back to the store with two dollars from his piggy bank. He walked embarrassedly to the counter and told the clerk that he had taken something without paying for it, that he was sorry to break it and that he would pay for it now.
I know exactly how terrible he was feeling. Returning to the scene of the crime is the same shame-causing punishment I received when I was five and stole something from a store. 1 remember my dad sending me back to return the item. It remains one of my clearest child- hood memories. After that day, I never stole again. My dad taught me such an important lesson 30 years ago and I saw an opportunity to do the same for my son. But now I wonder if it was the fight thing to do.
"Returning to the store is absolutely the right thing to do," Laura Markham, Ph.D., a child psychologist and author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids, says. "Many children steal -- they' re not born knowing the rules so it' s our job to teach them."
And stay calm when you set them. "If you overreact or yell, you might create a fascination with the behavior and a willful child will be more likely to fight against you," she says. Having a child physically return the stolen item helps him or her grasp the situation -- and the consequence.
But don't talk about it for too long. "lf you continuously bring up the incident, the child will believe they' re a thief and that they' re bad," she says.
Only time will tell if this experience will have the same powerful effect on my son as it had on me, but at the same time I can rest if I haven' t dealt with the situation badly. | high12318.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the link between multi-tasking and brain shrinkage needs further research"
},
"options": [
"the link between multi-tasking and brain shrinkage needs further research",
"people with less grey matter in the ACC are more attracted to ... | If you are sending a text, watching the TV or listening to the radio, you may want to stop and give this your full attention. Multi-tasking shrinks the brain, research suggests.
A study found that men and women who frequently used several types of technology at the same time had less grey matter in a key part of the brain. University of Sussex researchers said, "Simultaneously using mobile phones, laptops and other media devices could be changing the structure of our brains."
The finding follows research which has linked multi-tasking with a shortened attention span, depression, anxiety and lower grades at school. The researchers began by asking 75 healthy men and women how often they divided their attention between different types of technology. This could mean sending a text message while listening to music and checking email, or speaking on the phone while watching TV and surfing the web. The volunteers were then given brain scans which showed they had less grey matter in a region called the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The findings held even when differences in personality were taken into account.
The study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is the first to make a link between multi-tasking and the structure of the brain.
Researcher Kep Kee Loh said, "Media multi-tasking is becoming more common in our lives today and there is increasing concern about its impacts on our cognition and social-emotional well-being."
He added that more research is needed to prove that multi-tasking shrinks the brain. This is because it is also possible that people with less grey matter in the ACC are more drawn to using lots of small devices simultaneously.
Scientists have previously demonstrated brain structure can be changed on prolonged exposure to new environments and experience. Other studies have shown that training -- such as learning to juggle or taxi drivers learning the map of London -- can increase grey-matter densities in certain parts. Experts have also warned of the harmful impact technology can have on our memory and attention span. | high13006.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to deal with a lot of difficulties"
},
"options": [
"to remember the entire trade route",
"to deal with a lot of difficulties",
"to receive certain special training",
"to know the making of products"
],
"questio... | Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction.However,merchants passed silk,gold, fruit,and g1ass along the Silk Road in more than one direction.They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B.C. to about A.D.1300, when sea travel offered new routes . It was sometimes called the world's longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from centre Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.
The People along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs.The silk Road provided pathways for learning,diplomacy ,and religion.* | high1541.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He is a great creative artist."
},
"options": [
"He is a great creative artist.",
"He lives near the Great Salt Lake.",
"He made the most famous Land Art.",
"He was a pioneer in creating Land Art."
],
"question"... | Land Art, sometimes referred to as Earth Art or Earthworks, is a form of art which involves using physical landscapes to create art, taking art out of the museum and into the outside world. Modern Land Art movement really got going in the 1960s when American artists began creating Land Art on a large scale. Today, works of modern Land Art can be seen all over the world, sometimes right alongside much older pieces of Land Art created by people who lived thousands of years ago.
Land Art, which is not necessarily unchangeable, can take a number of forms. For examples, in 1970 Robert Smithson created the Spiral Jetty , made of a collection of stones and mud, in the Great Salt Lake. The American artist made a large jetty in a spiral shape which sticks out into the waters of the lake.
Reshaping the landscape is a common characteristic of Land Art, which can be created by moving parts around. People can also add things to the environment to create Land Art, like salt, which is added to the Spiral Jetty. It is possible to use plants. In all cases, Land Art is immovable.
Land Art is designed to gradually form, change, and eventually decay . That's one of the biggest differences between Land Art and most of the art one sees in the museums. Some works of art can exist only for a few hours or days. Others are exposed to rain and wind so that they develop and decay over time, which is part of the attractiveness in the eyes of the artists. | high14769.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "drinking some wine"
},
"options": [
"laughing",
"taking some exercise",
"drinking some wine",
"listening to favorite music"
],
"question": "The following things can make the blood vessel open up EXCEPT _ .",
... | Songs that make our hearts soar can make them stronger too, US researchers reported on Tuesday.
They found that when people listened to their favorite music, their blood vessels dilated in much the same way as when they are laughing, or taking blood medications.
"We have a pretty impressive effect," said Dr Michael Miller, director of preventive cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.
"Blood vessel diameter improved," he said. "The vessel opened up pretty significantly. You can see the vessels opening up with other activities such as exercise." A similar effect is seen with drugs such as statins and ACE inhibitors.
When blood vessels open up more, blood flows more smoothly and is less likely to form the clots that cause heart attacks and strokes. Elastic vessels also resist the hardening activity of atherosclerosis .
"We are not saying to stop your statins or not to exercise but rather to add this to an overall program of heart health," said Miller, who presented his findings to a meeting of the American Heart Association in New Orleans. Miller's team tested 10 healthy, non-smoking men and women, who were told to bring their favorite music. They spent half an hour listening to the recordings and half an hour listening to music they said made them feel anxious while the researchers did ultrasound tests designed to show blood vessel function. Compared to their normal baseline measurements, blood vessel diameter increased 26 percent on average when the volunteers heard their joyful music. Listening to music they disliked - in most cases in this group heavy metal - blood vessels narrowed by six percent, Miller said.
Miller said he came up with the idea after discovering the laughter caused blood to literally flow more smoothly." I asked myself what other things make us feel real good, besides calories from dark chocolate of course. Music came to mind. ... It makes me feel real good," he said. Most of the volunteers chose country music but Miller said the style is not so important rather what pleases each individual. | high17260.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "I Never Steal Music"
},
"options": [
"I Never Steal Music",
"I Defed My Ski1ls",
"I Never Give Up",
"I Know WhO 1 am"
],
"question": "The best title of the passage should be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | Lavigne,who married in July 2006,set foot in film with Fast Food NationandThe Flock,before releaseing her chart-toppong third album The Best Damn Thing.Despite her punk rock pose and her occasionally impolite public behavior,singer Avril Lavigne is sure sensitive about one thing--her reputation .
In an open letter on her official web site,Lavigne responds to public views that her hit single"girlfriend,"from her 1atest album The Best Damn Thing,was copied form a 1979 song called"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"by a new wave group called the Rubinoos.The group's songwrieers,Tommy Dunbar and James Gangwer,have gone to 1aw against the singer."I had never heard this song in my life and their claim is based on 5 words,"Lavigne blogs."A11 songs share similar song words and emotions.As humans we speak one language."In fact,Lavigne 1ists several songs,which are similar in words."Simply,I have been falsely accused of copying their song.I have done nothing wrong and there is no sense of their claim,"she writes.
The Rubinoos'accusation is not the first time that Lavigne's song writing practices have been called into question.In a recent interview with Performing Song-writing Magazine, Canasian singer--songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk discusses cooperating with Lavigne.And she te11s the magazine that she gave Lavignc the song "contagious",which.she claims,appears on The Best Damn Thing.On the album,however.The song is owned only by Lavigne and the song writing partner Evan Tauenfeld.
"I was going to be a bigger person and not reply when I read Chantal Kreviazuk's article," Lavigne writes."Our songs have no similarities or opposites meanings,i.e.different wods,different tunes,different styles.There are hundreds of songs out there with the title'Contagious'." Lavigne adds:"I am not going to sit here and defend my writing skil1s.I don't have to prove anything to anyone.I know who I am and what I have done and succeeded in and no one can take that away from me." | high18153.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "explain why women are more critical of their appearance than men"
},
"options": [
"compare different views on beauty between women and men",
"tell us that standards of female beauty are very high",
"explain why women are more... | Women, as all research suggests, are far more critical of their appearance than men. Most of them are likely to feel dissatisfied with their reflection in the mirror.
It is quite possible that men looking in the mirror are either pleased with what they see or indifferent. Research shows that men generally have a much more positive body-image than women---if anything, they may tend to over-estimate their attractiveness. Some men looking in the mirror may literally not see the flaws in their appearance.
Why are women so much more self-critical than men? Because women are judged more on their appearance than men, and standards of female beauty are considerably higher and more inflexible. Women are continually bombarded with images of the "ideal" face. And constant exposure to idealized images of female beauty on TV, magazines and billboards makes exceptional good looks seem normal and anything short of perfection seem abnormal and ugly. It has been estimated that young women now see more images of outstandingly beautiful women in one day than our mothers saw throughout their entire adolescence.
Also, most women trying to achieve the impossible standards of female beauty have in fact become progressively more unrealistic during the last century. In 1917, the physically perfect woman was about 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighed nearly 10 stone. Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average women, now they weigh 23% less. The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population---and that's just in terms of weight and size. If you want the ideal shape, face etc., it's probably more like 1%. | high2048.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "temperature , water and oxygen"
},
"options": [
"temperature",
"water",
"oxygen",
"temperature , water and oxygen"
],
"question": "It is the _ on the earth that makes life possible .",
"question_type": "cl... | The earth is the only planet that scientists are certain has life .What does the earth have that the other planets don't ? For one thing , the earth has just the right temperature . As _ from the sun , the earth seems to be just the right distance away . The planets that are closer to the sun are so hot that their surfaces bake in the sun . The farthest planets are cold balls .
When the earth developed-- which scientists believe may have happened about billions of years ago , many gases covered the earth . The gases caused the earth to be hot . But something wonderful happened . The temperature was just right for thick clouds to form . It rained very hard for a very long time . This gave the earth its oceans . Water made it possible for plants to grow . The plants created oxygen in the atmosphere . Oxygen is the gas that humans and animals breathe .
Only one other planet in the solar system seems to be something like the earth . That planet is Mars . Mars is smaller than the earth , and it is quite a bit cooler . But it is not too cold for humans . On some days , the temperatures are as cold as a winter day in the northern United States . If you wore a special spacesuit , you could walk around on Mars . You would have to bring your own air to breathe , though . The air on Mars is too thin to breathe . Mars has the largest volcano in the solar system . It is sixteen miles high . The highest volcano on the earth is five miles high . The most unexpected sight on Mars is dried-up river beds . Scientists believe that Mars was once much wetter that it is now . Does this mean there could have been living things on Mars ? Scientists are not sure , but there has been no sign so far . | high3356.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "both A and B"
},
"options": [
"the efforts of literary writings",
"the efforts of political writings",
"old Chinese",
"both A and B"
],
"question": "Modern English developed through _ .",
"question_type": ... | More people speak English than any other language except Chinese .English is the main language spoken in the United Kingdom,Ireland,Australia,New Zealand,Canada,the United States and some other countries. Altogether more than 450 million people speak English as their everyday language .Another 100 million or more speak at least some English. Most English words come from old Anglo Saxon,French,or Latin words.
Modern English developed through the efforts of literary and political writings .Modern English was influenced by old English,the beginning of the university educated people,Shakespeare,the common language found in the middle of presentday England and an effort to show and standardize English.
British English,known as Standard English or Oxford English,underwent changes during the colonization of North America and the creation of the United States .British English words changed into American English words,such as centre to center,metre to meter,theatre to theater and so on.
Until the 18th century,British and American English were very similar with almost no difference .Immigration to America by other English peoples changed the language by 1700.Noah Webster,author of the first authoritative American English dictionary,created many changes. | high11611.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Helping them form a good habit of reading stories."
},
"options": [
"Understanding the other people's feelings and problems.",
"Expressing their feelings like anger.",
"Having a strong faith in their own abilities and potenti... | As a parent you might never guess all the ways a good imagination benefits your child. It helps a preschooler :
Develop social skills
As children play pretend, they explore relationships between family members, friends and coworkers and learn more about how people interact. Playing doctor, they imagine how physicians care for their patients. Playing house, they learn more about how parents feel about their children. Imaginative play helps develop empathy for others. If children can imagine how it feels to be left out of a game or to lose a pet, they are better able to help those in need. They become more willing to play fair, to share, and to cooperate.
Build selfconfidence
Young children have very little control over their lives. Imagining oneself as a builder of skyscrapers or a superhero defending the planet is empowering to a child. It helps them develop confidence in their abilities and their potential.
Boost intellectual growth
Using the imagination is the beginning of abstract thought.Children who can see a king's castle in a mound of sand or a delicious dinner in a mud pie are learning to think symbolically . This skill is important in school where a child will have to learn that numerals symbolize groups of objects, letters symbolize sounds, and so on.
Practice language skills
Kids who play pretend with their friends do a lot of talking.This helps _ their vocabulary, improve sentence structure and promote communication skills.
Work out fears
Playing pretend can help children work out their fears and worries. When children roleplay about the big, bad monster under the bed, they gain a sense of control over him and he doesn't seem quite so big or so bad. Imaginative play also helps kids vent confusing feelings they might have, such as anger toward a parent or compete with a new sibling .
To encourage your youngster's imagination, read to him every day. Books offer children the opportunity to visit other worlds and create new ones of their own.
For generations children have enjoyed reading the story of Peter Pan because Peter takes them on fascinating adventures.Reader's Digest Young Families offers a beautiful typical Disney edition of Peter Pan, which is an iParenting Media Award winner. Click here to find out how you can get this classic story along with 2 free books-Bambi and Pinocchio. | high4439.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "silly"
},
"options": [
"happy",
"poor",
"kind",
"silly"
],
"question": "All of the following words can be used to describe the boy EXCEPT_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | There was once a boy who hardly had any toys or money. Nevertheless, he was a very happy little boy. He said that what made him happy was doing things for others, and that doing so gave him a nice feeling inside. However, no one really believed him, they thought he was silly. He spent all day helping others, dispensing charity to the poorest, and looking after abandoned animals. Very seldom did he ever do anything for himself.
One day, he met a famous doctor who thought the boy's case was so peculiar that he decided to investigate him. So, with a complex system of cameras and tubes, the doctor managed to record what was happening inside the boy.
What he discovered was surprising. Each time the boy did something good, a thousand tiny angels gathered around the boy's heart and started tickling it.
That explained the boy's happiness, but the doctor continued studying until he discovered that we all have our own thousand angels inside us. Unfortunately, he found that, as we do so few good things, the angels spend most of their time wandering about, bored.
And so it was that the secret to happiness was discovered. Thanks to that little boy we now know exactly what we have to do to feel our hearts being tickled. | high16618.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "emphasize the condition of the poor at that time"
},
"options": [
"criticize non-tolerant and cold-hearted rich people",
"enlarge the scene of the film",
"make the film more attractive",
"emphasize the condition of the ... | The _ film Titanic has brought millions of dollars and thousands of people to the theaters and continues to touch people today in their homes. Why is this film so successful? It is a combination of many different things. Among these are many different elements. Looking at some of these elements will show how the director and others involved were able to create an emotionally charged movie that appealed to millions.
The film uses one thematic element called - The Truth of Human Nature. The two main characters seem to represent noble people. Most of the other characters in the film are shown as non-tolerant, rude and cold-hearted people. The element of focusing on the two main characters' love and emotion seems symbolic of an ideal state.
There are also social problems addressed. This is done in a few different ways. The most noticeable way is that the lower class people remain locked in the basement as the ship goes down. Throughout Titanic, the lighting is very important. The poor, lower class people are always shown in very warm-coloured light that gives them a sense of life and happiness. On the other hand, the rich, upper class are always shown in a flat light portraying the feeling of hardness and coldness. By using these techniques, they show the issue of class segregation , and they create stereotypes. The main characters are able to break free of these stereotypes and be together. This is the solution to the segregation problem.
As you can see, Titanic took a lot of thinking and preparation to film in a manner that would create emotion and bring to the surface the issues and story of the great ship. | high3430.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "didn't expect to see so many people around"
},
"options": [
"received a warm welcome from the wise man",
"had already missed his chance to talk to the wise man",
"was shown around the palace by the local people",
"didn'... | A shopkeeper sent his son to learn about the secret of happiness from the wisest man in the world. The boy walked a long way, and finally came upon the beautiful castle where the wise man lived.
On entering the main room of the castle, the boy was quite surprised: tradesmen coming and going, people chatting in the corners, and a small orchestra playing soft music. The wise man talked with everyone, and the boy had to wait for two hours before it was his turn.
The wise man listened carefully to the boy's explanation of why he had come, but told him that he didn't have time just then to explain the secret of happiness. He suggested that the boy look around the palace and return in two hours.
"Meanwhile, I want to ask you to do something," said the wise man, handing the boy a teaspoon that held two drops of oil. "As you wander around, carry this spoon with you without allowing the oil to spill."
The boy began to walk up and down stairs of the palace, keeping his eyes fixed on the spoon. After two hours, he returned to the wise man.
"Well," asked the wise man, "Did you see the Persian tapestries in the hall? Did you see the garden that took the master gardener ten years to create?" The boy was embarrassed, and replied that he had observed nothing. His only concern had been not to spill the oil.
"Then go back and observe the wonders of my world," said the wise man. The boy picked up the spoon and returned to his exploration of the palace. This time he observed all of the works of art on the ceilings and the walls. When he returned, he described in detail everything he had seen.
"But where are the drops of oil?" asked the wise man. Looking down at the spoon he held, the boy saw that the oil was gone.
"Well, there is only one piece of advice I can give you," said the wise man. "The secret of happiness is to see all the wonders of the world, and never to forget the drops of oil on the spoon." | high11177.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "report"
},
"options": [
"story",
"advertisement",
"report",
"diary"
],
"question": "The passage above may come from a(n) _ ?",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_inde... | A recently study found people's lives are made shorter in North China. It is showed the life expectancy had been cut down by 5.5 years there. Researchers think that the heavy air pollution in China should be to blame . It's really the truth. Our government has already done something. However, it doesn't seem to work so well.
"Air pollution in China is doing harm to people's health. The harm is much more serious than we can imagine," said Chen Yuyu of Beijing University, one of researchers of this study.
Dirty air brings serious problems in North China. In January this year, the air pollution was worse than that in other places. That was caused by rising temperature and waste gas from coal heating.
Chinese government should strongly fight against air pollution. They should think of more proper ways to deal with the problem. People should be encouraged to take buses, ride bicycles or walk, instead of driving cars. The factories that pollute heavily should be closed.
"We need to improve our environment, although it might be expensive. Protecting our environment means protecting ourselves," Li Hongbin, another researcher of the study said. | high10269.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "according to an interesting theory, the orange lights are space animals"
},
"options": [
"Captain Nash saw twelve orange lights traveling at a fantastic rate of speed",
"Captain Nash may have been the first to see lights in space",... | On the night of July 6, 1943, a plane took off from an Air Force base in England to intercept German fighters over the English Channel. Piloting the plane was Captain Thomas Nash. Looking westward, Nash saw twelve orange lights in a row, moving at a fantastic rate of speed. An old experienced flyer, he had never seen anything like them. Thinking they might be a new German weapon, he decided to give chase. But when he swung the plane around and headed directly for the lights, they disappeared.
Captain Nash may have been the first to see such orange lights but he wasn't the last. His experience was repeated many times by pilots during World WarIIboth in Europe and the Far East. Pilots in the Korean War also reported seeing the strange lights.
What were they? No one knows for sure, but there is an interesting theory to account for them. According to this theory, the orange lights are space animals -- animals specially adapted to life in the upper atmosphere just as some creatures are adapted to life at the bottom of the sea.
These space animals, the theory says, live so far up in the atmosphere that they are not visible from earth. They feed partly on the air and partly on energy from sunlight. Being almost pure energy themselves, they can adjust their bodies to glow at night. During the day they become invisible.
Before World War II, continues the theory, there was little radiated energy available on the earth's surface. Then came the development of rockets, atomic reactors , and hydroelectric plants . The space creatures are attracted to these sources of energy of food. At night when there is no energy from sunlight, they go down into the lower levels in search of a meal. They may even drift into the range of human eyesight. This explains the fact that they have been sighted regularly from the earth since 1943. | high17506.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the afternoon"
},
"options": [
"at noon",
"in the afternoon",
"in the morning",
"at night"
],
"question": "It can be known from the passage that the car accident happened _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_... | The bus driver and his passengers were being hailed as heroes last night after rescuing a woman from her burning car following a crash on the Bluff Highway. The 60-year-old woman was taken by ambulance to Southland Hospital after firefighters battled for 30 minutes to cut her from her car.
Acting Senior Sergeant Brock Davis of Invercargill, said emergency services were called to the scene of the crash at the crossroads of Motorimu Rd and State Highway I shortly before 5:00 p.m. yesterday.
Mr. Davis said a Mitsubishi car driven by a 30-year-old man traveling north on the highway and the woman's southbound Suzuki Alto collided . The man suffered slight injuries in the crash, he said.
Invercargill Passenger Transport Ltd driver Bill McDermott and his passengers--New Zealand Aluminum Smelters Ltd workers were first on the scene and alerted emergency services. The scene at the spot was disordered, Mr. McDermott said.
"There was a car on its side and a guy wandering around who was quite excited," he said. "We stopped, got out and found a lady trapped in her car ...... then we noticed flames in the engine bay and the smell of petrol." Mr. McDermott took a fire extinguisher from the bus, doused the flames, and several other workers controlled traffic.
However, he said his actions were "no big deal". He was not willing to take any credit for helping the woman.
"The praise goes to all the guys that jumped off that bus." Invercargill Senior Station officer Alan Goldsworthy, who was an officer in charge at the scene, said there was a possibility the car could have burst into flames if Mr. McDermott and the smelter workers had not helped. "They should acquire a good pat on the back." he said. | high5041.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Their family was dead and heir homes were destroyed."
},
"options": [
"Their family was alive, but their homes were destroyed.",
"Their family was dead and heir homes were destroyed.",
"Their family was dead, but heir homes s... | The Sir Lankan coastline is filled with fishermen who use the sea as their main source of living. Their daily catch would define the life of their own and their families. But it only took a few hours to remove their life-long habitat right in front of their eyes.
Some fishermen had set sail on Christmas night. A very few were lucky enough to return the next morning. But none found any of what they left behind the other night. They were made to lose their families by the very waters that they used to love the most.
The few who made it through the day have been wondering about the meaning of their lives. They had used the sea for decades, but the sea used them for a single day. Is it justice ? Or killing? What would become of them? For whom would they go fishing again? As they struggle with their conflicting feelings, they also come to remind themselves of their struggle for survival.
Where are they now? They didn't leave the beach, or the sea. They will be back because the sea is their home and the only means of living, so they will continue in their fight for destiny .
But will it be the same? Sadly not. Even though they force themselves to forgive, they can't forget. They will never be able to get through the idea of _ turning against them. That fear would always run deep in their hearts. As the fishermen get ready to take on their duties once again, each would take with them a frightful story that reminds them of the day of betrayal , the day that rewrote their lives. | high18635.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they are no longer motivated in their studies"
},
"options": [
"they are no longer motivated in their studies",
"they can start selling shoes and driving taxis",
"they compete for admission to graduate schools",
"colleg... | There is no denying that over the years college education has been accepted without the slightest doubt. All high school graduates should go, says conventional wisdom and statistical evidence, because college will help them earn more, become "better" citizens and be more responsible than those who don't go.
But college can never work its magic for everyone. Now with half our high school graduates attending college, those unfit for the pattern are getting more. College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students interfere with each other's experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the fierce competition for admission into graduate schools. Others find no stimulation in their studies, and consequently have to drop out, which is often encouraged by college administrators.
Some observers say the fault lies with young people themselves --- they are spoiled and expecting too much. But that's a condemnation of the students as a whole, and doesn't explain all campus unhappiness. Others blame our society. Both are partly right. We have been told that young people have to go to college because our economy can't absorb an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds. But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer absorb an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either.
Some campus watchers suggest that college may not be the best, the proper or the only place for every young person after finishing high school. It seems that through the rosy glow of our own college experiences, we may have been looking at those surveys and statistics upside down. Perhaps college does not make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, or quick to learn things--maybe _ . Intelligent, ambitious, happy, quick-learning people are merely those who are attracted to college in the first place. And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful even without college education. This is heresy to those who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better. But contrary evidence is beginning to pile up. | high6548.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the whole tomato fight is over"
},
"options": [
"people start to throw tomatoes",
"people start to fight in groups",
"the whole tomato fight is over",
"the fight has lasted for two hours"
],
"question": "When th... | Are you fond of tomatoes? Bunol,a town in Spain,held its yearly tomato festival on the last Wednesday of August.Thousands and thousands of people made their way from all corners of the world to fight in it,the world's biggest food fight.Tons of fully-grown tomatoes were thrown in the streets.
No one knows exactly how this event started.Maybe it came from a local food fight between friends,or a joke that was played on a bad musician.
On Wednesday,at 11am,the fight began.A cannon shot was fired to start the fight.At first,people fought one another,but slowly they began to fight in groups.After exactly one hour,the fight ended when the cannon shot was fired once more.At this point,no more tomatoes could be thrown.
Those who attend this event are encouraged to wear protective glasses.And they must press the tomatoes before throwing so that they won't hurt others.Another rule is that no one is allowed to take anything -- such as a glass bottle -- into the fight.Although it is forbidden to tear another person's clothing,the crowd seems to tear the shirt of any clothed person,whether they are men or women.
Fire trucks are used to clean the streets after the fight with water provided from a Roman channel .The government seems more concerned with cleaning up the town than the visitors,and people go to the Bunol River for a wash. | high13760.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It will not be difficult for people to travel to other plants."
},
"options": [
"It will not be difficult for people to travel to other plants.",
"Our environment will be much polluted with a growing number of cars.",
"The wa... | We don't know how different our life in the future. We can only try to imagine it.
At first we think about human relationship. In the year 2050, we will use computers almost every day, we will be making new friends through the Internet--- even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won't be as important as they are today--- we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Traveling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster economic development would lead to a more polluted environment. But it isn't true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. Scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.
Although we cannot predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our and our children's future; we have expectation, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather _ about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen. | high7656.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to the south; on the southeast"
},
"options": [
"to the south; on the southeast",
"to the north; on the southwest",
"to the east; on the northeast",
"to the east; on the southwest"
],
"question": "Australia is a... | Australia -a huge island continent that lies to the south of Asia.Australia-more than two hundred years old, a nation that is still growing.
Its big cities lie on the southeast coast, this is where most Australians live.Australians prefer to own their own houses, though some live in apartments.Australians are a suburban people.The suburbs surround the cities for many miles, and so efficient transport is of great importance.As the economy grows, so do its industries- a higher level of production, a wider range of products.
The Australian works hard, but he likes his leisure.The climate makes outdoor activities the most popular.
Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a planned modem city located inland.Australia is governed by a parliamentary democracy.The representatives of other countries have their embassies here.Australia wants to strengthen relations with her neighbors.
Australia is a strange land, a land of vast expanses- fertile valleys, snow fields and deserts- also a land with unique animal, many that can not be found on any other continent in the world today.
Much of the continent is dry, but man has utilized the land, made it productive, with its tools, with its technology.This is the driest continent of all, and water is a precious possession, more precious than all other natural resources.Large dams are built to collect the water, there to irrigate the fields of pastures and crops. But Australia is changing.The land of wool and wheat is now a land of large-scale industry and mining.The costs of developing the new mineral discoveries are enormous, but the rewards are great too.
Australia -- a young and developing nation.Australia -- a nation that wants to communicate with its neighbors. | high15311.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Play some hands-on games."
},
"options": [
"Play some hands-on games.",
"Enjoyed different food and drinks.",
"Go on a tour of the machine room.",
"Get some tips to protect their home."
],
"question": "What can ... | Ecoworld Discovery Centre
The future is here at Ecoworld Discovery Centre!
Class for children!
Hands-on games, challenging and fun! Discover the environmental world in an exciting and educational way. Special activities for different ages.
Organic gardens!
Find out how to protect the environment in your own back garden! Learn practical and exciting tips to follow at home. Find out what live under the grass and in the trees!
Wind turbine tower!
Climb the 500 steps to the top of the 85-metre wind turbine tower and see the amazing view of Carlstown and the river beyond. For a little more charge, go on a special tour of the machine room(children under 12 not allowed without an adult).
Gift shop and restaurant!
Amazing gifts for all the family, each one specially chosen by our team of eco experts! The restaurant has a great choice of food and drinks, with a wide selection of vegetarian dishes available. There is access for wheelchair users to both the gift shop and the restaurant, and large print food menus for visitors with poor eyesight. Picnic area and free parking every day.
KIDS-Special meals at reduced prices!
Opening time:
April 1st--- September 30th.
Monday-Friday 10 am-6pm, Weekends 10am-7pm.
October 1st---March 31st.
Monday-Friday 10am-2pm, Weekends 10am-4pm.
Tel: 01882-7092, Fax:01882-7093 | high8565.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The discovery of a large chariot pit in Henan."
},
"options": [
"The dead people's sacrifices in ancient China.",
"China's archaeological studies.",
"The discovery of a large chariot pit in Henan.",
"The history of Chin... | The largest-ever chariot pit of relics with carts and horse bones has been discovered in Henan Province. It may lead to the uncovering of chariot pit groups that could be a key to understanding Chinese civilizations that existed more than 2,000 years ago.
Experts said the relics are dated more than 300 years earlier than the famous warriors in Shaanxi Province. What excited the experts were two other projects that located two huge pits with similar features.
"It is absolutely a miracle. These relics indicate that there could be a tomb group in this area, which is likely to be important for China's archaeological studies," said Ma Juncai, a leading relic researcher in the province.
In ancient China, carts, sheep, spoons and so on were buried to ensure that dead people had a happy afterlife. The number and quality of the sacrifices indicated the social status of the dead. The custom was carried into the Qin Dynasty. Emperor Qinshihuang's tomb, located near Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, is accompanied by thousands of wood or clay figures of warriors and horses. The tomb is probably the most well-known.
The discovered pit measures 10.4 meters long, 8.4 meters wide and 5 meters deep. It holds 20 carts in different sizes. The smallest one is 1.05 meters long and 1.3 meters wide.
Experts think that 40 horses are likely to be found as well. Careful plans need to be made to deal with the demanding uncovering. "The clay is very weak and a small misstep can destroy the whole project. That's why we need to take every step very carefully to protect these cherished cultural relics," Ma said. | high7642.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he is forced to live in a workhouse by Roman Polanski"
},
"options": [
"he is forced to live in a workhouse by Roman Polanski",
"he meets a thief, Fagin, in the streets of London",
"he lives a hard life in his childhood",
... | Ask any student to say one thing they know about Charles Dickens, and it is very likely they will say Oliver Twist. His classic tale of a poor orphan boy strikes at the heart of all those who have ever wanted "more", as Oliver did.
And now, Dickens' classic scenes of the lives of the Victorian British poor will appear in a big screen movie, "Oliver Twist," an adaptation of his classic tale directed by Roman Polanski.
The new film is not meant for younger viewers, and is meant for children over 13. For those old enough to enjoy it, however, the film shows just how long people have been enjoying Dickens' remarkable literature. His short stories and essays began appearing in magazines in 1833. "Oliver Twist" was published in 1837 - more than 165 years ago.
"Oliver Twist" tells the story of an orphan forced to live in a workhouse headed by the awful Mr Bumble, who cheats the boys who work there out of their already low pay. Oliver decides to escape to the streets of London, where he meets a thief called Fagin, played by Sir Ben Kingsley, who leads him into a world of crime. Several of Dickens' books have been made into films and television series, including 2002's "Nicholas Nickleby" and 2000's "David Copperfield." And several versions of "A Christmas Carol" have entertained audiences for years.
In his novels, Dickens wrote about several important issues. He talked about the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1824 in "Oliver Twist"; the French Revolution in "A Tale of Two Cities"; and helping the poor in "Hard Times." One of Dickens' best-known books is the first Christmas book he wrote - "A Christmas Carol" (1843), about a mean man.
We thought this would be a good time to take a look at the man behind the words and see what kind of experiences helped shape and affect one of the best -- known writers of all time. | high8571.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "were first sold in the year 2025."
},
"options": [
"were first sold in the year 2025.",
"are made to make people live forever.",
"should be taken when people are young.",
"have greatly increased the life expectancy rate... | Here is some news of the future.
March 20, 2035
There was a lot of news around the life extension drugs that hit the market a decade ago. They didn't promise that you would like forever, but they gave you a chance to extend your life an extra five to ten years. Even though the life expectancy rate at birth has increased greatly, the life expectancy for seniors hasn't improved that much. Basically, you have a greater chance to become a senior, but you will not have a much longer lifespan, and this is where the anti-aging drugs intend to kick in. So, do the anti-aging drugs work? Well,it is too early to tell. But the sales so far are very good.
April 19, 2035
Of the total US population of 378 million, people over 65 years of age now make up 20% for the first time. The senior ratio of only 4.1% by year 1900, and 12.4% 30 years ago.
The number of people above 65 compared to those of what is considered working ages, between 15 and 64, is currently 33.7%. This is up from 18.5% since year 2005, which means that for every retired person there are now two workers, compared to four workers 30 years ago. The number of people above the age of 80 has grown to 23.8 million, making them 6.3% of the total population compared to 3.6% in 2005.
April 12, 2040
Although introduced in the market only five years ago, 10% of all hydrogen fuel now sold in the US is of the environmentally friendly Re-Hydro label, produced through eletrolysis based on a source of 100% renewable energy. Several producers have turned to producing Re-Hydro, mainly because of lower tax, which also keeps the price of Re-Hydro on the same level as regular hydrogen. Most analysts believe that Re-Hydro will be the dominating fuel in the future. | high3424.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "their hands, heads and other parts of their bodies."
},
"options": [
"a waiter",
"a teacher",
"an Englishman",
"their hands, heads and other parts of their bodies."
],
"question": "According to the passage, when... | When we don't understand each other's language, we can talk with the help of signs.
A Frenchman was once travelling in England. He could not speak English at all. One day he went into a restaurant and sat down at a table. When the waiter came, he opened his mouth, put his fingers in it, and took out again. He wanted to say . "Bring me something to eat." The waiter soon brought him a cup of tea. The man moved his head from side to side. The waiter understood him and took the tea away. In a moment he came with a cup of coffee. But the man again refused it. He shook his head whenever the waiter brought him something to drink, for drinks are not food. When the man was going away, another man came in. This man saw the waiter , and he put his hand on his stomach. That was enough. In a few minutes there was a large plate of meat and vegetables on the table in front of him.
So you see, we cannot understand the language of signs as well as we can understand the language of words. | high11163.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "older than 20"
},
"options": [
"older than 20",
"around 20",
"in their 30s",
"in their 40s"
],
"question": "We can infer from the text that most millionaires are _ .",
"question_type": "summarization_qu... | Everyone would like to be a millionaire, a person with a lot of money, but can you imagine having over $30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old. She is a world famous film star with not only $30 million but also a $2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially all her life. This year is a big year for Britney. She is now on a 31-day tour of the US and every concert is a sell-out. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 people every time. It's a tiring schedule but brings her a lot. When touring, she goes to bed around 1 a.m. and then has a lie-in until 1 p.m. the next day. Her philosophy is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.
Spears is not pleased with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records so she decided to step into the movie business and try a bit of acting. She made an appearance in "Austin Power 3" this year and she is filming a teenage light play that will come out in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role.
For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic about it all. If her movies are successful, her money in the bank is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she does it for the love, not the money, as she herself tells the reporters. | high17512.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a drama teacher"
},
"options": [
"a college student of drama",
"a 32yearold actor",
"a high school student",
"a drama teacher"
],
"question": "The writer of this passage is most probably _ .",
"question_t... | In 1995,I returned to Miami Beach High School to speak to the drama class.Afterward I asked the drama teacher if any of my English teachers was still there."Irene Roberts,"he told me,"is in class just down the hall."
I was no one special in Miss Roberts' class.I don't remember any one special bit of wisdom she passed on.Yet I cannot forget her respect for language,for ideas and for her students.I realize now,many years later,that she is a selfless teacher.I'd like to say something to her,but I don't want to pull her from a class.
The drama teacher brought Miss Roberts into the hallway where stood this 32yearold man she last saw at 18."I'm Mark Medoff,"I told her."You were my 12th grade English teacher in 1981."She raised her head,as if this angle might bring back her memory.And then,though armed with a message I wanted to deliver in some perfect words,I couldn't think up anything more memorable than this,"I want you to know,"I said,"you were important to me."
And there in the hallway,this slight and lovely woman,now nearing retirement age,this teacher who didn't remember me,began to weep;she held me in her arms.
Remembering this moment,I began to sense that everything I will ever know,everything I will ever pass on to my students,to my children,is an inseparable part of a treasure of our shared wonder and hope that we can,must,make ourselves better.
Irene Roberts held me in her arms and through her tears whispered against my cheek,"Thank you."And then,with a quick look into my forgotten face,she disappeared back into her classroom,returned to what she had done thousands of days through all the years of my absence.
On reflection,maybe those were,after all,just the right words to say to Irene Roberts.Maybe they are the very words I would like to speak to all those teachers I carry through my life as part of me,the very words I would like spoken to me one day by some returning student,"I want you to know you were important to me." | high18621.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "offer many benefits to customers"
},
"options": [
"helps choose things she needs most",
"will replace traditional shopping soon",
"offer many benefits to customers",
"seldom provides a better selection"
],
"ques... | Americans are buying more products and services than ever before through the Internet, and the popularity of online sales is likely to spread to other countries. Online sales now represent as much as one-tenth of all retail sales in the United States,which has led traditional stores to seek new ways to keep their customers loyal.
Lynne Shaner used the Internet to buy everything she needed for her wedding and holiday gifts for her husband. Other than food, 90 percent of her purchases were made on her home computer. "I find that, by being able to go online and _ the things that I need to select and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, I'm free from all the driving, all the crowds, all the noise, and I usually get a better selection."
There are a lot of people like her. Experts say American online shopping hit records in both November and December. Fifty-seven percent of Americans have bought something electronically. Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales will hurt their business. Cornell University marketing professor Ed McLaughlin says, "They should be worried. Anything that can move online will be sold online. And it's just a matter of time. However, traditional stores can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. The stores could also offer things that are difficult to ship. "
Bill Martin, whose business helps stores learn about their customers, says, "Traditional stores offer a social experience that some people enjoy. There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision that takes place, and you can't always get that on-line. It's a rather cold process. Traditional stores can provide goods for buyers more quickly than online stores. And some retailers are using websites to persuade people to visit their stores. "
While online shopping worries some business owners, the only worry for delivery services like FedEx and UPS is keeping up with the number of packages. UPS Manager Dana Kline says her company is very busy at this time of year. UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary worker positions during the holiday season. | high5055.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "52."
},
"options": [
"18.",
"28.",
"49.",
"52."
],
"question": "How old was Shakespeare when he died?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_te... | Of all the famous English writers, probably the best known is William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 on April the 23rd. His father was an important man in town so Shakespeare had a good upbringing. Shakespeare probably went to school (although no records survive to prove this) but not university. He got married when he was 18 to Anne Hathaway and the couple had 3 children.
Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets (a sonnet is a kind of poem). He began working in his home town of Stratford but by 1592 was writing in London. He became rich enough to buy a house in the capital and one in Stratford.
He wrote sad stories called tragedies, like Romeo and Juliet, funny stories or comedies, romantic stories and stories about historical figures such as Julius Caesar.
Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616, almost 400 years ago. But why is his work still popular today?
His work looked at common human themes, such as betrayal, murder, lust, power, ambition and love. These themes are as much a part of human nature today as they were all those years ago and are the themes we see in modern soap operas and Hollywood films. Even though his theatre, The Globe, burned down in 1613 it was rebuilt in London in 1997 and you can still see his plays performed there today.
Shakespeare's influence on the English language can still be felt today. We talk about "fair play", meaning honest behaviour but this phrase was first used by Shakespeare. He coined the phrase "you can have too much of a good thing". And it was Shakespeare who came up with the expression to disappear "into thin air" which we still use today when we lose something.
Shakespeare's work has been translated into every major language in the world. And perhaps we'll still be as fascinated by his work 400 years from now as we've been for the last 400. | high17274.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People can afford to make mistakes as long as they limit them."
},
"options": [
"Mistakes suggest that people are trying something new.",
"People can draw lessons from their mistakes.",
"Mistakes mean that people are getting ... | If you'renotmakingmistakes,you'renottryinghardenough.
It's good to make mistakes. That's not a _ , folks,and I have not lost my mind. It is good to make mistakes, and here's why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It's always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? How can you innovate? The simple answer is, "You can't." Look around you. With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new.
Another good thing about mistakes is this: when you are making mistakes, you are learning. Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how he felt to fail that many times, he remarked that he hadn't failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn't work.
Finally, when you make a mistake you are that much closer to success. Why? Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some finite number of things before you succeeded. Every time you made a mistake you eliminated one of those things and are one step closer.
But this all doesn't mean that you should forge ahead with disregard for the consequences of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that, in the event that it doesn't work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again.
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money, so don't blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won't be perfect the first time and allocate these resources appropriately so you can learn, modify, and try it again. Only by embracing and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career.
There is an old axiom that goes, "If you're not making mistakes, you're not trying hard enough."
So go forth and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And prosper. | high18147.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because he wanted to show he had a lot of money."
},
"options": [
"Because he loved his mother very much.",
"Because his mother needed these presents.",
"Because he wanted to show he had a lot of money.",
"Because he wa... | John sent his mother expensive presents on his mother's birthday every year. He liked to show her how rich he was. "I must find something wonderful for her, and it must be the only one in the whole world. Then my mother must be very happy." John thought. He advertised in the newspapers. "Wanted--the best present for the woman who has everything. "
For many days his telephone did not stop ringing. People phoned him from all over the world. They wanted to sell him "the best present". But they did not have anything that was the only one in the whole world.
Then less than a week before his mother's birthday, a man came to his office. He was carrying a cage, and in the cage there was a large bird.
"This bird, "the man said, "can speak ten languages and sing any pop song. There is no other bird like it in the world. "
"I will listen to it, "John said. "If what you said is true, I will buy the bird from you."
The man spoke to the bird. "Talk to me in French, " he said. The bird spoke to him in French. "Tell me a joke in Japanese, " he said. The bird told him a joke in Japanese. "Sing a famous pop song, "he said. The bird sang a famous pop song.
"I'll buy it, "John said. "How much do you want?"
"One hundred thousand dollars, "the man said. This was a lot of money but John paid him. Then he sent the bird to his mother with a birthday card.
The day after his mother's birthday he phoned her. "Well, mother, "he said, "Is the bird wonderful?"
"Oh, it was delicious, dear, "she said. | high11605.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce the topic in a more attractive way"
},
"options": [
"provide examples of how animals deal with unexpected injury",
"show how scientists get inspiration from dogs to develop technology",
"introduce the topic in a mor... | When a dog loses a leg, the animal eventually figures out the best way to get around on three legs. In a short time, the dog learns to deal with its physical disability.
Now, scientists have developed robots that behave in much the same way.
We can find robots everywhere. Robots build cars, play chess and can clean your house. They may someday drive your car, too.
Two robots, named Spirit and Opportunity, were sent to Mars on a mission to explore the red planet.
Jeff Clune is a computer scientist with the University of Wyoming. He says robots also help people in natural disasters.
Robots are deployed in search and rescue operations following an earthquake. They may someday also be used to examine the wreckage of a nuclear accident, like the one in Fukushima, Japan.
Mr. Clune says robots can be sent to a lot of places said to be unsafe.
"The problem is that all of those types of situations and environment are extremely unpredictable and dangerous. And it is very likely that robots and humans in those situations become damaged."
He and other scientists are developing technology so that robots will continue operating after the first sign of injury. They want the machines to have the ability to make changes and continue performing until they can be repaired.
Mr. Clune and researchers in France have added one more operation to the skill set of robots working under difficult conditions. They say they programmed a hexapod robot, one with six legs, and a robotic arm to learn how to deal with injury. Their findings were reported in the journal "Nature".
Mr. Clune said that once the robots become damaged, they use their intuition and knowledge of how their body works to find a way to deal with the damage.
He says the robots are also programmed with child-like curiosity. In other words, they are always asking questions and looking for answers. The whole process takes about a minute for the robots to find a way to overcome damage. | high19259.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "More than 92,000."
},
"options": [
"About 10,000.",
"More than 82,000.",
"About 36,000.",
"More than 92,000."
],
"question": "How many people died because of the eruption on April 10, 1815 ?",
"question_type... | On April 10, 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted with great force. Fifty cubic kilometers of magma flew from its peak and a blanket of ash as thick as one centimeter fell over more than 500,000 square kilometers of Indonesia and the Java Sea. The eruption destroyed Tambora's peak and formed a hole six by seven kilometers wide. The eruption and resulting tsunamis killed 10,000 people. The agricultural loss and disease brought about by the thick ash caused the deaths of 82,000 more.
Indonesia was rocked again in 1883. On August 26, a small volcano on an uninhabited island between Sumatra and Java, erupted. The eruption produced an ash cloud 80 kilometers high and was heard in Australia--4,800 kilometers away. The eruption also caused a tsunami, which pounded the shores of Java and Sumatra--killing 36,000 people.
In 1902, St. Pierre was a thriving community and the largest town on the French colony of Martinique in the Caribbean Sea. Mont Pelee cast a shadow over the town from where it stood, eight kilometers to the north. The townspeople were used to the light continuous sounds of the mountain, but in May, 1902 Pelee started to get really unstable. Clouds of steam and ash poured from the volcano and on May 8, Pelee erupted. Superheated gas and steaming volcanic ash flew out, pouring down the mountain at high speed. Within seconds, the deadly gas cloud had destroyed the town of St. Pierre and incinerated everyone in it -- except one prisoner in a basement cell. It was the worst volcano disaster of the 20th century. | high15463.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Between Julia's hotel and the market."
},
"options": [
"In the market.",
"In the busiest part of the city.",
"Outside the shops.",
"Between Julia's hotel and the market."
],
"question": "Where was the beggar sit... | A woman called Julia lived in the countryside, one year she decided to visit the capital city to see the sights. She stayed at a hotel near the central market. She had seldom been to the city before, and was very excited about what she would find.
On the first morning of her visit, as she walked from the hotel to the market, she passed a beggar . He was holding up a notice, which said, "Blind from birth. Please give generously ."Julia felt sorry for the beggar and she bent down and put a dollar coin into his bowl. "Thank you." he said. The same thing happened again the following day. On the third day, however, Julia did not have a dollar coin. She had only fifty cents, so she dropped this into the beggar's bowl. "What have I done wrong?" the beggar said, "Why are you so stingy today?"
Julia was very surprised at the beggar . "How do you know I haven't given you a dollar?" she said, "If you're blind you can't know what coin I put into your bowl." "Ah," explained the beggar, "The truth is that I'm not blind. I'm just looking after this place for the regular beggar while he's on holiday." "On holiday?" Julia said, "And what exactly does your blind friend do on holiday?" "He goes into the countryside," the man said, "and takes photographs. He's a very good photographer." | high1555.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "at the supermarket"
},
"options": [
"on TV",
"at the supermarket",
"from the manager",
"from the newspaper"
],
"question": "The housewives learnt about the free goods _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | All the housewives who went to the new supermarket had one great ambition: to be the lucky customer who did not have to pay for her shopping.For this was what the notice just inside the entrance promised.It said: "Remember, once a week, one of our customers gets free goods.This May Be Your Lucky Day!"
For several weeks Mrs. Edwards hoped, like many of her friends, to be the lucky customer.Unlike her friends, she never gave up hoping.The cupboards in kitchen were full of things which she did not need.Her husband tried to advise her against buying things but failed.She dreamed of the day when the manager of the supermarket would approach her and say: "Madam, this is Your Lucky Day.Everything in your basket is free."
One Friday morning, after she had finished her shopping and had taken it to her car, she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea.She dashed back to the supermarket, got the tea and went towards the cash-desk.As she did so, she saw the manager of the supermarket approach her."Madam," he said, holding out his hand, "I want to congratulate you! You are our lucky customer and everything you have in your basket is free!" | high9109.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It tells people to eat breakfast."
},
"options": [
"It is part of our brain.",
"It tells people to eat breakfast.",
"It decides which food we like.",
"It is active toward high-calorie food."
],
"question": "Whic... | Eat like a king in the morning, a prince at noon, and a peasant at night. This saying is all about the importance of breakfast. And now scientists can tell us just why it's so important. According to a study carried out at Imperial College London, UK, skipping the first meal of the day not only means you eat more at lunch, but also that your brain wants to find more unhealthy foods.
The study suggests that there is a special part of our brain called the orbitofrontal cortex , which plays an important part in making choices about what we eat. It is used for identifying the taste of food, especially when skipping breakfast. It is more likely to target high-calorie foods when you're on an empty stomach.
Scientists did an experiment on this. Dr Tony Goldstone from Imperial College London, scanned the brains of 21 men and women, around the age of 25. On the first day, these people skipped breakfast before the scans. On the second day, they had cereal , bread and jam as breakfast. After the scan on both days, they had their lunch.
When the volunteers had skipped breakfast, they ate around 20 percent more at lunch, compared with days when they had eaten breakfast.Their brain scans also showed the orbitofrontal cortex was especially responsive to high-calorie foods. "We believe that bit identifies the value of foods - how pleasant, how delicious something is," Goldstone told The Guardian. | high8940.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "parents"
},
"options": [
"parents",
"teachers",
"children",
"psychologists"
],
"question": "This article is particularly written for_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.
Depression may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.
Once a child has an episode of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing another episode in the next 5 years.
Suicide is the 6th leading cause of death for 5--to--15-year-olds.
If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms for at least 2 weeks, he or she may be experiencing depression or another mental illness.
Feeling--Does your child demonstrate:
1Sadness 2Emptiness 3Hopelessness 4Guilt
5Worthlessness 6Lack of enjoyment in everyday pleasures
Thinking--Is your child having trouble:
1Concentrating 2Making decisions 3Completing schoolwork
4Maintaining grades 5Maintaining friendships
Physical problems--Does your child complain of:
1Headaches 2Stomachaches 3Lack of energy
4Sleeeping problems(too much or too little)
5Weight or appetite changes(gain or loss)
Behavior problems--Is your child:
1Irritable 2Not wanting to go to school
3Wanting to be alone most of the time
4Having difficulty getting along with others
5Cutting classes or skipping school
6Dropping out of sports, hobbies or other activities
Drinking alcohol or using drugs.
Suicide risk--Does your child talk or think about:
1Suicide 2Death 3Other morbid subjects
Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school or at home may actually be depressed, according to the prefix = st1 /AmericanAcademyof Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.If you think your child may be depressed, it's important to have your child treated. Discuss your child's problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children's psychologist or psychiatrist .
Treatment may include individual and family therapy , along with an antidepressant medication. | high22998.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "high school life"
},
"options": [
"high school life",
"how to take art classes",
"the fun side of high school life",
"how to make new friends in high school"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
... | High school could be a scary time for everyone. The school seems bigger; there are more kids and it's a totally new environment. In fact, it isn't that bad.
High school is a lot like middle school after a while. The first day of course is always scary, and the first day of middle school must have been the same. Of course, the first few days you might get lost while looking for your classes but after a while, what seemed to be a large school really isn't.
One thing that's really cool about high school is that there are so many more classes you can take. If you happen to like art, there are many art classes. In addition, there are other classes that weren't available in middle school like photography or psychology.
In high school, there are a lot of things that are similar to how middle school was but at the same time, there are other opportunities available as well. There are more clubs, sports, and other activities you can join in.
You're able to join in these activities and make new friends with kids with the same interest as you. These activities also give you a chance to learn something you never had the opportunity to learn before.
High school has something for everyone. You just have to decide what to take part in. but there's one thing that's certain that you're going to have just as much fun in high school as you did in middle school. And if middle school wasn't that great for you, high school is a chance to make up for it.
High school isn't just about having fun though. You have to be responsible while you're growing up. Teachers aren't going to chase you up to do your homework. | high8798.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "of extreme importance in expressing feelings and exchanging ideas"
},
"options": [
"of extreme importance in expressing feelings and exchanging ideas",
"something through which one can see a person's inner world",
"of conside... | Whether the eyes are "the windows of the soul" is debatable;that they are intensely important in interpersonal communication is a fact.During the first two months of a baby's life,the stimulus that produces a smile is a pair of eyes.The eyes need not be real:a mask with two dots will produce a smile.Significantly,a real human face with eyes covered will not motivate a smile,nor will the sight of only one eye when the face is presented in profile .This attraction to eyes as opposed to the nose or mouth continues as the baby matures.In one study,when American four--year--olds were asked to draw people,75 percent of them drew people with mouths,but 99 percent of them drew people with eyes. In Japan.however,where babies are carried on their mother's back,they do not acquire as much attachment to eyes as they do in other cultures.As a result,Japanese adults make little use of the face either to encode (...) or decode meaning.In fact,Argyle reveals that the "proper place to focus one's gaze during a conversation in Japan is on the neck of one's conversation partner."
The role of eye contact in a conversational exchange between two Americans is well defined:speakers make contact with the eyes of their listener for about one second,then dance away as they talk;in a few moments they re-establish eye contact with the listener or reassure themselves that their audience is still attentive,then shift their gaze away once more.Listeners,meanwhile,keep their eyes on the face of the speaker,allowing themselves to glance away only briefly.It is important that they be looking at the speaker at the precise moment when the speaker reestablishes eye contact:if they are not looking,the speaker assumes that they are disinterested and either will pause until eye contact is resumed or will stop the conversation.Just how critical this eye contacting is to the maintenance of conversational flow becomes clear when two speakers are wearing dark glasses:there may be a sort of traffic jam of words caused by interruption,false starts,and unpredictable pauses. | high22740.txt |
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