questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "President Obama and first lady celebrated Halloween with children."
},
"options": [
"President Obama and first lady celebrated Halloween with children.",
"President Obama and his wife Michelle handed out Halloween treats to childre... | WASHINGTON -- President Obama and his wife, Michelle, handed out Halloween treats to area children and military families at the White House Sunday evening.
Local students between 6 and 14 years old, along with children from military families, were invited to celebrate Halloween on the North Lawn.
The president and first lady, along with Mrs.Obama's mother, Marian Robinson, spent about 30 minutes passing out goodie bags.Obama wished each child a happy Halloween as he distributed the treats, pausing occasionally for hugs or to comment on costumes.
Later, the military families continued the celebration inside the White House.
The first couple joked to assembled reporters about children walking the long driveway in order to work off the snacks."This is the Let's Move method of trick-or-treating ," Obama said, referring to Mrs.Obama's campaign to combat childhood obesity .
The goodie bags contained a box of White House M&Ms, a cookie made by pastry chef Bill Yosses, and dried fruit.
As they made their way across the lawn, the children meet a vast range of costumed characters ranging from a spooky Frankenstein (,<<>> ) to the Scarecrow from "The Wizard of Oz." Music from a jazz band dressed in pirate gear rang out across the White House grounds.
Multicolored pumpkins and gourds lined the driveway -- individually, in gravity-defying stacks and as part of a large mound over 5 feet tall.Pumpkin-headed scarecrows made of cornstalks loomed over the path with menacingly raised arms.Under the White House portico, a mobile resembling bats flying through clouds fluttered around a lantern.
Some of the local trick-or-treaters were students at Bancroft Elementary, which helps tend the first lady's White House garden, and Tubman Elementary, which has a relationship with the White House chefs.
After trick-or-treating ended, the Obamas stood near the front door, welcoming the military families inside, helping children climb the short flight of steps and thanking parents for their service. | high11375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the increasing activities of humans"
},
"options": [
"the overuse of the oceans",
"the change of natural conditions",
"the increase of population by the sea",
"the increasing activities of humans"
],
"question":... | Believe it or not, oceans and seas are easy to be harmed by the development of human society. They are also influenced by man-made pollution easily. It is human beings that do great harm to the ocean ecosystems .
The coral reefs are fine ecosystems that provide food and protection for many ocean creatures. The coral in almost all of the oceans is in danger from pollution.Chemicals from factories end up in the seas and oceans and destroy coral reefs. If the coral systems die some ocean creatures will be sure to die out.
Protecting the ocean also has something to do with the protection of ocean wildlife like dolphins. The fishing industry depends on modern ways to catch many fish in order to earn more money. But the nets for fishing also _ other sea animals. The fishing boat workers are advised to check their nets and set other ocean animals free. But the boats are in a hurry to make money and often other ocean animals are caught with fish.
Offshore oil spills can destroy the ocean environment because oil kills all ocean life. The world depends on oil and because there is a great amount of oil off the shore of many countries, the need for oil is more important than the risk of the oil spill. However, the fact is that one human mistake can lead to an ocean environmental accident that will cause years of damage to the fine ocean ecosystems. Oil spills will kill all the creatures in the area of the spill. The oil will be washed up on shore and destroy the ecosystems along the shore including birds.
Everyone who cares about the environment should be interested in protecting the ocean, and all of us should do something for the protection of the ocean. | high3632.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Hiking."
},
"options": [
"Biking.",
"Rock climbing.",
"Rafting.",
"Hiking."
],
"question": "During the tour, on which activity will you spend the most time?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Yellowstone and Grand Tetons Multisport Tour
In four great days, we discover waterfalls, wild animals, and natural hot springs in Yellowstone. In the Tetons, we rock climb, go biking in wildness and go boating on the Snake River's fun-filled rapids.
DAY 1: Bridger-Teton--Upper Geyser Basin
Ride a bicycle through the Bridger-Teton National Forest. Then head to Yellowstone and walk through Upper Geyser Basin and the world's largest active geysers . Witness Old Faithful's performance and settle into the comforts of classic Old Faithful Inn, dating from 1903.
DAY 2: Jenny Lake-Grand Tetons
Choose your own adventure! Spend the day in Grand Teton National Park hiking to Inspiration Point and Cascade Canyon. Or choose to hike along the shoreline of Jenny Lake for the whole day.
DAY3: Hidden Falls--Grand Tetons
Rock climb near Hidden Falls. Just bring a spirit of adventure, then leave the rest to our experienced guides. Or you can choose instead to take another hike, horseback ride or enjoy fishing in the area.
DAY 4: Antelope Flats--Snake River--Jackson
Ride a bicycle through wildlife-filled Antelope Flats before going boating for an exciting afternoon on the Snake River and the end of our journey in Jackson.
Trip Details
4 Days/3 Nights
Trip Type: Multisport
Price: $1,798 (camping); $2,298 (inn & camping)
Meeting Place: Jackson, Wyoming
Dates: June 24-June 29 (Singles, Camping); July 08-July 13 (Family, Camping); July 29-Aug. 03 (Family, Inn & Camping) | high19729.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the industrial age brought the work patterns most people's work has taken"
},
"options": [
"jobs have existed since human came into being",
"the industrial age brought jobs to everyone",
"the industrial age brought the work p... | The industrial age has been the only period of human history in which most people's work has taken the form of jobs. The industrial age may now be coming to an end, and some of changes in work patterns which it brought may have to be reversed. This seems a discouraging thought. But, in fact, it could offer the prospect of a better future for work. Universal employment, as its history show, hasn't meant economic freedom.
Employment became widespread when the enclosures of the 17th and 18th centuries made many people dependent on paid work by taking them away from the use of the land, and thus from the means to provide a living for themselves. Then the factory system destroyed the cottage industries and removed work from people's homes. Later, as transport improved, first by rail and then by road, people traveled longer distances to their place of employment until, eventually, many people's work lost all connection with their home lives and the places in which they lived.
Meanwhile, employment put women at a disadvantage. In pre-industrial times, men and women had shared the productive work of the household and village community. Now it became customary for the husband to go out to paid employment, leaving the unpaid work of the home and family to his wife. Tax and benefit regulations still assume this norm today, and restrict more flexible sharing of work roles between sexes.
It was not only women whose work status suffered. As employment became the dominant form of work, young people and old people were kept out -- a problem now, as more teenagers disappointed and annoyed at school and more retired people want to live active lives.
All this may now have to change. The time has certainly come to switch some efforts and resources away from the utopian goal of creating jobs for all, to the urgent practical task of helping many people to manage without full-time jobs. | high11413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "express thanks to citizens in Texas for their effort to save electricity"
},
"options": [
"express his gratitude to businesses for keeping productive",
"thank his staff for their great effort",
"explain the reasons for the el... | On behalf of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for conserving electricity during this period of continuous hot, dry weather in Texas.
At ERCOT, we have been working around the clock to keep the electricity flowing, making sure you have the resources you need to stay productive and well this summer. While we are always charged with making sure you have adequate electricity, this summer has caused a particularly serious challenge to the electric grid .
Because the heat has been sustained over the entire state with little or no rain or cloud cover, the strain on the electric grid has been greater than ever before. In Dallas and Austin, we are beating all-time records for triple-digit heat. We have hit three all-time demand peaks in the last two weeks alone, meaning we've used more electricity on three days this summer than on any other day in the history of ERCOT, which covers most of Texas.
Additionally, Texas is experiencing economic and population growth while much of the rest of the country is not. All of these factors are contributing to very high energy usage this summer.
As you probably read in your newspaper or saw on the news, ERCOT has issued appeals for conservation across the state this August. We have encouraged businesses and residential customers to help us save electricity between the critical hours of 3 and 7 p.m.
For instance, turning off unnecessary lights, appliances and electronic equipment can help conditions significantly.
Conservation efforts help us avoid statewide rotating outages and keep your lights on and air-conditioners running. Conservation not only keeps power and cool air flowing to every citizen, it ensures that uninterrupted power flows to critical care customers, who are easily harmed in the extreme heat.
While ERCOT has not called for rotating outages this summer, it is important to remember that we only carry out these orderly, temporary outages to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the electric grid. As you may remember from the Northeast blackout a few years ago, once a grid failure occurs, it can take days to restore power to all consumers. Your conservation efforts help us prevent this from happening.
While ERCOT always carries reserves, our power supply is not unlimited. With your help and conservation efforts, though, we can keep residents and businesses healthy and productive this summer. | high20816.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in a bedroom of a large hotel"
},
"options": [
"in a hotel bar",
"in a hotel dining room",
"in a bedroom of a large hotel",
"in the entrance of a small family hotel"
],
"question": "You would see this notice _... | Welcome to the Ambassador Hotel. To make your stay as enjoyable as possible, we hope you can make full use of our facilities .
Dining Room
Breakfast is served in the dining room from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The room staff will bring a breakfast tray to your room at any time after 7 a.m. Please fill out a card and hang it outside your door when you go to bed.
Lunch: 12:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Room Service
This operates 24 hours a day; phone the Reception Desk, and your message will be passed on to the room staff.
Telephones
To make a phone call, dial 0 for Reception and ask to be connected. We apologize for delays in putting calls through when the staffs are very busy. There are also public telephone boxes near the Reception Desk. Early calls should be booked with Reception.
Laundry
We have a laundry in the hotel, and will wash, iron and return your clothes within 24 hours. Ask the room staff to collect them.
Bar
The hotel bar is open from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. | high5525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Making Invisible Ink"
},
"options": [
"A Scientific Research",
"Making Invisible Ink",
"How to Make a Spy",
"A Classroom Experiment"
],
"question": "What is probably the best title for the passage?",
"questi... | Invisible ink has fascinated kids for generations. You might think that it would be difficult to make, but it's not.
All you'll need for this experient is some milk; some white paper; a clean cotton swab or small, clean paintbrush; the kitchen stove; and help from an adult. The most difficult part of this mini-project is choosing the message that you'll write with your invisible ink. Maybe you'll want to pretend that you're a spy on a secret mission, writing messages that would lead to big, big trouble if they were discovered. Choose your words carefully.
All you need to do is, using the brush of cotton swab, write your message with milk on the paper. Don't use a lot of milk and soak the paper. Use just enough to make a thin coating.
Once you've finished writing, ask the adult who's helping you to turn on the kitchen stove to a low heat. Very carefully, using kitchen mitts ,hold the paper about a foot above the warm burner. If you don't see results, you may have to make the burner a little hotter.
Do not, however, hold the paper low over the burner. As the paper heats up, your message will become brown and you'll be able to see what was written. You want to know why? It's because chemical compounds in the milk have a low burning point. When the paper gets warm, those compounds will heat up and trun brown, while the paper will be unaffected.
You also can try this experiment with other liquids, such as orange juice, lemon juice, vinegar, and apple juice. Just be sure to follow all safety rules and have an adult around to help you. | high18351.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Your inner feeling"
},
"options": [
"Appropriate pay",
"Your inner feeling",
"Your life goals",
"The environment around you"
],
"question": "According to the writer, what determines the nature of work?",
"qu... | I had lunch with a friend of mine the other day and she said something that I found surprising: "Work is paid slavery." My friend wanted more control over her work hours, income, etc., but you can imagine that if "work is serving someone," she won't have much luck until that belief changes. When I asked her where that belief came from, she said her father.
Most of us spend many of our waking hours at work. How we think about those hours will determine how good or bad we feel about our lives.
How would you complete the sentence: "Work is...."? How many of us say that work is fulfilling? How many say work is fun?
Changing Limiting Beliefs
Almost everyone I talk to has limiting beliefs about money or work. I worked with my friend using the walking belief change described in Debug Your Mental Software. When it came time to come up with a new belief, she struggled. She even asked me: "What's the opposite of slavery?" So strong was the old belief that she couldn't think of the opposite.
What's Your Work Belief?
If you think work is bad, you'll end up working in an unfulfilling job regardless of how much it pays. If you think work is freedom, you'll enjoy your work because it fulfills you. I call it "soul work." If you're doing the work you love, it will be energizing, freeing.
Much of our work ethic starts in childhood by watching our parents. How did they talk about work? Did they hate it, or did they love it? The truth is probably somewhere in between. Many of us say we don't want a job "like my parent had" or a job where they're stuck inside a small room. But many of us end up with jobs like that. Sometimes it's how we approach the tasks of our jobs that make the difference.
It's possible to make even the most ordinary job meaningful and fulfilling. If it isn't possible for you to do that, then it is time to think about "evolving out of the job". Sometimes just quitting a job because it's boring is the wrong thing to do, but thinking about where you want to be and if you need more education is a good idea.
Some young people seem to have trouble starting jobs or finishing college. Has our economy discouraged them? A recent movie I saw had a grown man (over thirty) telling his friends that he's a "stay-at-home-son." Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
I had breakfast at my local Perkins yesterday. Kristin took my order. She was bubbly and full of energy compared to the other waitresses. I watched as she remembered everything a family of four staying at a neighboring hotel had ordered the day before. Kristin loved people and loved her job. She has the kind of attitude and work ethic that employers crave.
What's your work belief? Does it limit you? Could you tune it up to live a better life right now? If most of us are going to spend 30 years working, shouldn't we try to make it enjoyable? Could it be that work is freedom or right work is energizing or something even better? | high17062.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It is located on an old lake."
},
"options": [
"The hotel is the cheapest among the four hotels.",
"Everything in the hotel is made of salt.",
"Rain has no effect on the hotel.",
"It is located on an old lake."
],
... | Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where:Tahua, Bolivia
How much:about $95 a night
Why it's cool:You've stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That's something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt--including the beds (though you'll sleep on regular mattresses and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric driedup lake that's the world's biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633squaremile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: about $240 a night
Why it's cool: Riding a pulleyoperated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window--there is no glass--you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy. Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel. You don't even have to come down for breakfast--the hotel will send it up on the pulleydrawn "elevator".
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it's cool: This doghouse isn't just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30foottall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps to the loft in Willy's head, or hang out inside his nose.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: between $130 and $475 a night
Why it's cool: Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65degFin summer. | high13204.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction"
},
"options": [
"Earth is not the only planet that is suitable for human beings",
"settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction",
"the environment ... | A MILLION people on Mars within 100 years. This is the brave vision of Elon Musk, the founder of the space technology company SpaceX.
"We need to be laser-focused on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That's the next step," he said in a recent interview with Aeon magazine. Musk expects to see about 80,000 people living on Mars by 2040.
It's all about protecting the human race from extinction, according to Musk.
The Earth has always been a ticking time bomb. As the sun begins to die, it will grow bigger, becoming what is known as a Red Giant. In 500 million years, the sun will have become large enough to kill off any plant and animal life on Earth, according to US scientist Edward Guinan. In a billion years, the Earth will have become a hot planet with little or no water.
The brave dream of getting the human race to Mars is not only Musk's; others have made plans, too.
A Dutch entrepreneur set up the Mars One foundation in 2011, hoping to be the first project to put humans on Mars. It received over 200,000 applications to become part of the first group of astronauts to go there.
According to Mars One, "human settlement on Mars is possible with existing technologies."
Water, food, energy, and oxygen are needed for life anywhere. According to Mars One, water that was still in the Martian soil would be boiled and taken out.
By using a process called "electrolysis", astronauts could split water into hydrogen and oxygen for breathing. Astronauts on the International Space Station have already done similar things.
Food can also be grown in space. Certain plants such as lettuce and onions can be grown using LED light for different color spectrums and much less heat. NASA has been researching this to prepare for visiting Mars.
But how will people get there? The Mars One project plans to use SpaceX's Dragon capsule as part of its mission. But it is rumored that Musk already has a design in mind for a giant spaceship. He calls it the Mars Colonial Transporter. | high8001.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Imperfectionists"
},
"options": [
"The Imperfectionists",
"A Visit from the Goon Squad",
"Just Kids",
"Life"
],
"question": "The following books are related to music EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloz... | In December,2010,many American newspapers publish a list of the best books of the year. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen is one of the most repeatedly praised books on this year's list of favorites. It tells about the ups and downs of the Berglund family over many years. Mr.Franzen fills the book with sharp observations about American politics, culture and society.
Jennifer Egan's book A Visit from the Goon Squad takes place in 13 chapters over 40 years. The story moves back and forth in time,from different viewpoints. One main character is former rock musician Bennie Salazar who works for a record company. The other main character is a troubled young woman named Sasha who works for Bennie. The reader learns about their pasts and those of their friends.
The main character in The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman is a failing English Language newspaper published in Rome,Italy. Each chapter of the book tells about a reporter or editor working for this paper. Their stories are filled with intelligence and great personality.
Two of the most popular nonfiction books of 2010 were about rock and roll stars. Just Kids is by rock singer Patti Smith. It tells about her friendship with the artist Robert Mapplethorpe in the 1960s and 1970s before they became famous. Life is the autobiography of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards. It is an honest and exciting look at the development of rock and roll and the wild times this famous band has experienced.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand tells about a man named Louis Zamperini. She tells about his extraordinary survival story after his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean during Would War Two.
Stacy Schiff has received great praise for her book Cleopatra: A Life. It tells about one of the most misrepresented and famous women in his story, Cleopatra. She ruled ancient Egypt about 2,000 years ago. One critic said Ms. Schiff has brought Cleopatra to life again by unearthing her story from centuries of lies. | high6038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Tutors and students are in different places."
},
"options": [
"Indian tutors are helping to teach math in Britain.",
"Tutors and students are in different places.",
"An online tutor helps several students at the same time.",
... | India was once part of the British Empire, but thanks to modern technology and a booming economy, it has turned the tables on its former colonial master. Indian tutors are helping to teach math to British children over high-speed Internet connections. Early results suggest the idea is improving exam results. But not everyone is happy at this "outsourcing" of tutoring.
It's 3:30, and pupils at Raynham Primary School in London are gathering for their after-school maths lessons.
Five time zones-- thousands of kilometers away--their math tutors are also arriving for class. High-speed Internet has made it possible for Indian tutors to teach British pupils in real time. Each pupil gets a dedicated one-to-one online tutor. The students work with activities on their computer screen and wear a headset and microphone to talk to their tutor.
The class teacher, Altus Basson, says he has seen an improvement in results. "There are some children who've really rocketed in their results. Children who struggleto focus in class focus a lot better on the laptops. The real advantage is that each child gets a focused activity and a single tutor," he said.
Such individualized teaching is the core idea of Brightspark Education, the company that provides the online tutoring, says founder Tom Hooper. "Children today feel very confident online; they feel very engaged; they feel very in control. And that's half the battle with education.Give them control, make them feel confident and enjoy their learning and you'll see them start to improve and embrace it," he said.
Raynham Primary School is among the first in Europe to try online tutoring. At between $20 and $25 an hour, it's about half the cost of face-to-face coaching. But some people say an Internet connection is not enough of a connection for teaching and learning. Kevin Courtney is deputy General Secretary of Britain's National Union of Teachers. "We think, there's a really important emotional connection between a teacher and a child whether it's a whole class or whether it's one-to-one. You need that immediacy of feedback and we're not convinced that that can happen across an Internet connection. In one of the wealthiest.countries in the world, we think that we can afford to have teachers with genuine emotional connection there with the children," he said.
Brightspark Education says the online tutoring is used only as an addition to supplement regular teaching. The company says its service does not represent a threat to teachers' jobs in Britain.
Parents say they're very satisfied with the results they've seen. And what about the children?Children: "I love it!"I love it!"I hate maths!" So math--or, as the British call it, maths--is still not everyone's favorite subject even with the latest technology to teach it. | high1757.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The truck driver drank beer."
},
"options": [
"The boy's mother was injured.",
"The boy was driving the car.",
"A car ran into a truck at a corner.",
"The truck driver drank beer."
],
"question": "Which of the f... | A 15-year-old boy was injured in a car accident when the car he was traveling in was hit by a truck at a street corner. The boy was taken to a nearby hospital. The doctors said it appeared that the boy had nothing more serious than a broken left leg, but there was a possibility that the boy might have some inside injuries. The boy was conscious when he was sent to the hospital. Luckily, his mother, who was driving, was uninjured. She said that the truck appeared so suddenly that she thought she was going to die. She turned her car sharply to the left, and the truck hit it on the passenger side. [:]
The driver of the truck was a 50-year-old man who was unemployed and it was clear that he had been drinking because the police found 18 empty beer cans inside his truck. However, the man _ drinking even if he had failed the police test for drinking, saying, "No, I haven't drunk anything." When asked to touch his nose , ears, and mouth with his eyes closed, he was unable to touch any part of his head.
So the police put him into the back seat of a police car. But the man kept crying, "Mabel, where is my Mabel? I can't find her now. I want my Mabel." The police asked him if Mabel was his wife. He said, "She's my dog, my dog! Where's my baby?" Later in the day, the police found a dog with a ring around her neck, on which was written "Mabel" half a block away from where the accident happened. Perhaps the man was looking for his pet dog after drinking when the accident happened. As a result, the man was taken to the city jail for driving after drinking and it seemed that Mabel would be left alone. | high13210.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "all foods have chemical substances"
},
"options": [
"natural foods are much safer than man-made ones",
"it is right to refuse chemicals in food",
"food additives are harmful to our health",
"all foods have chemical subs... | A food additive is any substance that is added to food. Many people are put off by the idea of "chemicals in food." The truth is that all food is made up of chemicals. Natural substances like milk, as well as man-made ones like drinks on sale in the market, can be described by chemical formulas. Some chemical substances are indeed harmful, but a person who refused to consume any chemicals would find nothing to eat.
The things we eat can be divided into natural and man-made substances. Some people feel that only natural foods are healthy and that all man-made ingredients are to be avoided. But many natural chemicals, found in plants and animals, are harmful when eaten, and some laboratory-made substances increase the nutritional value of food. Other chemicals have natural and man-made forms that are exactly alike: vitamin C is vitamin C, whether it comes from a test tube or from an orange. Like "chemical", "man-made" doesn't necessarily mean "not fit to eat".
Food additives are used for many reasons. We add sugar and salt and other things to foods we prepare at home to make them taste better. Food producers have developed a range of additives that stabilize, thicken, harden, keep wet, keep firm, or improve the appearance of their products. Additives can make food more convenient or nutritious, give it a longer shelf life, and make it more attractive to the consumer, thus increasing the sales and profits of the producers.
Food additives are presently the centre of a storm of serious argument. Food producers have been known to use additives that have not been proved safe; some substances in common use have been proved unsafe and have been taken off the market. Many people feel there's a risk of eating food to which anything has been added. But food additives are now regulated by the FDA of the federal government, and new additives will go through strict testing before they can be placed on the market. For most people, the chances of developing serious side effects from the long-term use of presently approved food additives are very small. | high8015.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "modest"
},
"options": [
"proud",
"modest",
"honest",
"excited"
],
"question": "That Keith Peiris insisted that he is \"just like any other kid\" shows he is_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | The 12--year--old CEO of a Web site design company will be one of 300 business and political leaders accompanying Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien on a trade visit to China in March.
Keith Peiris, who founded Cyberteks Design in June 1999 and now has 25 clients in North America ,insisted in an interview that he is "just like any other kid."
He and his father will spend nine days on the Team Canada trip to Beijing ,Shanghai and Hong Kong ,where Chretien aims to showcase the best of Canadian business in the most populous country in the world .
A glance at the complex ,elegant animations on his www.cybertecks.com site shows the extent of Peiris' talent . "He doesn't want to be No.2,"his father Deepal said proudly .
His father ,who is now vice president of operations at Cyberteks ,said , "I am teaching my son what I know .We make decisions together .I haven't done anything my son disagreed with .He makes the final decision ."
The company has seven offices in the United States and five part--time employees who ,like the Peiris family ,work from their London homes .
Keith Peiris admitted some potential clients change their minds when they learn his age ,but the well--informed not--yet--teenager tries to ignore them .
"Suddenly ,I've been called a whiz kid or geek ,which I am not too happy about .A few people have asked if they should call me 'mister', but I stay casual , I am still a kid . | high7326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it follows Jobs' style"
},
"options": [
"it follows Jobs' style",
"its cover is entirely white",
"black and white are his favorite .",
"it is designed by a famous biographer"
],
"question": "The biography for Jo... | Removing the sleeve , you will find a book that is entirely white, except for the names of its author and subject in elegant black type on the cover. It is the perfect design for the biography of a man who insisted that even the insides of his products be perfectly constructed, and that his factory wails flash in the whitest white.
The cover was the only part of the book Steve Jobs wanted to control, writes Isaacson in his introduction. Though Mr. Jobs pushed the biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin to write in his own way, generously allowing the writer more than 40 interviews, this book offers quite a different view of Mr. Jobs, who won much praise from his fans after his death on October 5th at the age of 56.
As a biographer of Albert Einstein and Benjamin Franklin, Mr. Isaacson knows how to celebrate long-dead genius, but he claimed that "Steve Jobs" would not be entirely praiseful words. The picture he paints, particularly in the first half of this book, is not nice. Mr. Jobs emerges as a controlling and often cold-blooded character. A child of the 1960s counter-culture , he hated, materialism and lived in simply furnished houses ( in part because he was too particular about furniture). But when Apple went public in 1980, he refused to give any share to Daniel Kottke, a Iongtime supporter and soul mate from college. "He has to abandon the people he is close to," observes Andy Hertzfeld, an early Apple engineer.
Mr. Jobs was undoubtedly possessing an extraordinary ability to attract others and inspire a kind of faith that could not be questioned. But also he could be cold and cruel. If he disapproved of an employee's work, he often shamed him. "This is who I am," he once said after being challenged,"and you can't expect me to be someone I'm not. " This disgusting personality wasn't always helpful,but it served a purpose, writes Mr. Isaacson, many would "end their chain of horror stories by saying that he got them to do things they never dreamed possible. "
Mr. Isaacson treats "Steve Jobs" as the biography of record, which means that it is a strange book to read so soon after its subject's death. | high3140.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It covers 17,500 islands"
},
"options": [
"It covers 17,500 islands",
"It's about 25,000 miles long",
"It's in the center of the Alpide",
"It's far from the Pacific Ring of Fire"
],
"question": "Which of the fol... | Indonesia is a dangerous country to call home. It lies above several active plates with many fire-breathing volcanoes around. The eruption of a volcano and the shaking of an earthquake this week is just one reminder of Indonesia's burning base.
Indonesia, consisting of 17,500 islands, sits between the world's most active region, the Pacific Ring of Fire, and the world's second most active region, the Alpide belt. Being situated between them means the islands experience some of the strongest earthquakes and most powerful volcanic eruptions known on Earth.
The Pacific Ring of Fire is the world's greatest earthquake belt according to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), because of its series of fault lines covering about 25,000 miles from Chile through Japan and Southeast Asia.
Earthquakes usually occur along faults, which are breaks in the rocky plates. About 90 percent of all the world's earthquakes, and 80 percent of the world's largest earthquakes, strike along the Pacific Ring of Fire. About 17 percent of the world's largest earthquakes and 5-6 percent of all quakes occur alone the Alpide belt. In 2009 alone Indonesia had 10 earthquakes greater than magnitude 6.0, according to the USGS.
Monday's 7.7-magnitude earthquake that caused a 3-meter-high tsunami, killing at least 113 people, occurred when the Australian and Sunda plates struck into each other. One rocky plate took a dive below the other, resulting in an earthquake
The 9.1-mangitdue 2004 quake and Indian Ocean tsunami killed about 230,000 people in quite a few countries. Below Indonesia, the Eurasian Plate, Australian Plate, Sunda Plate and Pacific Plate meet together. | high20802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Approving."
},
"options": [
"Ridiculous.",
"Approving.",
"Defensive.",
"Unbelievable."
],
"question": "What's David Lanfear's attitude towards the straw houses at last?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"... | Today we bring you an old tale. It's the story of the three little pigs and the big bad wolf that blew down a house made of straw and one made of sticks. The only house left standing was the one made of bricks. Now there is new evidence to suggest that houses built with bales of straw can be very strong. They are also very environmental.
Pete Walker is a professor at the University of Bath in Britain. He and a team of researchers there have built a house made out of straw bales and hemp material. During the next twelve months the team will study the effectiveness of these materials in home building. Professor Walker says there are many good reasons for using straw.
Professor Walker: "One of the benefits is it's a relatively inexpensive renewable material that's readily available." He also agrees that straw takes in carbon dioxide as it grows and helps the environment in other ways. So it can be seen as having no harmful effects on the environment.
Professor Walker: "The straw bale walls are relatively thick and so all that straw provides very good thermal insulation. So we make buildings that require very little heating in the winter or indeed very little cooling in the summer. So they require very little additional energy."
Professor Walker says this reduces home operating expenses. It also reduces the effect on the environment. He says the current interest in straw bale houses is a direct response to the problem of climate change.
David Lanfear owns an eco-friendly home building service in the United States called Bale on Bale Construction. He says he laughed when some friends first told him about houses built of straw. But after doing his own research, he learned that building with straw bales made a lot of sense. He has now helped to build more than ten straw bale houses and says the building material is becoming more widely accepted.
To build the houses, he fills a wood frame with tightly packed bales of straw. Next he coats the walls inside and out with layers of clay plaster. He says the common ideas about straw houses continue, including stories about the threat of fire. Mr. Lanfear says straw bale houses have done well when tested for fire resistance. And he says his builders use the same building methods as traditional builders to keep out rain.
David Lanfear: "We use what we call good shoes and a good hat, and that would be a solid foundation and a really good roof." | high10719.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "environmental problems"
},
"options": [
"the social movement",
"recycling techniques",
"environmental problems",
"the importance of Earth Day"
],
"question": "According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had li... | Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot "greener" toward the environment . "We didn't know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it," says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement. Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. "The understanding has increased many, many times," says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first Earth Day.
According to US government reports, emissions from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9 .Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place .A kind of "Green thinking " has become part of practices .
Great improvement has been achieved .In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600 .Advanced lights ,motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .
Twenty -five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment .Today , it's hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program ." Until we do that, nothing else will change! " say Bruce Anderson. | high18345.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "By examples and quotation ."
},
"options": [
"By examples and quotation .",
"By presenting different sides of an argument.",
"By listing children's favorite Disney figures.",
"By pointing out the real-life problems ki... | Believe it or not, you can't escape Disney World. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Winnie the Pooh look out from T-shirts, school bags and lunch boxes. Cartoons such as "Snow White" and "The Lion King" shape the childhoods of countless kids.
While Disney's products might have been your favorites as a child, you may not have realized that Disney has tried to shape your imagination.
"The Little Mermaid" (<<>> ) is a good example. The lesson of the original tale was the evils of lust . In the original story, the mermaid lusts after the prince, but the prince does not choose her. In the end, she dies while the sea witch lives. In Disney's film, the lesson is completely lost because the mermaid lives. The prince picks her, and the sea witch dies. Disney completely leaves out the destructive nature of lust.
According to US writer Elizabeth Bell, Disney tries to keep its innocence by taking violence, sex, and race struggles out of the movies. However, these are all real-life problems that children must face.
While "family-friendly" treatment is the way Disney has dealt with classic fairy tales, its films spread American values. Aladdin and the Lamp (<<>> ) is a well known story.
Although the film is set in an Arabian city, its treatment of romance is very much American: young people choose their own mates and recognize the right person right away. Even their parents accept the love when they see their children's happiness. Aladdin and heroine Jasmine have physical contact during their first meeting. The common American advice "be yourself" works. What's more, some critics have pointed out that Disney visually makes fun of Arabian culture in the film. For example, a holy man hurts himself playing with fire, and thieves with scimitars run through the streets.
Disney is called the top promoter of Americanization. "It is a danger to our cultural diversity ," said Akio Igarashi, a professor in a Japanese university. | high17076.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Someone who can't put up with others' tastes."
},
"options": [
"Someone who turns a deaf ear to others' opinions.",
"Someone who can't put up with others' tastes.",
"Someone who values only their own opinions.",
"Someon... | "Opinion" is a word that is used carelessly today. It is used to refer to matters of taste, belief, and judgment. This casual use would probably cause little confusion if people didn't attach too much importance to opinion. Unfortunately, most to attach great importance to it. "I have as much right to my opinion as you to yours," and "Everyone's entitled to his opinion," are common expressions. In fact, anyone who would challenge another's opinion is likely to be branded intolerant.
Is that label accurate? Is it intolerant to challenge another's opinion? It depends on what definition of opinion you have in mind. For example, you may ask a friend "What do you think of the new Ford cars?" And he may reply, "In my opinion, they're ugly." In this case, it would not only be intolerant to challenge his statement, but foolish. For it's obvious that by opinion he means his personal preference, a matter of taste. And as the old saying goes, "It's pointless to argue about matters of taste."
But consider this very different use of the term, a newspaper reports that the Supreme Court has delivered its opinion in a controversial case. Obviously the justices did not shale their personal preferences, their mere likes and dislikes, they stated their considered judgment, painstakingly arrived at after thorough inquiry and deliberation.
Most of what is referred to as opinion falls somewhere between these two extremes. It is not an expression of taste. Nor is it careful judgment. Yet it may contain elements of both. It is a view or belief more or less casually arrived at, with or without examining the evidence.
Is everyone entitled to his opinion? Of course, this is not only permitted, but guaranteed. We are free to act on our opinions only so long as, in doing so, we do not harm others. | high18423.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in the 18th century"
},
"options": [
"in the 16th century",
"in the 17th century",
"in the 18th century",
"in the 19th century"
],
"question": "When did the Louvre Museum become open to the public?",
"questi... | Welcome to France! Here are some places of interest in Paris.
Louvre Museum
The collection of the Louvre Museum was first established in the 16th century as the private collection of King Francis I. One of the works of art he purchased was the now famous Mona Lisa painting. The collection grew steadily thanks to donations and purchases by the kings. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the Louvre became a national art museum and the private royal collection opened to the public. The museum has a collection of over 1 million works of art, of which about 35 000 are on display, spread out over three wings of the former palace. The museum has a diverse collection ranging from ancient times up to the mid 19th century.
Wine Tasting
French Wine Tasting in Paris: Whether you are a wine beginner or a real experienced one, one of these tastings is for you! You will taste a wonderful variety of French wines: from Alsace to Bordeaux, from Burgundy to Chateauneuf-du-Pape. With an unusual approach, focused on fun and joy, your French sommelier will allow you to learn and enjoy the pleasures of wine!
There are different ways of tasting to choose from and each is unique, like Wine Appreciation Class, French Wine Regions Presentation, Reading a French Label and the possibility to buy wine. Your Wine Tasting takes place at a French sommelier's home, in a beautiful loft with air conditioning.
Lido Show
This evening will begin with the abundant recipes which have been styled in cooperation with the famous French chef, Paul Bocuse. The orchestra invites you to the dance floor. At 9:30pm the Lido's curtain rises for a non-stop hour of magic... as performance after performance bursts onto the stage. After dinner, you'll discover the Lido's unique show. Special effects, incredible settings, magnificent costumes, the display of lights, music rhythms and exceptional entertainments are all pure enchantment. Book your tickets for the Lido dinner show in advance on our website. | high17710.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They change browser settings and bookmarks."
},
"options": [
"They change browser settings and bookmarks.",
"They change people's calendar settings.",
"They send scam text messages occasionally.",
"They download free ve... | Tens of thousands of smartphone applications are running ads from the overwhelming advertising networks that change smartphone settings and copy people's contact information without permission.
Aggressive ad networks can disguise ads as text message notifications , and sometimes change browser settings and bookmarks. Often, the ads will upload your contacts list to the ad network's servers--- information that the ad network can then sell to marketers.
Sounds scary? It's not a giant problem yet, but it's a growing one. As many as 5% of free mobile apps use an "aggressive" ad network to make money, according to Lookout, a San Francisco-based mobile security company. PhoneLiving was one of the most popular app developers to use these kinds of ad networks; their dozens of talking animal apps have been downloaded several million times. Later, PhoneLiving says it has mended its ways. The company admittedusing _ techniques to make money from its apps, but said it dropped those methods at the start of July because of bad reviews and declining downloads.
The most popular type of apps that use aggressive ad networks are "Personalisation" apps, which include wallpapers. Comic and entertainment apps are also among the most likely to have rogue ad networks running behind the scenes. Like aggressive pop-ups on PCs, the bad software isn't easy to get rid of. Though the damage can typically be removed by deleting the app, it can be hard to tell which app is causing the problems.
When developers create free mobile apps, they usually make money through ads displayed within the app. App makers don't usually tell people which ad network they are using, which makes it hard to avoid the known offenders. The best defense is to read reviews and avoid downloading apps that have attracted many complaints. | high2538.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the thought the boy would buy something of no use"
},
"options": [
"he thought the boy wanted to keep the money for himself.",
"he did not have enough money at thatmoment",
"the thought the boy would buy something of no use",... | A man came home from work late, tired, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him at the door.
"Daddy, how much money do you make each hour?"
"If you must know, I make $20 each hour."
"Oh," the little boy answered, with his head down. He thought for a moment, looked up and said, "Daddy, could you lend me $10?"
The father was _ , "If you asked f or the money to buy a toy or some other rubbish, the go straight to your room and think about why are you so selfish !"
The little boy went to his room no words and shut the door. After a short while, the father calmed down, and started to think, "Maybe he really needs to buy something and he didn't really ask for money very often." So he went to the little boy's room.
"Sorry!Maybe I was too hard on your just now." said the man, "Here's $10."
"Oh, thank you Daddy!" he said happily. Then the boy took out some coins. When the father found that the boy already had money, he got angry again.
"Why do you want more money since you already have some?" the father shouted angrily.
"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do." The little boy replied, "Daddy, I have $20 now. Can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you. " | high11361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it is easier to read and remember"
},
"options": [
"it is easier to read and remember",
"it makes the poem more interesting",
"it shows the unforgettable moments",
"it shows how things are connected"
],
"questio... | Mother's Day is the time you say "thank you" to your mom. Stop shopping at the store. Flowers and other things in stores are too common to mention. You can choose a special gift for Mother's Day! Just try staying close to home--and heart --write a Mother's Day poem for her.
Use your head. Think of special moments when you were a child, times you've shared with your mom, things she did for you, and why you love her. Write down how those moments influenced you. Write down everything you can think of. This is your inspiration for the poem.
Look at what you wrote and pick out those things that are connected . See if any words rhyme . It's fine to write a free poem(one without rhymes), but many people find poems with rhymes are easier to work with, easier to read and quite catchy . If no words rhyme but you want your poem to, try to find connecting words that can help connect memories.
Once you have a few sentences, put them in a good order. For example, you could start with a childhood memory and end with something you remember from last month.
Add a title that shows the feeling of the poem. Even something as simple as "For Mom" can work, although something more personal might be better.
Write it in pen if you have beautiful handwriting. Read the poem over breakfast on Mother's Day, and then hand it to your mom. Let's wait and see the smile and tears of happiness on her face. | high3626.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The murder might be organized by a group of people."
},
"options": [
"He was killed by someone intending to take power from him.",
"Alexander sent someone who hated Philip to kill him.",
"His death was related to his plan of ... | As the forceful king of Macedonia , Alexander the Great overthrew the Persian Empire, becoming a hero that would survive centuries after his death.
Born in 356 B.C., Alexander III was the son of Philip II and Olympias. Alexander's parents wanted him to receive the finest education, and arranged for him to study under Aristotle, regarded as one of the greatest scholars.
Alexander's father was a strong leader. Philip II built an impressive army and established the Macedonian kingdom; he was even planning to attack Persia shortly before his death.
In 336, Philip was murdered by one of his guards. Although it was obvious that the guard had a personal hatred, there are clues that other people were related to it.
After Alexander was cleared as a suspect, he succeeded his father without opposition, and killed those said to be responsible for his father's murder, as well as all rivals. He was then just 20 years old. He then prepared to attack Persia.
In the spring of 334, Alexander led the army made up of nearly 50,000 soldiers into Asia, which is called "the most powerful military expedition ever to leave Greece", He soundly defeated the Persian army at the Granicus River, sending a strong message to Darius III, leader of the Persian Empire.
In 333, Alexander faced Darius at Issus, a mountain pass. The Macedonian army was greatly outnumbered but able to work the narrow mountain passageway to their advantage. Darius managed to escape. Continuing down the Mediterranean Coast, Alexander took every city in his path.
In 332 Alexander declared Egypt to be part of the Greek Empire and was crowned Pharaoh .
When Alexander left Egypt in 331, he defeated the Persians again and was crowned leader of Asia.
In 323, however, Alexander developed a fever on the way back home and died 10 days later at Babylon. He was just 33 years old. | high15107.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "grey matter density"
},
"options": [
"grey matter density",
"the brain",
"mental system",
"musles"
],
"question": "Which part will change more when a person studies a second language?",
"question_type": "fac... | If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles. The study also found the effect is greater the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early _ " who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
" _ "said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and math skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible ," he said. "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists. | high7440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "missed some important culture of China."
},
"options": [
"missed some important culture of China.",
"covered so much about trader's life.",
"was full of obvious mistakes.",
"seemed less detailed."
],
"question":... | As early as the mid-18th century, some people began raising doubts about Marco Polo's travels. They pointed to seemingly obvious omissions in his descriptions of the Far East. In 1995,historian Frances Wood argued in her book "Did Marco Polo Go to China?" that the famous explorer from Venice never made it pass the Black Sea. She noted that his travel journal " The travels of Marco Polo" left out the Great Wall of China, chopsticks and tea drinking among other details. Furthermore, Chinese documents from Polo's day make no mention of the explorer and his men.
Wood and other scholars have argued that Marco Polo based his tales of China on information collected from fellow trades who had actually been there. Last year, a team of Italian researchers became the latest skeptics to challenge Polo's accounts. They said that archaeological evidence didn't support his description of Kublai Khan's Japanese invasions.
Now, however, research by Hans Ulrich Vogel of Germany's Tubingen University might help prove Marco Polo was true. In a new book " Marco Polo Was in China", the professor of Chinese history counters the arguments most frequently made by skeptics. He tries to prove that Marco Polo spoke the truth. He suggests, for example, that Polo didn't included the Great Wall in his book because it only achieved its great importance under the Ming Dynasty, several hundred years later. Vogel further explains that Chinese records from the 13thand 14thcenturies routinely avoided setting down visits from Westerners.
Historians before him have touched on these issues while defending Marco Polo's honor. But Vogel also relies on another evidence: the explorer's very detailed descriptions of currency and salt production in the Yuan Dynasty. According to Vogel, Polo documented these aspects of Mongol Chinese culture in greater detail than any other of his time. This is a hint that the Venetian relied on his own powers of observation.
Will we ever know whether Marco Polo traveled to China? Perhaps not, but the consequences of his real of fictional journey are still felt across the globe. One reader of "The travels of Marco Polo" was Christopher Columbus, who stepped upon the New World while following in his Venetian idol's footsteps. | high12668.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "farming"
},
"options": [
"nursing",
"painting",
"embroidering",
"farming"
],
"question": "Grandma Moses spent most of her life _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Grandma Mosesisamongthemostfamoustwentieth-century painters of the United States, yet she did not start painting until she was in her late seventies. As she once said to herself,"I would never sit back in a rocking chair, waiting for someone to help me."
She was born on a farm in New York State. At twelve she left home and was in a service until at twenty-seven, she married Thomas Moses, the tenant of hers. They farmed most of their lives. She had ten children, of whom five survived . Her husband died in 1927.
Grandma Moses painted a little as a child and made embroidery pictures as a hobby. As she became old, she wanted to keep busy and pass the time, so she began to paint again. Her pictures were first sold at the local drugstore and at a market and were soon noticed by a businessman who bought everything she painted. Between the 1930's and her death she produced some 2,000 pictures:careful and lively pictures of the country life she had known, with a wonderful sense of color1 and form. | high22973.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "requires great patience"
},
"options": [
"is convenient for travelers",
"costs more money",
"requires great patience",
"is just a piece of cake"
],
"question": "According to the text, getting tickets _ around... | Around every Lunar New Year holiday, China becomes a country on the move. The holiday crush this year is estimated to be even heavier than before.
Government officials suggest that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel.
Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a _ challenge that tries your patience annually. And the pressure for the railway system is always the greatest. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system regularly falls down.
Much of the criticism has focused on the railway's online purchasing system, which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers from easily getting many of the hard-to-find tickets.
Railway officials believed that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, and told reporters that the public need to be patient. While by now the railway service is far from satisfying, efforts are being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems, and the situation is expected to get better in a few years. Meanwhile, for those traveling by car, good news is that the country's extremely expensive highway tolls will be removed for the period of the official holiday. | high13576.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She is a demanding parent."
},
"options": [
"She is an easy-going woman.",
"She is an assistant professor.",
"She is a demanding parent.",
"She is a cruel teacher."
],
"question": "According to the passage, whic... | "Tiger Mother" parenting raises media storm. A new book written by a self-described Chinese descent on her super-strict parenting--Battle Hymn of the Tiger Motherhas raised media storm and fierce debates in the U.S.
Amy Chua is a Yale Law School professor and the mother of two teenage girls. She is the daughter of immigrants of Chinese descent. In the Chinese culture,the tiger symbolizes strength and power. In her book Ms.Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example,her daughters,Sophia and Louisa,were never allowed to attend a sleep-over,be in a school play,watch TV or play computer games. They couldn't choose their own after-class activities or get any grade less than an A.They had to play piano or violin--and no other musical instruments. She writes that if a Chinese child gets a B--which she says "would never happen"--there would be a screaming,hairtearing explosion".She describes making her 7-year-old daughter play a piano piece perfectly--yelling and not letting her leave the bench even to use the bathroom--until it was.
Many people have criticized Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband,who is not Chinese,objects to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Stacy DeBroff,who has written four books about parenting,says Amy Chua's parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children. But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacy DeBroff advised parents not to just repeat the way they were raised.
Alison Lo,an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Washington's Bothell campus said, "I don't think Amy is advocating a best practice of parenting style, or that success and achievements are critical yardsticks of a good life. But I can imagine how strong her daughters' college applications are going to be. For many parents whose dreams are seeing their kids graduating from a competitive university,Amy is sharing with the readers that it is achievable by persistent,dedicated parental guidance,"Lo said in an interview with Julie Muhlstein,a columnist with the US-based Heraldnet.com."In that sense,a young adult's giftedness can be born,or made,"Lo continued. | high14219.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To gather students' ideas about education and share these ideas with schools."
},
"options": [
"To gather students' ideas about education and share these ideas with schools.",
"To discuss the ideal 21",
"To invite some studen... | 'Student Voice' is a student-run education conference discussing education in the 21st century. This event aims to gather the views and opinions of students not only in Victoria and Australia, but around the globe. On Sunday 29 July 2012 students will discuss a series of questions regarding the role of education in the 21st century. By the end of the day they will hopefully have comprehensive answers to be shared with schools around the state and maybe even the world.
Students from Preshill would like to invite a group of 5-10 students from your school to participate in this free forum . The event is being held on Sunday 29 July 2012 from 10am-2.30pm at the Hawthorn Town Hall, 360 Burwood Rd, Hawthorn. They are inviting students who are enthusiastic on any of our topics of discussion to present a keynote speech on the day.
If you can't make the day, they welcome your written or recorded thoughts on our questions, which will be on display at the event.
The topics for discussion:
Key Question: What is the ideal 21st century education?
1. Is it a school's place to teach ethics, values, morals, confidence, self-esteem?
2. What are the effects of a uniform national curriculum ?
3. How can we make education more engaging?
4. Should students be compared and ranked against each other?
5. What is the place of social networking and new media technology in education?
6. What is the best way to determine student knowledge?
Visit their Facebook page (see below) for updates, to communicate with organizers and other participants, and to indicate your interest in making a keynote speech.
The Student Voice Organizing Committee Facebook Page URL:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Student-Voice-The-Student-Education-Conference/101834233239391?sk=info | high15677.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to tell Officer Ken Knapcik how much she loved him"
},
"options": [
"in memory of her father who was shot in the drug arrest",
"to show her great sorrow in losing her father",
"to show her respect to all the cops who lost the... | On September 22, 1986, Jay Brunkella, a police-officer in the Rogers Park district in Chicago, was shot during a drug arrest and died. Shortly afterwards, fellow officer Ken Knapcik, a 20-year veteran of the force, returned home after work to find a note from his 15-year-old daughter on the dining table.
Dad---This poem came directly from my heart. I love you so much! It scares and amazes me that you go out every day and risk everything to provide us with all that we have. I wrote this to express how much I love you and how much lost I'd be without you-Laura. P.S.: Hey, let's be careful out there.
Titled "The Ultimate Cop", Laura's poem was dedicated "To all the cops in the world who have daughters who love them with all their hearts. And especially to my dad." It was about a police-officer's daughter who sees on the night time news that her father has been shot. Part of poem: "Daddy, my Daddy, can you hear me cry? Oh, God, I need my Daddy, please don't let him die."
Ken Knapcik stood alone as he read the poem. "It took me several minutes," he said. "I'd get through part of it and have to stop before I could go on. I was weeping. She had never told me she was scared." He took the poem to work the next day and showed it to his fellow officers. "I've never seen so many grown men cry. Some couldn't finish it."
Knapcik keeps Laura's poem in the pocket of his police jacket. He takes it with him every time he leaves the house for a new shift. "I don't want to be out there without it." he said, "I'll probably carry it with me forever." | high1999.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's cool for boys of his age not to care about studies."
},
"options": [
"He disliked his teachers.",
"His parents no longer supported him.",
"It's cool for boys of his age not to care about studies.",
"There were too ... | Tom was one of the brightest boys in the year, with supportive parents. But when he was 15 he suddenly stopped trying. He left school at 16 with only two scores for secondary school subjects. One of the reasons that made it cool for him not to care was the power of his peer group.
The lack of right male role models in many of their lives -- at home and particularly in the school environment -- means that their peers are the only people they have to judge themselves against.
They don't see men succeeding in society so it doesn't occur to them that they could make something of themselves. Without male teachers as a role model, the effect of peer actions and street culture is all-powerful. Boys want to be part of a club. However, schools can provide the environment for change, and provide the right role models for them. Teachers need to be trained to stop that but not in front of a child's peers. You have to do it one to one, because that is when you see the real child.
It's pointless sending a child home if he or she has done wrong. They see it as a welcome day off to watch television or play computer games. Instead, schools should have a special unit where a child who has done wrong goes for the day and gets advice about his problems -- somewhere he can work away from his peers and go home after the other children. | high7330.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "is an idea being discussed"
},
"options": [
"means to develop slowly",
"can bring little good to the people",
"has ended the environmental destruction",
"is an idea being discussed"
],
"question": "We know from ... | It is important for countries to develop. Sometimes development can do more harm than good for a country. Therefore, this development needs to be different from past development, which polluted the environment and wasted natural resources. One possible solution to this problem now being discussed is sustainable development. It focuses on preserving the environment and natural resources. It is all about creating better health care, education, housing and improved standard of living for everyone. This is a simple idea, but one that is hard to put into practice. However, it is something that we must do, because without sustainable development our future and the lives of our children and our grandchildren will be in danger.
Nearly everything we do in our modern lives requires the use of the Earth's natural resources. These natural resources provide the energy for many important things. The list is almost endless. For all these things, we mostly depend on fuels such as coal, gas and oil to produce energy. We are now consuming these fuels at a much higher rate than they are being produced. On top of this, burning these fuels produces carbon dioxide, which is harmful to the environment. This is why many people are pushing for the use of alternative energy sources.
Alternative energy sources can be used without running out. Some examples of the alternatives are solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectricity. As people are becoming more aware of the need to protect the environment, these types of energy are becoming more and more popular.
In many parts of the world, tentative steps are being taken to introduce these forms of alternative energy. For example, some people in Nigeria are training to use solar power, and in Costa Rica, people are now using hydroelectricity to provide power for their small villages. The introduction of programmes like these will hopefully help end the systematic destruction of the environment and see alternative energy promoted around the world. This will mean good things for our future, our children's future and our grandchildren's future. | high12118.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Waist:60cm;Hip:100cm"
},
"options": [
"Waist:60cm;Hip:100cm",
"Waist:60cm;Hip:80cm",
"Waist:55cm;Hip:60cm",
"Waist:120cm;Hip:110cm"
],
"question": "Suppose the following measurements are taken from four women. W... | Women with an hourglass figure have brains to go with their curves , scientists claim. Going in at the waist is said to be a sign of intelligence which leads to brighter children, too. Women such as Nigella Lawson with a big difference between their waist and hip measurements scored singificantly better in tests than those with thinner, straighter frames. Researchers concluded that it was not necessary for a woman to be skinny--what mattered is that her waist should be smaller than her hips. A ratio of 3:5 was found to be ideal.
The study, by the Universities of Pittsburgh and Califrnia, involved 16,000 women and girls.
According to the scientists, _ They claim that the fat around curvy hips and thighs holds higher levels of -3 fatty acids which are essential for the growth of the brain during pregnancy . The fat which collects around the waist, however, is more likely to contain -6 fatty acids, which are less suited to brain growth.
Reporting in the journal Evolution an Human Behaviour,the researchers found that the children of curvy mothers are more likely to do well in cognitive tests than others. They claim that this could help explain why the children of teenage mothers--who might not yet be physically mature enough to have developed real curves--tend to do less well in school.
As well as boosting brainpower, -3 fatty acids found in oily fish are considered to be of huge health benefit.
Althoug the study analysed women's bodies only, -3 fatty acids are also stored in men's hips. However, it is not known whether men with wide hips benefit from the same brainpower boost. | high18353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "bamboo"
},
"options": [
"bamboo",
"wood",
"glass",
"software"
],
"question": "The writer's house is made of the following EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | My house is made of wood, glass and stone. It is also made of software.
If you come to visit, you'll probably be surprised when you come in: Someone will give you an electronic PIN to wear. The PIN tells the house who you are and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it's dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights near you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you, too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it for you. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to want something. There is a home control console which is a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you the key to my car, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the key. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that in ten years from now, most new houses will have the systems that I've put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I've got.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others'. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, "How did I live without them?" | high5527.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a necessary function of humans'"
},
"options": [
"a good thing for people's health",
"something horrible never to touch",
"a necessary function of humans'",
"always to be treated as depression"
],
"question": "T... | Sadness is unpleasant, and in a society where personal happiness is prized above all else, there is little tolerance for falling in despair. Especially now we've got drugs for getting rid of sad feelings -- whether it's after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one. So it's no surprise that more and more people are taking them.
But is _ really such a good idea? A growing number of voices from the world of mental health research are saying it isn't. They fear that the increasing tendency to treat normal sadness as a disease is playing fast and loose . Sadness, they argue, serves a useful purpose--and if we lose it, we lose out. Yet many psychiatrists insist not. Sadness has a nasty habit of turning into depression , they warn. Even when people are sad for good reason, they should take drugs to make themselves feel better.
So who is right? Is sadness something we cannot live without or something horrible never to touch?
There are lots of ideas about why feeling sad should become part of human life. It may be a self-protection strategy, as other primates also show signs of sadness. A losing monkey that doesn't show sadness after it loses a fight may be seen as continuing to challenge the winning monkey -- and that could result in death.
In humans sadness has a further function: we may display sadness as a form of communication. By acting sad, we tell other community members that we need support.
Then there is the idea that creativity is connected to dark moods. There are plenty of great artists, writers and musicians who have suffered from depression or disorder. Scientists found that people with signs of depression performed better at a creative task, and negative moods make people think deeply over the unhappy experience, which allows creative processes to come to the front. There is also evidence that too much happiness can be bad for your career. A doctor found that people who scored 8 out of 10 on a happiness test were more successful in income and education than 9s or 10s. The happiest people lose their willingness to make changes to their lives that may benefit them. | high17060.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To introduce a newly-designed shower suit."
},
"options": [
"To introduce a newly-designed shower suit.",
"To help the white collars arrange their life more sensibly.",
"To provide suggestions on saving time in bath.",
... | Busy senior managers need no longer waste time in showering themselves-an Australian company has invented a suit that can be worn while they wash.
The suit has been specially designed so that it can be cleaned under the showerhead. There is no need for soaking ,dry cleaning-or even soap.
The Japanese market has taken a liking to the "shower suit",described as "revolutionary" by its owner Australian Wool Innovation (AWI),which is the research and marketing body that represents Australian wool-growers. Orders have been placed for 170,000 of the woolen suits.
The suit could be worn in the shower,although it was probably better to hang it on a clothes hanger and carry it instead,AWI corporate affairs spokesman Stephen Feighan said."The idea is that you hang it up and then...you give it a spray ,and it's dry the next morning," Mr Feighan said.
A Japanese researcher working for AWI invented the suit by combining three technologies. The secret is the best lining ,which allows the suit to dry quickly.The shower suit attracted busy corporate people,particularly those who often traveled or stayed up late,Mr Feighan said.The airline industry was also interested.
Mr Feighan confessed he had not worn one of the suits yet,or tried to wash it in the shower,because they cut to fit Japanese figures.AWI believes that the shower suit will spread from the Japanese market through Europe and India. Mr Feighan hoped the suit,made from local wool,would be available in Australia in 12 to 18 months' time. | high2248.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The International Red Cross"
},
"options": [
"People in Need of Help",
"Safety and Protection",
"The International Red Cross",
"Forming an Organization to Help People"
],
"question": "A good title for this passa... | The Red Cross is an international organization which cares for people who are in need of help. A man in a Paris hospital who needs blood, a woman in Mexico who was injured in an earthquake, and a family in India that lost their home in a storm may all be aided by the Red Cross.
The Red Cross exists in almost every country around the world. The world Red Cross organizations are sometimes called the Red Crescent, the Red Mogen Daid, the Sun, and the Red Lion. All of these agencies share a common goal of trying to help people in need.
The idea of forming an organization to help the sick and wounded during a war started with Jean Henri Dunant. In 1859, he observed how people were suffering on a battlefield in Italy. He wanted to help all the wounded people regardless of which side they were fighting for. The most important result of his work was an international treaty called the Geneva Convention . It protects prisoners of war, the sick and wounded, and other citizens during a war.
The American Red Cross was set up by Clara Barton in 1881. Today the Red Cross in the United States provides a number of services for the public, such as helping people in need, teaching first aid and providing blood. | high11411.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "help others as much as we can"
},
"options": [
"help others as much as we can",
"help the people who may be useful to us",
"get as much help as we can",
"first need to help ourselves"
],
"question": "According t... | A great French writer has said that we should help everyone as much as we can because we often need help ourselves. The small even can help the great. About this, he told the following story.
An ant was drinking at a small river and fell in. she tried her best to reach the side, but she couldn't move at all. The poor ant got too tired but was still doing her best when a big bird saw her. With a pity, the bird threw a piece of wood. With it the ant reached the bank again. While she was resting and drying herself in grass she heard a man coming up. He was walking without shoes on his feet and carrying a gun in his hand. As soon as he saw the bird, he wished to kill her, and he would certainly do so, but the ant bit him in one of his feet and at that moment the bird flew away at once. It was an animal much weaker and smaller than the bird herself that had saved her life. | high3156.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His father's keeping living an active life to the end."
},
"options": [
"His father's good health when he lived to be over 90.",
"His poor family.",
"His father's keeping living an active life to the end.",
"Kennedy's s... | I was born in Brooklyn. My father was a small-business man and we never had much money. He supported the family, moved us to Merrick on Long Island, when I was 11. He just recently died at age 96. He was still driving and playing golf right to the end. He was the only guy I knew who at age 90 could shoot under his age. I guess that taught me something about perseverance.
I went to the University of Michigan as an engineering student in 1960. I was standing outside the student union building when Senator John F. Kennedy made a campaign speech that essentially announced his plan for the Peace Corps. He talked about how students could provide service for the country. It was an important moment for me.
After I graduated, I worked as a computer programmer for I.B.M. for two years. By then, the Vietnam War was in full swing and the draft had accelerated. I didn't agree with the war and was interested in finding alternatives. I.B.M. applied for a delay for me twice but the application failed.
I went to work at M.I.T.'s Instrumentation Labs on a project designed to create a rescue vehicle for lost submarines . I thought this job would keep me out of the draft, but M.I.T. hadn't put in the proper paperwork and I got called in for my physical. The day before my physical, I broke my ankle playing tennis and, of course, my draft board didn't believe a word of it. I had to provide X-rays. I had tears in my eyes from the pain, but a smile on my face.
I started John Snow Inc. in 1978 (Dr. Snow is considered the father of modern epidemiology because he traced the source of a cholera epidemic in the 1850s). We had a very clear vision of what we would be. It would not be about making the most money but having the most impact.
My goal was to attract talented people who had that passion to focus on primary care, women's health, child health, and to do great work.
I also run a nonprofit called World Education, which focuses on literacy. What motivates me is going to the field, either in the United States or overseas, and seeing the people whose lives we affect.
I didn't grow up rich but had the advantage of growing up in the United States and getting a good education. I couldn't have started J.S.I. in many other places. And I believe there is a duty to try and assist people who are struggling against tough situations. | high20814.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A baby milk bottle."
},
"options": [
"A soft plastic cup.",
"A pencil eraser.",
"A baby milk bottle.",
"A new perfume."
],
"question": "Which of the following products contains BPA?",
"question_type": null
... | Plastic is everywhere because plastic is an extremely useful material. It is cheap, strong and lightweight. What's more, it can take on nearly any form or shape, from soft and stretchy to hard and glasslike.
Plastic, however, is far from perfect. It may even be bad for us. Studies now suggest that poisonous chemicals can get out of some types of plastic, get into our bodies, and cause a variety of health problems, including cancer, birth defects and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder .
Two types of chemicals in particular have raised special concern lately. They are called phthalates and Bisphenol-A , BPA for short. Not all plastic products contain them. But the ones that do are surrounded by controversy . That's because experts disagree on how dangerous these chemicals are.
Plastic is a single word, but plastic isn't just one thing. What all plastics share in common are plasticizers -- special chemicals that allow the material to be changed into nearly any shape or texture. Plasticizers are added to plastic during the manufacturing process.
Phthalates and BPA are two types of plasticizers that work in different ways. Phthalates add softness to things like shampoo bottles, raincoats and rubber. They are also used in perfumes and makeup. BPA, on the other hand, gives a hard, clear, almost glasslike feel to products such as infant bottles. BPA also appears in food and soda cans, DVDs and other unexpected places.
How do these chemicals get into us? When plastic is heated in the microwave or dishwasher, chewed on or scratched, the chemicals can seep out of the plastic. Even though we can't see them, we eat them, drink them and breathe them in.
Scientists and parents are especially worried about young children, who tend to chew on everything, including plastic. Dozens of countries, including the European Union, Japan, Canada and Mexico have already banned phthalates from products made for children younger than three. California and Washington have done the same. And a number of other states are considering similar rules. As for BPA, Canada became the first country to ban the chemical from baby bottles. A dozen states are considering it. | high4639.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "On a website"
},
"options": [
"In a research paper",
"In a travel magazine",
"In a microblog",
"On a website"
],
"question": "Where can we most probably read this text?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"... | EBay will launch an online group gift-buying service today designed to make it easier for several people to chip in, buy and pay for gifts using their social-network and e-mail contacts.
EBay North America Vice President Christopher Payne says it is going to be a major step forward in social commerce, which is the still-small practice of selling products through social networks.Online retail experts aren't as certain, but eBay says the new tool makes it easier for friends and relatives to chip in for gifts because it eliminates the headache of collecting contributions.It can also be used for family members to pitch in to buy, say, an expensive child seat for a mother.
Anything on eBay that's available immediately, rather than up for bid, can be purchased this way starting today atgroupgifts.eBay.com.If members of an extended family wanted to buy a gift for one member, one person would choose a gift -- or have one recommended by eBay -- and invite family members to chip in using Facebook or e-mail.Those who wanted to join in would choose an amount to contribute (or agree to pay a requested amount) and pay using either PayPal or a credit card.They could also add a personal note.
If enough people don't chip in, the organizer can ask people to contribute more or choose a less expensive gift.
"I see myself using this most in cases when I typically might not buy someone what they want because of price," says Nitzan Shaer of Boston, who was part of an online test of the site.
EBay, with its 200 million products, millions of sellers and mobile commerce proficiency, is a logical place to pull together the products, groups of buyers and payment tools, Payne says.
At least 12 sites, such as FrumUs.com and eDivvy.com, facilitate (,) group purchases but don't sell products.Although a handful of retailers, including Victoria's Secret and 1-800-Flowers, sell products through Facebook, Payne says he expects social commerce will take off as rapidly as shopping using mobile devices.EBay did more than $600 million in sales on mobile devices last year and expects mobile sales to increase to $1.5 billion this year.
Although one in five consumers surveyed said they'd used Facebook for shopping in the past year, 88% said they would not be buying holiday gifts through a social network, mobile phone or smartphone.Of these, 26% were reluctant because of security or privacy concerns, and 20% were unclear about the benefits of using phones or Facebook to shop. | high11377.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She saw the author's shoes under her bed."
},
"options": [
"She got the news that her grandmother was ill.",
"She couldn't find her shoes.",
"She heard the author shouting loud.",
"She saw the author's shoes under her b... | I was never neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her projects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both get tired of each other.
War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, " take your shoes away! Why under my bed!" Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.
The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through alone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.
Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, "thanks."
Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together; giving in, cleaning up and holding on. | high10069.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "$ 30."
},
"options": [
"Free.",
"$ 30.",
"$ 60.",
"$ 120."
],
"question": "How much will be paid for a 65-year-old man with his 8-year-old grandson?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Our world natural park is one of the most famous parks in the world. Millions of visitors from different countries visit this park every year. In order to protect it, please do as follows:
*Protect the natural and cultural heritage . Don't damage or deface any buildings, displays and other facilities. Take care of all plants. Put rubbish in the bins provided.
*Take care when you are going up and down steps or stairs and when you are walking nearby the waters.
*Please buy tickets before entering the scenic spot One ticket is only for one person. Adult: $60 per ticket .Children over6 and under 18,half price. People over 60 and children under 6 are free.
*If you are going into the wooded and hilly lands, for your own safety, please go with three people at least and don't take any tinder along with you. The hill is steep, so please take care of yourself.
*This scenic spot is the reserve of water source: No fishing, swimming, washing and any behaviors that are harmful to the water source. Meanwhile, please follow the management rules of the scenic spot conscientiously.
*Opening time: From Monday to Friday, 8:00 a. m.--18:00 p. m.; From Saturday to Sunday, 6:00 a. m:--24:00 p. m.
*Small animals such as rabbits, peacocks, squirrels, frogs must be taken care of: None of them shall be killed.
If you have any trouble in visiting our world natural park, please call 477-866-7044. Our staff will do our best to help you. | high18435.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The way he uses his tools."
},
"options": [
"The tools he uses.",
"His ways of learning.",
"The way he uses his tools.",
"The various tools he uses."
],
"question": "What makes a scientist according to the passa... | What makes a person a scientist?Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others?The answer is "no". It isn't the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools which make him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter .You will probably agree,too,that _ The scientist,however,goes one step further;he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer he gets to many questions is into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There's no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different,any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason why investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein,who developed the Theory of Relativity,arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigation. Einstein's ideas were proved to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations. | high5241.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he lacked the courage to tell \"No. 2\" his intention"
},
"options": [
"he would like to wait for \"No. 1\" outside",
"he would rather be served by the best barber",
"he lacked the courage to tell \"No. 2\" his intention",
... | All things change except barbers, the ways of barbers, and the surroundings of barbers. These never change. What one experiences in a barber's shop the first time he enters one is what he always experiences in barbers' shops afterward till the end of his days.
I got shaved this morning as usual. A man approached the door from Jones Street as I approached it from Main--a thing that always happens. I hurried up, but it was of no use; he entered the door one little step ahead of me, and I followed in and saw him take the only empty chair, the one headed by the best barber. It always happens so. I sat down, hoping that I might sit in the chair belonging to the better of the remaining two barbers, for he was a bit ahead. I watched the probabilities with strong interest. When I saw that No. 2 was gaining on No. 1, my interest grew to solicitude . When No. 1 was gradually losing the race, my solicitude rose to anxiety. When No. 1 caught up again, and both were about to finish and say "Next!" first, my very breath stood still with the _ . But when I saw that he had lost the race by a single instant, I rose angrily and quitted the shop, to keep from falling into the hands of No. 2; for I have none of that firmness that enables a man to look calmly into the eyes of a waiting barber and tell him he will wait for his fellow-barber's chair.
I stayed out fifteen minutes, and then went back, hoping for better luck. Unfortunately, all the chairs were occupied now, and four men sat waiting, silent, and looking bored, as men always do who are waiting their turn in a barber's shop. I sat down and waited.
At last my turn came. A voice said "Next!" and I give in to No. 2, of course. It always happens so. I smiled and said that I was in a hurry, and it affected him as strongly as if he had never heard it.
He explored my hair with his claws and suggested that it needed trimming . I said I did not want it trimmed. He explored again and said it was pretty long for the present style. I said I had had it cut only a week before. He stopped for a moment, and then asked "who cut it?" I stared at him from the mirror and replied "You did!". Then a dog-fight attracted his attention, and he ran to the window and stayed and watched it... | high6748.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Her life was well-planned."
},
"options": [
"Her life was under great pressure.",
"Her life was well-planned.",
"She didn't have to worry about the future.",
"She had to worry about her dinner"
],
"question": "W... | Until last summer I had a very comfortable life: winter vacations skiing and summer cruises. My parents spent a lot of money on a private school, so they could get me into a competitive middle school. Everything was about tomorrow, next year, my graduation. We never had to worry about today.
Before last summer I never thought much about the people in the world who live day to day, every day, whose lives are controlled by poverty and hunger. Then I enrolled in a two-week intensive program. We lived in a "Tribal Village," in a hot, dry open grassland in Arkansas, a state of the south-central United States. I am a tribal member in Mozambique, a country of southeast Africa. Every meal, I make the fire for my family, and feel the flames lick up my nostrils as I blow to keep the fuel alive. I cook mush with vegetables. This is all my family is ever given.
I feed the hen and three rabbits their dinner. I grow attached to the rabbits, even though I know I shouldn't. I name them. I'm not getting enough to eat; it's time to decide whether or not to kill the rabbits. I feel pain but it's a privileged child's pain because I know I will soon be eating again. That's not true for a lot of other children around the world.
Growing up comfortably in the U.S., I've never had to worry about my dinner, and even though this whole process was only a _ , it changed my life. Now I believe in doing whatever I can to help find practical ways to defeat hunger.
So I've become president of Roots and Shoots, a group working to improve local environments for people and animals. I'm also working to create a program at my high school called the "Safe Passage" trip to help young people in the Guatemala City dump. And I've got plans to do more.
I'm often thinking of laboring in the hot sun and the millions who still do. Now, I try to live for today and stop worrying so much about the future. When I eat or feel full, I am grateful for this fortunate life and want to extend the same feeling to others.
I believe in offering help to those who need it. | high22965.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Objective."
},
"options": [
"Defensive.",
"Persuasive.",
"Supportive.",
"Objective."
],
"question": "What is the writer's attitude in writing this passage?",
"question_type": null
}
] | Did you know that women's brains are smaller than men's? The average women's brain weighs 10% less than men's. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it's what's inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of "grey matter" and "white matter". While men have more of the latter, the amount of "thinking" brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes.
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it's women who come out on top every time.
There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. "A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go," says one researcher. That may explain one of life's great mysteries: Why men refuse to ask for directions ... and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn't. "The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it," says a biologist. | high1027.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "help us save money and be good for the environment"
},
"options": [
"help us save money and be good for the environment",
"help us realize the importance of water",
"promote the development of economy and peace",
"make ... | Two things I really believe in --- saving money and saving the planet, and it's even better when I can do something that accomplishes both at the same time. Rainwater harvesting is just such a thing. In the near future, rainwater harvesting will be as common as twelve-year-old girls carrying cell phones.
Many countries already rely heavily on rainwater. Every building in these countries collects the rainwater from its roof and stores it for later use. However, America is just slightly slow to take action.
There are many ways to harvest rainwater and most of them are easy and inexpensive. For example, use rain barrels to collect the water that would run off your roof. You'd be surprised at how fast a fifty-gallon barrel will be filled with free, usable water. New building construction offers some good ways to gather rainwater, and the cost of set-up is usually made up by reduced usage very quickly. Rainwater can be conveyed by roof pipes into underground containers, where a pump can draw water up as needed.
The rainwater can even be treated to make it drinkable. If that rainwater were not collected, but allowed to run over your lawn , into the street and eventually to a storm water treatment facility, it would pick up all sorts of pollutants on its journey --- chemical compositions and agricultural poisons from the grass, motor oil, waste water and such from the roads, and who knows what else. That is to say, the shorter distance it covers the more drinkable it will be.
Depending on where you live, the rainwater may be piped to a treatment plant or it may run in natural channels to allow nature to remove the pollutants. Either way, the treatment of rainwater is high priced. If you reduce the amount of rainwater run-off from your home or office, you reduce the need for treatment.
Water is rapidly becoming one of our most precious resources and it is not as abundant as you may think. In the year 2015, the United States used generally 479 billion gallons of fresh water per day. | high13560.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Water well."
},
"options": [
"Small lanes.",
"Water well.",
"Siheyuan.",
"A traditional house."
],
"question": "What is the original meaning of the word hutong?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | When people think of the unique characteristics of Beijing the hutong style always comes to mind.It is no exaggeration to say within hutong lives the city's history.
The word hutong was borrowed from the Mongolian word to mean "water well" about 700 years ago.Later it referred to a place where people live.Hutong we see today are made up of small lanes formed by walls of siheyuan.They were built during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.
When the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, there were more than 3,000 hutong.Most of the city's population lived in this traditional housing.But with the modernization of the city in the 1980s and early 1990s, many hutong were pulled down to build roads, skyscrapers and modern houses.
The government has recognized the importance of hutong to Chinese cultural heritage .In 2002, Beijing listed 40 protected historical zones and increased its efforts to restore some key relics and older streets in the city.Nearly 500 hutong have survived.
Hutong that still exist are like oases of calm surrounded by the noisy city.Walking through them, it's common to see groups of elderly citizens sitting together playing cards, mahjong or Chinese chess.In the early mornings and evenings, they gather to practice traditional forms of exercise such as taijiquan as well as dancing and singing folk songs or Peking Opera.Hutong have become a museum of Beijing's folk customs and history. | high6990.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Work Your Mind"
},
"options": [
"Work Your Mind",
"Practice Makes Perfect",
"The Best Way to Learn",
"Teachers' Role in Schoolwork"
],
"question": "What is the best title for the text?",
"question_type": nul... | Here's something to think about the next time you ask your teacher for help:trying hard to do schoolwork on your own can help you learn.According to a recent study,the more you try while you are learning new information,the better you can remember it later.
This might surprise you.When teachers are presenting new information,they often give students lots of help.But a new study shows this may not be the best way to support learning."Don't be too quick to get help when learning something new,"education expert Manu Kapur said."Try to work on it yourself even if it means trying different ways.''
Kapur came up with the idea that trying hard can lead to better learning.Then he tested it out on students in Singapore.He separated students into two groups.In the first group,students were asked to solve math problems with the teacher's help.In the second group,students were asked to solve the same problems by helping one another,instead of getting help from the teacher.
With the teacher's help,students in the first group were able to find the correct answers.Students in the second group did not solve the problems correctly.But they did come up with a lot of good ideas.
The students were then tested on what they had 1earned.The group without any help from a teacher scored much higher than the group who had help.Kapur said working to find the answers helped students understand the process ,not just the solution.
Kapur's advice for kids is to put a 1ot of effort into learning something new rather than going to your teacher for help."Simply doing a little work or nothing at all won't work."says Kapur."Try to solve a problem in as many ways as possible.'' | high8765.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties."
},
"options": [
"Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties.",
"Because they think they can help them on the questions.",
"Because their kids are too ... | Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We--as parents--are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them.As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me.So, I'll let them fail.
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow.And failure -- along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.-- will be part of growth for them.Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone, is my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today.From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now.It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews. | high15111.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "make illegal copies of movies unpleasant to see"
},
"options": [
"adjust the brightness of the movie screens",
"make sure the images of movies are dark",
"protect the eyesight of viewers in the darkness",
"make illegal ... | Cheaters called "pirates" often use camcorders and cell phones to make illegal copies of blockbusters in the local theater. These pirates then sell those recordings on the street or over the Internet for very low prices. Some share them for free.
"It's unfair for people to pirate movies, " says 15-year-old Hadaia Azad Ezzulddin. Movie piracy "takes money out of the pockets of thousands of people in the movie industry," she notes. Victims include famous actors and directors as well as local theater owners and their employees.
Hadaia came up with an idea that could help stop movie piracy. Hadaia's idea uses infrared light. This range of light is invisible to the human eye. It is visible, however, to many types of cameras. Theater owners could place small infrared lights on their movie screens. The lights would not disturb people watching the movie. It would, however, distort the recordings made by many types of cameras.
To test her idea, Hadaia built a box with a movie screen inside. Then, she projected images on that screen through a hole in the box. She took recordings of those images, using nine different types of cameras. These included the types found in cell phones as well as camcorders. During some tests, she also turned on light emitting diodes , or LEDs. The LEDs were embedded in a certain place behind the movie screen. They gave out infrared light.
Sure enough, she showed, a pirated movie included odd stripes or spots if it had been recorded while the LEDs were on. It might be possible to use the LEDs to flash the date and time on the movie screen. The information would then appear in the illegal recordings. Theater owners or police might use the information to track down the pirates.
Cutting down on piracy might get more people into theaters to watch the real movie instead of an illegal copy. Six out of every ten films now produced aren't profitable. They don't make enough money to recover how much was spent to make and market them. Such a poor payback can discourage filmmakers from producing anything but the types expected to become blockbuster hits. It might also keep smaller theaters from showing a wider variety of movie types. | high7456.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "true friendship"
},
"options": [
"true friendship",
"real diamond",
"a large house",
"an expensive car"
],
"question": "According to the passage, it is quite impossible for you to buy _ .",
"question_type... | As we know, most of the material things in our daily life have to be bought with money. But money is not all powerful. Money can't buy many things such as time and true love. There are 24 hours in a day. Sometimes when we are very happy, we wish that the period of happiness would last longer. But no matter what we do, or how much money we are willing to pay, we cannot make a day last longer than 24 hours. On the other hand, when we are unhappy, money cannot make the unhappy time pass away more quickly. True love is another thing which money cannot buy. Suppose we have someone who really loves us very much. Once he dies, he can give us no more love. Can our money raise him from death and make him love us as before? Here we can see very clearly that money cannot buy us love. Money can buy us diamond things, beautiful clothes, but never time and love. So money, after all, is not all powerful. | high22971.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A concerned citizen in Havenswood."
},
"options": [
"An editor of a newspaper.",
"The manager of the nearest theatre.",
"The owner of Marvin's Movie Video Rentals.",
"A concerned citizen in Havenswood."
],
"ques... | Letter to the Editor
A heated debate is currently going on in our town. Should we allow the cinema to be constructed in the Havenswood Shopping Center? There is just one large area left to build on, and the theater would use up all of that space. Some people are excited at the idea of finally having our own movie theater. Others would rather travel ten miles to the nearest theater to keep our quiet town the way it is. They say it is enough to have Marvin's Movie Video Rentals. After all, Marvin's store keeps thousands of the latest videos.
There are certainly benefits to renting videos. For one thing, you can plan your own schedule when it is convenient for you. You can relax on your sofa, and take a break whenever you need one. You can also talk to others without bothering any strangers seated nearby. In addition, it is a less expensive way to view a movie, especially if more than one person is watching the video.
On the other hand, seeing a movie in a theater is an experience all its own. First, you can see the movie on a wide screen as the filmmaker intended. To be viewed on a television screen, a film must be changed in some way to make it smaller. One is the "pan-and-scan method, which involves removing some of the details in the picture. The other way, called "letterboxing, keeps the image the way it is on the big screen, with one annoying exception; because the big-screen style is wide, the same picture on a television screen must be long and narrow.
Another problem is sound. The sound from a television cannot compare with the sound system in a theater. Your experience of a movie improves when you can clearly hear all of the sounds. Furthermore, at home, viewing companions often talk during a movie, which makes you miss out on what's happening in the film.
Besides, having a movie theater will not mean that you can't still go to Marvin's! You will just have a choice that you didn't have before. Isn't it time for Havenswood residents like me to enjoy a little progress? | high13574.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The dangerous situation of medicinal plants and ways of protecting them."
},
"options": [
"The function of medicinal plants.",
"The importance of traditional medicine.",
"More and more people rely on herbal medicines.",
... | The health of millions could be at risk because medicinal plants are being used up.These plants are used to make traditional medicine,including drugs to fight cancer."The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster,"says Sara Oldfield,secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Most people worldwide (including 80 percent of all Africans)rely on herbal medicines which are got mostly from wild plants.But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out,according to a report from the international conversation group Plantlife.Shortages have been reported in China,India,Kenya,Nepal,Tanzania and Uganda.
Overharvesting does the most harm,though pollution and competition from invasive species are both responsible."Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants,not caring about sustain ability,"the Plantlife report says."Damage is serious partly because they have no idea of it,but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized." Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew and the African cherry,which are used to treat some cancers.
The solution,says the report's author,Alan Hamilton,is to encourage local people to protect these plants.Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India,Pakistan,China,Nepal,Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed.In Uganda the project has kept a sustainable supply of lowcost cancer treatments,and in China a public run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.
"Improving health,earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants,"says Hamilton."You have to pay attention to what people are interested in." Ghillean Prance,the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London,agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection.
"Not nearly enough is being done,"he told New Scientist."We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us." | high6984.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "deal with the city's traffic problems"
},
"options": [
"reduce the air pollution of the city",
"encourage the citizens to take exercises",
"deal with the city's traffic problems",
"increase employment opportunities"
... | London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme. It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London.
So how does it work?First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key. The key will unlock one of the bikes,which are kept at docking stations in and around central London. You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go,for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London,which runs the scheme,are hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year. The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion in London and is expected to create up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been "filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as commonplace on our roads as black cabs and red buses".
However,there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday. On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered. Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a "gesture of goodwill". Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments,the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things,saying,"My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a big pedal-powered push forwards." | high15105.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to assess the flexibility of athletes."
},
"options": [
"to suggest how long you have to live.",
"to assess the flexibility of athletes.",
"to measure their patients' flexibility and strength.",
"to persuade his patient... | The simple exercise of sitting down and standing up again without holding onto anything, could suggest how long you have to live. This is the belief of a group of physicians, who came up with the 'sitting-rising test' to measure their patients' flexibility and strength. They developed a scoring system for the test and found that people who scored three points or less out of 10, were more than five times as likely to die within six years, as those who scored more than eight points.
Claudio Gil Araujo, of Gama Filho University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was among the doctors who originally developed the sitting rising test (SRT) to quickly assess the flexibility of athletes, but he now uses it to persuade his patients that they need to stay active to maintain their muscle and balance, and live longer, Discover Magazine reported.
As we age, our muscles tend to become weaker and a loss of balance means we are increasingly likely to fall. Current ways to test frailty can be time-consuming, impractical and inaccurate for small doctors' surgeries, but experts are keen to keep older people moving. Dr Araujo says that anyone can take the SRT because no equipment is needed.
In a study, published in the European Journal of Cardiology, the researchers described how 2002 adults aged between 51 and 80 took the SRT at Clinimex Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio. They found that patients who scored fewer than eight points out of 10 on the test, were twice as likely to die within the next six years, compared with people with more perfect scores.
One point was deducted each time a person used their hand or knee for support to either sit down or stand up, while half a point was deducted for losing their balance. The experts found that people who scored three points or fewer, were more than five times as likely to die within the same period. They wrote in the study: 'Musculoskeletal fitness, as assessed by SRT, was a significant predictor of _ in 51-80-year-old subjects.' The study found that every point increase in the test, was linked to a 21 per cent decrease in mortality from all causes. However, chartered physio-therapist Sammy Margo said that the exercise may be "quite ambitious" for older people in the UK. | high8771.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a toy bear"
},
"options": [
"a real bear living in England",
"an experienced astronaut",
"an air force officer",
"a toy bear"
],
"question": "Terence is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity .
Terence, an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq, will be the guest of honour on aviation legend Burt Rutan's Spaceship One when it flies above Earth. The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the cuddly toy will be auctioned off in aid of the North Air Ambulance Appeal .
Spaceship One is the world's first private spacecraft, and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize. Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), Graham Pickering, said "flying officer" Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since.
He said, "Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft, trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly. When the RAF finally discharge him he will be a very rare bear indeed--we just hope he does not burn up on re-entry to Earth."
GNAAS, which needs charitable donations of more than PS2m a year, has three air ambulances .
Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society, said Terence's safety was not guaranteed. He said, "This is a new and experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown. During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved."
Since May, Terence has spent time with members of 100 Squadron based at RAF Leeming in Basra, Iraq, and at air shows with performing fighter planes.
Spaceship One will fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth's surface, just breaking through the planet's atmosphere.
If it repeats the feat inside two weeks, it will claim the $10m Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business. | high7442.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They regard eating as a key part of their life style."
},
"options": [
"They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently.",
"They regard eating as a key part of their life style.",
"They squeeze eating between the other daily... | Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers conclude that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers' markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don't Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity - or extreme overweight - among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% - and is growing. | high11363.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "switch on the computer"
},
"options": [
"draw pictures",
"change the typeface",
"switch on the computer",
"colour the key points"
],
"question": "When taking notes, we can do all these except _ .",
"quest... | Five Ways to Rock the Rest of the Semester
With exams around the corner, how can you possibly pack in one more English word, let alone the causes of the Cold War? Don't worry. Here is our handy guide to help you
Power Down
So you stayed up too late last night reading Mockingjay for the fifth time. Oops! When you're that fired, your schoolwork suffers. Instead of studying inefficiently while you are sleepy, allow yourself a 15-minute afterschool power nap. Studies show that even a few minutes of shut-eye can improve memory and concentration.
Take Notes
Not quite grasping that super complicated concept in your chemistry class? You may need to change the way you take notes. Instead of recording every word your teacher says, try using visual hints like pictures, symbols and word bubbles. You can even switch computer fonts or pen color for the important stuff.
Dream On
Your bed's not just for zzz's. Experts say it may be good to study in bed, too. Why? We're able to absorb more right before bed because we're less distracted and the new information stays in our minds as we sleep. So, slide into bed with a textbook or notes, read for 15 minutes, and then turn off the lights for some sweet and smart dreams.
Brain Food
You're in the middle of a biology exam when your mind goes blank. You knew this stuff cold at home, but now you can't tell a ribosome from a chloroplast. What's going on? Your brain's in need of some refueling. Have some snacks like apple slices or cheese before class, and have plenty of water, too. If your teacher doesn't mind, pop in a piece of gum during an exam. Some scientists think the chewing increases the flow of oxygen to the brain.
Smart Move
Ugh! You're taking an English test and you cannot remember the past participle of "understand". What to do? Skip it. Test taking is all about timing, so don't waste it on tricky questions. Move ahead and answer everything you know before returning to the ones you don't. Chances are, once you get back to the toughies, you'll recall the answer or at the very least, you'll have a little more time to come up with one that works. | high5255.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it is full of unventilated air"
},
"options": [
"it is full of unventilated air",
"it is far from his home",
"it is not convenient",
"he must pay for it"
],
"question": "The write does not like telephone in a pu... | If, at the end of a conversation somebody says to me, "as soon as I know, I'll ring you up", he is talking too much for granted. He is proposing to attempt the impossible. So I have to say, "I'm afraid you can't. You see. I'm not on the telephone. I just haven't got a telephone."
Why don't you have a telephone? Not because I pretend to be wise or pose as unusual. There are two chief reasons: because I don't really like the telephone and because I find I can still work and play, eat, breathe and sleep without it. Why don't I like the telephone? Because I think it is a pest and a time-waster. It may create unnecessary suspense and anxiety, as when you wait for an expected call that doesn't come; or irritating delay, as when you keep ringing a number that is always engaged. As for speaking in a public telephone box, which seems to me really horrible. You would not use it unless you were in a hurry, and because you are in a hurry you will find other people waiting before you. When you do get into the box, you are half asphyxiated by stale, unventilated air, flavored with cheap face-powder and chain-smoking; and by the time you have begun your conversation your back is chilled by the cold look of somebody who is fidgeting to take your place.
If you have a telephone in your own house, you will admit that it tends to ring when you least want it to ring; when you are asleep, or in the middle of a meal or a conversation, or when you are just going out, or when you are in your bath. Are you strong-minded enough to ignore it, to say to yourself, "Ah, well, it will all be the same in a hundred years' time. You are not. You think there may be some important news or message for you. Have you never rushed dripping from the bath, or chewing from the table, or dazed from the bed, only to be told that you are a wrong number?
Suppose you ignore the telephone when it rings, and suppose that, for once, somebody has an important message for you. I can assure you that if a message is really important it will reach you sooner or later. Think of the proverb: "ill news travels apace." I must say good news seems to travel just as fast. And think of the saying: "the truth will out." It will. | high18421.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "gold is a status symbol to him"
},
"options": [
"gold is a status symbol to him",
"he loves this kind of shirt",
"people there love gold so much",
"he is a successful businessman"
],
"question": "Datta Phuge bou... | As an English teacher, I've been lucky enough to travel to many countries all over the world. I've seen people celebrate everything from the arrival of new babies to the delivery of new cars. I've attended weddings, parties and religious celebrations in countries such as Argentina and Japan, and I've noticed that gold---the metal or the colour of it---is always part of cultural events, traditions and celebrations.
It makes me wonder: Why do people love gold?
For some people, gold seems to be a status symbol. Indian businessman Datta Phuge loves gold so much that he even bought a shirt made of gold at a cost of $250,000. I'm not sure I'd spend so much money on a shirt, would you? But Datta Phuge has his reason .He explains," Some people want to own an Audi or a Mercedes. I choose gold."
For other people, gold is an investment . The price of gold generally increases over time and in European markets, it reached even $1,500 per ounce in 2011.
And for many people, a family heirloom brings together status and investment. My mother has a gold bracelet that was given to her by her grandmother who, in turn, inherited it from her own grandmother. It's quite a heavy piece and probably worth quite a lot of money. But its mental value is greater than its value in dollars. It's a beautiful object that holds many family memories. When the time comes, my mum will give the bracelet to me, and one day, I'll pass it on to the younger generation.
Therefore, status and investment are good reasons to value gold. However, I think that the real reason why people love gold is that it can be made into beautiful objects. Think about Tutankhamen's death mask. Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?
People love gold because it holds their minds, their imaginations and, above all, their hearts. | high5533.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She had to leave best friends."
},
"options": [
"She couldn't adapt herself",
"She had to leave best friends.",
"She was growing up there.",
"She hated traveling a lot."
],
"question": "Why was the author unhapp... | My family moved around a lot when I was growing up.In 2nd grade,I lived here in Washington D.C,where I made an amazing group of friends.I was upset when my parents told me we were moving again and I would have to leave all my best friends behind.
In 7th grade.we moved back to Washington D.C.And I could not have been more excited and I felt like I was finally home again.But things had changed.There were two new girls,who decided that they didn't like me,which meant no one else could,not even all my former best friends.
And then one day during school,I opened my locker,only to find a note lying on the floor.The note said:Die.Nobody likes you.
My heart started beating faster and I felt the blood rushing to my face.I had no idea what to do.The note wasn't signed and I had no idea who had written it,but I figured the new girls were behind it.I had to sit in class all day with my head down,wondering who else knew about this shame.I felt horrible and sure that nothing would ever be good again.
I decided that the perfect way to end all of this was with another note,left on the bathroom mirror at school.
It's sad for someone to bully other classmates to make themselves feel better or look cool.Bullying others is a way to impress others.It's common,but that doesn't mean it's okay.Looking cool is not worth making others feel bad.Obviously I'm very happy now,but it doesn't mean I'11 ever forget about that note or how it made me feel.And to those of you that are current victims of bullying--know that you are NOT alone.It will get better.I promise. | high11405.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce the topic of the passage"
},
"options": [
"show the hard life of camels",
"encourage readers to ask questions",
"introduce the topic of the passage",
"make the passage interesting"
],
"question": "The ... | A baby camel asked his mother, "Why do we have such large hooves on our feet?" She turned him and began her explanation.
"The big hooves are to keep us from sinking into the sand."
"Oh! So why do we have long eyelashes ?"
"It's to protect our eyes from the sand."
"Why the big humps ?"
"That is to store fat and have enough energy to go long distances in the hot desert!"
"I see!" The baby camel stretched his neck and looked up at his mother, "Then what are we doing in this cage in the middle of a zoo?"
Like the baby camel, I had asked the same kind of questions. When my blindness set in, I at first locked myself in a cage of self-pity and bitterness. I was tired to waling out of that dark cage.
Heavens! What was I thinking? Those _ were self-imposed . Finally, eagerness to leave it inspired me to open my ears to hear a reassuring whisper - I was created for much more.
I broke down those bars and stepped out into the desert of life. I walking difficultly through the heat with determination. And the hooves of confidence kept me from sinking into the sand of danger.
Each time I reached another point in my journey, my eyes saw a whole new world with opportunities to make a difference. Best of all, I was pleased the I was indeed created for much more! Bars come in all sizes and shapes. But none can hold up the force of determination that breaks them down.
Step back and peek at what bars limit you. Take a deep breath, break them down, and come out into the freshness of a new life! | high20800.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "attract students to the Open University"
},
"options": [
"introduce the best university inBritain",
"let the readers know the OU Support Open Learning",
"describe the new technology for learning in the Open University",
... | We can offer you a place at one of the best universities in Britain. We'll provide you with a choice of 150 first-class courses developed especially to enable you to study in your own time. All of these courses are backed by the Open University's own special study method -- OU Support Open Learning.
We'll give you the support of a personal teacher, and the chance to meet your fellow students. You can study for a diploma, a degree or a postgraduate degree. Subjects available include: Computing, Business Management, Technology, Modern Languages, Social Sciences, English Law, Arts, Science, Mathematics, Education and Health & Social Welfare.
Whether you want to study to improve your career prospects or for your own personal interest, there's almost certainly a course for you. If you haven't studied for a while, we will help you get started. No previous training or degrees are required. All that is required is a willingness to learn. The OU is great value for money and you can pay monthly.
The OU leads the world in the use of new technology for learning, and a number of courses provide source material on CD-ROM. What else can the Open University offer you?
The OU is in the top 15% of all UK universities for teaching quality.
25% of all British MBAs come from the OU.
Over 30,000 employers have offered chances for their staff to study OU courses.
40,000 OU students study online from their home.
There are 9-month courses and diplomas as well as degrees.
Send for your free instructions now.
Post to: The Open University, PO Box 625, Milton Keynes MK76 AA, U99LX. | high3142.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "why people have their energy cycle at different times"
},
"options": [
"how people can make their life fit their cycle",
"whether everyone has a daily cycle or not",
"why people have their energy cycle at different times",
... | Recently Dr. Cleiman has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle. During the hours when you labor (work) through your work, you may say that you are "hot". That is true, the time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak . For some people the peak comes during the forenoon . For others it comes in the afternoon or evening. No one has discovered why this is so.
Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what this energy cycle means and which cycle each member of the family has.
You cannot change your cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better. "Habits can help," Dr. Cleiman believes. If your energy cycle is low in the morning but you have an important job early in the day, rise before your usual hour, and then you will work better at your low point.
Get off to a slow start which saves your energy. Get up with a lazy yawn and stretch . Sit on the edge of bed before putting your feet on the floor. Avoid the troublesome searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before. | high15663.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In the wilderness."
},
"options": [
"In the classroom.",
"On the playground.",
"In the wilderness.",
"In canoes and rafts."
],
"question": "Where are Outward Bound courses given?",
"question_type": "factiod_... | The standard Outward Bound course lasts for three or four weeks. During that time the students live in the wilderness and go through many physical activities of ever increasing difficulty.
The first few days are given to physical conditioning and to the teaching of basic skills such as first aid, map and compass reading, rope climbing, and other similar activities.
During the second part of the course students learn how to climb rocks and cliffs, how to use canoes and rafts in swift water, and in some schools how to sail, ski, climb mountains, and make long-distance hikes.
The first two parts of the course are done in groups. Members work together and help each other to overcome the increasing number of challenges. In the third part of the course, students are sent out alone for three days to survive in the wilderness with only a few necessities.
Who are the students of Outward Bound? They are both young people and adults, men and women. The minimum age is 16.5 years. There is no maximum age. About one-third of the 6,000 persons completing the course each year are women. Businessmen, housewives, university students, professors, doctors, and lawyers are among those taking part in the course.
In recent years special courses for the busy business managers have gained in popularity. These courses last from five to ten days rather than the usual three to four weeks of the normal course.
Not all students complete the Outward Bound course. In some cases the individual cannot meet the physical challenges. In its own words Outward Bound literature says: "Make no mistake, Outward Bound is not for everybody. The courses aren't easy and are not meant to be."
Most students who finish the course share a common experience. They are surprised at themselves that they finish the course and they feel great pride in doing the impossible! The Outward Bound experience makes them feel that they are better than they know! | high7324.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It offers a good place for animal watching."
},
"options": [
"It has grassy open space.",
"It is a quiet place for study.",
"It's convenient for people to have picnics.",
"It offers a good place for animal watching."
... | When the weather is beautiful, it can be hard to resist spending time outdoors. Fortunately, the Garden State has plenty of outdoor spaces to offer. These public parks all have unique qualities that make them stand out among the rest.
Boundary Creek Natural Resource Area
Boundary Creek is a 34 acre park designed for quiet nature study. Families can use the grassy open space, complete with picnic tables near the parking lot for picnics.
A special feature is the observation boardwalks for people of all heights to watch the animals without being noticed.
Challenge Grove Park
Challenge Park is not a challenge for children with special needs. Both playgrounds at the park are wheelchair accessible and the newest playground, Build Jake's Place, was built specifically for children of all abilities.
The 17-acre park also includes a basketball court. ball park and covered picnic area with bathrooms. There is a paved path throughout the park.
Laurel Acres
Probably the most popular park due to how full the parking lot always seems to be is Laurel Acres. Fortunately, the park is big enough that the parking is only thing that ever seems full.
For children, there are three playgrounds to choose from, one of which is for smaller children. The huge hill is great for rolling or sledding down. Children also enjoy watching[the ducks and geese in and around the pond.
The park includes a picnic area with covered pavilion( ). | high13212.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To encourage people to join edX."
},
"options": [
"To give an introduction to edX.",
"To encourage people to join edX.",
"To predict the future of education.",
"To advise us to choose quality education."
],
"que... | Do You Want To Change the Future of Education?
Our goal is to give a world-class education to everyone, everywhere, regardless of gender, income or social status.
Today, edx.org, a not-for-profit website, provides hundreds of thousands of people from around the globe with access to free education .We offer amazing quality classes by the best professors from the best schools. We enable our members to find out a new passion that will transform their lives and their communities.
Around the world from coast to coast, in over 192 countries, people are making the decision to take one or several of our courses. As we continue to grow our operations, we are looking for talented passionate people with great ideas to join the edX team. We aim to create an environment that is supportive ,diverse, and as fun as our brand.If you're hardworking and ready to contribute to an unparalleled member experience for our community, we really want you to apply.
As part of the edX team, you'll receive:
*Competitive compensation
*Generous benefits package
*Free lunch every day
*A great workplace where everyone cares and wants to change the world
While we appreciate every applicant's interest, only those under consideration will be contacted .We regret that phone calls will not be accepted. We promise that every applicant will be treated fairly.
All positions are located in our Cambridge offices. | high9309.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Showing care to the beggars and the homeless."
},
"options": [
"Taking 15 beggars to Tsinghua.",
"Getting together with friends.",
"Showing care to the beggars and the homeless.",
"Selling bread and gloves to the beggar... | Christmas Eve means a warm get-together with friends, a candlelight dinner, or perhaps a celebration at a pub for students. But, for Cai Yingjie, the night has a different meaning: helping beggars and the homeless(people without homes).
Cai, who is a student in journalism at Tsinghua, could be found at Beijing's Wudaokou Light Railway Station that special evening. When she saw an old beggar, she took the cold, rough hands of the woman with her warm, clean hands, and gave the woman some warm bread and helped her put on a pair of new gloves.
The woman was surprised for a few seconds, then burst into tears, saying "for the first time I feel respected".
Cai said, "A beggar's life is very hard. That's why I want to help them."
Cai was one of 14 Tsinghua students spending Christmas Eve among the poor. They walked in the cold wind along the streets from 4 to 7 pm on Friday, visiting 15 beggars in Beijing's Haidian District.
They brought bread and gloves with them, and stopped to greet beggars and offer them some of the warm food. Each beggar greeted them with a look of surprise.
"I know the activity can't help much, but it's meant to show our respect and care for beggars and the homeless who have been _ for so long," said Sun, head of the group. "And Christmas is a good time for that." | high2274.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "at the airport or port; examine people's baggage"
},
"options": [
"at the railway station or airport; examine people's baggage",
"at the airport or port; examine people's baggage",
"at the bus-stop; help people enter the USA"... | The small unframed painting called "Fisherman" was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone (1669-1740). When it was sold recently in New York for $ 27000, the seller, Mr. Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession.
Pitt said, "I didn't know it was so valuable. I'm not an art expert. Photography is my hobby. I bought 'Fisherman' in Italy in 1970 for $140.the picture was dirty, and I couldn't see the artist's signature. But anyway it wasn't the picture that I like. I bought it because of the frame."
"It's most unusual frame, made of tiny, silvery sea-shells. They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture. I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I'll never part with it."
"When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer. I told him that I had paid $140 for it but admitted I didn't know its actual worth. The customs man valued it at $ 140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value. I did so, there and then."
"Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone's signature. My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one, so I cleaned it and put it up for sale."
As a result of his explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court. He was accused of knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department.
Pitt was not happy. "I told the truth as I knew it then," he said, "What else could I say?"
And then the judge agreed with him. "The Customs Department is to be responsible (blame)," he said, "for making a true valuation of goods bought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged. Mr Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made. He paid the duty that was demanded. If now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try. Pitt is not guilty. | high16342.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "parents are supposed to tell the kids the bitter side of life as well as the sweet side"
},
"options": [
"four students took their lives in Shanghai last week",
"being unable to catch up with other classmates led to the 12-year-old... | One suicide and three attempted ones that left two seriously injured, all by middle school students in Shanghai last week, cast a gloom over an otherwise happy beginning of a new term there. The terrible things took place even as the Ministry of Education and China Central Television organized the first lesson on TV about personal safety for students last Monday, the first day of the new semester. Such things suggest that this first lesson is more than necessary. Not only should kids be taught how to protect themselves in times of emergency, they should also be made aware of the value of tile2 One student was prevented from killing himself from his school building. He said he just could not accept the fact of not being able to go tip to a higher grade with his classmates, and thus considered life meaningless. Another 12-year-old boy who jumped off a building to his death was said to have been a good student, and no one could say why he chose to end his life. Obviously, their inner worlds were seriously affected. But when they chose to take their own lives, their irresponsible choice was clearly the result of a lack of adequate understanding of the value of life.
The ancient sage Confucius stressed that one must protect even one's hair and skin from being hurt. He meant that the sense of responsibility for one's parents was important as far as the value of life was concerned. When we talk about the enthusiasm of making contributions to our motherland, we are referring to values that constitute the nobler part of the meaning of life. The value of life should be far beyond the concern for personal interest.
Undoubtedly, those kids who chose to take their own lives were faced only with their own sadness that they could not overcome. If they had a little concern for their parents, for their parents' expectations of them or for their own potential contributions to this world in the future, they would not have gone that far. Difficulties or sufferings are supposed to help kids develop their sense of responsibility and thus help them better understand the value of life.
Too much attention and care from their parents and grandparents have made most of the only children self-centered. Many think it is natural that they deserve to be taken care of by others in whatever way they want. They expect to have their problems solved by their parents or someone else. With such a false sense, they fail to grasp the tough reality of life. They suffer from the illusion that their life should be nothing but plain sailing, Whenever the illusion is broken, they can hardly gather enough courage to face life as it is. So a hotline is indeed necessary to help those kids who find it hard to accept the tough reality of life. But parents and teachers also need to take lessons from the things. They need to know that life should not always be sugar-coated for kids; they should be made to taste the bitter side too as early as possible. | high4605.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He was seriously injured in a car accident."
},
"options": [
"He started to make improvements in his speech therapy.",
"He was seriously injured in a car accident.",
"He graduated from high school with good grades.",
"H... | Delvin Washington was having a difficult speech therapy . Over half a year ago, Washington was preparing for the biggest day of his young life ---graduating from high school. But on a cloudy day in May, he had a serious car accident. He survived, but his life changed forever. He recently began all-day physical rehabilitation . He is relearning almost everything, from the names of his best friends to simple physical tasks.
His friends and family have given him a lot of support. While Washington lay in a coma in hospital, friends and family filled his room during visits. They celebrated his 18th birthday in July while he was still unconscious.Two days after Thanksgiving, eight friends from high school visited Washington at his home. The friends looked through photos on Facebook, showing them all to Washington. As he sat in his wheelchair, friends asked him to recognize the people in the photos, helping him recover his brain.
Washington's popularity doesn't come from nowhere. He was determined to become a police officer after college and behaved like a respectable police officer at school.His high school principal , Eric Markinson, said Washington was always a gentleman. "He was incredibly gracious and incredibly helpful,"he said.
His accident has damaged Washington's brain. It has caused his left side, from his face to his feet, to all but shut down. His personality has also changed. The serious police-officer behavior is gone. He laughs a lot and smiles when he sees children, his mom said.
Now Washington is working hard on all-day rehabilitation. So far, he has made tremendous improvement, said his therapist Lindsay Sims."I try to live as independently as possible,"Washington said slowly but firmly. | high19071.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "When too many students are sitting in a classroom."
},
"options": [
"When desks are crowded into a classroom.",
"When students are too stressful.",
"When too many students are sitting in a classroom.",
"When the staff m... | Taking exams in a large group setting can be stressful for students and for the staff members who are watching over them.
When classrooms are crowded and desks are close together, cheating might be tempting.
One university in Thailand came up with an anti-cheating hat that makes it almost impossible for students to see other students' papers. A photo of the students wearing the anti-cheating hats made its way to the Internet, and the university was criticized for making students wear those ridiculous looking homemade hats. The hats were made by stapling pieces of paper onto a headband, one to each side of the head.
After being criticized, senior academic staff at Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand, released a statement saying that the hats idea came from students. They said that in a bid to prevent cheating they asked the students for ideas on how to prevent cheating in the upcoming exam, which was being taken by almost one hundred students. Students came up with different ideas, then the paper hat idea was selected by them as the most suitable.
The university claimed that no one was forced to use the hat, but they all chose to do so."When wearing the hat during the exam, students felt more relaxed, "Nattadon Rungruangkitkrai, a lecturer at the university said."It was not meant to indicate that Kasetsart students often cheat on exams. I apologize if the photo makes other people look at my students in a negative way, "Rungruangkitkrai added. | high12124.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "help people to start a career related with animals"
},
"options": [
"help people to be excellent experienced walkers",
"teach people how to do business successfully",
"help people to start a career related with animals",
... | Become a professional dog trainer, dog walker or pet sitter with our expert education adn lifetime business support.
Top Dog Trainers School will teach you everything you need to know about running your new business. A diploma from Top Dog Trainers School will take you into an enjoyable careet with animals.
* We help you create a profitable and successful business from the bottom up with little overhead costs.
* We have 10 years lf animal care experience.
* We run a Dog Training business making over$150,00per year.
* You will leam how to rank your website at the top of search engines.
* Hands-on experience with animals and customer relations.
* We guide you through business insurance,taxes,licenses,and more.
Dog Trainers Course
In this 2 week course you will be taught how to run a profitable and enjoyable dog training business.
You will have hands on experience training and caring for at least 12 dogs ofall sorts ranging in size from a toy poodle to an Anatolian Shepherd.
You will leam about all available training techniques and equipment so you can provide personalized training for four customers.
We will train you how to run classes and private in-home lessons.
How to run a safe and secure kennel including advance animal health care.
Dog Walkers and Pet Sitters Course
In this 1 week course you will have experience caring for over a dozen dogs,parrots,chickens, ducks,cats,and horses.
We will teach you the secrets of successful dog walkers with hours of dog ,parrots,chickens,ducks,cats,and horses.
We will teach you the secrets of successful dog walkers with hours of walking experience.
We will teach you how to wash dogs and horses.
We will teach you how to properly care for cats and birds. | high15893.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the start-up of heating system"
},
"options": [
"the lasting cold weather",
"farmers' burning of forests",
"too much strong wind",
"the start-up of heating system"
],
"question": "One cause of the heavy smog in ... | A dense wave of smog began in the Chinese city of Harbin and the surrounding Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning Provinces on 20 October 2013. Unseasonably warm temperatures with very little wind across northeastern China coincided with the smoke from local farmers' burning straws and the start-up of Harbin's coal-powered central heating system.
Record densities of fine particulates were measured in the city. In Harbin, the levels of PM2.5 (particulate matter) rise to 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter, worse than Beijing's historic highs. Visibility was reduced to below 50m in parts of Harbin, and below 500m in most of the neighbouring Jilin Province. On Fa Yuen Street in Harbin, visibility of less than 5m was reported. The smog reduced after October 23, 2013 and completely broke up on October 28, 2013 by the first local snow and icy rain due to a cold front moving in from Russia.
Harbin lies in the north of China where winter temperatures can drop to -40degC, demanding a six-month heating season. Daily particulate levels of more than 40 times the World Health Organization recommended maximum level were reported in parts of Harbin. The smog remained till 23 October, when almost all monitoring stations in Heilongjiang, Jilin,and Liaoning Provincesreported readings above 200mg/m3forPM2.5. PM2.5 is the amount of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter in the air, with the WHO recommending a maximum 24-hour mean of 25 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m3). On the morning of 25 October, PM2.5 measurements in Harbin had fallen to an average of 123mg/m3.
All highways in the surrounding Heilongjiang Province were closed. In Harbin, all primary and middle schools were closed for three days and authorities stopped flights at the airports. Hospitals reported a 23 percent increase in admissions for breathing problems. However, this smog will have no influence on Harbin Ice Festival events later in December 2013.
Air pollution in Chinese cities is of increasing concern to China's leadership. Particulates in the air can affect human health and also have influences on climate and rainfall. Pollution from the burning of coal has reduced life expectancy by 5.5 years in the north of China, as a result of heart and lung diseases. | high6012.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Its location."
},
"options": [
"Its population.",
"Its location.",
"Its public transportation.",
"Its government action."
],
"question": "What makes the air quality of Mexico City a concern for citizens?",
"... | Mexico City sits on an inland plateau surrounded by volcanic peaks, which makes air quality a constant concern for people who live here.
In April, the country took a decisive step toward improving air quality by enacting a temporary ban on private and federal vehicles in the city. The rule forbids people from driving in the city one day each week and one Saturday each month. Electric vehicles, government service vehicles, public transport options and school buses are not included in the ban.
Mexico City isn't the first urban centre to be involved in car-free living. But the ban is more than an awareness-raiser; it was enacted with the direct aim of solving air pollution. In March, the city sank into a deep brown haze of smog when pollution levels passed the 200 mark. The city ordered some 1.1m of the area's 4.7m cars off the streets and also offered free bus and subway rides.
Mexico City's temporary vehicle ban raises questions about the best ways to improve urban air quality. India, whose citizens breathe some of the world's dirtiest air, has tried a variety of solutions. Earlier this year, the Indian government started a 4% sales tax on new-car purchases.
Beijing also has experience with cleaning the air. The city introduced alternate-day rules in advance of the 2008 Olympic Games, which produced good, if short-lived, results. The day after the vehicle-use restrictions were _ , the blue faded back to gray. And then there is the London congestion charge, introduced in 2003. The charge has had a measurable effect on air quality.
For now, Mexico City--named by the United Nations as the most polluted city on the planet in 1992--can look forward to the start of the region's rainy season, when daily showers will help to clean the air. | high14555.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "ocean ecosystems face more dangers"
},
"options": [
"oceans cause global warming",
"oceans stop global warming",
"oceans release nutrients and heat",
"ocean ecosystems face more dangers"
],
"question": "We can i... | Scientists have long understood the key role that oceans play in regulating the Earth's climate. Oceans cover 70 percent of the globe and store a thousand times more heat than the atmosphere does. What's newer is the understanding of how this key component of our climate system responds to global warming.
A brake on global warming -- for now
One of oceans'most important climate functions is absorbing heat and carbon dioxide (CO2), one of the gases that cause global warming. Acting as a heat sponge , oceans have absorbed huge amounts of heat and CO2in the last forty years.
Fujita explains that "oceans are saving us from faster climate change -- they are a big flywheel that delays rapid overheating of the Earth, putting a brake on the climate system."
"That's the good news," he adds. "The bad news is that oceans only slow the atmospheric warming. Once oceans come to balance with a greenhouse gas warmed earth, the extreme heat will remain in the atmosphere and things will get much hotter." But where and how oceans release this accumulated heat is uncertain. And as oceans store heat, fragile underwater ecosystems are struggling.
The most recent scientific report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also notes with concern that oceans are acidifying because of increased absorption of atmospheric CO2, and thus causing a threat for shell-forming species. Sharp increases in carbon dioxide levels will cause further acidification of oceans.
Currents distributing heat
Another important role oceans play is that of distributor. Oceans deliver heat and life-sustaining nutrients around the globe. Just as blood vessels bring oxygen and nutrients to cells in the human body, oceans' currents carry oxygen, nutrients and heat throughout the Earth. Oceans distribute 25 percent to 50 percent of the energy the planet receives from the sun. For example, the Gulf Stream carries heat across the Atlantic. This warm current gives northwestern Europe a milder climate than it would normally have so far north. A change to oceans' circulation patterns could throw Europe into a colder period, even as the rest of world experiences warmer temperatures. | high9321.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "gave him many gifts"
},
"options": [
"took him to travel around the world a lot",
"loved to take him to museums and stores",
"shared her childhood stories with him",
"gave him many gifts"
],
"question": "When th... | My grandmother Adele loved culture and was generous with its gifts. When I was a child, she took me to museums, restaurants, dances. She showered me with gifts from her travels around the world. But I can only remember her giving me one book--a book that, to this day, I have not read. She presented me with her own favorite childhood book: Hans Brinker. My grandmother was happy to share this book with me. She even decorated the title page with her proud writing.
I tried to read it. I adored reading, and would dive into a new pile of books from the library all at once. But something about Hans Brinker just wouldn't let me in. The story was set in Holland, a long time ago. It felt dull and unfamiliar--even though I was a fan of classics of other times and places. I simply read the first pages over and over. I could not progress.
Standing on a bookshelf in our living room, the book was like something I avoided. It scolded me for not being interested, for not trying hard enough, for disappointing my grandmother.
The book started to fit in, almost forgotten, until Adele asked. Had I read it? Did I like it? Always determined, she wanted to know the answer. I would make some kind of excuse, feel bad, and open it again, hoping for a new reaction. _ .
Years passed and finally Adele and I both accepted that I would never read Hans Brinker. Eventually I cleared the book from the shelf. The Hans Brinker experience led me to set a rule that I've lived by ever since: Do not ask about a book given as a gift. Don't ask, despite your desire to discuss it to grow closer. The desire for such connection is what gives book-giving with special meaning--and increases the owner's possibility to be a letdown.
Guilt is basically the same as for all gifts, though. If the giver doesn't have the pleasure of seeing or hearing about the gift being enjoyed, and asks whether it is, then the owner--unless she can truthfully say "yes"--either has to admit to not liking the present, or else lie on the spot. Neither is pleasant. So, don't ask. | high6774.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She expresses herself differently."
},
"options": [
"She worries less than they do.",
"She expresses herself differently.",
"Her family background is not like theirs.",
"Her aims are different from theirs."
],
"... | The triathlon promises to be one of the most popular Olympic sports. Recently it has drawn huge crowds attracted by athletes swimming 1,500m, cycling 40km, and then running 10km, without stopping. But what makes an attractive 17-year-old give up everything for the doubtful pleasures it offers?
Melanie Sears has not yet learnt those often-repeated phrases about personal satisfaction, mental challenge and higher targets that most athletes use when asked similar questions. "You swim for 1,500m, then run out of the water and jump on your bike, still wet. Of course, then you freeze. When the40kmcycle ride is over, you haveto run10km, which is a long way when you're feeling exhausted. But it's great fun, and all worth it in the end," she says.
Melanie entered her first triathlon at 14 and she won the junior section. Full of confidence, she entered the National Championships, and although she had the second fastest swim and the fastest run, she came nowhere. "I was following this man and suddenly we came to the sea. We realized then that we had gone wrong. I ended up cycling 20 kilometers too far. I cried all the way through the running."
But she didn't give up. "Sometimes I wish I could stop, because then the pain would be over, but I am afraid that if I let myself stop just once, I would be tempted to do it again." Such _ draws admiration from Steve Trew, the sport's director of coaching.
Melanie was top junior in this year's European Triathlon Championships, finishing 13th."I was almost as good as the top three in swimming and running, but much slower in cycling. That's why I'm working very hard at it." She is trying to talk her long-suffering parents, who will carry the PS1,300 cost of her trip to New Zealand for this year's world championships, into buying a PS2,000 bike, so she can try25kmand100kmraces later this year.
But there is another price to pay. "I don't have a social life," she says. "After two hours' hard swimming on Friday night, I just want to go to sleep. But I phone and write to the other girls in the team." What does she talk about? Boys? Clothes? "No, what sort of times they are achieving." | high14233.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "has one more chromosome than normal people"
},
"options": [
"can learn things almost as fast as normal people do",
"has one more chromosome than normal people",
"is hard to get along with",
"is easy to get along with"
... | When people ask me what Down Syndrome is, I tell them it's an extra chromosome . A doctor would tell you the extra chromosome causes an intellectual disability that makes it harder for me to learn things.
Even though I have Down Syndrome, my life is a lot like yours. I read books and watch TV. I listen to music with my friends. I'm on the swim team and in chorus at school. I think about the future, and I like the one who I'll marry. And I get along with my sisters---except when they take CDs without asking! I'm a hard worker, a good person, and I care about my friends.
Some of my classes are with typical kids, and some are with kids with learning disabilities. I have an aid who goes with me to my harder classes, like math and biology. She helps me take notes and gives me tips on how I should study for tests. It really helps, but I also challenge myself to do well. For instance, my goal was to be in a typical English class by 12thgrade. That's exactly what happened this year!
It's true that I don't learn some things as fast as other people do. But that won't stop me from trying. I just know that if I work really hard and by myself I can do almost anything.
I can't change the fact that I have Down Syndrome, but one thing I would change is what people think of me. I'd tell them, "Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. The most important---just be my friend." | high9447.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "New Technology in Automobile"
},
"options": [
"New Technology in Automobile",
"Automobile",
"GPS Automobile",
"GPS"
],
"question": "What does the passage mainly talk about?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Expanded use of computer technology ,development of stronger and lighter materials ,and research on pollution control will produce better, _ automobiles . In the 1980s the ides that a car would "talk" to its driver was science fiction; by the 1990s it had become reality.
On board navigation was one of the new automotive technologies in the 1990s. By using the satellite-aided global positioning system(GPS), a computer in the automobile can pinpoint the car's location within a few feet. The onboard navigation system uses and electronic compass ,digitized maps , and a display screen showing where the car is to the destination the driver wants to reach. After being told the destination, the computer locates it and directs the driver to it , offering alternative routes if needed.
Some cars now come equipped with GPS locator beacons ,enabling a GPS system operator to locate the vehicle ,map its location and ,if necessary ,direct repair or emergency workers to the scene.
Gars equipped with computers and cellular telephones can link to the Internet to obtain constantly updated traffic reports ,weather information, route directions ,and other data .Future built-in computer systems may be used to automatically get business information over the Internet and manage personal affairs while the vehicle's owner is driving. | high22959.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "gives you a philosophical insight into life"
},
"options": [
"is so complex that only philosophers can comprehend it",
"gives you a philosophical insight into life",
"exposes you to a complete circle of life",
"allows y... | My father was, by nature, a cheerful, kindly man.Until he was thirty-four years old he worked as a farm-hand for Thomas Butterworth near the town of Bidwell, Ohio.On Saturday evenings he drove his horse into town to spend a few hours in social intercourse with other farm-hands.He was quite happy in his position in life.
It was in his thirty-fifth year that father married my mother, a school teacher.Something happened to the two people.The American passion for getting up in the world took possession of them.Mother induced father to give up his place as a farm-hand, sell his horse and start an independent enterprise of his own.They rented ten acres of poor stony land and launched into chicken raising.
One inexperienced in such matters can have no idea of the many and tragic things that can happen to a chicken.It is born out of an egg, lives for a few weeks as a tiny fluffy thing, then becomes naked, gets diseases, and dies.A few hens, and now and then a rooster, intended to serve God's mysterious ends, struggle through to maturity.The hens lay eggs out of which come other chickens and the awful cycle is thus made complete.It is all unbelievably complex. _ .One hopes for so much from a chicken and is so awfully disappointed.Small chickens, look so bright and in fact so awfully stupid.They are so much like people they mix one up in one's judgments of life.If disease does not kill them they wait until your expectations are thoroughly aroused and then walk under the wheels of a carriage.
In later life I have seen how a literature has been built up on the subject of fortunes to be made out of the raising of chickens.It is intended to be read by the gods who have just eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.It is a hopeful literature and declares that much may be done by simple ambitious people who own a few hens.Do not be misguided by it.It was not written for you.Go hunt for gold on the frozen hills of Alaska, put your faith in the honesty of a politician, believe if you will that good will defeat evil, but do not read and believe the literature that is written concerning the hen.
For ten years my father and mother struggled to make our chicken farm pay and then they gave up that struggle and began another.They moved into the town of Bidwell, Ohio and began the restaurant business, with the tiny hope of looking for a new place from which to start on our upward journey through life. | high12642.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To tell the young Coca-Cola is their friend."
},
"options": [
"To help sell more Coca-Cola drinks.",
"To display the famous logo of Coca-Cola.",
"To tell the young Coca-Cola is their friend.",
"To show Coca-Cola is espe... | Coca-Cola has created a publicity stunt in Singapore -- a vending machine which gives out free cans of Coke in return for hugs. The _ idea is part of the company's Open Happiness campaign designed to attract young people in Singapore.
Students at the National University of Singapore were surprised to find that the soft drinks company had placed the machine in the schoolyard. But instead of the drinks brand's logo , the words "Hug Me" are written across its red-and-white logo. Instead of paying money, customers have to hug the drinks machine to receive a free can of Coke.
Public displays of affection are uncommon and have long been discouraged in Singapore, but are on the rise among young people. The move is part of a campaign created by the advertising firm Ogilvy & Mather, intended to let the youth to see the brand as a non-threatening friend.
Leonardo O'Grady, leader of the campaign, said, "Happiness is contagious . The Coca-Cola Hug Machine is a simple idea to spread some happiness. We want to spread happiness in an unexpected, creative way to attract not only the people present, but the audience at large."
He hopes that it will encourage consumers to bring positivity, optimism and fun into their lives and to open a Coke, sharing a little happiness.
The machines have been such a success that there are plans to roll them out across Asia. Mr. O'Grady added, "The reaction was amazing -- at one point we had four to five people hugging the machine at the same time as well as each other! In fact, there was a long line of people looking to give hugs." | high8759.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "become more anxious"
},
"options": [
"die of anxiety soon",
"suffer from a headache",
"become more anxious",
"become more relaxed"
],
"question": "From the passage we can infer that with the levels of FGF2 decre... | They said highly anxious rats which were kept had very low levels of a brain chemical called fibroblast growth factor 2 or FGF2, compared with rats that were more relaxed. But when they improved the anxious rats' living conditions -- giving them new toys to explore and a bigger cage to live in -- levels of this brain chemical increased and they became less anxious.
"The levels of this brain chemical increased in response to the experiences that the rats were exposed to. It also decreased their anxiety". Javier Perez of the University of Michigan said in a telephone interview. "It made them behave the same way as the rats that were relaxed", he said.
In a former study of people who were severely depressed before they died, the team found the gene that makes FGF2 was producing very low levels of the growth factor, which is known primarily for organizing the brain during development and repairing it after injury.
Perez thinks the brain chemical may be a marker for genetic vulnerability to anxiety and depression. But it can also respond to changes in the environment in a positive way, possibly by preserving new brain cells.
While both the calm and anxious rats produced the same number of new brain cells, these cells were less likely to survive in the high-anxiety rats, the team found. Giving the rats better living conditions or injecting them with FGF2 helped improve cell survival.
"This discovery may pave the way for new, more specific treatments for anxiety that will not be based on sedation , but will instead fight the real cause of the disease," Dr. Pier Vincenzo Piazza from France said in a statement. | high22781.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "there is a need to clean the body part that lies"
},
"options": [
"telling a lie makes you want to have a bath",
"the cleaner you are, the fewer lies you will tell",
"mothers care for their children's mouth sanitary",
"... | Apparently your mom had it right when she threatened to wash your mouth out with soap if you talked dirty. Lying really does create a desire to clean the "dirty" body part, according to a study by University of Michigan.
"The references to 'dirty hands' or 'dirty mouths' in everyday language suggest that people think about abstract issues of moral purity in terms of more experiences with physical purity," said Spike W.S. Lee, a U-M doctoral candidate, who conducted the study with Norbert Schwarz, a psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR), the Ross School of Business, and the U-M psychology department.
For the study, Lee and Schwarz asked 87 students to play the role of lawyers competing with a colleague, "Chris", for a promotion. Each was asked to imagine they found an important document that Chris had lost, and that returning the document would help his career and hurt their own career. Each participant was instructed to leave Chris a message by either voice mail or email, telling him who they were and either lying that they could not find his document or telling the truth that they had found the document.
Next, participants rated the desirability of several products as part of a supposed marketing survey and reported how much they were willing to pay for each product. The products included mouthwash and hand sanitizer .
Study participants who lied on the phone, leaving an untrue and mean voicemail, felt a stronger desire for mouthwash and were willing to pay more for it than those who lied on e-mail. And conversely, those who lied on e-mail, typing the same mean message, felt a stronger desire for hand sanitizer and were willing to pay more for _ . Saying nice and morally correct things, on the other hand, made it less appealing to clean the body part involved in conveying the message.
In scientific terms, the findings showed that the embodiment of moral purity is specific to the modality involved in the moral misbehavior. Verbal lying increased participants' assessment of mouthwash while lying on e-mail, using their hands, increased the assessment of hand sanitizer's value.
"This study shows how 'concrete' the symbolic links are between abstract and concrete domains of life," Schwarz said. "Not only do people want to clean after a dirty deed, they want to clean the specific body part involved." | high21288.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The women stars."
},
"options": [
"The women stars.",
"The men stars",
"The average people.",
"It is not mentioned in the passage."
],
"question": "Who are most likely to be self-adoring in the study?",
"que... | Celebrities are more in love with themselves than the average person,according to a new study.
In case anyone needed proof, a new study supports the widely held perception:Famous people are more narcissistic ,which means they are more in love with themselves than the average person is.That is the conclusion drawn by Drew Pinsky and S.Mark Young of the University of Southern California,whose study of 200 celebrities will appear in the Journal Of Research in Personality.
It is not the entertainment industry that turns stars into narcissists,the study found.Rather, it suggests,the self-adoring people seek jobs in show business.The study, whose subjects were a11 celebrities from Pinsky's'Loveline'radio show, found that reality TV stars were the most narcissistic of all celebrities.Female stars were also more likely than the male stars to exhibit narcissistic characteristics.
It's "common sense" that celebrities are narcissists,said Jeremy Ritzlin,a longtime Hollywood psychologist who has not seen the study."Everyone knows famous people are really in love with themselves,"he said."So it would be natural for narcissists to be attracted toward the stage and spotlight,where other people will also think highly of them."
Pinsky, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at USC'S Keck School of Medicine,said narcissists desire attention,are overconfident,behave strangely and lack sympathy."However, they are easily-liked,especially on first meeting,are outgoing and perform well in public," added Pinsky, who has hosted the radio show"Loveline"for 20 years.
Celebrity guests appearing on the program were randomly chosen to participate in the study.They anonymously took the Narcissistic Personality Inventory test.which rates self-love levels based on seven components:superiority, exhibitionism,entitlement,vanity,authority, exploitativeness,and self-sufficiency. | high16424.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They increase pollution."
},
"options": [
"They are good for living conditions.",
"They increase pollution.",
"They can beautify the community.",
"They improve the environment."
],
"question": "Which of the foll... | Besides containing attractive flowers, trees and other plants that beautify the community, eco-friendly rain gardens are healthy for the environment and the people living and working nearby.
A rain garden is not very different from a traditional garden. It is just a far more eco-friendly garden. Usually it is built lower than the ground. Rain gardens make smart use of rain and storm water by temporarily holding water from rain and storms and letting it soak slowly into the ground before it runs into streams or enters the public drinking water supply.
Thus, a rain garden keeps the water, allowing it to be used as needed by plants in the rain garden, rather than flowing immediately into nearby streams and going unused. The water will soak slowly into the ground within a day or two. This creates an advantage that the rain garden does not allow mosquitoes to breed. This is a simple, attractive, and eco-friendly "green" way to treat storm water.
What's more, planting a rain garden helps reduce pollution and improve the environment. Without using expensive machinery and chemicals, rain gardens remove harmful chemicals in the rainwater and cut down on the amount of pollution reaching streams and rivers by up to 30%.
Native plants are recommended for rain gardens because they are more used to the locals climate, soil, and water conditions. They may attract local wildlife such as native birds. Water your rain garden immediately after planting and once a week, unless you have had at least an inch of rain during the week. Once the native plants establish the necessary root system, it will require little care.
Often, local governments and private businesses develop large rain gardens in their yards and in public parks as a way to improve the environment and solve flooding problems. However, you don't need to be a professional environmental engineer to create a rain garden. As long as you're eco-conscious homeowners, you can help the environment by building smaller rain gardens in your yards. | high2512.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She was unable to feel anything."
},
"options": [
"She had a small cut on her head.",
"She was unable to feel anything.",
"She was badly cut by the propeller.",
"She lost the lower parts of her legs."
],
"questi... | It was September 5, 2009. Lexi Youngberg, then 16, was on vacation in Spring Lake, Michigan. She was riding on a small boat with her friends, Robby and Kaitlin, when a motorboat crashed into them. The sound was so loud that other boaters heard it over the roar of their engines. The teen boy who had been driving the motorboat stepped on the gas by mistake. Kaitlin, 23, had only small cuts, but Robby, 15, had been badly cut by the propeller . And Lexi was floating facedown in the water. When one boater swam to Lexi, she was breathing. However, she was unconscious. She had a deep cut on her head. And the lower part of her left leg, just below the knee, was gone. A doctor rode up in another boat and tried to save Robby, but it was too late.
For Lexi, the good news is that she survived while the bad news is that she lost one of her legs forever. When Lexi looked at her swollen leg, she felt hopeless. But as time passed, Lexi began to feel stronger. She was grateful that her life had been spared, and she decided to make the most of it. At the end of November 2009, Lexi met with Dr. John Hardy, who was an expert at making artificial legs. She hoped he would help her get back to doing the things she loved.
Three years after the accident, Lexi moved on with her life. In spring 2011, she joined a soccer team in her school. That fall, she started college. Lexi is thankful that she can still do the things she loves. One day, she wants to be a physical therapist and work with those with disabilities. But first she plans to compete in the Paralympics. Whatever Lexi decides to do, one thing is certain: Nothing is going to get in her way. | high10055.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In travel-soiled clothes."
},
"options": [
"In such a modest mood.",
"In travel-soiled clothes.",
"Wearing a precious jewel.",
"Without being accompanied."
],
"question": "In what way did Willy go to attend the ... | Willy, a merchant, returned home to his own country from a faraway continent, where he had succeeded making a small fortune by hard work. He found on arriving at the port that all his s were having a large party.
He was in such a happy mood and in the joy of the moment, he did not even bother changing his grey flannel suit which had become a little worn during the trip home.
When he entered the brilliantly lit room, his s and friends gave him a rather cold welcome because they had noticed his modest suit and immediately imagined that he had come back a poor man.
A young man who happened to be accompanying him was quite _ at this and said to Willy, "What a wonderful reception you have received from these people. They have not even the intention of shaking your hand after all these years that you have been away from home."
"Just wait and see!" whispered Willy, "They will soon change their looks!" Saying this he slipped a precious ring on his finger. All of a sudden the faces of all those present lit up and immediately Willy was surrounded by so many people that he didn't know what to do. A man shook his hand, a cousin threw his arms around him, and he had so many invitations from the people present that he thought he would be unable to make any other appointments for several years.
"Has this beautiful, precious ring of yours the power of magic people?" asked the young man.
"Oh, no!" replied Willy, "They see in this glittering diamond ring something that makes them think I am rich, and, unfortunately, they place wealth above everything else."
"What blind people!" exclaimed the young man. "It is not the ring that has drawn them to you but their desire for riches. Is it possible to appreciate more a piece of yellow metal surrounded by little stones than the goodness of my Lord? And indeed how foolish are people who place their trust in riches rather than in virtues !" | high20196.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Kroger Company."
},
"options": [
"Tesco.",
"Safeway.",
"The Kroger Company.",
"Reve-Gruppe."
],
"question": "Which of the following was founded first ?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Below are the top four supermarket chains in the world in 2012 and the reasons behind their success.
Tesco
Headquartered in Chestnut, United Kingdom , this global grocery store is one of the largest supermarket chains in terms of revenues and profits. If was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen. Tesco stores can be found across all continents. Even though it was set up only for food and beverages, Tesco has drastically branched out , not only in geographical terms, but also in terms of products. Which now include electronics , clothing, health care, home improvement and even financial services.
Safeway
Founded in the year 1915 by a young M. B, Skaggs. Safeway developed from just a small grocery store on the fundamentals of providing value to customers and narrow profit margins. The success story of Skaggs becomes more evident when , by the end of the year 1926,he had opened almost 428 stores across ten states. Almost two years later, Safeway was listed at the New York Stock Exchange . At present, there are more than fifteen hundred Safeway stores across US and Canada.
The Kroger Company
Founded at Cincinnati, Ohio, US in 1883 by Mr. Bernard Kroger, the Kroger Company is now one of the largest supermarket chains not only in the US. but across the world . Over the last couple of decades, the Kroger Company has vastly expanded by acquiring popular brand names, including those of Owen's Market. Its stores are largely spread out across Middle. Western and Central United States.
Reve-Gruppe
Reve - Gruppe was founded in 1927 and is presently headquartered at Cologne, Germany . This supermarket chain is easily counted among the top supermarket chains of the world . Its vast line of products includes grocery, home improvement, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, optical as well as clothing . Its stores can be found in as many as fourteen European countries, providing employment to more than 325,000 people. | high18409.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "keep small children off the spot"
},
"options": [
"open the battery on the spot",
"ignore the packaging materials",
"keep small children off the spot",
"take away all protective materials"
],
"question": "When a... | The following safety risks may result in serious injury or death to the user of the MINI Cooper S:
*This product contains small parts that are for adult assembly only. Keep small children away when assembling. Remove all protective materials before assembly. Be sure to remove all packaging materials and parts from underneath the car body.
*Battery posts contain lead known to the state of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm. Never open the battery.
*Body parts such as hands, legs, hair and clothing can get caught in moving parts. Never place a body part near a moving part or wear loose clothing while using the vehicle. Always wear shoes when using the vehicle.
*Using the vehicle near streets, motor vehicles, drop-offs such as steps, water (swimming pools) or other bodies of water, hills, wet areas, in alleys, at night or in the dark could result in an unexpected accident. Instead, use the vehicle on the highway. Always use the vehicle in a safe, secure environment.
*Using the vehicle in unsafe conditions such as snow, rain, loose dirt, mud, or sand may result in unexpected action, for example tip over.
*Using the vehicle in an unsafe manner. Examples include but are not limited to:
Pulling the vehicle with another vehicle or similar device
Allowing more than two riders
Pushing the user from the back
Traveling at an unsafe speed
*Always use common sense and safe practices when using the vehicle.
*Store the vehicle indoors or cover it to protect it from weather. Water will damage the motor, electric system, and battery. | high19703.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In a park in the mountains."
},
"options": [
"In a large city.",
"In a park in the mountains.",
"In a special zoo.",
"In three different countries."
],
"question": "Where are these trips?",
"question_type": ... | Trip 1 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them.
The entire trip will last three hours. Bookings necessary.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Trip 2 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Bookings necessary.
Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly limited on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May 22
Equipment to be needed:
*Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
*Wear good walking shoes--no high heels.
*Wear a hat for day walks.
*Dress warmly for night walks.
*Children must be with an adult.
*Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
*Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are a dangerous place.
Bookings:
*Bookings for the above trips can be done by telephone (893 - 4847) or on the Internet at (www. bluemountaintour, com) | high4177.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "someone had stolen the lamb"
},
"options": [
"she had got a lamb",
"someone had stolen the lamb",
"she had tied the lamb to the tree",
"her son was gone"
],
"question": "When her husband came back Mary told him ... | Mary got a little white lamb . She tied it to a tree in her field during the day and went to take it home every evening. One evening, she found the lamb gone. Someone had cut the rope and stolen the lamb. When her husband came home, she told him what had happened. Henry at once set out to look for the thief.
It was easy to find the thief in the small village. Henry heard that his neighbor Alex got a lamb. He went to the neighbors' house and said angrily, "Return the lamb to me, or I'll call the police."
Alex explained that he had bought a lamb, but it was black. Henry looked out of the window. There in the garden was a little black lamb. He felt ashamed. Then he apologized to his neighbour. While they were talking, it began to rain. He stayed in Alex's house until the rain stopped. When he went outside, he was surprised to see the lamb changed. The lamb, which had been black half an hour before, was now almost white.
"What colour on earth is the lamb," Henry wondered, "black or white?" | high3618.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The generation gap is narrowing and parents are respecting their children's thoughts more."
},
"options": [
"Parents are chasing after fashion and ignoring the feelings of their children.",
"More parents and children are sharing th... | Fun is, in fact, a word heard far more frequently in families today than in the past, when "duty'' and "responsibility" were often the words used.
Parents today are more youthful in appearance and attitudes. Their clothes and hair-styles are more casual, helping to bridge the divide. Those who are athletically inclined also enjoy Rollerblading, snowboarding, and rock-climbing with their children.
For the past three years, Kathy and Phil Dalby have spent at least one evening a week at a climbing gym with their three children. "It's great to be able to work together," Mrs Dalby says. "We discuss various climbs and where the hard parts are. Sometimes that leads to other Conversations. We're definitely closer."
A popular movement of parent effectiveness training in the 1970s has helped to reshape generational roles. The philosophy encourages children to describe their feelings about various situations. As a result, says Robert Billingham, a family-studies professor at Indiana University, "Parents and children began talking to each other in ways they had not before."
On the plus side, he adds, these conversations made parents realize that children may have important thoughts or feelings that adults need to be aware of.
But Professor Billingham also sees a downside: Many parents started making decisions based on what their child wanted. "The power shifted to children. Parents said, 'I have to focus on making my child happy', as opposed to 'I have to act as a parent most appropriately'."
Other changes are occurring as the ranks of working mothers grow. Time-short parents encourage children's independence, making them more responsible for themselves. "They'll say, 'We trust you to make the right decisions' (whether they're ready to assume the responsibility or not) ,"says Billingham.
The self-esteem movement of the past quarter-century has also affected the family dynamics . Some parents worry that if they tell their child no, it will hurt the child's self-esteem. | high2506.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he cannot concentrate on his work."
},
"options": [
"Because his friend wants to distract him from his work.",
"Because he cannot concentrate on his work.",
"Because the video is too boring.",
"Because the video... | Imagine this: You're working on a school paper on your laptop. Your screen is full of open programs, including documents, Web pages and MSN chat.
Suddenly, a friend sends you a link to a video and demands that you watch it. He says it's about cats, it's funny and you're going to love it. But you can't help thinking, "I don't have time for this right now." You start to feel even more stressed out than you already did about your paper. While you don't want to disappoint your friend, you need to keep working.
This is a common dilemma in an age of multitasking.
I often find that my focus is so easily distracted that when I need to work I become quite annoyed in response to these types of links. At the same time, when they're from good friends, I can't just ignore them. Usually, I say something like "Cool, I'll look at it later." But this often disappoints the other person, _ Other times, I'll just say "OK", wait a while and then send a second message saying "That was great!" While this approach is simpler that ignoring the other person, it seems ridiculous to life to avoid making a social faux pas .
The problem is that new technologies offer a good many new possibilities, both positive and negative. On the one hand, the Internet connects you to millions of people whom you can make friends with and learn from. On the other hand, it offers just as many ways to waste time.
When you're signed on to MSN chat, the other person can't see that you have three papers to finish before the end of the week---so you better believe they're going to send you a video of monkeys dancing to music.
Online chat is convenient, but the advantage of face-to-face communication is that you can see exactly what other people are doing.
If they are really good friends, you should feel blessed to give them your full attention without worrying about what's going on in that other window or program. | high10041.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it was politically less good for the boss to accept her than the man"
},
"options": [
"it was politically less good for the boss to accept her than the man",
"her boss did not think she had the fight qualifications for the job",
... | Everyone wants some degree of success. Many people believe that they deserve success simply because they believe that they deserve success.
But there is a widespread belief that people who get on in life may be successful not because they deserve it, but because of influential friends or the right background. Sometimes it may just be a comforting and harmless belief, while at the other extreme it can be very destructive. I once met a brilliant young engineer who worked in a chemical plant. Because of her knowledge and experience, she should have been promoted to Production Manager. Instead, the job went to a man who was totally unsuited for the post. Everyone knew that he only got it because he was politically acceptable to his superiors . This injustice discouraged the young engineer and many of her colleagues. It also meant that the factory was much less efficient than it could have been.
At the same time, we should not be pessimistic . More and more the modern world depends on having people who are in the job because they are good enough, not just because their faces fit. There is a story of a factory owner who sent for an engineer to see to a machine which would not go. He examined it, then took out a hammer and tapped, once. The machine started up immediately. When he presented his bill, the owner protested, "This can't be right! $ 100 just for tapping a machine with a hammer?" The engineer wrote out a new bill: "For tapping a machine, $1; for knowing where to tap. $99." | high5269.txt |
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