questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "notice small changes"
},
"options": [
"expect small changes",
"notice small changes",
"welcome small changes",
"exaggerate small changes"
],
"question": "After a short overseas holiday, people tend to _ ."... | You've just come home, after living abroad for a few years. Since you've been away, has this country changed for the better or for the worse?
If you've just arrived back in the UK after a fortnight's holiday, small changes have probably surprised you--anything from a local greengrocer suddenly being replaced by a mobile-phone shop to someone in your street moving house.
So how have things changed to people coming back to Britain after seven, ten or even 15 years living abroad? What changes in society can they see that the rest of us have hardly noticed--or now take for granted? To find out, we asked some people who recently returned.
Debi: When we left, Cheltenham, my home town, was a town of white, middle-class families--all very conservative .The town is now home to many eastern Europeans and lots of Australians, who come here mainly to work in hotels and tourism. There are even several shops only for foreigners.
Having been an immigrant myself, I admire people who go overseas to find a job. Maybe if I lived in an inner city where unemployment was high, I'd think differently, but I believe foreign settlers have improved this country because they're more open-minded and often work harder than the natives.
Christine: As we flew home over Britain, both of us remarked how green everything looked. But the differences between the place we'd left behind and the one we returned to were brought sharply into focus as soon as we landed.
To see policemen with guns in the airport for the first time was frightening -- in
Cyprus, they're very relaxed -- and I got pulled over by customs officers just for
taking a woolen sweater with some metal-made buttons out of my case in the arrivals
hall. Everyone seemed to be on guard. Even the airport car-hire firm wanted a credit
card rather than cash because they said their vehicles had been used by bank robbers.
But anyway, this is still a green, beautiful country. I just wish more people would
appreciate what they've got. | high17276.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Skiing and skating."
},
"options": [
"Soccer and golf.",
"Skiing and skating.",
"Cycling and hockey.",
"Mountaineering."
],
"question": "What sports are popular among people in winter in the passage?",
"ques... | Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms--football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a _ for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a "team game". We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no "matches" between "teams" of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skills year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment. | high5731.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "clear"
},
"options": [
"random",
"clear",
"fixed",
"complex"
],
"question": "According to the author, your job-hunting plan had better be as _ as possible.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | If' you are finding it tough to land a job, try expanding your job-hunting plan to include thefollowing strategies:
Set your target
While you should always keep your opinions open to compromise, you should also be sure to target exactly what you want in a job. A specific job hunt will be more efficient than a random one .
Schedule abundant interviews
Use every possible method to get interviews-answering ads, using search firms, contacting companies directly, surfing the Web, and networking. Even if a job is not perfect for you, every interview can make you learn from it.
Follow up
Even if someone does not hire you, write them a thank-you note for the interview. Then. some weeks later, send another brief letter to explain that you still have not found the perfect position and that you will be available to interview again if the original position you applied for-or any other position, for that matter-is open. Do this with every position you interview for, and you may just catch a break.
Make it your full-time job
You can't find a job by looking infrequently. You have to make time for it. If you're unemployed and looking for a job, devote as much time as you would to a full-time job. If you have a job while you're looking, figure out an organized schedule to maximize your searching time.
Network vertically
In the research phase of your job hunt, talk to people who are on a level above you in your desired industry. They'll have some insights that people at your own level won't have, and will be in a good position to hire you or recommend you to be hired.
Keep your spirits up
Looking for a job is one of the toughest things you will ever have to do. Maintain your confidence, stay persistent, and think positively, and eventually you will get a job that suits you. | high18145.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he told the conductor to wake him up no matter how loudly he might protest"
},
"options": [
"he protested loudly to the conductor",
"he did not sleep before he arrived at Dijon",
"he told the conductor to wake him up no matte... | Mark Twain, the famous American writer, was once traveling in France .He went by train to Dijon. He was very tired and wanted to sleep. He therefore asked the conductor to wake him up when the train came to Dijon
But first he explained he was a very heavy sleeper,"I may bossibly protest loudly when you try to wake me up,"he said to the conductor. "But don't take any notice of what I say. Just put me off the train anyway."
Then Mark Twain went to sleep. Later, when he woke up it was night time and the train had reached Paris already. He realized at once that the conductor had forgotten to wake him up at Dijon. He was so angry that he ran to the conductor and began to shout at him.
"I have never been so angry in my life,"Mark Twain said.
The conductor looked at him calmly ."You are not half so angry as the American whom I put off the train at Dijon,"he said. | high17510.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cloudy."
},
"options": [
"Rainy.",
"Cloudy.",
"Windy.",
"Sunny."
],
"question": "How was the weather when the author got up?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"a... | This is a true story of how my car got stuck in water and how a stranger helped me during the worst rain storm.
Last Sunday, the sky was grey when I woke up. The weather report said rain was coming, but I couldn't stay home just because of rain.
Around 8:00 am I had a doctor's appointment. It wasn't raining then. At 9:00 I left the doctor's office to drive to work, and it was raining hard. I just had to go about 5-6 miles down one main road to get to a nearby school, where I could stay until the rain ended. Unfortunately, the road in front of the school was flooded, and my car stopped in the middle.
"Who is going to save me?" I wondered. I shut off the engine and turned on my flashers . I called 911. They were not helpful. I called my husband, even though he couldn't come and help me. I was also very close to a police station. But I never saw even one police car. I decided to get out of the car, since it was still pouring.
My best decision of the day had been to wear rain boots. I took my umbrella and quickly got out and ran across the street to a shelter.
Before long, a tow truck happened to pass by the street. The driver kindly offered to help me. At that moment, I really needed car pulled out quickly, so I trusted the stranger. He pulled my car and drove me home. After he had dropped my car off, he also helped me check the engine. He said the engine was most likely flooded, but fortunately there was no water inside the car.
Although many years have passed, I still remember that stormy day and the warm-hearted stranger clearly. | high5057.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "some people receive friendship but don't give friendship back"
},
"options": [
"there are too many people who want to make friends",
"some people receive friendship but don't give friendship back",
"those who give others frie... | Too many people want others to be their friends,but they don't give friendship back.That is why some friendships don't last long.To have a friend,you must learn to be one.You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you.Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules:be honest;be generous;be understanding.
Honesty is where a good friendship starts.Friends must be able to trust one another.If you do not tell the truth,people usually find out.If a friend finds out that you haven't been honest,you may lose the friend's trust.Good friends always count _ on one another to speak and act honestly.
Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow.You do not have to give your lunch money or your clothes.Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings.These can be very valuable to a friend.They tell your friend what is important to you.By sharing them,you help your friend know you better.
Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and helping with a problem.Something may go wrong at school.Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve.Turning to a friend can be the first step in solving the problem.So to be a friend you must listen and understand.You must try to put yourself in your friend's place so you can understand the problem better.
No two friendships are ever exactly alike.But all true friendships have three things in common.If you plan to keep your friends,you must practice honesty,generosity and understanding. | high18623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Competition in America's business."
},
"options": [
"Competition in America's business.",
"Freedom in America's business.",
"Americans' different values.",
"Business against government."
],
"question": "Which of... | President Coolidge's statement, "The business of America is business," still points to a very important truth today -- that business organizations have more prestige in American society than any other kind of organization, including the government. Why do business institutions still possess this great prestige?
One reason is that Americans view business as being more firmly based on the idea of competition than other organizations in society. Since competition is seen as the main source of progress and development by most Americans, competitive business organizations are respected. Competition is not only good in itself; it is the means by which other basic American values, such as individual freedom, equality of opportunity, and hard work are protected.
Competition protects the individual freedom by making sure that there is no monopoly of power. Compared with one and all-powerful government, many businesses compete against each other for benefit. If one business tries to take unfair advantage of its customers, it will lose to the competing business which treats its customers more fairly. Since there are many businesses competing for the customers' dollars, they cannot afford to treat them unfairly and the customers would lose nothing.A contrast is often made between business, which is competitive, and government, which is a monopoly. Because business is competitive, many Americans believe that it gives more support for freedom than government, even though government leaders are elected by the people while business leaders are not. Many Americans believe that competition is as important, or even more important, as democracy in protecting freedom.
Competition in business is also believed to strengthen the idea of equal opportunities. Competition is seen as an open and fair race where success goes to any person regardless of his or her social class background. Competitive success is commonly seen as the American choice of the higher social position which is not based on one's family background. Business is therefore viewed as an expression of the idea of equal opportunities. | high2738.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "parents' relationships may suffer once their young grow up and move out"
},
"options": [
"marriages improve after children leave home",
"an \"empty nest\" is always a happy thing",
"parents' relationships may suffer once thei... | Marriages improve after children grow up and move out,according to an academic study, which suggests an "empty nest" is not always a bad thing.
Popular wisdom has it that parents' relationships may suffer once their young fly the coop, because they feel they have lost their purpose in life.However, a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, has found that many couples actually feel happier when their children leave home because they are able to enjoy spending time together.
In total,123 American mothers born in the 1930s were tracked for 18 years and asked to rate their satisfaction levels shortly after marrying, when they were bringing up babies, once their children reached their teenage years and finally at age 61, when almost all had "empty nests".
Although not all said they were happier in general, most claimed their marriages had improved since their children had left home. Researchers believe this is not just because the spouses were spending more time together, but because they were able to enjoy each other's company more.
One of the participants in the study,which is published in the journal Psychological Science,said:"Once the kids grow up...there's some of that stress removed...that responsibility removed,so things are a little more relaxed."
Psychologist Sara Gorchoff,who carried out the investigation,said: "The takehome message for couples with young children is 'hang in there'." Her coauthor Oliver John added:"Don't wait until your kids leave home to schedule quality time with your partner."
However, Dr Dorothy Rowe,from the British Psychological Society,said the effects of living in an "empty nest" will depend on the parents' relationship with their children."If you're just waiting for them to leave home so you can get on with your life,then of course you'll be pleased to see them go," she said, "But if you've built your life around your children you'll be terribly lonely.For some parents,their world falls apart when their children leave." | high3426.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "ShehadanunexpectedappointmentonTuesday."
},
"options": [
"ShehadtoseethedoctoronFriday.",
"Shewantedtocelebrateherdaughter'sbirthday.",
"ShehadanunexpectedappointmentonTuesday.",
"Sheneededtoprepareforherdaughter'sbirth... | Recently I fully understood that a little favor could really make a big difference. My daughter and I were, accidentally, in time to catch a falling heart just before it hit the ground.
It all started when Charlene, one of my co-volunteers at the library, asked if I could do her duty on Tuesday since her doctor appointment had been unexpectedly changed. I agreed, which meant I was home on Friday instead of volunteering as previously planned.
My daughter, Mary, managers a book store in town. Mid-morning, she called to ask me for help. Would I buy a fifty dollar gift card, birthday card, and cake for one of Mary's assistant managers, Cindy?
Mary explained she had to call Cindy in to take the place of another assistant manager who was sick, but felt terrible about it when she discovered it was Cindy's birthday. Cindy insisted that it was just fine. But that was not what Mary thought, so she gathered enough money from other employees to throw a surprise party for Cindy. Since neither Mary, nor any of the other employees, could leave to pick up the _ , they were turning to me for help. Days later, Mary told me the wonderful rest of the story, "Cindy cried and cried when we surprised her. After the party, Cindy told us that her boyfriend had chosen that morning to break up with her. To top that off, she only had 26 cents left in her bank account."
We were surprised at the series of unexpected events that took place in order to circle Cindy with love and catch her falling heart just before it hit the ground. | high4349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Pubs in Britain"
},
"options": [
"Pubs' history",
"Pubs in Britain",
"Changes of pubs",
"Features of a good pub"
],
"question": "Which of the following can be the best title?",
"question_type": null
},
{... | There are 70,000 pubs in England and Wales have several thousand more in Scotland.
Every country has its drinking shop, but none has an institution quite like the British pub. The most important feature of a good pub (which modern buildings hardly ever achieve) is a feeling of something private. It must have nooks and crannies, corners and snugs, where conversations and assignations can take place without the whole world listening in.
Most pubs have at least two separate bars. The "public bar" which is for ordinary and women is the basic drinking shop. The "lounge bar" (or saloon bar) which is for traveling salesmen and "ladies" probably has a carpet on the floor and rather more comfortable decoration. There may be a difference of a few pence in the drink prices, although all pubs are required by law to put their price lists easily seen on display.
Pubs have been changing over the past few decades. More and more of them sell good, inexpensive food and are competing strongly with restaurants. Tea and coffee are often on offer and children are being made more welcome. The law says that no one under 14 may enter a pub, and between 14 and 18 they must be accompanied by an adult and may not buy or consume alcoholic drink. In reality some pubs, especially in country districts, welcome whole families. Some set aside special rooms for children and where there are gardens they are almost always welcome.
The most basic change, however, came about in the 1938 licensing laws which allowed pubs in England and Wales to open not just at lunch time and in the evening, but all day, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Scottish laws already permitted all day opening.) | high15307.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "guide readers to improve their quality of sleep"
},
"options": [
"share some ways to slow down and relax before sleeping",
"guide readers to improve their quality of sleep",
"tell readers the importance of getting a good nigh... | About 45 percent of Americans don't get enough sleep, according to a recent survey. However, the benefits of getting enough sleep far outweigh the thrill of watching TV for one more hour or surfing the web. Getting a better night's sleep will help you lose or keep your weight more effectively. Try these simple steps to improve your quality of sleep.
Take time to relax
So many of us go-go-go until it's time for bed, but it's important to take time to slow down and relax before sleeping. Do relaxing things, such as listening to soothing music or deep breathing. Avoid stimulating activities such as writing e-mails, talking on the phone and watching TV. Some guidelines : no e-mail after 8 p.m. and no TV or phone calls after 9 p.m..
Darker is better
Your body regulates your sleep cycle in response to the presence and absence of light, so dim the lights as evening approaches. Try getting ready for bed by candlelight. When you're ready to sleep, make sure your room is as dark as possible.
Put your thoughts to bed
We all need time to process our day, but bed is not the place to do it if you want to sleep well. Take 10 to 15 minutes to record your thoughts in a journal. This effective technique will capture what's in your mind so you don't lie awake. Tell yourself you're putting your thoughts to bed so that you can go to bed.
No sugar or alcohol before bed
These may wake you up. If you need a snack before bed, make it protein.
Try to get more sleep
Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night for a week and see how you feel. You'll notice the difference! | high12468.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Surprised and honest"
},
"options": [
"Disappointed and panicked",
"Surprised and honest",
"Comforting and encouraging",
"Hesitant and weak."
],
"question": "What was the pilot's attitude toward the situation?",... | A few years ago, I was on a plane with my friend, waiting for it to take off. The pilot's voice was heard throughout the plane: "Sorry for the delay, ladies and gentlemen. Our engines don't work. We are going to jump-start them. Once we get them going, we'll get up in the air and see what happens."
That was all he said. "See what happens?" Shouldn't we have had a better plan than that? At that point. I could only laugh nervously. One woman started crying, "Oh no! We are going to crash!'' There were sighs of hopelessness and anxiety, and we hadn't even taken off yet.
The pilot even seemed unhappy. He told us our one engine was working double time, and his plan was to get up in the air and see what happens! Then we did. We got up in the air, and what happened? Nothing. We arrived in Norfolk, and no sooner had the wheels touched down than applause burst out as everyone on the airplane breathed a sigh of relief.
While I do prefer planning better than "see what happens" when it comes to flying, it really isn't such a bad idea for life.All too often, people stop trying to achieve their goals just because they don't have a guaranteed result. But success will never be guaranteed. The best thing that you can do is just get up in the air, and see what happens. If your effort is to build a business then get up in the air and see what happens! Don't give yourself all the reasons why you can't. Do not wait until you have everything you need. You never will!
If your goal is to start a friendship, say "Hello", get up in the air and see what happens! The results could be very rewarding.
If your goal is to learn a new skill, get up in the air and see what happens! It might not be as difficult as your think. It could be fun!
When traveling, i hope that my pilot has a more detailed plan than "we will see what happens" . But in life, it is not a bad strategy at all. | high13776.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he still had a lot of medical problems caused by the previous injuries"
},
"options": [
"he still had a lot of medical problems caused by the previous injuries",
"he played in all the following games for his team",
"he had re... | Larry Bird was born in 1965 in a small town in the Middle Western State of Indiana. He was tall, and good at playing basketball. He attended Indiana State University. Bird led the team into the College Basketball Championship Game.
After completing his college studies, Larry Bird began playing professional basketball for the Boston Celtics. He remained with the Celtics for all his professional career. During those 13 years, Larry Bird was named the Most Valuable Player of the Year three times. He _ more than 21, 000 points, and he played in 13 of the highest scoring games in his team's history. Once he scored 60 points in just one game.
During his very successful basketball career, Larry Bird suffered a number of injuries. In 1989, he stopped playing because of pain in his feet. He returned in 1990, but the pain in his feet returned too. In the next two years he experienced more medical problems, and he missed many games.
Larry Bird did play on the Dream Team-the first Olympic Team with professional players. However, after winning the gold medal in Barcelona, he announced that he would retire from professional basketball. Larry Bird said he would have liked to play a little longer, but he could not because of his health problems. He also said it was a good time to leave the game. He wanted to be remembered as a winner. | high7898.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "that people need friends"
},
"options": [
"that people are all friends",
"that people need friends",
"how to get to know friends",
"how to name a place"
],
"question": "The main idea of this passage is _ .",
... | Everyone needs friends.We all like to feel close to someone.It is nice to have a friend to talk,laugh and do things with.Surely,there are times when we need to be alone.We don't always want people around.But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are just the same.Sometimes friends don't get along well.That doesn't mean that they no longer like each other.Most of the time they will make up and go on being friends.
Sometimes friends move away.Then we feel very sad.We miss them very much.But we call them and write to them.It could be that we would neven see them again.And we can make new friends.It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them.
Families sometimes name their children after a close friend.Many people are named after men or women who have been friendly to people in a town.Some libraries are named this way.So are some schools.We think of these people when we go to these places.
There is more good news for people who have friends.They live longer than people who don't.Why?It could be that they are happier.Being happy helps you stay well.Or it could be just knowing that someone cares.If someone cares about you,you take better care of yourself. | high1231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Having at Least 10 Good Friends Makes People Happy"
},
"options": [
"The Secret to Happiness Is to Make New Friends",
"Having at Least 10 Good Friends Makes People Happy",
"Why Most People Like to Make Friends Regularly",
... | Being able to count at least ten people as friends makes us happy, but those with five or fewer are likely to be miserable, researchers say. Their study of hundreds of men and women also found t hat people who feel satisfied with their lives always have lots of close friends and regularly make new ones. While it is not clear whether our friends make us happy or we make friends because we are happy, the researchers say it is clear that we should maintain our friendships. Psychologist RichardTunney said, "Whatever the reason is, actively working on friendships in the same way as to maintain a marriage is a prerequisite to happiness. "Dr. Tunney, of Nottingham University, quizzed more than 1,700 people about their satisfaction with their lives and the state of their friendships. Those with five friends or fewer had just a 40 percent chance of being happy. In other words they were more likely to be unhappy than happy. Ten was the first number at which people were more likely to be happy than unhappy. The happiest people were those with dozens of friends, according to the study, which was carried out for the National Lottery .
For women, this meant having 33 friends;for men, the number was 49. Dr. Tunney said,"People who were extremely satisfied with their lives had twice the number of friends of people who were extremely dissatisfied. " Women tended to have fewer friends than men but formed tighter relationships. Interestingly, the study found that childhood friends are no more likely to make us happy than people we become close to later in life. Lottery winners, however, have a differentopinion on life. They are always happier than others despite spending their time with asmall circle of old friends. This could be because they trust people they've known for along time. | high14019.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "cars."
},
"options": [
"cars.",
"privacy",
"respect of self",
"information about their body"
],
"question": "According to the passage, parents owe their children the following things except _",
"question_t... | Do parents owe their children anything? Yes, they owe them a great deal.
One of their chief duties is to give their children a sense of personal worth, for self-esteem is the basis of a good mental health. A youngster who is often made to feel stupid, often compared to brighter brothers, sisters, or cousins, will not feel confident and become so afraid of failing, that he (or she) won't try at all. Of course, they should be corrected when they do wrong; this is the way children learn. But the criticisms should be balanced with praises.
Parents owe their children firm guidance and consistent discipline. It is frightening for a youngster to feel that he is in charge of himself; it's like being in a car without brakes. The parent who says "Yes" sends a double message. He is also saying "I love you, and I am ready to risk your anger, because I don't want you to get in trouble."
Parents owe their children a comfortable feeling about their body, and enough information about sex to balance the wrong information that they will surely receive from their friends.
Parents owe their children privacy and respect for their personal things. This means not borrowing things without being permitted, not reading diaries and mail, not looking through pockets. If a mother feels that she must read her daughter's dairies to know what is gong on, the communication between them must be pretty bad.
Parents owe their children a set of solid values around which to build their lives. This means teaching them to respect the rights and opinions of others; it means respecting elders, teachers, and the law. The best way to teach such values is by example. A child who is lied to will lie. A child who sees his parents steal tools from the factory or towels from a hotel will think that it is all right to steal. A youngster who sees no laughter and no love in the home will have a difficult time laughing and loving.
No child asks to be born. If you bring a life into the world, you owe the child something. And if you give him his _ he'll have something of value to pass along to your grandchildren. | high20394.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "some parts of Polynesia"
},
"options": [
"Mongolia",
"an East African town",
"some parts of Polynesia",
"Arabia"
],
"question": "People turn their backs on others while they eat in _ .",
"question_type": ... | All over the world mothers and fathers teach their children manners. Other children may have manners that are not like yours. There are all kinds of manners.
Many years ago, children who had good manners were seen and not heard. They kept quite quiet if grown-ups were talking. Today, well-mannered children have more freedom.
Sometimes good manners in one place are bad manners in other places.
Suppose you are a visitor in the land of Mongolia. Some friends ask you to eat with them. What kind of manners do they want you to have? They want you to give a loud "burp" after you finish eating. Burping would show that you liked your food.
In some countries, if you give a loud burp, you are told to say "excuse me, please."
In many places people like to eat together. But in some parts of Polynesia it is bad manners to be seen eating at all. People show good manners by turning their backs on others while they eat.
What are manners like in an East African town? The people try not to see you. They are being polite. You may see a friend. He may not see you at all. If you are polite, you will sit down beside him. You will wait until he finishes what he is doing. Then he will talk to you.
Suppose you visit a friend in Arabia. You should walk behind the other tents until you come to his tent. If you pass in front of the other tents, you will be asked into each one. The people will ask you to eat with them. And it is bad manners if you say no.
Manners are different all over the world. But it is good to know that all manners begin in the same way. People needed ways to show that they wanted to be friends. | high17538.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Fear prevented him from trying."
},
"options": [
"He faced huge risks.",
"He lacked mighty forces.",
"Fear prevented him from trying.",
"Failure blocked his way to success."
],
"question": "Why was the author so... | Once when I was facing a decision that involved high risk, I went to a friend. He looked at me for a moment, and then wrote a sentence containing the best advice I've ever had: Be bold and brave -- and mighty forces will come to your aid.
Those words made me see clearly that when I had fallen short in the past, it was seldom because I had tried and failed. It was usually because I had let fear of failure stop me from trying at all. On the other hand, whenever I had plunged into deep water, forced by courage or circumstance, I had always been able to swim until I got my feet on the ground again.
Boldness means a decision to _ . And there is nothing mysterious about the mighty forces. They are potential powers we possess: energy, skill, sound judgment, creative ideas -- even physical strength greater than most of us realize.
Admittedly, those mighty forces are spiritual ones. But they are more important than physical ones. A college classmate of mine, Tim, was an excellent football player, even though he weighed much less than the average player. "In one game I suddenly found myself confronting a huge player, who had nothing but me between him and our goal line," said Tim. "I was so frightened that I closed my eyes and desperately threw myself at that guy like a bullet -- and stopped him cold."
Boldness -- a willingness to extend yourself to the extreme--is not one that can be acquired overnight. But it can be taught to children and developed in adults. Confidence builds up. Surely, there will be setbacks and disappointments in life; boldness in itself is no guarantee of success. But the person who tries to do something and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and succeeds.
So, always try to live a little bit beyond your abilities--and you'll find your abilities are greater than you ever dreamed. | high10257.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Colin Mcphee actually acquired much beauty of Balinese music"
},
"options": [
"Colin Mcphee set foot on the island of Bali in late winter",
"The book \nA House in Bali detailed how Colin Mcphee understood the life of the island",
... | At the onset of a northern winter, many dream of warmer climates.In 1934 the Canadian-born composer Colin Mcphee did more than dream. He set out for the island of Bali.
In his bookA House in Bali,Colin Mcphee described how he first gained insight into the essence of Balinese music.For about a month he had been working on transcribing a complete score to a Balinese play he had seen. It seemed impossible that so much beauty could be achieved with a scale of only five tones.
But the distinctive embellishments of the music _ him.Fortunately a young household helper and his friend decided to assist. One morning they set two objects next to Mcphee's piano.They were gangas--metal keyed instruments.The two boys played them in what struck Mcphee as"a fast duet in Morse code".
At last the composer had found the key to Balinese music."Wait!" Mcphee would call out from the piano as the boys flew along,"Stop!Please!That bit once more!"
Patiently the boys would stop and began again.But soon they were flying again,faster than ever, amazing Mcphee with their memory and precision. Sometimes the patterns repeated.Sometimes they opened up into something new. Then, suddenly the whole duet would fly apart and the boys would burst out laughing,breaking the spell.
Although Colin Mcphee left the island in 1939,he remained spellbound by Balinese music.And its rich,distinctive sound would colour many of the compositions he would write for the next quarter century. | high2710.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "started acting and modeling when she was a little girl"
},
"options": [
"started acting and modeling when she was a little girl",
"has been acting for about 30 years",
"is the daughter of a famous actor",
"started singi... | I wasn't surprised when I read that actress Helen Hunt recently stated that she would never allow her young daughter to become a child star. Ms Hunt is the daughter of a Hollywood technical director, and grew up in Hollywood. Now in her late 40s, she started acting and modeling when she was eight and has probably seen a lot over those years in show business.
She has had a successful career. She earned four Golden Globes and four Emmys. She also attained the top honor of her profession when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role in the 1992 movie, As Good As It Gets. Given those _ , Ms Hunt is successful. There is no doubt that her early experiences as a child star prepared her for what has been an outstanding adult career. Given those achievements, why would this star declare she'll never allow her daughter, now at the age of six, to follow in her footsteps?
Everyone familiar with the entertainment scene is aware of the reasons for her attitude. Recent tabloid news headlines featuring the troubles of former child stars, among them Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and the late Gary Coleman, may answer the question. Although Ms Hunt managed to become a successful grown-up star, she apparently believes she's an exception.
What Ms Hunt may be suggesting is that many very young stars go through unnatural childhoods on movie and TV sets. While they're earning big incomes, they're so pampered by directors and praised by fans; they may get false impressions that their lives will always be that way. Then, within a few years, when faced with reality, they're hurt and confused. After all the overwhelming affection, they find they can't deal with the problems. That's often when drugs and alcohol take over their lives.
Helen Hunt has some other reasons why she doesn't want her daughter to be in the entertainment business. Many child stars can never make a successful transition to meaningful adulthood. However, as with many Hollywood movies, I believe there are both good and bad scenes about how it can be played out in real life. | high4361.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The earth will be destroyed by worldwide wars before long."
},
"options": [
"Lots of great dangers for humans have been seen.",
"It will be hard for humans to avoid disasters on the earth in the future.",
"The earth will be d... | Humans: It's time to give up the earth or face extinction .
It could be the plot of a summer blockbuster , but this prediction isn't science fiction. It's a glimpse of the future, according to famous British scientist Stephen Hawking. "I see great dangers for the human race," he said in an interview with global forum Big Think. "There have been a number of times in the past when its survival has been a question of touch-and-go."
Hawking, an award-winning physicist, says humans must evacuate our home planet within the next two centuries and expand into space to survive. "I believe that the long-term future of the human race must be in space," he said. "It will be difficult enough to avoid disasters on our planet in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million."
Hawking, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom last year, has recently voiced many concerns about the future of life on the earth. In April, he spoke about his fear of aliens in an interview for the Discovery Channel. "If aliens visited us, the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans," he said. "Such advanced aliens would perhaps become wanders, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach."
But Hawking says he is still hopeful for the future of humanity. "I'm an optimist," he told Big Think. "We have made remarkable progress in the last hundred years. But if we want to continue beyond the next hundred years, our future is in space."
Getting to another planet will prove a challenge, not to mention colonizing it for humanity. University of Michigan astrophysicist Katherine Freese told Big Think that "the nearest star to the earth is Proxima Centauri which is 4.2 light years away. That means, if you were travelling at the speed of light the whole time, it would take 4.2 years to get there--or about 50,000 years using current rocket science." | high19515.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A professor."
},
"options": [
"A poet.",
"A professor.",
"A fisherman.",
"An ice-cream man."
],
"question": "What was probably the author's father?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | In the depths of my memory, many things I did with my father still live. These things come to represent, in fact, what I call joy and love.
I don't remember my father ever getting into a swimming pool. But he did love the water. Any kind of boat ride seemed to give him pleasure. And he loved to fish; sometimes he took me along.
But I never really liked being on the water, the way my father did. I liked being in the water, moving through it, having it all around me. I was not a strong swimmer, or one who learned to swim early, for I had my fears. But I loved being in the swimming pool close to my father's office and spending those summer days with my father, who would come by on a break. I needed him to see what I could do. My father would stand there in his suit, the only person not in swimsuit.
After swimming, I would go inside his office and sit on the wooden chair in front of his big desk, where he let me play with anything I found in his top desk drawer. Sometimes, if I was left alone at his desk while he worked in the lab, an assistant or a student might come in and tell me perhaps I shouldn't be playing with his office things. But my father always showed up and said easily, "Oh, no, it's fine." Sometimes he handed me coins and told me to get myself an ice cream...
A poet once said, "We look at life once, in childhood; the rest is memory." And I think it is not only what we "look at once, in childhood" that decides our memories, but who, in that childhood, looks at us. | high16626.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold."
},
"options": [
"It only traps the heat of the sun.",
"It makes the earth neither too hot nor too cold.",
"It works the same way as greenhouse gases.",
"It prevents all ... | Global warming is when the earth heats up, the temperature rises. It happens when greenhouse gases ---carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide , and methane trap heat and light from the sun in the earth's atmosphere, which increases the temperature. This is like when heat is trapped in a car. On a very hot day, the car gets hotter when it is out in the parking lot. This is because the heat and light from the sun can get into the car, by going through the windows, but it can't get back out. Once the light is inside the car, it is trapped and the heat builds up, just like it does in the earth's atmosphere. This is what the greenhouse effect does to the earth. The heat and light can get through the atmosphere, but it can't get out. As a result, the temperature rises.
Sometimes the temperature can change in a way that helps us. The greenhouse effect makes the earth appropriate for people to live on. Without it, the earth would be freezing, or on the other hand it would be burning hot. We would not get the sun's heat and light to make the night somewhat warm. During the day, especially during the summer, it would be burning because the sun would be up with no atmosphere to filter it, so people, plants, and animals would be exposed to all the light and heat.
Although the greenhouse effect makes the earth able to have people living on it, if there gets to be too many gases, the earth can get unusually warmer, and many plants, animals, and people will die. They would die because there would be less food(plants like corn, wheat, and other vegetables and fruits). This would happen because the plants would not be able to take in the heat. This would cause us to have less food to eat, but it would also limit the food that animals have. Gradually, people, plants, and animals would all die of hunger.
People are doing many things to try stop global warming. One thing people are doing is carpooling. Carpooling is driving with someone to a place that you are both going to. This minimizes the amount of greenhouse gases put into the air by a car. Another thing that people are doing is being more careful about leaving things turned on like the television, computer, and the lights. A lot of people are taking time away from the television, and instead, they are spending more time outdoors. This helps our planet out a lot. Now, more people are even riding buses, walking to school, and riding their bikes to lower the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.
Planting trees and recycling also help. If you recycle, less trash goes to the dump, and less trash gets burned. As a result, there are fewer greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Although adults do many things to help stop global warming, kids can do just as much. | high22583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Doubtful."
},
"options": [
"Curious.",
"Disgusted.",
"Frightened.",
"Doubtful."
],
"question": "What is the writer's attitude towards \"urban legends\"?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Urban legends are stories that are told and believed in many places.Too many places,in fact.It simply isn't credible that the same unlikely events take place in so many different towns.For some reason,though,that particular set of events appeals to the imagination and the tale spreads.
A very common North American urban legend concerns a mad man in the woods.A dangerous mad man has escaped from a hospital for the mentally ill.At some point in his life he has lost a hand and it has been replaced by a hook.A boy and a girl are out dating,sitting in a car.They hear on the radio that the area is dangerous,so they drive off.When they arrive home they find a bloodstained hook hanging on the door handle of the car door next to the girl.
Missing kidney stories are fairly common.Of course,the details are variable.It might be a woman waking up in a strange hotel in Bangkok,or a man finding himself in a cold bath in Toronto.or a young man with faint memories of wild disco party,but they all find a flesh wound,and discover that one of their kidneys has been removed and,probably, sold.
The back seat killer has plenty of drama.A woman gets into her Car late at night.Another Car follows her, speeding,flashing lights and really frightening her.She gets home and keeps on pressing the horn.Her husband runs out.The chasing car stops.The husband demands to know why the driver has been frightening his wife.He says he saw a strange man get into the back of the car as the wife got in,and then hide.They go and look,and there is a dangerous mad man... | high955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "bike"
},
"options": [
"motorbike",
"car",
"taxi",
"bike"
],
"question": "To a foreigner, the most economical way to get around Thailand is renting a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"... | When you are travelling in Thailand, which means of transport is the best choice?
You can rent a variety of motorbikes or bikes in Thailand. It seems to be very popular in most of the beaches and islands along the places in the north. The most popular bikes are the little 125 cc Honda Dream which you can get for about 150 baht a day or as little as 3,000 baht per month, making it the cheapest way to tour Thailand for the people from other countries.
Sometimes you will have to go somewhere by taxi. When you are in cities in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, always remember to get a taxi that is traveling on the roads. Some drivers outside hotels refuse to use the meter . They will ask a price which is several times the price when they use the meter!
The quality of the roads in Thailand is generally pretty good, so renting cars is another way to get around. The big car rental companies may offer you slightly older cars at a very reasonable price. It is a little surprising considering that the cost of buying a car in Thailand is more than that in the West. Petrol is also reasonably priced in Thailand, more expensive than American prices, but much cheaper than what is paid in Europe. In the past, Bangkok could be a difficult place to drive in--signs were generally in Thai only, making it a hard job to find exactly where you were by looking around. But now, the situation is improved. In a lot of places, even the farthest corners of the country, street signs are in both Thai and English. | high13986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "regretful"
},
"options": [
"regretful",
"cheerful",
"peaceful",
"meaningful"
],
"question": "Mark Kelly must have been_when he announced his decision.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Astronaut Mark Kelly announced today that he is retiring from NASA in order to focus on the recovery of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.
Kelly, who is 47, began his NASA career in 1996. He has traveled to the International Space Station four times and served aboard space shuttles Endeavour and Discovery. Most recently he was commander of Endeavour's final voyage, which ended on June l.
"After 25 years of service to our country, I am retiring from the United States Navy and leaving NASA. My retirement will take effect on October l. " he said.
"This was no easy decision. Words cannot express my deep gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to serve our great nation. And I have always been proud to be a member of the NASA. Public service has been more than a job for me and for my family. My brother continues to serve in NASA and in the Navy. My parents are retired police officers. And my wife Gabrielle proudly serves in the US House of Representatives." he continued.
"As life takes unexpected turns we frequently come to a crossroads. I am at this point today. Gabrielle is working hard every day on her way to recovery. I want to be by her side. Stepping aside from my work in the Navy and at NASA will allow me to be with her and with my two daughters. I love them all very much and there is no doubt that we will move forward together. After some time off, I will look for new opportunities and I'm hopeful that one day I will again serve our country." Kelly said.
On Jan 8, Giffords was shot in the head and was severely injured while meeting with her supporters. She returned to her Tucson home last week for the first time since then. | high23845.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "night"
},
"options": [
"both day and night",
"day",
"neither day nor night",
"night"
],
"question": "When the Western Hemisphere is having day, the Eastern Hemisphere is having _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | The word "day" has two meanings. When we talk about the number of days in a year, we are using "day" to mean 24 hours. But when we talk about day and night, we are using "day" to mean the time between sunrise and sunset. Since the earth looks like a ball, the sun can shine on only half of it at a time. Always one half of the earth is having day and the other half night. A place is moved from day into night and from night into day over and over by the spinning of the earth. At the equator day and night are sometimes the same length. They are each twelve hours long. The sun rises at 6 in the morning and sets at 6 in the evening. For six months the North Pole is tilted toward the sun. In those months the Northern Hemisphere gets more hours of sunlight than the Southern Hemisphere. Days are longer than nights. South of the equator nights are longer than days. For the other six months the North Pole is tilted away from the sun. Then the Southern Hemisphere gets more sunlight. Days are longer than night. North of the equator nights are longer than days. Winter is the season of long nights. Summer is the season of long days. | high12440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Jobhunting people"
},
"options": [
"Interviewers",
"Jobhunting people",
"Employers",
"Layoff workers"
],
"question": "What kind of people is the text mainly meant for?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"a... | The principles about applying for jobs have altered greatly lately. In the past, people preferred a handwritten application letter. However, nowadays it is becoming more and more common to apply for a job through the Internet. You can find information on the Internet about how to apply for jobs. Information can be found about how to fulfill your application letter, the clothes that you should wear and how to carry out the interview itself.
The importance of body language is often mentioned, but doesn't always get the attention it deserves. After all, before a word has even been spoken, your body language will have already given people their first impression of you. Additionally, your body language will also give out a lot more information. Based on your body language it can be seen if you are self-confident. It can also show if you are a busy or a quiet type and it helps give an impression of whether you are speaking truthfully or not. Body language can show how enthusiastic you are and if you are a nice person, someone who will take his work seriously, but also someone who has a sense of humor and can enjoy a joke from time to time. The members of the application committee will ask you questions, but your answers won't only be oral. The committee will not only pay attention to what you say, but also to how you say it! Body language will determine first if it "clicks", and sometimes all it takes is just a few seconds. Everybody uses body language, but it takes place mostly at a subconscious level. Using body language appropriately, you can definitely increase your chances of getting a job. | high14031.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Ethanol can remove some harmful pollutants from gas."
},
"options": [
"Ethanol products are known to cause cancer.",
"Ethanol can remove some harmful pollutants from gas.",
"The production of ethanol is protected by law.",
... | Many Americans concerned about pollution are demanding cleaner supplies of energy. The demand has resulted in increased research about ethanol fuel. Ethanol is an alcohol that can be mixed with gas. It burns up most of the pollutants in gas. It replaces some of the chemicals that are known to cause cancer, and it can be produced in the United States.
Some experts say that in the future ethanol will replace some of the oil imported into America. Today ethanol is less than one percent of total American fuel supply. The head of the National Corn Growers Association, Kieve Hard, says ethanol will provide twenty-five percent of the fuel supply by 2030. The organization is involved in the production of ethanol because it can be made from corn.
One company in the American Midwest says it is starting to produce ethanol because of demands from people and from the government. The Congress approved the Clean Air Act in 1990. The company says this means the market for ethanol will expand. The company is a major producer of corn starch that can be used to make ethanol.
At Texas A and M University Professor Mark Holzapple produces ethanol from materials found in solid waste. He has developed a way to turn materials like paper into simple sugar. He then uses yeast to turn the sugar into ethanol. Professor Holzapple says two hundred liters of ethanol fuel can be produced from one ton of solid waste.
A professor at the University of Arkansas, John Geddie, is exploring another way to make ethanol. He is using acids on paper material. He says a large factory could produce ethanol from waste paper at a cost about the same as the cost of producing gasoline.
Environmentalists support the use of ethanol because it turns solid waste into a useful product. Professor Holzapple says law makers in industrial nations need to support the development of this clean, less expensive fuel of the future. | high9645.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the reform may accomplish the very opposite."
},
"options": [
"the new exam and admission system will make no difference.",
"English shouldn't be removed from China's college entrance exam.",
"the reform may accomplish the ve... | The English test will be removed from China's college entrance exam by 2020, according to details of exam and admission reform revealed by the Ministry of Education. The national college exam, known as the "Gaokao" has been used to evaluate Chinese students for three decades. The Ministry of Education has worked out a plan for reforming exams and enrollment. The Ministry will solicit public opinions before its release. Instead, tests will be held several times a year to allow students to choose when and how often they sit the exam so as to ease study pressure and change China's once-in-a-lifetime exam system.
The plan and suggestion for its implementation will be announced in the first half of next year. It will be piloted in selected provinces and cities and promoted nationwide from 2017. A new exam and admission system will be established by 2020, according to the education ministry.
The decision has aroused a heated discussion among Shanghai educators and parents who doubted the reform would reduce the burden of learning English or if the substitute test could reflect a student's English skills and help students learn English better.
"The reform shows China is learning from the West to give students more test-taking chances. But more chances might become more of a burden since Chinese students are likely to repeat the test until they get the highest score," said Cai Jigang, a professor at Fudan University's College of Foreign Languages and Literature and chairman of the Shanghai Advisory Committee for College English Teaching at Tertiary level.
Yu Lizhong, chancellor of New York University Shanghai, where classes are in English and students are required to have a high standard of English, said the most important aspect of the reform lay in what to test and how to test.
"As far as I see, the reform doesn't mean English is no longer important for Chinese students after it will be excluded from the college entrance exam," Yu said. "In a way, English is even more important than before since the test would only serve as reference, while every college and university, even every major, can have different requirements of a student's English skills under a diverse evaluation system."
_ .
The education ministry said the reform would not affect students attending the college entrance exam over the next three years. | high6576.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The individuals can recognize each other."
},
"options": [
"All the individuals cooperate to hunt.",
"The individuals can communicate with each other.",
"The individuals can recognize each other.",
"The individuals form... | When it comes to social behaviour,mammals are in a league of their own.Some birds may form pairs,or even cooperate to hunt,but the complexity of their relationships can hardly compare to those within a school of dolphins,a herd of elephants or a group of humans.What makes mammalian social groups different from a flock of starlings or a shoal of fish,is that in many cases the individuals could recognize each other.Although we may think that all elephants look pretty much the same,we can easily tell individuals of our own species apart and it has become clear through studies that the same is true of other species.Dolphins have their own signature whistles that act like "names",and elephants can recognize and greet other individuals they have known but not seen for many years.This is something that only a few species of birds appear to be able to do.
Mammals in complex social groups not only recognize each other as individuals,but also they remember a lot of information about that individual.Social groups often rely on this memory--such as knowing who is dominant to whom,who is related to whom,and who has done what to whom in the past.It's like remembering who you have lent money to or done a favour for,and who hasn't repaid that money or has talked about you behind your back.You have to learn who to trust,who your friends are,and who to watch out for.
All this remembering goes on in a particular part of the brain called the neocortex .If you compare the size of a mammal's social group with the size of this part of the brain,you will find they are remarkably closely related.This area seems to take a long time to develop fully and animals in which it is very large take a very long time to grow up to adulthood.During this time,the youngster has to learn all the rules of social behaviour in their group and to piece together all the relationships between the group members:Knowledge that will be needed to avoid getting into trouble. | high6210.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "None of the waste was separated as it is now."
},
"options": [
"None of the waste was separated as it is now.",
"Solid waste was compressed and stored on board.",
"The toilet units used water to remove the waste through the s... | Zero gravity looks cool. But what about the thing no one likes to talk about? Yes, that is right: going to bathroom. Zero gravity makes this everyday task quite a challenge. Astronauts have to be toilet-trained all over again.
The Apollo astronauts raised themselves off the seat of their chairs and stuck a clear plastic bag to their back sides with sticky strips. A second astronaut watched closely to be sure no waste matter escaped the seal. (You would not want that stuff floating around the cabin!) When the deed was done, the astronaut cleaned up with a piece of plastic attached to the inside of the bag, removed the bag, dropped a disinfectant pill in with the waste matter, and put the whole thing, sealed, into a special container.
Donald W. Rethke, an engineer for Hamilton Standard Space Systems, developed a more private way to answer nature's call: the space toilet. It is somewhat like the kind of toilet one would find on commercial airplanes --- with unique adaptations for zero gravity, of course. For instance, it has thigh bars that keep the astronaut from floating off the seat.
The astronaut (male or female) defecates in a bag and urinates in a hose. Solid and liquid wastes are kept separated because at least 85% of the urine is recycled and, yes, after careful filtration, used for drinking and other purposes. (Water is always in demand in space.) A vacuum sucks the waste materials into the toilet, where the waste is compacted into hamburger-like patties for easy storage. Although not exactly like an earthbound visit to the toilet, it is at the very least much more private than in the early days of space travel. | high13038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He had a great influence on Maupassant's writing.."
},
"options": [
"He often went out for a walk with Maupassant.",
"He was a journalist and novelist working for church.",
"He had a great influence on Maupassant's writing.."... | Maupassant(*)was born in 1850 in northern France. His early life was not happy. His parents separated when he was 11. Most of his education came informally from Gustave Flaubert--his mother's friend and his godfather, a journalist and novelist. Often Flaubert would let him take a walk and then ask him to write 100 lines about what he saw. This type of training developed in Maupassant a sense of observation, which he later put to use in his writing. Flaubert also allowed Maupassant to attend his Sunday gatherings with others in his literary circle
For a few years, Maupassant was connected with the Ministry of Public Instruction. It is interesting to note that Monsieur Loisel, a poor man character in The Necklace, worked there. He also served in the French army during the Franco-Prussian War. His favorite writing subjects were peasants, servants, in the city, and the Francd-Prussian War.
At an early age, Maupassant started writing short stories. In 1880, some of his works were published and he received a wide reputation for Boule de Suif (Ball of Tallow). With this success, he began to work full-time on writing. During the next ten years, he wrote over 300 stories, including six novels, three travel books, and a book of verse. Through them, he earn a lot of money.
His writing was classical and simple, avoiding social comments and dirty details. His works often showed a real world and an accurate knowledge of the subject. Although Maupassant wrote in many forms, he received widest recognition for his short stories. By 1890, Maupassant was suffering from the latter staged of syphilis . He died in 1893 in Paris. | high12326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was encouraged a lot by his biology teacher"
},
"options": [
"always studied hard in school",
"lived in the same foster home with his brother",
"hated his parents very much",
"was encouraged a lot by his biology teacher... | Derrius Quarles, 19, had an unhappy childhood. But the Chicago teen didn't give up. He tried his best and won $1 million in college scholarships ! Now Derrius is a successful college student with a bright future.
When Derrius was 4, his father was killed. His mother couldn't take care of him because of taking drugs. Derrius and his 9-year-old brother sometimes had to steal food to eat. Derrius felt different from other kids. In seventh grade, Derrius went to live in a foster home . His foster parents weren't nice to him. They told him that he'd never be anything in life.
Derrius didn't do his best in school. The summer after ninth grade, that changed. Derrius had signed up for a biology class. He didn't go to class the first day. On the second day, he showed up late. His teacher took him outside. She told him he was smart, but that he was wasting his potential . The talk inspired him and he planned to prove that he could be anything if he worked hard enough.
Adults at a summer program helped Derrius find out about scholarships he could earn to pay for college. In his senior year, Derrius filled out lots of applications. He told his friends, "You're not going to see me for a long time." Derrius's hard work paid off. He won more than $1 million in scholarships! He has a lot to be proud of. But he's most proud of helping others. Derrius gives speeches to teens, telling them how to find scholarships. In high school, Derrius got help buying a computer. He wanted to help others who needed them. Last year, he gave two laptops to high school students. There's a lot of work in his future. Derrius doesn't mind -- hard work has got him where he is today. He knows
can take him anywhere. | high15449.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "students deeply fascinated by the computer"
},
"options": [
"students working on a program",
"students using computers to amuse themselves",
"hard-working computer science majors",
"students deeply fascinated by the com... | It is 4 o'clock in the early morning. Everything but the computing room on the campus of the university appears as quiet and misty as the mysterious hell. In the computing room, 30 students with sleepy eyes, sit still at their desk, beating the dirty and worn keys. Staring at the colorful screen, they tap continuously for hours. For the other parts in the world, it might be in the middle of the night, nevertheless here time represents nothing. It is an entirely enclosed field. These young computer "hackers" are tracing a sort of stimulus , a drive so exciting and absorbing that it ignores nearly anything else in their lives and becomes the focus of their being. They are addicted computer programmers. Some of these students have been glued to the console for no less than twenty hours even with no break for meals or rest. Some have been sleeping on sofas and chairs in the computing room, trying to struggle for a few moments' rest but hating to get too far away from their addicted machines.
It is not necessary for most of these students to be at the computing room in the middle of the night. What they are working belong to no assignments. They remain there because they desire to be -- they can not resist the attraction of the computers.
Furthermore, they are in groups instead of being alone. There are hackers at computing rooms all over the country. In the unimaginable way, they focus on nothing but computer. They escape from schooling and live beyond friendship; they might have difficulty being employed, choosing to travel from one computing room to another. They may even give up personal health.
"There is one hacker in my memory. We actually had to lift him away from his chair to feed him and arrange him to rest and sleep. We truly worried about his health," says a computing science professor at California University.
Professors of computer science are nowadays paying more attention to this hacker phenomenon and are on the watch for future hackers and more and more severe computer addicts. They believe firmly that hackers are not simply resulted from the close relationship with a machine. It is the result of social relationship with the attractive thinking machines, which are becoming nearly universal. | high4407.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "But for the mother do"
},
"options": [
"It's hard for the infant to recover soon.",
"The puppies were running here and there all the time",
"The temperature was very high at that time.",
"But for the mother do"
],
... | A dog
a newborn baby abandoned by its 14-year-old mother in a field in rural Argentina until the boy was rescued, a doctor said on August 22 (Friday).
A resident of a rural area outside La Plata called police late Wednesday night to say that he had heard the baby crying in a field behind his house.
The man went outside and found the infant lying beside the dog and its six newborn puppies, Daniel Salcedo, chief of police of the Province of Buenos Aires, told CNN.
The temperature was a chilly 37 degrees, Salcedo said.
The dog had apparently carried the baby some 50 meters from where his mother had abandoned him to where the puppies were huddled, police said.
"She took it like a puppy and rescued it," Salcedo said. "The doctors told us if she hadn't done this, he would have died."
"The dog is a hero to us."
Dr. Egidio Melia, director of the Melchor Romero Hospital in La Plata, told CNN that police showed up at the hospital at 11:30 pm Wednesday with the baby who doctors say was only a few hours old.
Though the infant had superficial scratches and bruises and was bleeding from his mouth, he was in good shape, Melia said.
The next morning, the child's mother was driven by a neighbor to the hospital and told authorities the 8-pound, 13-ounce infant is hers, Melia said.
The teenager was immediately give psychological treatment and was hospitalized, he said. She has said little about the incident.
The child has been transferred to a children's hospital in La Plata, 37 miles from Buenos Aires. | high16140.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he helped his team to regain its glory"
},
"options": [
"he liked to take on challenges",
"he helped his team to regain its glory",
"he was faithful to his hometown city",
"he fought hard against failure at a young age"... | He is a lesson to every boy who ever picked up a basketball and dreamed that it would change his life.
The lights were never brighter and the crowds were never bigger for a homegrown sports hero than they were a quarter-century ago for Ray Hall. But his athletic achievements, as impressive as they are, are to my mind not what is most admirable about the man.
Known as "Sugar Ray" in his teens, Hall was rated among the country's top 25 high school basketball players. An inner-city kid from a solid family, Hall took on the challenge of lifting Canisius College -- still recovering from its failure -- back to respectability, rejecting more favorable offers. His status of a savior brought more pressure than any 18-year-old should have to handle. However, I watched him mature into the player who led Canisius back to daylight.
After college Hall played professionally in Italy and Greece for over 10 years until a car accident at 32 ended his basketball career. The news that he would never play again shocked Hall but unlike so many others he was ready for life after basketball. When I met Hall -- still fit at 46 -- for lunch Monday, he wore a cut-sharp gray suit, designer tie and blazing white shirt that screamed Success. "That was always the question -- when the cheers end, where do you go? Who do you turn to?" he said. "It starts and ends with that person in the mirror."
Hall got the concept of academics-first from his parents. He graduated from Canisius a semester early. "No matter how good of an athlete you are, you are just one injury away from losing it all," he said. "But if you take care of things academically, you are prepared until you leave this earth."
For the past 14 years, he has been in a computer sales job at Ingram Micro. He married his college sweetheart. They have three kids and a nice house in the suburbs. He figured out early what others learn too late: Athletics is part of a journey, not the destination.
Congratulations, Ray, you made it. In more ways than one. | high3368.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "name of a writer of modern times"
},
"options": [
"name of a place in China",
"name of a writer of ancient China",
"name of a writer of modern times",
"name of a book"
],
"question": "\"Ha Jin\", is probably a ... | "Jin's new collection of short stories...shows he could teach some native-born writers a few things about the beauty of spare prose and the power of a few well-chosen words."
-- USA Today
"Amusing...Realistic...Rarely has China seemed less exotic and more accessible...The stories have the air of fable ."
--Los Angeles Times
"A vivid picture...of Chinese society in the era just after the Cultural Revolution."
-- Chicago Tribune
"Brilliant...delightful...Ha Jin's customs, ideas and landscapes might be of an Eastern persuasion, but his writing communicates universally. Without being didactic or condescending, these stories often resemble modern fables..."
--Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
"Beautifully understated short stories of life in modern China. Some of them are likely to break your heart."
--People
"A short story collection that offers readers...a dozen ways to enter the changing landscape of modern China...No one has ever captured the collision between the Communist society and the western culture quite like Ha Jin."
--Baton Rouge Magazine | high10531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are trying to settle the problem of air pollution"
},
"options": [
"are keeping practicing for health",
"have no cars of their own",
"are complaining there are not enough buses",
"are trying to settle the problem of air... | In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day. In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City. They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines.
For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders. For example, they want the city to draw special lanes for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents. Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes.
But no bike lanes have been drawn. Not everyone thinks it is a good idea--they say it will slow traffic. Some store owners on the main streets don't like the idea--they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business.
The city government has not yet decided what to do. It wants to keep everyone happy. On weekends, Central Park--the largest place open ground in New York-- is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only. | high2076.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "want to get a job"
},
"options": [
"want to get a job",
"want to travel abroad",
"prefer working abroad",
"no longer love their country"
],
"question": "Some people are leaving Italy mainly because they _ ."... | More and more Italians are leaving their country because they can not get a job. One in every three Italians say they are willing to go abroad, sometimes even to other continents to get work. Currently, about 300,000 young Italians may be living abroad.
Although emigration has always been a choice for Italians, especially for those who left the country at the beginning of the twentieth century, more young Italians think leaving their home country is the only way to escape economic difficulty. These young Italians, however, are not poor farmers or laborers but bright university graduates and other talented young people.
Many of them want to go to richer places, like northern Europe, but they are also prepared to go elsewhere. Most of them describe a feeling of unhappiness and frustration. They are not sure which direction their country is heading and feel no longer proud of being Italians.
Many leave because they think that getting a good job is possible in other countries where all doors are open to you if you are young and dynamic. However, in Italy everything is boring and old-fashioned. Italy's economic system is largely based on family structures and the elderly who don't want to give up power. Corruption is also a big problem that simply won't go away.
The Italian government is aware of the problem and says it must create new opportunities for its younger generation. But even if it starts working on a new style economy right away it may take years before things in Italy really change. The government has already passed laws which will make it easier for doctors, lawyers and other academics to start a career in Italy.
Many economic experts claim that Italy is doing a lot for its older generation but very little for its youth. For example, it spends little on housing, childcare but a lot on pensions. | high5719.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Cars with wings may be just around the corner"
},
"options": [
"Cars with wings may be just around the corner",
"Which to choose:a Ferrari or a carplane?",
"A more convenient and cheaper way to fly",
"Cars with wings ca... | If cars had wings , they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2011. The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its carplane, the Transition, so customers by the end of 2011.
"It's the next'wow'vehicle,"said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh."Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly."
The carplane has wings that unfold for flying-a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to take off and land.
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations.
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly. They say it saves you the trouble from trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an airport-you park it in the garage at home.
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under the bad weather instead of flying into marginal conditions.
The Transition's price tag:$ 194,000. But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, a transponder or a GPS. Another option is a fullplane parachute.
"If you get into a very awful situation,it is the necessary safety option,"Gersh said.
So far, the company has more than 70 orders with deposits."We're working very closely with them, but there are still some remaining steps,"Brown said. | high19267.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "use non-traditional devices in class"
},
"options": [
"study modern science and technology",
"pass all knowledge to their students",
"use non-traditional devices in class",
"meet the needs of intelligent student first"
... | Education has an important effect on the mind or physical ability of an individual. It is the process by which society passes its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another.
Various non-traditional education options are now available and continue to flourish . One of the most important uses in education is the use of technology. Teachers are encouraged to use new technological devices in order to strengthen learning among students and meet the needs of various types of learners.
The right to education has been created and recognized by jurisdiction . Education is the most important concern of the government of India. Recently India has gained world recognition because many students from foreign countries come here to gain higher qualifications.
One has to be educated in order to speed up the growth process in order to influence the economy. Education is indeed a powerful weapon to stop the cut- throat competition that man faces at every period of life. The importance of education in India is progressing with time. Although India has been a great foundation of learning for many years, it still needs to improve not just on the quality of education but also on the number of people being educated.
Education is not just for academic success but also to make a person become a better human being and a better performer in life. Education makes the students able enough, so that they can compete nationally and internationally. To make a student a successful survivor in life, the responsibility lies equally with the schools and the parents too. Selecting a good school is as important as choosing a suitable career option for a child. The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the _ of truth, it is education that gives us all the power and necessities of making a difference in any field.
People who are not educated have few opportunities to do what they want to do. Educated people become more responsible and informed citizens, and have a voice in politics and society. It allows people to be more productive by encouraging them to play responsible roles in terms of contributing to society. | high4413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Her books normally sell well."
},
"options": [
"She is an adventurous writer.",
"She doesn't care about fortune.",
"Her books normally sell well.",
"She can help you achieve writing skills."
],
"question": "Whic... | Do you ever run out of great books to read? So what should I read next? Is fast-paced crime fiction your thing?
Try the new Patricia Cornwell book,
(Putnam). She is such an able writer and handles complex forensic intelligence with ease. You need to be prepared, though, for the world you're entering--
, let's say.
If peace is more your thing, try Mary Pipher's wonderful new book,
Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World (Riverhead). Mary is a lovely, comfortable writer who takes the reader through her personal awakening after reputation and fortune came her way. Even if you've never experienced life as a bestselling writer (as she has done, in her book years back,
), you'll totally understand and sympathize with her renewed need for privacy, distance and quiet.
What if you want a straightforward, totally thrilling read with vivid characters, set about World War II? You cannot go wrong with Jim Lehrer's new novel,
(Random House), about a young Marine whose life is changed forever when he meets a woman on his way to war. His relationship with her lasts him through danger and hardship, and there's an impressive ending. See our interview with the productive novelist/newsman in the current issue of Reader's Digest (March, on stands now), by the way, for insight into the very talented Mr. Lehrer and what interests him.
Well, what about something wickedly funny and totally offbeat? Does the name Carrie Fisher do anything for you? Try her vivid and new life in Hollywood and elsewhere,
(Simon & Schuster). Be prepared for humor as sharp as knives. | high16154.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an increasing number of animals are killed in road accidents"
},
"options": [
"wild animals have become more dangerous",
"the driving conditions have improved greatly",
"the measure for protecting wildlife fails to work",
... | Special Bridges Help Animals Cross the Road
----Reported by Sheila Carrick
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side.
Most people know this joke.But recently, some people have been much more worried about how the grizzly bear and mountain lion can cross the road.
"Millions of animals die each year on U.S.roads," the Federal Highway Administration reports.In fact, only about 80 _ , an endangered wild cat, exist in the U.S.today.The main reason? Roadkill.
"Ecopassages" may help animals cross the road without being hit by cars.They are paths both over and under roads."These ecopassages can be extremely useful, so that wildlife can avoid road accidents," said Jodi Hilty of the Wildlife Protection Society.
But do animals actually use the ecopassages? The answer is yes.Paul Beier of Northern Arizona University found foot marks left by mountain lions on an ecopassage that went under a highway.This showed that the lions used the passage.
Builders of ecopassages try to make them look like a natural part of an area by planting trees on and around them.Animals seem _ .Animals as different as salamanders and grizzly bears are using the bridges and underpasses.
The next time you visit a park or drive through an area with a lot of wildlife, look around.You might see an animals overpass! | high21920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "In a news report."
},
"options": [
"In a science report.",
"In a news report.",
"In a guidebook.",
"In an advertisement."
],
"question": "Where can you most probably read the passage?",
"question_type": null... | President Obama: I want to welcome Vice President Xi to the Oval Office and welcome him to the United States. This is obviously a great opportunity for us to build on the U. S.-China relationship, but also an opportunity to return the extraordinary hospitality that Vice President Xi showed Vice President Biden during his recent visit to China.
As I indicated during my recent visit to APEC and the East Asia Summit, the United States is a Pacific nation. And we are very interested and very focused on continuing to strengthen our relationships, to enhance our trade and our commerce, and make sure that we are a strong and effective partner with the Asia Pacific region. And obviously, in order to do that, it is absolutely vital that we have a strong relationship with China.
So, Mr. Vice President, I hope you have a wonderful visit while you're here. I'm sure the American people welcome you. I'm glad that you're going to get an opportunity to get out of Washington. I know you'll be visiting Lowa, which you visited many years ago when you were governor. And I understand you're also going to Los Angeles and maybe even taking in a Lakers basketball game. So I hope you enjoy that very much.
I want to extend my deepest welcome to you, and look forward to a future of improved dialogue and increased cooperation in the years to come. | high2062.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "How Valentine's Day came about/"
},
"options": [
"What Valentine's Day means.",
"How Valentine's Day came about/",
"Why Valentine's Day is so popular.",
"When people created Valentine's Day."
],
"question": "Wha... | A lot of people these days believe Valentine's Day is a made-up holiday designed to promote the sale of greeting cards and gifts. And while there may be some Arguments for that, there is a mysterious story as to why February 14th has become known today as "Valentine's Day."
Our story dates back centuries ago, to the Roman Empire, and the martyrdom of two or three Christians named Valentine. At least one of those Valentines is thought to have been killed on February 14th.
Legend has it that this particular Valentine wais killed by a Roman emperor because he secretly presided over the marriages of young men and women, against the wishes of the Emperor, who wanted only single men to fight in his army.
However, there is no historical evidence to back this up. But what is widely known is that the love-element to Valentine's Day can be first traced to the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer wrote a poem in 1382 to mark the anniversary of his King's engagement, and scribed a line -- "For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his male." From this point, on Valentine's Day became intertwined with love.
But for the pessimists out there who see Valentine's Day as a commercial idea, there is some historical evidence to back this up as well!
The true popularization of Valentine's Day can be traced to late 18th century England, when a British publishing company first started selling paper Valentine's Day cards with tender words on them. They became so popular that by the middle of the 19th century, some 1.3 billion British pounds a year were being spent on Valentine's Day gifts. | high18179.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Historical reasons."
},
"options": [
"French language.",
"Historical reasons.",
"Some linguists",
"Bad traditions."
],
"question": "Which of the following is the main reason for silent letters?",
"question_t... | Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them.
Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced.
Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical.
Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there's no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it _ . For example, I pronounce the letter "l" in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way.
I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life. | high9137.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Rabindranath Tagore."
},
"options": [
"William Faulkner.",
"Bob Dylan.",
"Rabindranath Tagore.",
"Claude Simon."
],
"question": "Which writer won Nobel Prize for his poetry?",
"question_type": "factiod_quest... | The Nobel Prize Winners in Literature
Rabindranath Tagore( 1913)
Prize motivation: "because of his deep sensitive, fresh and beautiful poetry, with perfect skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West"
William Faulkner (1949)
Prize motivation: "for his powerful and artistically unique contribution to the modern American novel"
Ernest Miller Hemingway(1954)
Prize motivation: "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea"
John Steinbeck (1962)
Prize motivation: "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception"
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill(1953)
Prize motivation: "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant speech skills in defending noble human values"
Claude Simon (1985)
Prize motivation: "who in his novel combines the poet's and the painter's creativeness with a deepened awareness of time in the description of the human condition"
Mo Yan (2012)
Prize motivation: "he, with dreamlike realism, combines folk tales, history and the contemporary".
Bob Dylan (2016)
Prize motivation: "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition" | high14743.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "many people like the dark chocolate for its taste"
},
"options": [
"many people like the dark chocolate for its taste",
"the dark chocolate is the best choice for most people",
"nobody could resist the tempting smell of the d... | The dark chocolate is one of the favourite food choices by many.The taste is simply irresistible,the smell is tempting and the feel of every bite is surely what you are craving for.
Aside from the taste,you simply cannot resist it because it has a lot of benefits when it comes to your health.Our health is our priority when it comes to the choice of our foods.If you worry that the chocolate is bad for your health then here is a list of the effects of dark chocolate to health especially when taken with the right amount every day.
First of all,it contains a component called flavonoid which acts as an antioxidant . _ The antioxidants are also good for the heart.Studies have shown that people who ate foods rich in antioxidants have low incidence of heart diseases.
Aside from the antiaging and healthy heart benefits,the dark chocolate can also lower blood pressure and reduce bad cholesterol to as high as 10%.Lowering of blood pressure in patients of high blood level is good because it will lower the risks of stroke and certain health crisis.Low levels of blood cholesterol are also good for the heart and take away the risk of blood vessels which may harden for too much cholesterol in them.
Lastly,do you know the feeling of being overjoyed after jogging?This feeling is like extreme happiness.Dark chocolates will give you the feeling of pleasure and happiness.If you are feeling that the world has turned against you,then a chocolate can be a mood lifter.It is an antidepressant.Usually when we feel so bad,we would crave to eat more food.If you are looking for something to eat during your bad moments try to take a bite from a dark chocolate and feel good somehow after it.
These are commonly the effects of chocolates to health.It can benefit you especially if taken in moderate amounts.Approximately,100 grams of chocolate or less a day is already enough according to studies.If you have taken too much,try to lessen on your other meals for the day.It is all about nutrition and taking the right amount of food in order to get the health benefits that it can provide to you. | high6204.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because he didn't want to waste excess beef."
},
"options": [
"Because he didn't want to waste excess beef.",
"Because he wanted to earn more money.",
"Because he would like to make something special.",
"Because he was ... | Do you love hamburgers? Do you how they were created?
The first hamburgers in U.S. history were served in New Haven, Connecticut, at Louis' Lunch sandwich shop in 1895. Louis Lassen, founder of Louis' Lunch, ran a small lunch wagon selling steak sandwiches to local factory workers. Because he didn't like to waste the excess beef from his daily lunch rush, he ground it up, grilled it, and served it between two slice of bread--and thus America's first hamburger was created.
The small _ is still owned and operated by the third and fourth generations of the Lassen family. Hamburgers are still the specialty of the house, where steak is ground fresh each day and hand molded, slow cooked, broiled vertically, and served between two slices of toast with your choice of only three "acceptable" garnishes: cheese, tomato, and onion.
Want ketchup or mustard? Forget it. You will be told "no" in no uncertain terms. This is the home of the greatest hamburger in the world, claim the owners, who are perhaps best known for allowing their customers to have a burger the Lassen way or not at all. | high12332.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The used buses running on diesel will be replaced by electric vehicles."
},
"options": [
"The used buses running on diesel will be replaced by electric vehicles.",
"London's air quality will be improved in the near future.",
... | Mayor Boris Johnson Monday outlined plans to make London "the cleanest" by the 2012 Olympics and called for commitments from other world cities at a climate change conference. Leaders of the world's 40 largest cities are meeting in Seoul this week for a summit on _ global warming ---- the third to be held since 2005.
"What we should do in Seoul is agree that we will stop the endless addiction of mankind to the internal combustion engine ," said Johnson. He told a press conference the world's cities consume 75 percent of its energy and produce 80 percent of the emissions which cause climate change. "The problem of our planet is an urban problem," Johnson said.
He said the British capital wants to use the Olympics "to drive the greening and the improvement of our city" and noted that London is committed to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2025.
Johnson said the key measure was addressing the problems relating to domestic and commercial buildings, which accounted for 70 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in London. This involved retrofitting ---- installing lagging ---- in large numbers of public buildings.
Johnson proclaimed himself a "passionate cyclist" and said he would push ahead with cycle super-highways around London.
London's air quality problem, he said, was caused by vehicle emissions from 8,300 antiquated diesel buses, which could be replaced by low-carbon vehicles. There were also 32,000 taxis running on diesel fuel, which could be replaced by electric vehicles.
Johnson said there would be a substantial program in the next few years to produce a "cleaner, greener" bus for his city. "The age of the diesel-emitting bus has got to be over in London." | high941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the general existence of the sense of curiosity"
},
"options": [
"the close connection between man and the fantasy world",
"the wonderful achievements of fantasy literature",
"the fine taste of moviegoers around the world",
... | Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe, but have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than common wildlife. Without modem technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen.
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad, but when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough,we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense ,are really part of our own. | high23851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They will study all by themselves."
},
"options": [
"They will do homework on computers.",
"They will study all by themselves.",
"They will have fun with teachers.",
"They will prepare for exams."
],
"question":... | Homework will not be a concern for pupils attending a pioneering new secondary school in Norfolk. Instead, the 1,100 children will stay longer at school, doing extra study at school as part of the extended school day, which could last until about 5 pm.
Rather than setting homework that pupils could struggle with at home, where there may be limited access to computers, they will do that as independent study in the day. When they go home they should enjoy quality family time. That has been really well received by parents who respect the fact that family time will be family time. But the school would still expect youngsters to study at home ahead of important exams.
Independent learning at school would ensure equality because kids who get help with homework from parents might rely on others too much.
Peter Devonish , a teacher at the school, said, "Having the children at school a bit longer to strengthen their learning is a really good idea, because they can have their time with the family." But he warned. "A disadvantage is that our school is in the countryside, which means it's not so perfect to get children home at that time."
Mr. Devonish said they also set pupils project-based homework, such as looking at an energy-efficient house, which allowed them to combine independent study with working with their parents.
Craig Morrison, another teacher, said, "A large problem with homework has been that not enough is done with it. With homework, a lot of effort can go into it, so it's about celebrating what children do rather than processing it in terms of marking it and handing it back." | high9889.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "come from different situations in one's life"
},
"options": [
"come from different situations in one's life",
"are largely affected by one's behavior",
"remain unchanged in one's daily life",
"could be chosen according ... | Attitude is an internal state that influences the choices of personal action made by the individual. Some researchers consider that attitudes come from differences between beliefs and ideas; others believe that attitudes come from emotional states. Here, we focus on the effects of attitudes upon behavior, that is, upon the choices of action made by the individual.
The kinds of actions taken by human beings are obviously influenced greatly by attitudes. Whether one listens to classical music or rock, whether one obeys the speed limit while driving, whether one encourages one's husband or wife to express his or her own ideas--all are influenced by attitudes. These internal states are acquired throughout life from situations one is faced with in the home, in the streets, and in the school.
Of course, the course of action chosen by an individual in any situation will be largely determined by the particulars of that situation. An individual who has a strong attitude of obeying laws may drive too fast when he is in a hurry and no police cars in sight. A child who has a strong attitude of honesty may steal a penny when she thinks no one will notice. But the internal state which remains unchanged over a period of time, and which makes the individual behave regularly in a variety of situations, is what is meant by an attitude.
Attitudes are learned in a variety of ways. They can result from single incidents, as when an attitude toward snakes is acquired by an experience in childhood at the sudden movement of a snake. They can result from the individual's experiences of success and pleasure, as when someone acquires a positive attitude toward doing crossword puzzles by being able to complete some of them. And frequently, they are learned by copying other people's behavior, as when a child learns how to behave toward foreigners by observing the actions of his parents. Regardless of these differences, there is something in common in the learning and modification of attitudes. | high12454.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Steve Jobs was remembered as the founder of Apple and the Internet"
},
"options": [
"Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive because of poor health.",
"Steve Jobs and his friend built a company called Apple Computer in 1... | Apple Inc co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs, counted among the greatest American CEOs of his generation, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, after a years-long and highly public battle with cancer. Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world.
Steve Jobs made technology fun. As tech leaders, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life. Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar.
Steve Jobs was a college dropout. He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant. They supported his early interest in electronics. He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer--now just called Apple--in 1976. They stayed at the company until 1985. That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute with the chief executive.
Mr. Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer. He rejoined Apple in 1997 after it bought NeXT, He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today. However, Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August, 2011 because of his health. He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement. Steve left behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.
President Obama said in a statement: by building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, Steve Jobs showed the spirit of American ingenuity . By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible but intuitive and fun.
The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really astonishing. He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the greatest of all time. Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business. Steve Jobs was remembered as a " great visionary and leader" and a marketing genius. | high799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "1980"
},
"options": [
"1890",
"1980",
"2000",
"2002"
],
"question": "Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in .",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | The traditional holiday is the most important to Chinese both home and abroad.
United Kingdom
Celebrations for Spring Festival in the UK started in 1980, with the first evening party held in 2002. Every new year, people get together and have a lot of activities. They sing songs, dance to music, share photos with friends or enjoy films in a cinema.
United States
Spring Festival has become a key time for Chinese living or working in the US. They join in a large evening party to welcome the traditional new year. It is a good chance for people to build a circle of friends and feel that they are not alone because they share the same culture and values.
Australia
The Chinese new year will be welcomed with three weeks of celebrations across Australia. Many people come to Sydney's Chinatown or Little Bourke in Melbourne. They enjoy fireworks, lion dances, dragon boat races and many other traditional activities. The celebrations are also a bridge towards better understanding between Chinese and non-Chinese.
Singapore
The family dinner on new year's eve is an important tradition for Chinese whether they were born in Singapore or moved there from China. They place traditional food on a table as an act of remembering their past. Then the whole family enjoy their dinner together. They usually hold it at home because having it in a restaurant takes away the meaning of the tradition. | high14025.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "find out about their reactions"
},
"options": [
"draw their attention",
"cater to their different tastes",
"find out about their reactions",
"teach them to improve their artistic appreciation"
],
"question": "Va... | Some people may be born happy, while others are genetically negative, scientists have suggested in a study published late February in a British journal.
Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in determining how the neurotransmitter serotonin works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone , passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant drugs regulate serotonin levels.
Scientists had also identified three variants of the gene. Two so-called "short" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide attempts. Unlike the two "short" variants, the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.
Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain showed participants a series of images, which were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a snake or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral ones.
The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene "showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material," the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.
In January, the Australian government organized "happiness workshops", teaching government staff how to be happy. The department that held the "happiness workshops" said unhappy staff weren't productive staff.
Australian political opposition parties have argued that the "happiness workshops" are probably a waste of money and couldn't increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see. | high20380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They are easy to grow."
},
"options": [
"They are used daily.",
"They are easy to grow.",
"They can grow very tall",
"They can be eaten uncooked"
],
"question": "Why does Loe suggest starting with herbs?",
"... | What Theresa Loe is doing proves that a large farm isn't _ for a modern grow-your-own lifestyle. On a mere 1/10 of an acre in Los Angeles, Loe and her family grow, can and preserve much of the food they consume.
Loe is a master food preserver, gardener and canning expert. She also operates a website, where she shares her tips and recipes, with the goal of demonstrating that every has the ability to control what's on their plate.
Loe initially went to school to become an engineer, but she quickly learned that her enthusiasm was mainly about growing and preparing her own food. "I got into cooking my own food and started growing my own herbs and foods for that fresh flavor,"she said. Engineer by day, Loe learned cooking at night school. She ultimately purchased a small piece of land with her husband and began growing their own foods.
"I teach people how to live farm-fresh without a farm," Loe said. Through her website Loe emphasizes that "anybody can do this anywhere." Got an apartment with a balcony ? Plant some herbs. A window? Perfect spot for growing. Start with herbs, she recommends, because "they're very forgiving." Just a little of the herbs "can take your regular cooking to a whole new level," she added. "I think it's a great place to start." "Then? Try growing something from a seed, she said, like a tomato or some tea."
Canning is a natural extension of the planting she does. With every planted food. Loe noted, there's a moment when it's bursting with its absolute peak flavor. "I try and keep it in a time capsule in a canning jar," Loe said. "Canning for me is about knowing what's in your food, knowing where it comes from."
In addition to being more in touch with the food she's eating, another joy comes from passing this knowledge and this desire for good food to her children: "Influencing them and telling them your opinion on not only being careful what we eat but understanding _ ," she said, "that if we don't take care of the earth, no will." | high10243.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The top clubs represent the UK in the two Europe competitions."
},
"options": [
"The top clubs represent the UK in the two Europe competitions.",
"Football is a newly-invented game in England",
"The top level league in Englan... | Sports play an important role in British life. The most popular sport is football. Cricket is also popular in England, but is less important in the other home nations. Rugby union and rugby league are the other major team sports. Tennis is the most important sport for the two weeks of the Wimbledon Championships
Football
The modern global game of football developed from traditional British football games in the 19thcentury. Club football is organized separately in each of the home nations. English football has a league system which combines thousands of clubs. Scotland has a similar but smaller club football structure. The top level league in Wales is the league of Wales. In Northern Ireland the main league is the Irish Football League.
Each season the most successful clubs from each of the home nations qualify for(......) the two Europe wide club competitions organized by UEFA , the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup.
Cricket
Cricket was invented in England. It is regarded as England's national summer game and it is probably the second most widely covered sport.
There are eighteen professional country clubs, seventeen of them in England and one in Wales. Each summer the country clubs compete in the first class Country Championship, which consist of two leagues of nine teams and in which matches are played over four days.
Rugby
Like football, rugby union and rugby league both developed from traditional British football games in the 19thcentury. For much of the 20thcentury there was great _ between rugby leagues, which was a mainly working class game based in the industrial areas of northern England, and rugby union, which is a mainly middle class game in England, and is also popular in the other home nations.
Tennis
Tennis is yet another sport which originated in the United Kingdom and the governing body of the sport is the LTA . However, no British man has won Wimbledon since 1936 and no British woman since 1977. The only British players of either sex to reach the world top 50 in recent years are Greg Rusedski, who learnt his tennis in Canada, and Tim Henman and Andrew Murray ,who did not pass through the LTA system either. | high2704.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she often felt abandoned and unwanted"
},
"options": [
"she often felt abandoned and unwanted",
"she was unwilling to live with her grandmother",
"her grandmother often scolded and punished her",
"she couldn't develop g... | Oprah Winfrey has come a long way from her poor childhood home in a small Mississippi town. She was an unwanted child whose parents never married. She was brought up on her grandmother's farm. The possibility that she would become rich and famous was slim.
Oprah's mother left her child in her mother's care, so she could go to work in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was a strict and difficult life for Oprah. But it also led the way for her future.
She was a highly intelligent child. By the age of three, she had learned to read and write. She also made her first public appearance at that age. Oprah's intelligence was resented by other children of her age. They called her unkind names and pushed her away. Oprah felt very isolated and unwanted. It made her feel worse that she didn't live with her mother and father. She felt that no one loved her. This made her angry and rebellious . These feelings brought her much trouble as she was growing up. She often behaved badly, causing her grandmother to punish her. By the age of seven, she was too much for her grandmother to discipline.
Then Oprah went to live with her mother, Vernita, who worked very hard as a housekeeper in Milwaukee. It was hard for her to work and take care of her bright, troublesome child. They lived in poverty in a small apartment. Oprah took out all her angry feelings on her mother. When Oprah was eight, Vernita sent her to live with her father and stepmother in Nashville, Tennessee.
But she moved again a few months later when Vernita married a man with two children. Vernita wanted Oprah to be with her and her new family. Unfortunately, she felt she didn't belong with them. She believed she wasn't loved by anyone. Her angry and frustration grew stronger. She struck back by misbehaving and running away from home. Her parents found her impossible to discipline. When she was 14, they tried to send her to a special center for troubled girls.
But there was no room for her. So Vernita sent Oprah back to live with her father. Vernon Winfrey was by then a successful businessman and family man. He took one look at his daughter and knew she needed love, guidance and discipline. He gave her all three. It was a turning point in Oprah's life. He was strict about his daughter's education.
He gave her homework in addition to her schoolwork. She was allowed to watch only one hour of television a day. She became an A student and a popular girl in her class. Oprah watched Barbara Walters, a famous journalist, and decided that was what she wanted to be.
When she was still in high school, she got a part-time job reading news on the radio. In her senior year she won a beauty contest and a four-year scholarship to Tennessee State University.
While still in college she was offered a job as a news broadcaster at a local television station. She was the first female and the first African-American newscaster in Nashville. She was promoted to anchor, the most important position on the news team, while still a senior.
After Oprah graduated she got a job with a Baltimore news station. But she soon realized that broadcasting news wasn't enough for her. She had to let her personality shine through. She wanted to show emotion when she told a story, not just report it. Meanwhile the station managers were thinking the same way. They removed her from the anchor spot and wondered what to do with her. Finally they put her on an early morning talk show called People Are Talking. No one knew what to expect. The show was a great success. In a very short time, the managers and Oprah all knew what she was born to do. She was everything a talk show host should be.
She was so successful that she got a show with a bigger station in Chicago. In 1985 the show was changed to The Oprah Winfrey Show. It was broadcast nationally and soon became the most popular talk show on television. By the age of 35, Oprah Winfrey was one of the most famous celebrities in America. | high19501.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "sub-Saharan countries need to increase wheat production badly"
},
"options": [
"sub-Saharan countries need to increase wheat production badly",
"sub-Saharan countries have to issue more money",
"sub-Saharan countries should g... | Agricultural experts met in Ethiopia last week to discuss ways to help sub-Saharan Africa become a major producer of wheat. The area traditionally produced little wheat, while North Africa was the grain basket.
Wheat production fell sharply in sub-Saharan countries during the 1980s. In the 1960s, attempts were made to grow wheat in sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa and Zimbabwe. But those countries found it was less costly to import wheat from Europe and the United States. Another problem is that Africa's wheat farms were often far from population centers. There also were transportation issues. And some lowlands were not a good place to grow wheat.
Hans Joachim Braun,one of the experts, says now is a good time to increase wheat production. In the last four years we have seen three major price hikes, where the wheat price and other staple process exploded. And that puts a big, big bill on countries which are depending on wheat imports, and Africa is the biggest wheat importer.
He also says demand for wheat in sub-Saharan Africa is growing faster than for any other crop. With higher income people would like to have more diversified food. But that is possible not the most important one. The most important one is that there is a tremendous migration of in particular male labor to the cities. And wheat products are convenient food because you can easily buy it. It's easy to process and you also can store it for a few days, which is different from some of the maize and rice products.
There are three possible challenges for growing more wheat in Africa: climate change, disease and pests, like insects. Mr. Braun says rising temperatures should not have a major effect on wheat. In fact, he says, it could help wheat grow in areas with high rainfall totals. As for fighting disease and pests, experts suggest growing more resistant crops. In addition, railroads and roads would have to be improved so large amounts of wheat could be moved to large markets. | high4375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "ask you to go to the center"
},
"options": [
"give advice on health",
"introduce new ways of body-building",
"ask you to go to the center",
"introduce ways to lose weight"
],
"question": "The purpose of this pas... | With a busy life and job, pressure can make you look tired and aged. KissiHealth-BeautyCentergives classes, makes training plans according to your physical conditions, and sets up an individual file. All these things will help you to get to know your body and the way to keep it fit.
1) BODY-BUILDING
Imported gym equipment will help you build up your body's muscles, making you look full of energy and strength.
2) GYMNASTIC EXERCISES
A bright and large exercise room with excellent equipment and music will give your body a chance to enjoy movement with rhythm.
3) SPECIAL "LAZY-BONE"FITNESSCENTER
"Lazy-bone" fitness equipment is the first bodyshaping set of seven beds in Houston. Designed according to human anatomic and kinematic theory, the seven special beds will help you to exercise your waist, abdomen , hips or legs. In the relaxing hours you may try them to strengthen your muscles and lose weight.
*Tuition: "Lazy-bone" fitness card, 1000 dollars /month (gymnastic classes included).
*Open Time: 10:30 a.m. --10:30 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
*Tel: 59185700
*Address: 16 Johnson Street,Houston | high16632.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you cannot change a bad situation."
},
"options": [
"other people have been unfair to you.",
"other people will help you.",
"you cannot change a bad situation.",
"you can do better next time."
],
"question": "Ac... | A 70-year study of personality suggests that pessimism is a risk factor for early death, especially among men.
The study results also indicate that pessimism can be linked to increased risk for sudden death from accidents or violence, according to the report published in the March issue ofPsychological Science.
Christopher Peterson of the University of Michigan and his colleagues analyzed data from the Terman Life-Cycle Study, which began by studying California public-school children with high IQs in 1921 and followed them through their life. Most of the 1,528 children were teenagers when the study began. Those still living are now in their 80s. In 1936 and 1940, participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to obtain information about difficult life events and their effect on overall outlook. One such question was, "What do you regard as your most serious fault of personality or character?"
Pessimists were defined as fatalistic people who tend to blame themselves when things go wrong and who believe that one bad event can ruin the rest of their life. They also tend to expect bad things to happen to them and feel that they have little or no ability to change their situation.
Males were more likely than females to be classified as pessimistic. Compared with individuals with a more cheerful and optimistic outlook, pessimists were more likely to die from accidents and violence (including suicide).
A pessimistic personality may lead to poor problem-solving ability, social difficulties and risky decision-making. Taken together, these variables put the pessimist at higher risk of untimely death, say the researchers. Such a person is less likely to avoid or escape potentially dangerous situations, the researchers concluded. "A pessimistic way of thinking in which people worry too much about bad events, predicts untimely death decades later," according to Peterson. | high2937.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he had travelled in the heavy rain"
},
"options": [
"it was a cloudy and windy day",
"it snowed",
"he had travelled in the heavy rain",
"he was hungry"
],
"question": "The old man felt very cold because _ .",... | Seeing the Horse Eat Fish
Once an old man was walking in a street with his horse. It was raining hard. The old man was cold because he was walking in the rain. He wanted to stay in a restaurant. It was a quarter past three in the afternoon. The old man got to a small restaurant. There were a lot of people in it. The old man couldn' t come near the fire. He thought and thought. At last he said to the waiters, "Take some fish to my horse." The waiter and the people were very surprised. The waiter said, "A horse doesn't eat fish." The old man told the waiter, "This horse is very interesting. It can sing, dance and does all kinds of things.
It can eat fish, too," So the waiter brought the horse some fish. All the people in the restaurant ran out to see the horse eat fish except the old man. Now the old man sat beside the fire. After a while the waiter came back and said. "Your horse didn't eat any fish." The old man said, "All right, take the fish back and put it on the table. I'll eat it."
Note: stove waiter | high16801.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "7"
},
"options": [
"7",
"8",
"9",
"11 zxxk"
],
"question": "If a person was born on November 8, 1995, what is his Life Path number?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | Just as some people think that certain numbers are lucky or unlucky, others believe that we can use numbers to understand our personalities, or predict what will happen to us in the future.
Numerology is a way of using numbers to describe a person's character, and to make predictions about future life events. Numerologists use the numbers 1-9, 11 and 22 -- also known as the "master" numbers -- to help a person understand his or her personality, life goals, and destiny.
Numerologists consider yourLife Path number to be the most significant because this number describes your character. To find this number, add together all the numbers in your date of birth. For example, a person born on April 25, 1985 would add the month (4), to the numbers of the date (2+5), plus the numbers of the birth year (1+9+8+5). In this case the total is 34, so this person's life path number is 7(3+4). Numerologists believe that people with this number are peaceful and affectionate but can also be very reserved.
Your Expression numberdescribes your talents and predicts how you should use these to fulfill your destiny in life. Numerologists assign a number between 1 and 9 to each of the letters in your name. These numbers are then added together in the same way as before to find your Expression number. Numerologists can also do calculations to predict when the most challenging periods of your life will be.
Numerologists also believe that the day a person is born is important. Each day of the month has a character description. People born on the fourth are said to be responsible, honest, and stubborn. People born on the fifteenth have very strong attachments to family and home. Those who celebrate their birthday on the thirtieth are artistic, creative, and imaginative, and often make good writers.
If we calculate the numerical value of our name and birth date, numerologists believe that we can learn more about our personalities. They also believe that we can predict our destinies, how our lives will progress, and what challenges we may face along the way. To the numerologist, numbers can be used in many more ways than we think. | high772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Dan and John"
},
"options": [
"The writer",
"Bob",
"Dan and John",
"The whole family"
],
"question": "Who trimmed the Christmas tree this year?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Family traditions were important in our house, and none was more appreciated than the perfect Christmas tree
"Dad, can we watch when you trim the tree?" My eldest son. Dan, nine, and his seven -year-old brother John, asked
"I won't be cutting this year," my husband Bob said. "Dan, you and John are old enough to measure things. Do it all by yourselves. Think you boys can handle it?
Dan and John seemed to _ in their chairs at the thought of such an amazing responsibility. "We can handle it." Dan promised. "We won't let you down." .
A few days before Christmas. Dan and John rushed in after school. They gathered the tools they'd need and brought them out to the yard .where the tree waited. I was cooking when I heard the happy sounds as the boys carried the tree into the lying room. Then I heard the sound that every mother knows is trouble: dead silence I hurried out to them. The tree was cut too short. John crossed his arms tight across his chest. His eyes filled with angry tears.
I felt worried The tree was central to our holiday. I didn't want the boys to feel ashamed every tune they looked at it. I couldn't lower the ceiling, and I couldn't raise the floor either. There was no way to undo the damage done. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind, which turned the problem into the solution. www..com
"We can't make the tree taller." I said. "But we can put it on a higher position"
Dan nodded his head sideways. "We could put it on the coffee table. It just might work! Let's try it!"
When Bob got home and looked at the big tree on top of the coffee table, Dan and John held their breath.
"What a good idea!" he declared "Why didn't I ever think of such a thing?"
John broke into a grin Dan's chest swelled with pride. | high6589.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "attract readers"
},
"options": [
"explain the reason",
"sell newspapers",
"attract readers",
"give an immediate answer"
],
"question": "The purpose of the question at the beginning of this news report is to _ ... | Question: What is more astonishing than a 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck being driven down the street?
Answer: A 60-ton whale on a flatbed truck exploding and raining blubber ( fat of whales) all over the sidewalk.
That's what happened in Taiwan recently, when a dead sperm whale being shipped to the Halobios Research Center for an autopsy developed an extremely bad case of gas and blew up before it reached its destination.
The whale was found alive on a prefix = st1 /Taiwanbeach last weekend, and died shortly after it was discovered. Since the 56-foot whale was the largest whale ever beached onTaiwan's shores, scientists wanted to study it and perform an autopsy for educational purpose.
Obviously, too much time passed between when the animal died and the time it was set to be moved to the autopsy location, because it had already started to go bad. When things rot, they give off gases as a by-product. In the whale's case, the gases were trapped in its belly. The pressure inside the rotting creature grew so much that it popped like an over-filled balloon. Unfortunately, it was on a truck in the middle of the city of Taiwanat the time--- cars and shops lining the street were covered with whale bits and juices, much to their owners' discouragement.
According to the news reports, traffic was tied up for hours while officials tried to clean up the streets.
Newspaper editors worldwide were probably smiling to themselves, since they had a ready-made headline--- several reports about the incident were titled " There She Blows!" after the famous line from the book Moby Dick. | high23662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People in various countries demand different psychological space."
},
"options": [
"Americans are trained to live in large rooms at birth.",
"Economic situation decides one's amount of space needs.",
"People in various countr... | Not everyone in the world requires the same amount of living space. The amount of space a person needs around him is a cultural difference, not an economic one. Knowing your own psychological space needs is important because they strongly affect your choices, including, for example, the number of bedrooms in the home. If you were brought up in a two-child family and both you and your sister or brother had your own bedrooms, the chances are, if you have two children or more, that you also will offer separate bedrooms for them. In America, for example, they train people to want to have their own rooms by giving them their own rooms when they are babies. This is very rare in the world. In many other countries, the baby sleeps in the same bed with his parents or in bed near them.
The space in the home also shows a lot about psychological space needs. Some families gather closer to each other and the size of their house has nothing to do with it. Others have separate little corners where family members go to bed alone.
Although it is true that psychological space needs are not decided by economic reasons, they sometimes have to be changed a little because of economic pressures. It is almost impossible, however, to completely change your psychological space needs. | high13979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Care."
},
"options": [
"Authority.",
"Dignity.",
"Liberty.",
"Care."
],
"question": "In the author's opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women?",
"question_type": null
}
] | The other morning on the subway I sat next to an attractive young blonde woman who was reading something on her iPad. She was very well-dressed, carrying a Prada bag with tastefully applied make-up indeed, she had an unmistakable air of wealth, material success and even authority. I suspected she worked as a highly-paid Wall Street lawyer or stockbroker or something of that sort. So, I was curious to see what she was so focused on. The Wall Street Journal perhaps? The Economist?
Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels--smart, attractive, successful, "liberated," modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending.
_ . Yet, the genre remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that's not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women--forty years after the women's liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?
I'm not sure if it represents a kind of "rejection" of the women's liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: "Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!"
Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the "freedoms" they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, _ . | high9862.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Near Havana's Plaza of the Revolution."
},
"options": [
"In Cuban Television Station.",
"Near Havana's Plaza of the Revolution.",
"In Santa Ifigenia cemetery.",
"Along the streets of Santiago de Cuba."
],
"quest... | Cuba's former leader, Fidel Castro,died at the age of 90,according to a November 25 announcement on Cuban state television. The death marks the passing of a controversial figure who made a major impact on international affairs during his long rule.
The Cuban government declared nine days of official mourning. On Monday, thousands of Cubans lined up near Havana's Plaza of the Revolution to pay their final respects to their leader. On Wednesday,Castro's ashes will begin a three-day journey across Cuba to Santa Ifigenia cemetery in Santiago de Cuba.
Castro was born into a middle-class family on August 13 1926. He spent his childhood alongside the laborers on his father's plantation . In 1945, Castro entered the University of Havana as a law student. He later joined groups that sought to end dictatorships in Latin-American countries.
On July 26. 1953,Castro staged an unsuccessful revolt against Batista's government. He and his brother Raul were captured and imprisoned for two years. After they were freed, the brothers went into exile in Mexico, On November 25, 1956,Castro set out once again to overthrow Batista. His revolution grew in strength. On New Year s Day 1959, Batista fled from Cuba. Castro took absolute power on January 8.
The U.S. viewed Castro's relationship with the Soviet Union as a threat. In 1961,President John F. Kennedy approved the invasion of Cuba by 1,500 Cuban exiles. They landed on April 17 at the Bay of Pigs, but with little U. S. military support. Cuban troops smashed the attack within a few days.
In October 1962,Castro confronted Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis, during which he allowed the Soviet Union to place nuclear-capable missiles in Cuba. By that time, the U. S. had cut all relations with Cuba.
After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991,Cuba lost its economic support. To fuel the economy, the Cuban government allowed outside investment in hotels and resorts, but that created inequality. Meanwhile, Castro continued to crack down on any opposition. After undergoing intestinal surgery in 2006,Castro handed Cuba's presidency to Raul. The transition of power became official in 2008. | high14970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Teenagers are advised to make different plans for study every day."
},
"options": [
"Two hours a day is perfect for teenagers to study.",
"You shouldn't listen to any music while studying.",
"It is easier for adults to stay f... | Why does everything else seem so interesting when you have to study? Let's find out how to stay focused.Follow each piece of advice that is given below.
Switch Off Your Cell phone
Nothing's worse for a teenager to stay without their cell phone even for a minute.However,if you can't find yourself focused for a long time,you know that it's the continual sound in your cell phone that isn't letting you learn.Stop sending text massages to your friends saying'I can't study'or'how much have you finished'.Remember,you don't have enough time to kill,do you?
Soothing Music Helps
Bizarre as it may sound,while things such as TVs,PCs,or MP3 players are not acceptable while studying,researchers claim that listening to soothing music actually helps you stay focused.Try it.It might work for you.
A New Timetable Every Day
One of my personal techniques,tried and tested,is creating a new timetable every day. You don't really need to draw one.Instead,just stare at the clock,and divide your hours.Suppose.2 hours of continuous study require a 30-minute break after that.Relax and then go back to study for another two hours.Just be true to yourself, and try not to get distracted in those two hours.
Try Different Places to Study
The idea is,looking for a place that doesn't have much to focus upon is the best way of staying organized while studying.A lonely corner in your house is perfect in this case.Hey! Why don't you go to your school library,if things get worse? It has the perfect atmosphere,silence,and a librarian,every time! Now this will work for sure,trust me. | high23104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "something be done to make our language pure"
},
"options": [
"something be done to make our language pure",
"the Chinese language not have the word \"Ba\"",
"everything have a good name and a good meaning",
"everybody t... | You can find language pollution whenever you open a newspaper or turn on your TV set, listen to a popular song at various advertisements. Language pollution exists almost everywhere and can be seen in the following places;
1. Chinese character are written in the complex form. Although simplified Chinese characters were accepted for use many years ago, it seems that more and more people like Chinese characters written in the complex form.
2. Many goods are produced in China but carry foreign names, which sound strange and have no meaning at all.
3. Words and expressions being used have a bad meaning. "Ba" , which means bully in Chinese, is one example. Now there are a lot of goods, restaurants, even factories or firms, with "Ba" in their names.
4. There are too many incorrect grammatical expressions. Some films have strange names and incorrect grammatical structures . "Ai ni mei shang liang", which means "I love you without consulting", is grammatically incorrect and this kind of expression is now becoming popular.
Some language experts point out that language pollution must be _ which is an idea shared by many others and myself. | high1580.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "good at making decisions"
},
"options": [
"interested in getting any information from the government",
"looking for a good-paying job with excellent hours",
"good at making decisions",
"very good at science"
],
... | When Tom finished his studies at the university , he began to look around for a job. He did not know what he would like to do, but one of his uncles had worked for the government for thirty years, and he advised Tom to try to get a job of the same kind, so he went for an exam one day. He was successful, and his first job was in a large government office in London.
When Tom had been working there for a few weeks, his uncle came to visit the family one Saturday evening. He was pleased that his nephew had got a job working for the government, and he asked him a lot of questions about it.
One of the questions he asked was, "How many people work in your department , Tom?"
The young man thought for a few moments and then answered, "About half of them, Uncle Jim." | high11808.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Word Smart Junior"
},
"options": [
"Word Power",
"Word Smart Junior",
"Grammar Smart Junior",
"Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage"
],
"question": "If a ten-year-old boy wants himself to be admired be... | Word Power
Author(s): Kaplan $13.95
You'll never be at a loss for words again. Energize your vocabulary with must-know everyday words that are the essentials of a good vocabulary, engaging lessons to help you use words in text, hot words often found on tests, tips to help you figure out new words, roots, and more.
Grades: 8 & up Ages: 13 & up
Word Smart Junior
Author(s): Russell Stauffer $ 17.95
Now this is the way to add new words to your vocabulary! Word Smart Junior will make you laugh so much. You'll be amazed that you've just learned more than 120 fascinating and very useful words! Parents, teachers, and friends will marvel at your eloquence !
Grades: 3-5 Ages: 8-10
Grammar Smart Junior
Author(s): Marcia Reynolds $ 16.85
Do you quake when your teacher says, "Now it's time for grammar"? Do your verbs agree with your subjects?
Fear no more!A big Hollywood producer and a famous movie star will help you learn all those nasty elements of grammar. You'll be amazed at how quickly you learn, and how much fun it can be. _ and you'll never have to worry about it again.
Grades: 7-9 Ages: 12-14
Grammar Smart: An Audio Guide to Perfect Usage
Author(s): Julian Fleisher $ 12.68
The words you use say a lot about you ... but the way you put them together says even more. Your grammar makes an immediate and lasting impression on your teachers, and even your friends. So don't make the mistake of thinking that grammar is too complicated. We've created Grammar Smart to help you write and speak with clarity and confidence.
Grades: 6-8 Ages: 11-13 | high18192.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Human fortunes are as unpredictable as the weather."
},
"options": [
"Man's determination will finally conquer nature.",
"People should keep fighting for living a better life.",
"Human fortunes are as unpredictable as the wea... | There are several reasons why some people enjoy a better standard of living than other people. Then again, some people work very hard for their entire life and only are able to pay their monthly living expenses. As a matter of fact, they usually end up working until the last day they are alive.
On the other hand, many people who are well off, so to speak, and through no fault of their own, experience a rapid decline of their standard of living due to an unexpected disaster, poor health and /or a severe economic depression within the country in which they live.
Additionally, well-educated people usually earn more money during their active working years and thus are able to save a great deal of money in which to support themselves after they retire from the work force.
People also become wealthy as a result of their own determination or they inherit wealth from elder family members, or they simply continue to work in the business that past generations of their family worked within.
It is also true that a person can simply be a lucky dog who wins a lottery or some such contests that give a great deal of wealth to the winner. Let us not forget about the self-made individuals who have a dream of achieving fame and fortune and, after many years truly hard work, are well-rewarded for their continued efforts.
An example of whom is the person who wrote the Harry Potter novels. She was just an average person who became a billionaire. So too, Ray Croc, the founder of a chain of fast food restaurants, became rich and famous at a time in life when most people retire from the workforce. Bill Gates is another person, who, by his own determination, skill and hard work, became rich and famous, as well as Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison.
As you can see, there are many ways in which to become wealthy and enjoy an above average standard of living. However, those who are motivated by greed and become criminals as a result of such greed end up causing harm to others, as they continue to suck the wealth out of other people within the society. Those criminals simply take all that they get and give back little or nothing in return. What is your plan for achieving financial security, happiness, fame, and fortune? | high21713.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "is a violent low-pressured storm"
},
"options": [
"is a violent low-pressured storm",
"is often accompanied with heavy rain",
"only occurs in summer and autumn",
"is a square cloud containing very cold air"
],
"... | Two of the most dangerous storms which hit America are hurricanes and tornadoes. They are very much feared by anyone who may live in the path of their destruction and cause millions of dollars of damage to life and property every year.
If one should travel inland across the Great Plains and the Prairie states of America, one will mostly not experience a hurricane, but there is another kind of storm in the Midwest which is equally feared. It is called a tornado. Tornados are violent low-pressured storms with an intense updraft near their center which is capable of lifting quite heavy objects from the ground. A tornado,therefore, is a dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air. It can pick up trees and cars right into the air and even uplift heavier objects such as homes and railway cars.
Like a vacuum cleaner across a rug, it sucks up into anything which may lie in its path. These storms occur most often during the summer months and are noticeable by their strong wind and lack of rain. The sky turns black as dust is sucked up into the air. Tornadoes travel normally around 60 kilometers per hour and the winds can reach 800 kilometers per hour in the most violent storms. Tornados are most frequent in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains and especially in the central plains area of the Mississippi basin where about 150 occur each year. Tornados may also strike the southern states in winter and have even seen known to develop in the northeast.
Both hurricanes and tornados cause millions of dollars worth of damage each year. Today they can be predicted more easily than in the past, but they cannot be stopped or ignored. When they come, they must be endured with the hope that one survives their fury and wraths. | high18186.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "lower your eyes"
},
"options": [
"lower your eyes",
"lower your head",
"bend your back",
"look straight"
],
"question": "You are advised to _ to see where you are going during walking.",
"question_type":... | Many people think walking is a good way to exercise and many fat people are advised to lose weight by walking. In fact, you can do it everywhere. Here's how to prepare for walking:
^Find a pair of shoes. It is easy to find a pair of shoes, but what matters most is comfort.
^Check your shape. The following tips will help you stay comfortable and get the most out of your walk:
* Stand up straight. Imagine a string pulling you up from the center of the top of your head. Let that string pull you up as straight as possible. Relax your shoulders.
* Look ahead. Keep your neck straight and your head held high to avoid unnecessary strain to your neck and shoulders. If you have to look down to see where you're going, lower your eyes, not your head.
* Move your arms. Bend your elbows and let your arms swing naturally at your sides. You'll burn up to 15 percent more calories by keeping your arms moving.
^Stay safe walking is one of the safest activities you can do. Still, it's wise to take a few precautions .
* If you're walking at night, wear a piece of reflective clothing.
* When the weather's warm, be sure to drink a tall glass of water before you set out and another when you return.
* If your path is rough, protect your ankles. Wear a comfortable elastic bandage for support, and keep your eyes focused on the path. | high21707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "from May 1 to 10"
},
"options": [
"from May 1 to 10",
"from May 4 to 22",
"from June 29 to July 9",
"from September 9 to 16"
],
"question": "Wine lovers can enjoy themselves .",
"question_type": "factiod... | Planning your to-do list for the coming year? To help you out, we've collected our favorite must-see events across Canada. Ready, go!
Red or white?
Every spring wine growers get together to celebrate the beginning of another grape-growing season at the Okanagan Spring Wine Festival. The best time to visit the Okanagan is usually from May 1 to 10. The festival allows visitors to taste the best wines in Canada together with unique dishes representing the latest developments in local cuisine.
The jazz festival
Montreal's downtown comes alive every summer during the International Jazz Festival.
The Festival International de Jazz de Montreal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest held the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. This year the event is scheduled to run from June 29 to July 9. Stages replace cars along busy streets. With a host of free outdoor shows, you'll be snapping your fingers to anything from Dixieland to blues, African beats to modern trip-hop, and everything in between.
Are you ready?
Just head east to the Newfoundland Targa Rally, which runs from September 9 to 16 this year. The 2,200-kilometre race dashes across the eastern and central parts of the province, and is the largest race of its kind in North America. On these sections you race against the clock rather than other competitors. This is a great chance to test your car's limits and your skills.
Hello spring!
In 1945, thousands of tulip bulbs gifts from Holland, were planted on Ottawa's Parliament Hill, Canada. These gifts were a thank-you to Canadian soldiers who helped set Holland free in World WarII. Since then, the capital has become home to the Canadian Tulip Festival. From May 4 to 22, Ottawa and Gatineau (a city of southwest Quebec) will be covered with beautiful flowers. Besides three million tulips, visitors can also attend concerts, featuring some of Canada's brightest musical stars. | high19298.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "become beggars or thieves"
},
"options": [
"waste their time",
"help others",
"become beggars or thieves",
"make progress some day"
],
"question": "From the passage, we know that those who are too lazy to work w... | It is the duty of every man to work. The life of a lazy man is of no use to himself and to others. The man who is too lazy to work is the man who is generally most ready to beg or to steal. Every boy, when he is young, should learn how to do some useful work.
But it is not enough that a boy should learn some kind of work. He should put his heart and soul completely into his work, and not waste his spare time. "Work while you work and play while you play" is as good a rule for young people as for the old!
There is no better help to diligence than the habit of early rising, and this, just like all other good habits, is most easily formed in youth. There is an English saying, "Lost time never returns". This means that everybody must be diligent and make good use of his time. One must study hard when one is young so that one may make great progress, succeed in life and become useful to one's country. Those who are diligent will never become beggars. Therefore, we can say that diligence is the mother of success. | high3383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "was not professional"
},
"options": [
"was not professional",
"had two competitors",
"had a wrong start",
"didn't try his best"
],
"question": "We know from the passage that the swimmer _ .",
"question_ty... | When I was watching a sports event yesterday, I met with an amazing sight. It was not a gold medal, or a world record broken, but a show of pure courage and determination.
The event was swimming. I watched a man dive off the blocks and knew right away that something was wrong. I'm not an expert swimmer, but I can tell a good dive from a poor one, and this was not exactly medal quality. When he resurfaced, it was evident that the man was not out for gold -- his arms were waving in an attempt at freestyle.
I heard the crowd begin to laugh at this poor man who was clearly having a hard time. Finally he made his turn to start back. It was pitiful. He made a few desperate strokes and you could tell he was worn out. But in those few awkward strokes, the crowd changed. No longer were they laughing, but beginning to cheer. Some even began to stand and yell things like, "Come on, you can do it!" He did. The crowd went wild.
Just a short year ago, he had never even swum, let alone race. His country had been invited to take part in the event. Even though he recorded the slowest time, this man gave more heart than any of the other competitors--a man that gave his all, knowing that he had no chance but to compete because of the spirit of the games. | high14964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because we've been taught so from a young age."
},
"options": [
"Because mistakes make us suffer a lot.",
"Because it's a natural part in our life.",
"Because we've been taught so from a young age.",
"Because mistakes h... | When you make a mistake, big or small, cherish it like it's the most precious thing in the world, because in some ways, it is.
Most of us feel bad when we make mistakes, beat ourselves up about it, feel like failures, get mad at ourselves.
And that's only natural. Most of us have been taught from a young age that mistakes are bad, and we should try to avoid mistakes. We've been scolded when we make mistakes--at home, school and work. Maybe not always, but probably enough times to make feeling bad about mistakes an unconscious reaction.
Yet without mistakes, we could not learn or grow. If you think about it that way, mistakes should be cherished and celebrated for being one of the most amazing things in the world. They make learning possible; they make growth and improvement possible.
By trial and error--trying things, making mistakes, and learning from those mistakes--we have figured out how to make electric light, to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to fly.
Mistakes make walking possible for the smallest _ , make speech possible, and make works of genius possible.
Think about how we learn:We don't just consume information about something and instantly know it or know how to do it. You don't just read about painting,or writing,or computer programming,or baking, or playing the piano, and know how to do them right away. Instead, you get information about something, from reading or from another person or from observing usually...then you construct a model in your mind...then you test it out by trying it in the real world...then you make mistakes...then you revise the model based on the results of your real world experimentation...and repeat, making mistakes, learning from those mistakes, until you've pretty much learned how to do something. That's how we learn as babies and toddlers, and how we learn as adults. Mistakes are how we learn to do something new--because if you succeed at something, it's probably something you already knew how to do. You haven't really grown much from that success--at most it's the last step on your journey, not the whole journey. Most of the journey is made up of mistakes, if it's a good journey.
So if you value learning,if you value growing and improving,then you should value mistakes. They are amazing things that make a world of brilliance possible. | high1594.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In the busiest part of New York."
},
"options": [
"Outside New York.",
"In the north of the city.",
"In the busiest part of New York.",
"In the heart of a university."
],
"question": "Where is the New York Publi... | The New York Public Library, in the heart of the city at 42nd Street and 5th Avenue, may have to close its doors.
The library is one of New York's most beautiful and valuable buildings. Even though it is in the busiest part of the city, it has grass and trees around it, and benches for people to sit on. Even more unusual in crowded New York, its rooms are very large. The roof of the Main Reading Room is 51 feet high. Here, a reader can sit and work in comfort.
The library has over thirty million books and paintings. It owns one of the first copies of a Shakespeare's play, a Bible printed in the 15th century, and a letter written by Columbus in which he tells of finding the new world.
Every New Yorker can visit the library and use its riches -- free.
But the cost of running the library has risen sharply in recent years, and the library has not enough money to continue its work. In the past, it was open every day. Now it is closed on Saturdays and Sundays and every evening to save money.
The library is trying to raise more money to meet its increasing cost. Well-known writers and artists are trying to help. So are the universities, whose students use the library, and the government of New York City. But the problem remains serious.
Yet a way must be found to save the library because, as one writer said,"The Public Library is the most important building in New York City -- it contains all our knowledge." | high24119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "human cloning is a foolish undertaking"
},
"options": [
"human cloning is a foolish undertaking",
"animal cloning is absolutely impractical",
"human cloning should be done selectively",
"animal cloning is not worth the ... | Scientist Says 'No' to Human Cloning
"I've never met a human worth cloning," says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from his lab at Texas A&M University. "It's a stupid endeavor."
That's an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13-year-old dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two cows and a cat.
They just might succeed in cloning Missy soon -- or perhaps not for another five years.
Westhusin's experience with cloning animals leaves him upset by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missy project, using hundreds upon hundreds of dog's eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy's DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted(,) fetuses may be acceptable when you're dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans. "Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous," he says.
Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1997, Westhusin's phone has been ringing with people calling in hopes of duplicating their cats and dogs, cattle and horses. "A lot of people want to clone pets, especially if the price is right," says Westhusin. Cost is no obstacle for Missy's mysterious billionaire owner; he's put up $3.7 million so far to fund A&M's research.
Contrary to some media reports, Missy is not dead. The owner wants a twin to carry on Missy's fine qualities after she does die. The prototype(;)is, by all accounts, athletic, good-natured and supersmart. Missy's master does not expect an exact copy of her. He knows her clone may not have her temperament(, ). In a statement of purpose, Missy's owner and the A&M team say they are "both looking forward to studying the ways that her clones differ from Missy."
Besides cloning a great dog, the project may contribute insight into the old question of nature vs. nurture. It could also lead to the cloning of special rescue dogs and many endangered animals.
However, Westhusin is cautious about his work. He knows that even if he gets a dog pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems~ "Why would you ever want to clone humans," Westhusin asks, "when we're not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet?" | high766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Harmful Effects of Smoking"
},
"options": [
"The Harmful Effects of Smoking",
"People Around the World Continue to Smoke",
"Smoking is the Leading Cause of Lung Diseases",
"Smoking Affects the Health of people Who D... | For many years, scientists have warned that smoking tobacco is bad for your health. Yet people around the world still smoke. The World Health Organization tells that almost 5,000,000 people around die each year from the effects of smoking. That number is increasing. WHO officials say tobacco use will have killed more than 8,000,000 people a year by 2020 if nothing is done to control the problem.
In the United States, more than forty-sixty million adults currently smoke. American health experts say tobacco use is the leading cause of death in the United States. This year, 440,000 Americans will die of diseases linked to smoking.
Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of lung disease. Smoking also has been linked to heart disease and many kinds of cancers. The American Cancer Society says smoking is responsible for about 87% of all lung cancers in the United States.
American government health experts say smoking affects not only the smokers. Women who smoke cigarettes during pregnancy are more likely to have babies with health problems. Pregnant women who smoke are at risk of having a baby who weighs less than normal. Low birth weight babies have an increased risk of early death and may suffer from a number of health disorders.
Experts say tobacco smoke also affects the health of people who do not smoke. Smokers may harm the health of family members and people at work when they breathe out smoke from cigarettes. This is called "second-hand smoke".
The American Cancer Society says there is no safe way to smoke. It says smoking begins to cause damage immediately. All cigarettes can damage the body. Smoking even a small number of cigarettes is dangerous. | high23676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "their annual earnings and presence in the public"
},
"options": [
"their names",
"their annual earnings",
"their presence on the Internet and in the media",
"their annual earnings and presence in the public"
],
... | African-American talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is the world's most powerful celebrity , according to Forbes magazine. It placed Winfrey at the top of the annual ranking of the 100 people with the biggest pull .
Winfrey, 51, draw 30 million viewers weekly in the United States. Her talk show reaches 112 countries. She earned US $225 million over the past 12 months to rank second in celebrity riches. The annual Forbes list gives most weight to annual earnings. But it also looks at the celebrity's presence on the Internet and in the media. "After 21 years, her exciting chat show still rules the airwaves," the magazine said.
Winfrey is most popular with her popular talk show "The Oprah Winfrey Show". She can always attract the superstars and let them open up to her intimate interviewing style. Winfrey's approach appears to be simple. She is in a pursuit of self-improvement and self-empowerment. This has proved to be just what people, especially women, want.
Winfrey often talks about her personal secrets on her show. That pulls in viewers. For example, she made it known that she had been sexually abused as a child, and has spoken freely of her struggle with her weight.
Her success has not just been on the screen. Her media group includes a women's TV network and websites for women. Her work has extended to social change. In 1991, she did a lot of work for the National Child Protection Act. She testified before the US Senate to establish a national database of dangerous child abusers. The then President Bill Clinton later signed the "Oprah Bill" into law. | high7683.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions."
},
"options": [
"To introduce the history of two typical Christmas traditions.",
"To explain the debate about some Christmas traditions.",
"To analyze how two Christmas ... | Two Christmas traditions have come under attack in recent years from environmentalists: Christmas cards and Christmas trees.
Paper cards are seen as wasteful and, for some people, going card-free is another way of going green. They also argue that in a world of e-mail, Skype, Facebook and Twitter, people are in touch all the time anyway; they no longer need the yearly card that connects them with long lost friends. If you want to send Christmas greetings, there are free e-cards, which get the job done with no postage or wasted paper.
However, especially for people who didn't grow up with e-mail, there is something missing from a Christmas e-mail. The first Christmas cards appeared in London in 1843 and were designed by the same man who had introduced the world's first postage stamp three years earlier. His name was Sir Henry Cole.
They rose in popularity throughout the 20th century. Many people sent cards that were sold for charity. The most famous of these are the ones sold for UNICEF. In the UK this year, in the three weeks before Christmas, the post office expects to handle 100 million cards every day. Environmental awareness also means that nowadays many people recycle their cards; this helps raise money to plant more trees, as well as recreating more paper.
When we think of trees at Christmas, there is one that immediately springs mind---the evergreen tree that people decorate with ornaments and place their presents under. The custom dates back almost a thousand years to Germany. Nowadays 33 to 36 million Christmas trees are produced in America and 50 to 60 million in Europe each year. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil so people can plant them later and reuse them next year.
Some people prefer artificial trees as they are reusable and much cheaper than their natural alternative. However, environmentalists point out that they are made from petroleum products and so have many pollution issues. | high22568.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "too many bees have disappeared for no reason"
},
"options": [
"they want to make more money by doing something else",
"the climates were too warm to raise bees last fall",
"too many bees have disappeared for no reason",
... | Last fall,beekeepers from states with warm climates began to report a sudden loss of honey bees.Losses were reported in twentyfour states and spread to Canada.Today,some beekeepers say thirty percent to ninety percent of their honey bees are gone.Food price could go up as a result.And some beekeeping businesses have failed.
Many kinds of plants,trees and grasses need bees to pollinate them.Bees gather nectar from flowers during this process.The liquid gives them food and material to make honey.As the bees land on flowers,their bodies pick up and drop off particles of pollen .Most flowering plants need pollination to reproduce.
Honey bees can die during the winter.But few dead bees have been found this time.Instead,the bees seem to have disappeared.Experts call the condition "colony collapse disorder".
Agriculture Department official Caird Rexroad said the colony collapse disorder threatens about fifteen billion dollars worth of the country's farm economy.Mr.Rexroad commented at a hearing of a House of Representatives agriculture subcommittee.
Mr.Rexroad said the cause of the sudden loss of bees was not clear.The number of honey bees had already fallen before the colony collapse disorder began.
Experts say the varroa mite is at least partly responsible for the earlier decrease in honey bees.The mite is a tiny creature that feeds on honey bees.It may play a part in colony collapse disorder by carrying bee viruses.Or the problem may be caused by other disease and weather conditions.
Diana CoxFoster of Pennsylvania State University is part of the scientific group.Ms.CoxFoster says the nation needs honey bees that can defend themselves better against disease and insects.The recent mapping of most of the honey bees' genes offers the hope of a stronger honey bee some day. | high9876.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "impact of Ya'an earthquake on China's pandas"
},
"options": [
"a 7. 0-magnitude strong earthquake hit Ya'an",
"food supply to pandas is enough",
"impact of Ya'an earthquake on China's pandas",
"two baby pandas Chengshua... | It's been seven days since a 7. 0-magnitude strong earthquake hit Ya'an, in Sichuan Province. How the earthquake has affected one of Sichuan Province's special residents--pandas. How are the animals coping? And do they have enough food to eat?
There are more than 80 pandas living here at the Chengdu Panda Breeding Base. 7 baby pandas have just left their mothers and have begun to learn how to fend for themselves.
The quake was felt strongly in Chengdu. Fortunately, all of the pandas here were out on the grounds when the earthquake hit, so they were very safe. Although no deaths or injuries have been reported among the Baoxing panda population so far, they've been badly frightened by the earthquake. Several days has passed and the earthquake seems to have made no discernible negative impact on the pandas. These two baby pandas Chengshuang and Chengdui are play fighting with each other and climbing trees. When they climbed too high, the breeders have to rescue them from the trees.
The visitors are amused by the scenes and think it's like a fantastic acrobatics show.
The quake zone is not only the home of these pandas, it's also the source of their food. Fortunately, enough bamboo has been stored away in five bamboo storehouses for the pandas, so there are no worries with regard to food supplies.
Wu Kongju, Breeder, Chengdu Panda Breeding Base, said, "When the Wenchuan earthquake happened in 2008, we were unprepared and had a shortage of bamboo. But we've been able to handle this earthquake event more smoothly. There are no problems with the food supply. "Apart from the pandas' favorite Baijia Bamboo, breeders also give them bamboo shoots, which are very rich in nutrients.
Wu Kongju said, "Bamboo shoots contain more protein than ordinary bamboo, and they're also very succulent because they contain more water. " | high18838.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "and Englishmen couldn't understand each other"
},
"options": [
"could be understood by Englishmen",
"could understand Englishmen",
"and Englishmen couldn't understand each other",
"and Englishmen could understand each o... | To master a language one must be able to speak and understand the spoken language as well as to read and write.Lenin and his wife translated a long English book into Russian but when they went to England in 1902, English people couldn't understand a word Lenin and his wife said, and Lenin and his wife couldn't understand what was said to them.This shows the importance of spoken language.
Speaking, of course can't go without listening.If you want to pronounce a word correctly, first you must hear it correctly.The sounds of Chinese and English languages are not exactly the same.If you don't listen carefully, you'll find it difficult or even impossible to understand the native speakers.
Well, what about writing? Like speaking, it's to exchange ideas.People usually use shorter words and shorter sentences in their writing.
The important thing is to make your idea clear in your mind and then to write it in a clear lively language.
Chinese students read too slowly.If you read fast, you understand better.If you read too slowly by the time you have reached to the end of a page you have forgotten what the beginning is about.When you meet with new words don't look them up in the dictionary.Guess the meaning to form the context. You may not guess quite correctly the first time but as new words appear again and again in different context their meaning will become clearer and clearer. If you look up every word you'll never finish a book.
Students of a foreign language need a particular knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose language they're studying. They should study those subjects in the foreign language not only in translation.In this way one can kill two birds with one stone: learn a foreign language and get some knowledge of the foreign country at the same time. | high2923.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to write Expo-related stories in English for them"
},
"options": [
"to celebrate the 2010 Shanghai World Expo",
"to support their work",
"to write Expo-related stories in English for them",
"to win a prize"
],
"... | We Are One--'Expo Through My Eyes'
Sharing increases your happiness. To celebrate the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, China Daily invites you to share what you've seen, heard and experienced at the 6-month international event or Expo-related stories in ENGLISH. Whether you are an Expo volunteer, a journalist, or a tourist, we'd like you to share with us your expo experience, as viewed through your eyes. So if you like, please join us today in sharing the joy!
Eligibility : Everyone
Topic: 2010 Shanghai World Expo
Language: ENGLISH Only
Length: No more than 1,000 words
Content: Stories accompanied by photos are encouraged.
Duration: May 1, 2010--October 31, 2010
How to _ your stories: Send your stories and photos to expo@chinadaily.com.cn
Why join us: In addition to(......) the satisfaction of supporting our work.
- Your stories will come out on China Daily's website;
- You will go in a lucky draw to win a prize. | high5094.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "That family next door."
},
"options": [
"That family next door.",
"Someone sent by his doctor.",
"Some strangers.",
"The gate keeper."
],
"question": "Who did the writer think removed the snow on his car?",
... | About a year ago, a couple with three children moved into the apartment next door to mine. I never heard any noise from the children, but the parents were always yelling at the kids.
We often met in the hallway when we were coming or going. I always spoke, but the only answer I got was a "Hello" from the four-year-old girl.
One afternoon when I returned, they were just coming out of their apartment and the little girl was holding the door open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary things. But when I looked up I saw the little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me. I hurried as much as I could and thanked her.
I was really touched by her act of kindness. That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and I bought a white Teddy bear for her. The next day, there was a knock on the door and it was the little girl and her father. She was very proud of the bear and thanked me like I had never been thanked before.
Now when we meet in the hall, we all speak in a friendly manner. As time passes, I don't hear that yelling as often as before.
Last night we had about four inches of snow. I looked out at my car and wondered how I was going to keep my doctor's appointment. I went out to remove the snow. But when I opened my front door, I found my car was there with all the snow removed. You couldn't imagine how I felt at that moment. I thanked that family in my heart.
Isn't it amazing that a small kind act of a four-year-old girl could change so many things for the better? My guardian angel says that good things come from small acts. | high16815.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Grandfather's Clock"
},
"options": [
"My Grandfather",
"My Family",
"Grandfather's Clock",
"The Dining Room"
],
"question": "The best title for the passage can be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | In the dining room of my grandfather's house stood a massive grandfather clock. Meals in that dining room were a time for four generations to become one. The table was always spread with food containing love as the main ingredient . And that grandfather clock stood like an old family friend, watching over the laughter that was a part of our lives.
As a child, the old clock fascinated me. I watched and listened to it during meals. Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather's ritual. He wound that clock with a special key carefully each day. That key was magic to me. It kept our family's magnificent clock ticking and chiming. I remember watching as my grandfather took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the clock. He inserted the key and wound -- not too much, nor too little. He never let that clock wind down and stop. He showed us grandchildren how to open the door and let us each take turns winding the key. I remember the first time I did it I was so excited to be part of this family ritual.
After my grandfather died, it was days after the funeral before I remembered the clock! "Mama! The clock! We've let it wind down." The tears flowed freely when I entered the dining room. The clock stood there quiet. It even seemed smaller without my grandfather's special touch.
Some time later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key. The old house was quiet. No laughter over the dinner table, no ticking or chiming of the clock -- all was still. I took the key in my shaking hand and opened the clock door. All of a sudden, I was a child again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and blue eyes. He was there, winking at me, at the secret of the clock's magic, at the key that held so much power.
I stood, lost in the moment for a long time. Then slowly and carefully I inserted the key and wound the clock. I sprang to life. Tick -- Tock, tick -- tock, life and chimes were breathed into the dining room, into the house and into my heart. In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather lived again. | high24131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it included Hawking's four life lessons on how to become a genius"
},
"options": [
"it explained the origin of the universe",
"it has sold 10 million copies up to now",
"it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller Li... | As we all know, Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is, most agree, very smart.
In his recently published autobiography My Brief History,Hawking offers four life lessons on
how to become a genius.
1) Don' t miss opportunities by being too cool
"We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do." Seize the moment, as Oxford would say.
2) Keep it simple
When writing A Brief History of Time,he tried to make science understandable for the rest of
Us. "I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates, but most people
cannot follow mathematical equations . "He has trouble with them, too."This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down, but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it." The moral: You don't have to be a genius to know everything.
3)Have fun
Hawking has a long history of being a joker,and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia, Hawking wrote,"but maybe I should have just given him the ashes." So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.
4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill)
Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk,move his arms,even speak.
But, Hawking says,"in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist:I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research."In other words, Hawking was given lemons, and he made Champagne. | high7873.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Age"
},
"options": [
"Gender",
"Age",
"Relationship",
"Pace"
],
"question": "Which is the determining factor in social networking activity?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The average British 22 year-old has more than 1,000 online friends on sites like Facebook, compared to those in their fifties who have fewer than 20, according to a new study.
The "Facebookgeneration gap" has been highlighted in a new piece of research which shows that the average 22 year-old claims to have 1,000 or more friends on sites like Facebook.
People in their twenties have more than 50 times as many digital friends as those who are over 50 years old, despite the popularity of sites like Facebook with the older generations, says a study conducted by consumer research group Intersperience.
The news comes during the same week Facebook's second-in command, Sheryl Sandberg, is visiting the UK to deliver a speech at the London School of Economics.
Facebook's chief operating officer is going to speak about how the social web has transformed people's friendships and relationships.
The survey found that there was a clear link between people's age and the number of online friends they have.The researchers found that those aged 13 to 16, have an average of 450 friends on social networks, with girls having slightly more friends that boys.People in their thirties tend to have between 100 and 200 friends, while those in their forties have between 50 and 100.
However, those using sites such as Facebook over the age of 50, tended to have 20 or less friends.The oldest person surveyed was 70 years old.
Paul Hudson, Intersperience's chief executive, said: "Our research underlines fundamental changes taking place in British society as a result of finally entering the digital age.Half of the UK population are on Facebook now.In a social media context, a 'friend' means something different to a 20 year old than to a 50 year old."
He added: "Social networking activity is just one example of how different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces.In this case, age is the determining factor - however in other instances it is not." | high9686.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is good for health"
},
"options": [
"stands for energy",
"is good for health",
"is popular with young people",
"makes the wearer be taken seriously"
],
"question": "Turquoise is a color that _ .",
"questi... | You might think that whether you choose a blue shirt or a yellow one to wear to work or college makes no difference to your day and those around you. However, an increasing number of experts argue that the colors we choose affect our mood , our career and even our health. Color affects us to a greater degree than most of us realize.
Color is used increasingly by doctors for influencing mood and state of mind, and for various types of medical treatment. Green is a good color if you are not feeling well, and possibly this is why we sometimes give flowers and plants to friends and relatives in hospital. It is also thought that turquoise , a "user-friendly" color, can treat stress and headaches.
Companies use color to encourage us to buy their products. For example, purple, which mixes well with red, is used to show that a company has new ideas and the power to make them happen. Orange and blue are also recommended colors for companies to use, because orange is the color of communication and blue suggests safety. So this could be a particularly good combination. Companies have found that certain colors "speak" to specific age groups. They often use red to attract younger people to their products, for example, as it is lively and more youthful than colors like gold and navy , which older customers seem to prefer.
Wearing different colors can affect how you feel and how others react to you, so it is important to consider this when deciding what to wear in the morning. If you want people to take you seriously, then wearing navy or black is good. Blue would also be helpful for an interview or oral examination because it relaxes you and makes you feel calm. Red gets you noticed by everyone and makes you feel energetic, but be careful, as it can raise your pulse rate and not everyone wants this effect.
So think carefully before you leave the house or visit a friend with a gift. The colors you choose in both cases are a powerful tool. Are you making the right impression-- on yourself and on others? | high8598.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you don't feel as good as your siblings"
},
"options": [
"you are in your early childhood",
"you consider things in a positive way",
"you don't feel as good as your siblings",
"you have regular fights and arguments with... | Harry, 13, wrote to us to say that even though he's older, he finds himself jealous of his brother Jonathan because he's a better skateboarder. Harry hates that he and Jonathan argue constantly about stupid things, like who gets to hold the TV remote or use the computer.
Maybe Emily's situation will sound familiar to you. Her older sister, who's almost 14, gets a lot of clothes, while Emily, 10, only gets one set a year! She feels that her sister gets anything she wants because she's "almost a woman." Guess what ... they fight all the time, too.
Every situation is different, but these kinds of problems are generally called "sibling rivalry . " When we're feeling jealous of a sibling, we're angry at him or her for doing or having something that we don't, and we're upset with ourselves for not being able to do or have that thing. The easiest way to express our anger is to fight with that sibling ... and it usually makes things worse.
There is one really helpful way to beat the jealousy monster. Instead of focusing on what you don't have or who you aren't, focus on what you do have or who you are.
Everybody has different goals, interests, skills and talents. You may be jealous that your sister is a star of swimming ... but maybe you're a great drummer. Instead of wishing you were good at sports, you can start a cool band with your friends!
Life is not a head-to-head competition, and nobody's keeping score. If it seems like your siblings are keeping score, don't let it continue; let them know how you feel. You might also consider talking to an adult about how you can feel better about yourself. Maybe it means finding a great new hobby, or trying a different sport.
Most importantly, remember that keeping feelings of jealousy to yourself is not going to make them go away. Talk about these emotions as soon as you feel them, so they don't get stuck inside you. | high22540.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "began to be poplar with American people in the 1960s"
},
"options": [
"were once a sign of being against their parents",
"were popular with people of different ages in the 1950s",
"began to be poplar with American people in t... | Jeans are very popular especially with teenagers. It's said that the material came originally from Nimes, a city in France. These jeans were particularly created for the sailors, who loved wearing jeans very much. These jeans could be worn when wet and it could even be rolled over with ease. This was particularly useful when the sailors were busy with their everyday work.
Our favorite pair of blue, jeans was originally worn by workers particularly during World War II. Perhaps the strong and durable look made these blue jeans popular among all the factory workers. A strange thing that can be noticed happened in the early period of the 1950s when blue jeans worn by teens were considered to be a form of being against others. Besides, adults who wore blue jeans were not allowed to enter a movie theatre. It was only during the 1960s that blue jeans were accepted as a fashion trend in the United States of America. Movie stars wore them in films and in public. Many young people follow them.
The different looks of the regular blue jeans which are enjoyed by people were introduced by the mid 1950s. It was Donald Freeland who gave jeans a whole new look and brought it to the front. Originally, jeans were always worn loose. At first, jeans worn by men had the zipper on the front. However, for women, it was on the side. By the late 1960's , the zipper finally was on the front side for women as well.
Today, there are many new designs that are being created by fashion designers to meet the increasing demands from jean lovers! A pair of basic blue jeans, however, is one such piece of clothing that will never go out of fashion! When you open one's cupboard, there is always one pair of jeans one likes best. | high12483.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "raise people' s awareness of wildlife protection"
},
"options": [
"raise people' s awareness of wildlife protection",
"develop a new website",
"add fun to the new year",
"develop the cellphone industry"
],
"ques... | With the new year coming, a new website was set up to offer ringtones of the sounds of dozens of rare and endangered species from around the globe.
The Center for Biological Diversity started offering free wildlife ringtones for cellphones a year ago to educate people about the _ of the animals, and the campaign enjoyed such success that the environmental group has collected more ringtones and added them to its website for this year.
The group plans to release a kind of new ringtones each month, including the sounds of the African elephant and the emperor penguin of the Antarctic, said Peter Galvin, the group's conservation director.
"We've hit the 100,000th download in over 150 countries," Galvin said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "It's pretty interesting. We didn't realize how much of an international hit it would become."
The response, he said, reinforces the worldwide movement to save endangered and rare species.
Available ringtones include the howl of an endangered Mexican gray wolf, the bellows of an Arctic beluga whale and the calls of dozens of other mammals, birds and reptiles. Website visitors can also get cellphone wallpaper and facts for each of the species.
And later this year, the website will be available in Spanish and more ringtones from species in Latin America will be added, Galvin said. | high21049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Strict."
},
"options": [
"Cruel.",
"Serious.",
"Strict.",
"Cold."
],
"question": "Which of the following expressions can be used most suitably to describe Mom's attitude when she made the child peel potatoes?",
... | Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family.Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, "Mom, I can't peel potatoes.I have only one hand."
Mom never looked up from sewing."You get yourself into the kitchen and peel those potatoes," she told me."And don't ever use that as an excuse for anything again!"
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel bar to the next.When it was my turn, I shook my head.Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mom about it.She hugged me, and I saw her "we'll see about that" look.The next afternoon, she took me back to school.At the deserted playground, Mom looked carefully at the bars.
"Now, pull up with your right arm," she advised.She stood by as I struggled to lift myself with my right hand until I could hook the bar with my other arm.Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung I reached.I'd never forget the next time, crossing the rungs.I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior school, I lay in bed sobbing.I could hear Mom come into my room."Mom," I said, weeping, "none of the girls would dance with me."
For a long time, I didn't hear anything.Then she said, "Oh, honey, someday you'll be beating those boys off with a bat." Her voice was soft and weak.I glanced at her to see tears running down her cheeks.Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf.She had never let me see her tears. | high20357.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The study of knots is a branch of mathematics."
},
"options": [
"They originated from ancient Greek legend.",
"The study of knots is a branch of mathematics.",
"Knots led to the discovery of atom structure.",
"Alexander... | Knots are the kind of stuff that even myths are made of.In the Greek legend of the Gordian knot, for example, Alexander the Great used his sword to slice through a knot that had failed all previous attempts to unite it. Knots, enjoy a long history of tales and fanciful names such as "Englishman's tie, " "and "cat's paw. " Knots became the subject of serious scientific investigation when in the 1860s the English physicist William Thomson (known today as Lord Kelvin) proposed that atoms were in fact knotted tubes of ether . In order to be able to develop the equivalent of a periodic table of the elements, Thomson had to be able to classify knots -- find out which different knots were possible. This sparked a great interest in the mathematical theory of knots.
A mathematical knot looks very much like a familiar knot in a string, only with the string's ends joined. In Thomson's theory, knots could, in principle at least, model atoms of increasing complexity, such as the hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen atoms, respectively. For knots to be truly useful in a mathematical theory, however, mathematicians searched for some precise way of proving that what appeared to be different knots were really different -- the couldn't be transformed one into the other by some simple manipulation . Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Scottish mathematician Peter Guthrie Tait and the University of Nebraska professor Charles Newton Little published complete tables of knots with up to ten crossings. Unfortunately, by the time that this heroic effort was completed, Kelvin's theory had already been totally discarded as a model for atomic structure. Nevertheless, even without any other application in sight, the mathematical interest in knot theory continued at _ point for its own sake. In fact, mathematical became even more fascinated by knots. The only difference was that, as the British mathematician Sir Michael Atiyah has put it, "the study of knots became a special branch of pure mathematics. "
Two major breakthroughs in knot theory occurred in 1928 and in 1984. In 1928, the American mathematician James Waddell Alexander discovered an algebraic expression that uses the arrangement of crossings to label the knot. For example, t2-t+1 or t2-3t+1, or else. Decades of work in the theory of knots finally produced the second breakthrough in 1984. The New Zealander-American mathematician Vaughan Jones noticed an unexpected relation between knots and another abstract branch of mathematics, which led to the discovery of a more sensitive invariant known as the Jones polynomial. | high10294.txt |
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