questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Madagascar"
},
"options": [
"Hawaii",
"China",
"Madagascar",
"Alaska"
],
"question": "The Hawaiian Wedding Plant comes from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}
] | Have you ever been to a wedding and simply loved the bride's bouquet ? More than likely some part of it was the Hawaiian Wedding Plant. This foreign houseplant can be enjoyed by anyone,not just brides. With a little proper attention and careful planning on location,this foreign houseplant, native to Madagascar, can be brought into the home where it can become an interesting focus.
Caring for the Hawaiian Wedding Plant is not much different than that of any other houseplants that may already be in your home. The only difference between this type of houseplant and others is the amount of the basic requirements that this foreign houseplant needs to survive and perform beautifully. During the growing season,this plant requires its wet soil,but when winter rolls around, this plant needs its soil to be kept drier.
Hawaiian Wedding Plants should also be put in well-drained soil and placed in a location that receives full sun. That the soil must be kept wet does not mean that it should sit in water, so the soil must drain easily or this plant will not survive. Water the plant daily and feed this plant every two to three weeks with a little fertilizer for acid -loving plants. Prune in early spring,even as early as February. If these needs are met,this plant will stay beautiful.
The most special feature of this foreign houseplant is its long lasting blooms combined with its unbelievable sweet smell. The Hawaiian Wedding Plant blooms the heaviest in the spring months,but has been known to bloom in any warm months,so do not be surprised to find blooms most time of the year except maybe _ | high23475.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "In 1997, Kournikova worked hard to make it to the semi - finals in Wimbledon."
},
"options": [
"Kournikova beat Steffi Graf at the US Open when she was 15.",
"Kournikova won the Rookie of the Year award in 1999.",
"Koumikova ... | Anna Koumikova was born on June 7th, 1981 in Moscow. Her parents' names are Allah and Sergel. When she was 5 years old, her parents sold their TV to buy her the first tennis bat for Christmas. She played in a club near her place until aged 11. Then she moved to Bradenton, Florida(USA) to train with Nick Bollitierri. At 14, she represented Russia in a Fed Cup match and became the youngest player ever to win a Fed Cup match.
Kournikova made her WTA first show at 15 years old at the US Open where she finally lost against player Steffi Graf. But she made it to the double quarter finals that same match. In 1996, Kournikova won the Rookie of the Year award and the next year. She improved very much to even make it to the semi - finals in Wimbledon. She lost to world number one Martina Hingis at the French Open and at Wimbledon. In 1999 she won her professional title at Midland, Miehigon, an international Tennis Federation match. She was 5th favourite in Illinois the same year and won her 2nd career ITF match. She won her first grand slam title ill 1999 with Martina Hingis in doubles at the Australia Open. Since then, they have played regularly together and have quickly become one of the 'best pairs. Aim in 1999,she made her first career WTA final in key Biscayne against Venus Williams in a tough 3 set match. She alto won her first doubles tile with Monica Seles in Tokyo.
At present Kournikova is more successful on the net than at the net. She remains the "most searched" and "most download " on the internet, three times more popular than the NO. 2 sports figure, Michael Jordan. She is still very young and she seems to have a great future ahead ! | high7480.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "selecting pupils by public secondary schools"
},
"options": [
"telling in advance the degree of academic success",
"admitting intelligent children to school at the age younger than ordinary",
"finding out children with lower ... | The most common use of intelligence test scores is to predict degree of academic success. Such scores are used in some communities as bases for admitting able children to schools at ages younger than normal, and they are very generally used to determine admissions to schools beyond public secondary school. Another use common in elementary schools involves comparing such scores with performances in various subjects to identify children who are working below capacity.
The greatest problem in using intelligence tests for the purpose of prediction is that no dependable criterion of their accuracy exists. The ideal criteria would be objective and reliable achievement tests following instruction in each subject, but there are few such tests, especially at the college level. Studies have shown that correlations between intelligence tests and achievement tests in various subjects through secondary school range roughly from 0.5 to 0.8. Such correlations are fairly high, but they do not suggest anywhere near complete agreement.
At the college level there are two major tests used as criteria of admission. By far the more important is the College Entrance Examination, constructed by the Educational Testing Service authorized by the College Entrance Examination Board. These tests are returned to the Educational Testing Service for scoring, and the results are then made available to the various colleges authorized by the students to receive them. The second test of this type is the American College Test, which operates in essentially the same fashion.
Both tests constitute measures of certain skills, abilities, and knowledge that have been found to be related to success in college. Their correlations with academic success are limited for three outstanding reasons. First, measures of achievement in college are themselves perhaps no more reliable than those in elementary and secondary schools. Second, intellectual factors do not alone determine academic success, especially at the college level. Many students drop out of schools because they are inadequately motivated or because they dislike the instructional programme. Third, correlations are lowered because the use of such tests for denying admission to some students means that the range of scores for those admitted is restricted, and such restriction tend to reduce correlation. | high6946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a medical journal"
},
"options": [
"a recreation guide",
"a medical journal",
"a science textbook",
"a travel brochure"
],
"question": "This text is most likely to appear in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | Apart from psychological illness, we are all largely responsible for our own emotional health.What we say to ourselves over and over for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, has a great effect on how we see ourselves.This also contributes to many mental health disorders.
Many of us have problems with negative thoughts playing on the channel of our minds, but if you're buried in it and believe it, it could be wearing your sense of self-esteem.Here are a few beliefs that indicate you may need to switch the channel: I'm not good enough? /I don't deserve...? /No one likes me? /I'm a failure.
Negative thoughts remind you of your bad feelings and they bring your focus on your failures, and that gets you nowhere.
What can you do?Here are some suggestions:
Switch the channel when negative thoughts appear.Self-talk is not so obvious that we often don't notice its effect on our mood and belief systems.Key things to notice are "if only" or "what if" statements:the former keeps you stuck in the past with regret, while the latter keeps you fearful of the future.There is nothing you can do about the past, and the future isn't here yet, so stay in the present moment.
Recognize that actions always follow beliefs.You'll find yourself behaving in ways that are consistent to your beliefs.So,start believing the best about yourself:act as if you believe that you're a valuable and worthy person.
Develop positive self-talk rather than negative self-talk.Instead of always looking down upon yourself in your head,think of some things you actually like about yourself.What are your strengths? What are you good at? Instead of saying "I' m a loser",try saying,"I am capable./I'm good at.../I accept myself the way I am."
Thinking poorly about ourselves gets us nowhere and is extremely self-limiting.Decide today to turn off the negative self-talk channel in your mind and develop your true potential. | high17908.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Kind and helpful."
},
"options": [
"Patient but powerful.",
"Kind and helpful.",
"Firm but firendly.",
"Hardworking and practical."
],
"question": "Which of the following might be the most proper description ab... | Though my career as a banker was financially rewarding, I was never content with the work. I was annoyed by my workmates' coldness and endless counting. Gradually, I began to envy my wife Julie's teaching career, which was full of passion and challenges. However, I admitted that leaving a secure(, ) position and going to school needed courage.
One winter evening I heard Julie complaining about a student's bad academic performance. She said, "Baxter used to do his homework very well, but it has dropped recently." The next evening when I arrived home, Julie asked, "Will you drive me to Baxter's house? I want to talk with his family about his homework." After an hour, a hut stood before us. Baxter was busy gathering firewood in the front yard. Seeing us, Baxter was surprised, but greeted us happily. Julie asked, "Where are your parents?" Baxter said they were not in. We found that it was dark in the hut. On our way home, Julie cried, "His work was good in the early autumn when the days were longer. But now, in the dark, he can't do his homework." Then she decided to help him so that he could focus on his studies.
I was moved by her kindness and I wanted to help poor students. At the end of the month, I said goodbye to the bank. Now I am teaching the students and I love my job. | high21262.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "its amusement services and shopping advantages"
},
"options": [
"its advantage of meeting his or her future partner",
"its amusement services and shopping advantages",
"there being many museums about art and literature",
... | If you are planning a visit to Chicago, make sure you see the city best before you head back home.
Architecture
Chicago is home to some of the most fascinating architecture in the country. One of the oldest buildings in the city is the Water Tower, which was built in 1869. It is one of the structures to survive the Chicago Fire in 1871. It is a fascinating builging to see, and is nearby the Water Tower Place, which has great shopping. It's a paradise for the young. Another stop must be the Willes Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower. Go to the top and walk out on the clear walkway to take a look straight down on the city. If you have the time, be sure to have dinner or a cocktail in the Signature Room on the 95th floor. Not only is the food great, but the views are breathtaking.
Boat Tours
If architecture is your thing, Wendella Boats offers a great architecture tour of Chicago. You can see some of the beautiful buildings from the Chicago River, which is a side of the buildings you don't usually get to see. There are several other boat tours that are just great, too, and many will even take you from the river out to Lake Michigan where you can see the Chicago skyline at any time of day. These tours are great ways to gain knowledge of this spectacular city, and it's also a funny way to rest your legs between walking tips.
Famous Pizza
You cannot come to Chicago without trying some famous, deepdish pizza. There are many places to get this delicious, thick pizza, but three stores stand out from the rest. Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's are the best places to get authentic, Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza. Try it with all the toppings or just cheese, but be sure you try it at some point. Many think that much pizza and cheese seems disgusting, but don't knock it till you try it. You might find a new favorite way of eating this Italian classic. | high4189.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "shows a way to happiness"
},
"options": [
"is full of joy and laughter",
"shows a way to happiness",
"is a perfect way to kill time",
"describes a beautiful garden"
],
"question": "Lauren Groff likes Elizabeth a... | The host: Now it's time for our You Must Read This program. Today we'll hear from Lauren Groff. She came across a book when she was going to have her first child and was worried about the future.
Lauren Groff: Staring into darkness, I wanted to read about happiness.1n fact, books full of joy are hard to find because happiness is nearly impossible to write about. So, when I found Elizabeth and Her German Garden, by Elizabeth Von Arnim, I felt as if someone suddenly opened a curtain and revealed a window where I had thought there was a wall.
Elizabeth and Her German Garden feels as if it rose out of Von Arnim's deep unhappiness in the way she was supposed to fit into her world Still, what a cool drink this novel is. It has a few characters: the narrator, a countess named Elizabeth, her husband, her three tiny daughters, various servants and some visitors. There is also Elizabeth's garden. whick we see in all its seasonal richness.
That is only the book's surface, however. There are great things hidden in the book. Eliza- beth is always comparing herself and the women around her and finding their fixed social roles disappointing. Her happiness, when it comes, arrives as an act of will. She has fought hard to achieve delight and I think it is more valuable for her struggle.
I appreciate Elizabeth for showing me a way through my darkest time, by revealing that an act of focused attention can lift a person out of a long, dark period in their lives. Anyone can get a little happiness from living, even by reading a few pages of a book.
The host : That's Lauren Groff. Her latest novel is Arcadia. The book she recommended is Elizabeth and Her German Garden. | high5297.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "how food companies cheated us"
},
"options": [
"how to keep fit.",
"how junk foods are made",
"How to buy healthy food",
"how food companies cheated us"
],
"question": "In the book \"Salt, Sugar and Fat. How the... | Half a year ago I came across a book called"Salt,Sugar and Fat. How the Food Giants Hooked US",but finished it only recently. I am far from being a fan of junk food,over-salty,or over-sweet stuff,and honestly this food doesn't appeal to me at all. Maybe it is related to the fact that I grew up in Russia and at that time we were not so exposed to the foreign, especially made in America foods. We knew Coca Cola,Pepsi,juice powder and Cheetos,but this stuff was not so cheap or available to buy it every day and we couldn't buy them in large quantities. We didn't know the word"fat"was not a bad thing but a normal of life for some people. We always had sweets and especially on holidays they were served as a dessert along with a cake. Russians like eating sweets when they drink tea. Even with my passion to desserts I still can'trelate myself to the people Michale Moss was writing about, those consumers who could not say"no" when it came to junk food.
What I found interesting in the book was that the author didn't focus on diets, necessity to
exercise,sleep well at night and all other things we all are pretty aware of. The aim was not to teach people how to live but instead,after having made a huge research,interviewed more than 100 people in the food industry,Moss reveals the ugly of the food business. It puts all the facts in front of us and offers a choice:to buy or not to buy. However,the answer was known at the very beginning. Moss mentions the well-known food like Coca,Cola,Pepsi,Nestle and some others and tells how skillfully the consumers can be cheated when it comes to choosing what to put in the food basket in the supermarket. We like this taste of a chocolate,the crispy chips,and sweet porridges because it was all put on test by groups of scientists who made experiments to reveal what kind of taste will be most appealing to us. It involves brain,of course. Apart from scientific researches, it was also due to successful marketing strategies and plans that people prefer to buy food.
In this companies'money race,the most vulnerable victims are kids. They can't tell good from bad and love everything that makes them feel good. Commercial ads of fast food particularly targeted kids and played on the fact that mothers can't fully control what their children eat because they spent all day at work. Mothers themselves buy chocolates bars and com flakes for their kids,guided by a powerful brainwashing that actually,these products were not unhealthy, on the contrary, it was encouraged to give them to kids, because fat and sugar provide energy, so they are good,right?
Giving a credit to some food companies, they made attempts to fight the trend, but consumers,who already worked a habit of eating too salty, too fatting and too sweet products,didn't react to the changes. So the companies returned to the old policy. Surprisingly,such behavior was strongly backed up by the govermment.
I would definitely recommend reading this book not only to those who struggle in the battle with his addiction to fast food but also people living healthily. It casts light on many things,including how vulnerable we can be in front of corporations and their powerful and accurate marketing strategies. | high19925.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "be charged with the damage"
},
"options": [
"have themselves a little celebration",
"hurt themselves and be in danger too",
"be charged with the damage",
"be punished by their parents"
],
"question": "If teenage... | Setting off fireworks is usually a pleasure for many teenagers. Even though this is not legal in many areas, some will still find a way to get fireworks and have themselves a little celebration.
You may know some teenagers that use fireworks in other manners, such as a try to set fire to buildings. This can result in some serious legal problems. Not only is it not legal to have the fireworks, but the teenagers will also be charged with the damage to buildings. You may think it's all fun, but it's dangerous for others as well as for your future.
Setting off fireworks is dangerous especially when you don't know how to set off fireworks. Teenagers that don't know about the proper way to set off fireworks could end up in a lot of trouble. If something goes wrong, bodily harm can happen. It is possible for fireworks not to get off correctly and explode on the ground. If the teenager is too close, he could suffer some serious physical injuries.
Teenagers can also cause a lot of harm to others who are in the same area as the fireworks. When teenagers do not know how to correctly deal with lighting fireworks, they will place a lot of people in harm's way. Many teenagers that were present for the fireworks show have been injured by a firework that was lit by another teenager.
It is very common for teenagers with fireworks to set fire to nearby things, such as trees and buildings. This is why teenagers should always be supervised by an adult. Though they may seem fun and harmless, fireworks can actually cause a lot of damage if they are not dealt with correctly. It is common for teenagers to get into a lot of trouble for simply having fireworks, even if they are not caught setting them off. In addition to personal safety, the safety of surrounding things should always be considered. | high18385.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "that musical training is important for communication skills"
},
"options": [
"learning how to speak",
"that brain stem is important for speech",
"that musical training is important for communication skills",
"that music... | American scientists say musical training seems to improve communication skills. They found that developing musical skills involves the same process in the brain as learning how to speak. The scientists say that could help children with learning disabilities.
Nina Kraus is a neurobiologist at Northwestern University in Illinois. She says musical training involves putting together different kinds of information. She says the process involves hearing music, looking at musical notes, touching an instrument and watching other musicians. She says the process is not much different from learning how to speak. Both involve different senses.
Professor Krauss says musical training and learning to speak make us think about what we are doing. She says speech and music pass through a structure of the nervous system called the brain stem . The brain stem controls our ability to hear.
Until recently, experts have thought the brain stem could not be developed or changed. But Professor Krauss and her team find that musical training can improve a person's brain stem activity.
The study involved people with different levels of musical ability. They were asked to wear an electrical _ that measures brain activity. The people wore the device while they watched a video of someone speaking and a person playing a musical instrument. The study found that the more years of training people had, the more sensitive they were to the sound and beat of the music.
Professor Kraus says the study shows the importance of musical training to children with learning disabilities. | high21504.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "thanks to science developing."
},
"options": [
"because the earth is being polluted day and night.",
"thanks to science developing.",
"because of the rise in pollution",
"because the earth is blown away by the wind ever... | The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means. Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago; but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. To pollute mean to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear _ .
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in a place, men moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It's bad to all living things in the world, but it is not only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us become angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop the people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from blowing dirty smoke into the air.
The pollution of SO2 is now the most dangerous problem of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is sure that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must keep careful of the rise in pollution at the same time. | high10901.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Violence Can Do Nothing to Reduce Race Prejudice."
},
"options": [
"Advocating Violence.",
"Violence Can Do Nothing to Reduce Race Prejudice.",
"Important People on Both Sides See Violence As a Legitimate Solution.",
"T... | In a few states where racial prejudice is serious, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences, that it is not even questioned. There are states where the white man imposes his rule by force; there are states where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging. Important people on both sides, who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence - as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization that when it comes to the crunch, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instincts remain basically unchanged. The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more serious. The sheer horror, the bloodshed, the suffering mean nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and harder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the shabby houses at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all, we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is weakened by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.
Before we can even begin to reflect on peaceful co-existence between the races, we must appreciate each other's problems. And to do this, we must learn about them: it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information. "Talk, talk, talk," the advocates of violence say, "all you ever do is talk, and we are none the wiser." It's rather like the story of the famous lawyer who carefully explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. "Possible, my lord," the lawyer replied, "none the wiser, but surely far better informed." Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve. | high3180.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "is misunderstood by people in fact"
},
"options": [
"causes some serious diseases",
"is misunderstood by people in fact",
"has enough scientific evidence to support it",
"was published by the British Medical Journal"
... | It has become a certain belief among the public-drink at least eight glasses of water a day to improve health and well--being.Bottled water companies often repeat it to increase their sales but it is actually a silly idea. There is no evidence to prove the advantages of drinking eight glasses of water a day,scientists say.
The misunderstanding is caused from the suggestion that adults should drink 2.5 liters of water daily,which was highlighted(,)by the British Medical Journal in December.The important part of the suggestion that most of this quantity of water is contained in prepared foods,however,is usually ignored.
U.S.researchers who reviewed the evidence concluded that most people do not need to worry about the amount of water they drink every day.Besides drinking water,they will be getting plenty of liquid in other ways.Caffeinated drinks such as tea,coffee and cola,and alcohol can help reach the daily total if they don't drink too much,though these drinks help the production of urine . Less well known are the dangers of drinking too much water,causing water poisoning,low salt levels and even death.
The review of research by Dan Negoianu,from the University of Pennsylvania,found that not a single study included the suggestion of drinking eight glasses of water a day.Although one small study suggested that drinking water could result in fewer headaches,the results were not very important.However,the benefits of drinking some water to prevent a pain in head after drinking too much alcohol are.separately,proved to be true.
No studies showed any advantages to the color1 of the skin because of the increased water taken into bodies.Dehydration can make skin less pleasant,but there was no clear evidence to support the idea that water helps people keep a youthful appearance.The researchers also found no evidence that drinking lots of water does some good to the body's organs . | high23313.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "find out the range of the articles in the post"
},
"options": [
"get a better understanding of American issues",
"find out the range of the articles in the post",
"increase his knowledge in many fields",
"broaden his re... | Submission Guidelines
Before sending us a manuscript , look through recent issues of the Post to get an idea of the range and style of articles we publish. You will discover that our focus has broadened to include well-researched, timely and informative articles on finance, home improvement, travel, humor, and many other fields.
The Post's goal is to remain unique, with content that provides additional understandings on the ever-evolving American scene.
In addition to feature-length articles, the Post buys anecdotes, cartoons, and photos. Payment ranges from $25 to $400.
Our nonfiction needs include how-to, useful articles on gardening, pet care and training, financial planning, and subjects of interest to a 45-plus, home-loving readership. For nonfiction articles, indicate any special qualifications you have for writing about the subject, especially scientific material. Include one or two published pieces with your article. We prefer typed articles between 1000 and 2000 words in length. We encourage you to send both printed and online versions.
We also welcome new fiction. A light, humorous touch is appreciated. We are always in need of straight humor articles. Make us laugh , and we'll buy it.
Feature articles average about 1000 to 2000 words. We like positive, fresh angles to Post articles, and we ask that they be thoroughly researched.
We normally respond to article submissions within six weeks. You are free to submit the article elsewhere at the same time.
Please submit all articles to Features Editor, The Saturday Evening Post, 1100 Waterway Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202, (317)634-1100. | high15879.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People had no enthusiasm about the scheme."
},
"options": [
"People were unable to lock properly.",
"People could not dock the bikes properly.",
"People had no enthusiasm about the scheme.",
"It's too expensive for some... | London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme.It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London.
So how does it work?First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key.The key will unlock one of the bikes,which are kept at docking stations in and around central London.You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go,for the length of time you use the bike.
Transport for London, which runs the scheme,are hoping to have 6,000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year.The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion in London and is expected to generate up to 40,000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been "filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as common place on our roads as black cabs and red buses".
However,there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday.On the first day some people found they couldn't dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered.Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few "teething problems" and have said they wouldn't charge for the first day as a"gesture of goodwill".Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles.
Despite the comments,the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things,saying,"My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a gigantic pedal-powered push forwards." | high1797.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "We become stronger by facing and solving problems of life."
},
"options": [
"Problems and difficulties represent a special kind of suffering.",
"We become stronger by facing and solving problems of life.",
"Life is difficult ... | Life is difficult.
It is a great truth because once we truly understand and accept it, then life is no longer difficult.
Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that difficulties stand for a special kind of suffering especially forced on them or else on their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is a painful one. Problems, depending on their nature, cause sadness, or loneliness or regret or anger or fear.
These are uncomfortable feelings, often as painful as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes a lot of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole process of solving problems that life has its meaning. Problems are the serious test that tells us success from failure. When we want to encourage the growth of human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems, just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working out problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Those things that hurt, instruct ." It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems. | high203.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "many Americans in the recession like sweets which are comforting"
},
"options": [
"many Americans were jobless in the recession",
"lots of Americans like candies",
"many Americans in the recession like sweets which are comfor... | Raymond Schneider politely made his way through crowds of customers as he made for the candy bins at Dylan's Candy Bar in Manhattan. Since he was out of employment, Mr. Schneider, a 33-year-old designer, says he has become a person who always buys a lot of sweets every time he shops for groceries.
"Sugar is comforting," he said. "There's nothing more stressful than growing financial insecurity everywhere."
The recession seems to have a sweet tooth. As unemployment has risen, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing amounts of candy.
Theories vary on exactly why. For many, sugar lifts spirits dragged low by the economy. For others, candy also reminds them of better times. And not importantly, it is ly cheap.
At Candyality, a store in Chicago, business has jumped by nearly 80 percent and the owner, Terese McDonald, said she was struggling to keep up with the demand for Bit-O-Honeys, and Sour Balls.
Many big candy makers are also reporting rising sales and big profits .
"It's not surprising." said Peter Liebhold, chairman of the Smithsonian Institution's work and industry division. "During the Great Depression in the 1930's, candy companies stayed in business." | high22019.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "911"
},
"options": [
"110",
"120",
"800",
"911"
],
"question": "According to the passage, in case of an emergence, people should dial _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The accident at Lake Sherwood was in our backyard. An SUV had gone off the road,down a hill, and collided with a tree. When we heard the wreck, I remembered to say "call 911". My family was the first on the scene. Nick, my son, was on the cell phone with 911. He saw a friend who was a victim in the crash who was a 15 years old girl who was badly disfigured and had died instantly. It was a terrible scene.
There had been six people in the truck, all between 15 and 17 years old. My husband and I checked all the victims, and I picked one who was conscious and stayed with him. I talked with him and had him lay on the ground. When I asked him if he was hurt, he said he was sore all over. When help arrived, they asked me to stay and continue working with them. I did as Debbie Romine, .my instructor, said in class, and did what they wanted. They even said thank you before they left.
The sheriff deputies came by Saturday night to get our statements and play the 911 tape back, so Nick could identify all the voices in the background. They said over and over that the way he handled the call was the best they had heard in a long time. He was calm and worked with them even when he saw his friend who had died. The Sheriff's Department is sending some people over to help us work through our emotions.
The first aid and CPR course I took in January really helped me. I just didn't expect to put it to good use so soon.
Pennyd. Miller
Kansas State Dept of Education,Topeka | high23307.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Lightning won't do harm to people's health."
},
"options": [
"Lightning can happen even if there is no cloud.",
"Lightning won't do harm to people's health.",
"Lightning can travel sideways.",
"Lightning can strike very... | People who are hit by lightning and survive often have long-term effects. These may include memory loss, sleep disorders, muscle pain and depression .
Experts tell people to seek the safety of a building or a hard-top vehicle any time they hear thunder, even if it is not raining. They say lightning can strike as far as sixteen kilometers from any rainfall. Lightning can travel sideways. And at least ten percent of lightning happens without any clouds overhead that you can see.
People who are outdoors should make sure they are not the tallest thing around. Bend low to the ground, but do not lie down. And do not stand near a tree or any tall object. Get away from water and anything made of metal. A car is safe, but do not touch any metal inside.
Safety experts say people in buildings should stay away from anything with wires or pipes that lead to the outside. The National Weather Service says if you plan to _ any electronic equipment, do so before the storm arrives. Do not use a wired telephone. Do not use water. All these can carry electricity.
Some people think a person struck by lightning carries an electrical charge afterward. Experts say this is not true. It is safe to begin emergency treatment.
Each year about four hundred people in the United States are struck by lightning. Last year forty four people died. The average is close to seventy. The National Weather Service says that is more than the number of people killed by severe storms. | high217.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Endangered."
},
"options": [
"Good.",
"Endangered.",
"Powerful.",
"Expensive."
],
"question": ". Which of the following words best describes the situation sharks are in?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of matters in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food. Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.
Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. The others give birth to live young. Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.
Sharks are important for the world's oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too large. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.
People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable.Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A. The skin of a shark can be used like leather.
In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels. | high1783.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Nitrogen and oxygen are put together in great heat."
},
"options": [
"Nitrogen and oxygen are put together in great heat.",
"Carbon monoxide and oxygen are mixed together.",
"Hydrocarbons pass through the engine.",
"Nit... | Pollutants coming from automobile operation have begun to cause many environmental problems. It has been calculated, for example, that 70% of the carbon monoxide , 45% of the nitrogen oxides , and 34% of the hydrocarbon pollution in the United States can be traced directly to automobile exhausts . In addition, rubber, motor oil and other materials accumulate on roadways and are washed into streams, with effects nearly as serious as those of untreated waste water.
In an effort to improve the situation, the U.S. government has made regulations on the use of the constituents of automobile exhaust gas that are known to cause air pollution. These constituents fall roughly into three types: hydrocarbons that pass through the engine unburned; carbon monoxide, also a product of incomplete burning; and nitrogen oxides which are formed when nitrogen and oxygen are in contact at high temperatures. Besides their own poisonous character, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides react in the presence of sunlight to form harmful smog. Carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons are rather easily controlled by the use of higher burning temperatures in engines. Unfortunately, the conditions that produce minimum emission of hydrocarbons tend to raise emission of nitrogen oxides. In a way this difficulty is solved by adding recycled exhaust gas to the fuel mixture, thus avoiding the oversupply of oxygen that favors formation of nitrogen oxides.
California, which has the most strict air-pollution laws in the United States, requires further special compounding of gas to control emissions, and several states have ordered that alcohol be mixed with gas, as this will reduce emissions of the carbon monoxide by 35 per cent and the hydrocarbons by 15 per cent. | high4823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "exciting"
},
"options": [
"interesting",
"exciting",
"terrible",
"easy"
],
"question": "The game between France and Scotland is an_game.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | "This is really a very fast game, the fastest I've seen so far this year. Both sides are fighting for the ball all the time. The crowd is loving every minute of it. They are shouting at the top of their voices."
"Wills has the ball now. This is only his third game for Scotland, but he's playing so well that it won't be his last. I'm quite sure."
"Wills passes the ball to Cotton. Cotton kicks it over the heads of the waiting Frenchmen, towards the goalmouth. But he's too far away, Dupond picks it up easily, and throws it to Patou, put on the left."
"France and Scotland still have one goal each, and there are only two minutes left of the game. But during that time, anything can happen. Patou kicks the ball across to Croat. It is a beautiful kick, but Steven jumps and just stops the ball with the side of his head. Meunier is there. He passes to Crozat, and Crozat, without waiting a second, puts the ball into the back of the goal. It takes everybody by surprise. I have never seen a goal like it."
"The game is over. France has won the cup." | high18391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "why slow food is so important"
},
"options": [
"why slow food is so important",
"the food and wine culture is rich in Italy",
"what you're eating always travels a long way",
"slow food makes the current food system sick... | In 1986,when Carlo Petrini first coined the term "Slow Food," he organized locally in his native Italy to preserve the food and wine culture and protest fast food.
Today, slow food has spread to 132 countries with over 85, 000 members, addressing worldwide issues like farmer equity and _ --the actions people take to respect the rights of all living things and all environments, to contribute to healthy and livable communities.
Characterized by Slow Food International as "good, clean, and fair food," slow food must enrich the eaters' life,have no negative impact on human or environmental health,and compensate fairly for food producers' work.
The average American meal travels about 1,500 miles to its final destination, with producing of food traveling by plane from overseas and other items shipped across the country.
However,cost for food travel and heavy processing are not the only problems in the food industry that the environment faces. Industrial agriculture also has unsustainable practices like inefficient water use and decreased biodiversity. Our ideas in feeding ourselves are exceptional, but at various points our technologies come into conflict with nature's ways of doing things. A great many of the health and environmental problems created by our food system owe to our attempts to oversimplify natures complexities, at both the growing and the eating ends of our food chain.
"Slowing" food, by purchasing locally and sustainably, allows consumers to reduce the impact of "food miles" and develop a closer relationship with their food producers." We need to change our food system," said David Prior, organizer of Slow Food Nation EatIn. "Our current food system is sick and we need to support farmers and agriculture to ensure that everyone has the right to nutritious food." | high21510.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because his father brought him there."
},
"options": [
"Because he wanted to live in a larger and more prosperous city.",
"Because his father brought him there.",
"Because he wanted to wrote his novels there.",
"Because... | When he wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain turned to Hannibal. The relationship between Hannibal and Twain began in November 1839, when Twain's father decided to leave the village in Florida and move east about 35 miles to the somewhat larger and more prosperous Hannibal, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Twain marked his fourth birthday about a week after the family settled there. He showed little promise of becoming a long-term resident. However, because his health was so poor that his parents probably feared he would not survive childhood.
During the family's first few years in Hannibal, Twain was too young to understand fully the changes going on around him. About the time the family moved into their new home. Twain's health improved a lot. Instead of having to lead a quiet indoor life, he could roam the streets of Hannibal. Climb the surrounding hills, explore the area's caves and splash about in local swimming holes. He reveled in his newfound freedom, spending nearly all his free time playing outdoors with the other boys in town and soon becoming a leader.
Twain's carefree days did not last long, on March 24, 1847, his father died. For the next six years, his brother Henry, and his sister Pamela lived with their mother in the family home. Twain began taking odd jobs after school to bring in extra money. Within a year of his father's death, he quit school and became an apprentice printer, and when his brother Orion bought the Hannibal Journal in 1851, Twain went to work for him as a printer and editorial assistant. The stories he wrote for Orion's paper, his first publications, taught him that he much preferred writing to typesetting. Thus, when he decided to leave Hannibal in May 1853, he already had an idea of his future career. | high3194.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "20"
},
"options": [
"20",
"30",
"100",
"200"
],
"question": "Tibetan antelopes usually live in groups of about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
... | Wild animals are our friends, but many of them are getting fewer and fewer. We should try to protect them. The four animals below are now in danger.
Tibetan Antelopes
Tibetan antelopes are medium-sized animals. They mainly feed on grass. They are usually found in groups of about 20. They are killed for their wool, which is warm, soft and fine and can be made into expensive clothes. Although people can get the wool without killing the animals, people simply kill them before taking the wool. The number of them is dropping year by year. There are less than 75,000 Tibetan antelopes left in the world, down from a million 50 years ago.
Golden Monkeys
Golden monkeys are mainly found in Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi provinces and Shengnongjia mountainous area of Hubei Province. Golden monkeys have golden-orange fur. They move around in the daytime, usually in groups of as many as 100 to 200 heads, or 20 to 30 heads. They feed on fruits and young leaves of bamboos. But people are destroying the environment where they live. Trees and bamboos are disappearing, so golden monkeys have less and less to eat.
Elephans ks5u
Elephants are very big and strong. They are bigger than any other animals on land. They are grey and have long trunks and tusks. They have poor eyesight, but very good hearing and smell. They can lift heavy things and break down branches with their trunks. Elephants are very friendly towards each other and towards their neighbours. Normally, they live in a group for many years. Young male elephants do not leave the group until they are about 12 years old. Now, there are very few elephants in the world. The number of them is becoming smaller and smaller because their living areas are used for farming. Also, people hunt them for their tusks.
Wolves
Wolves are not very big. They have grey fur. Wolves have very good eyesight, hearing and smell. Wolves' food is vavious. They eat animals, insects and snails. They are friendly to each other and never attack people. They do not kill for fun. Wolves are in danger, too. They are losing their living areas because people cut down forests. Soon they will have no home or food. | high21276.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "friends"
},
"options": [
"men",
"tigers",
"friends",
"brothers"
],
"question": "Jee Hock and Meng Kim were good _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Jee Hock and Meng Kim were very good friends. Jee Hock could not see. He was blind. Meng Kim could not walk. He was lame. They lived in a village near a forest. Everyone in the village was going to a rich man's dinner on the other side of the forest. Jee Hock and Meng Kim were anxious to attend the dinner too.
Blind Jee Hock thought of a plan. He would carry Meng Kim. The lame man could tell him the way. Meng Kim said that the plan was a good one.
On the way through the forest, Meng Kim saw a tiger. He did not tell Jee Hock about it. Instead, he quietly asked Jee Hock to carry him to the nearest tree. Upon reaching an over banging branch, Meng kim quickly hauled himself up.
Then the tiger roared. Jee Hock at once knew a tiger was near. He lay down quietly. The tiger came to him and sniffed his body. The tiger's whiskers touched Jee Hock's nose. At once Jee Hock sneezed, "Ah choooooo!" The tiger was afraid and ran away.
Then Meng Kim came down from the tree. He asked Jee Hock about the tiger. Jee Hock said that the tiger had told him to choose his friends wisely. | high20168.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "felt it hard to answer"
},
"options": [
"believed it easy to do so",
"thought her a creative girl",
"felt it hard to answer",
"found it easy to lie"
],
"question": "When the girl asked her mother if they could w... | Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six - year - old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said."Can we write him a letter?"
She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.
"No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for."Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six - year - old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went out-side and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining."Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was passed on. I prayed to be a balloon. | high5283.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They make change for no more than $5."
},
"options": [
"They start selling tickets at 9:30 a.m.",
"They are connected to change machines.",
"They offer special service to the elderly.",
"They make change for no more tha... | Metro Pocket Guide
Metrorail
Each passenger needs a farecard to enter and go out. Up to two children under age five may travel free with a paying customer.
Farecard machines are in every station. Bring small bills because there are no change machines in the stations and farecard machines only provide up to $50 in change.
Get one day of unlimited Metrorail rides with a One Day Pass. Buy it from a farecard machine in Metro station. Use it after 9:30 a.m. until closing on weekdays, and all day on weekdays and holidays.
Hours of service
Open: 5 a.m. Mon.--Fri. 7 a.m. Sat.--Sun.
Close: midnight Sun.--Thurs. 3 a.m. Fri.--Sat. nights
Last train times vary. To avoid missing the last train, please check the last train times posted in stations.
Metrobus
When paying with exact change, the fare is $1.35. When paying with a SmarTrip card, the fare is $1.25.
Fares for senior/disabled customers
Senior citizens 65 and older and disabled customers may ride for half the regular fare. On Metrorail and Metrobus, use a senior/disabled farecard or SmarTrip card. For more information about buying senior/disabled farecard, SmarTrip cards and passes, please visit MetroOpensDoor.com or call 202-637-7000 and 202-637-8000.
Senior citizens and disabled customers can get free guide on how to use proper Metrobus and Metrorail services by calling 202-962-1100.
Travel tips
Avoid riding during weekday rush periods--before 9:30 a.m. and between 4 and 6 p.m.
If you lose something on a bus or train or in a station, please call Lost & Found at 202-96201195. | high19931.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She treats them as dolls."
},
"options": [
"She gives them to her child to play with.",
"She treats them as dolls.",
"She makes useful tools from them.",
"She treats them as weapons."
],
"question": "What does a... | Scientists at Harvard University and Bates College find female chimpanzees appear to treat sticks as dolls, carrying them around until they have children of their own. Young males engage in such behavior much less frequently.
The new work by Sonya M. Kahlenberg and Richard W. Wrangham, described this week in the journal Current Biology, provides the first evidence of a wild nonhuman species playing with dolls, as well as the first known sex difference in a wild animal's choice of playthings.
The two researchers say their work adds to a growing body of evidence that human children are probably born with their own ideas of how they want to behave, rather than simply mirroring other girls who play with dolls and boys who play with trucks. Doll play among humans could have its origins in object--carrying by earlier apes , they say, suggesting that toy selection is probably not due entirely to socialization.
"In humans, there are obvious sex differences in children's toy play, and these are remarkably similar across cultures," says Kahlenberg. "While socialization by elders and peers has been the primary explanation, our work suggests that biology may also have an important role to play in activity preferences."
In 14 years of data on chimpanzee behavior at the Kibale National Park in Uganda, Kahlenberg and Wrangham counted more than 100 examples of stickcarrying. Some young chimpanzees carried sticks into the nest to sleep with them and on one occasion built a separate nest for the stick. "We have seen juveniles occasionally carrying sticks for many years, and because they sometimes treated them rather like dolls, we wanted to know if in general this behavior tended to represent something like playing with dolls," says Wrangham, a Professor at Harvard. "If the doll hypothesis was right, we thought that females should carry sticks more than males do, and that the chimpanzees should stop carrying sticks when they had their first child. We have now watched enough young chimpanzees to prove both points." | high571.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he didn't want her to overwork."
},
"options": [
"he disliked them at all",
"they were really very fatty.",
"they weren't his favorite taste",
"he didn't want her to overwork."
],
"question": "Randy refuse to ea... | We should feel grateful in our heart when we accept anything others sacrifice for us. However, we often unconsciously do the opposite, which may not be regarded as returning kindness with ingratitude, but have the equal power to harm each other. In particular, the closer the relationship is, the more determined we are.
Jennifer, my friend Randy's mother, is already over 70, poor eyesight and weak legs. But due to her character, she chose to live alone in the suburbs. No matter how busily Randy works, he would go there to visit her once or twice every week.
That day as soon as he parked his car, Randy smelt the delicious smell of meat coming from her mother's house. His mother said, "Your birthday is coming next week, so I'm preparing pork trotters for you!" Seeing the steaming delicious trotters, he couldn't help complaining, "I don't like these things at all, so fatty."
On his way back, he called me, saying that he felt sorry. In fact, he longed to thank his mother and eat up that bowl of trotters. But he felt sorry that it took her too much time and energy. If he didn't stop her strictly, he was afraid the same thing would continue. He would rather not eat trotters any more than have his mother overwork. I understand how he felt exactly. Each of us has done like that. Because of feeling sorry for others' sacrifice, we purposely harden our heart against accepting others' favor and even criticize them severely in order to frighten their goodness away and make them never do that again.
This method may work, but it will hurt each other's feelings. It's not wrong logically, but we always neglect another sound deep in our heart: because we're afraid we can't repay them, we're unwilling to shoulder others' goodness. So we reduce its value and refuse it severely. But to destroy others' goodness is also to deny you. | high12864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Jane from Australia"
},
"options": [
"Liling from Beijing",
"Wangbing from Tianjin .",
"Jane from Australia",
"Dongdong from Yunnan."
],
"question": "Who has the most time to apply for volunteering in Olympics 2... | Want to be a volunteer for Beijing Olympics in 2008? Recently, the recruiting started.
The recruiting of Beijing Olympics Volunteer starts from Aug 28, 2006 to end of March 2008.
Stage 1: Beijing Volunteers
From August 28, 2006, the program opens to applicants in Beijing (and Beijing only).
Stage 2: China Volunteers
From Dec, 2006, people from outside Beijing can submit their application.
Stage 3: Overseas Volunteers
By March 2007, people from outside China (including in other countries) can apply for volunteering in Olympics 2008.
The Program
Travel, hotel are not provided. Only working meal is available for volunteers (makes sense, isn't it?)
If you have any questions, just call Olympics Volunteer hotline: +86-10-12308
According to news, 100k college students have applied for the position after three days of recruiting. 50,000 to 100,000 volunteers are needed for the game.
If you want to participate, just call the number and ask more questions about the program. However, my guess is, to be admitted to the program is not easy. | high7494.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Who shot Bin Laden?"
},
"options": [
"Who shot Bin Laden?",
"What do the SEALS do?",
"How can boys be SEALS?",
"What SEALS are like?"
],
"question": "Which of the following is most likely to be the title of the ... | He's out there somewhere, an instant icon in the records of American conflict, the final big-game hunter. But a puzzle, too, his identity would be kept a secret for now, and maybe forever.
He is the unknown shooter. The nameless, faceless triggerman who put a bullet in the head of the world's most notorious terrorist, Bin Laden.
He's likely between the ages of 26 and 33, says Marcinko, founder of the "SEALs Team 6" that many believe led the attack on Bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. He'll be old enough to have had time to hurdle the extra training tests required to join the counter-terrorism unit, yet young enough to stand the body-punishing harshness of the job. The shooter's a man, it's safe to say, because there are no women in the SEALs. And there's a good chance he's white, though the SEALs have stepped up efforts to increase the number of minorities in their ranks, Marcinko and Smith say.
He was probably a high school or college athlete, Smith says, a physical specimen who combines strength, speed and wisdom. "They call themselves 'tactical athletes,'" says Smith, who works with many future SEALs in his Heroes of Tomorrow training program in Severna Park. "It's getting very scientific."
Marcinko puts it in more conventional terms: "He'll be ripped," says the author of the best-selling autobiography "Rogue Warrior.""He's got a lot of upper-body strength. Long arms. Thin waist. Flat stomach."
On this point, Greitens departs a bit. "You can't make a lot of physical assumptions," says the author of "The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL." There are SEALs who are 5 feet 4 and SEALs who are 6 feet 5, Greitens says. In his training group, he adds, there were college football boys who couldn't hack it; those who survived were most often men in good shape, but they also had a willingness to show their concerns in favor of the mission.
The shooter's probably not the crew-cut , neatly shaven ideal we've come to expect from American fighting forces. "He's bearded, rough-looking, like a street naughty boy," Marcinko supposes. "You don't want to stick out." Marcinko calls it "modified grooming standards."
His hands will be calloused , Smith says, or just rough enough," as Marcinko puts it. And "he's got frag in him somewhere," Marcinko says, using the battlefield shorthand for "fragments" of bullets or explosive devices. This will not have been the shooter's first adventure. Marcinko estimates that he might have made a dozen or more deployments , tours when he was likely to have dealt with quite a number of dangerous situations, getting ready any time for explosive devices or bullets. | high15138.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The achievements of Duke."
},
"options": [
"The development of Hawaii.",
"The achievements of Duke.",
"The personal life of Duke.",
"The history of surfing."
],
"question": "What is the text mainly about?",
... | In the history of Hawaii, surfing is a serious thing. Ancient leaders used the sport as a training exercise to keep themselves strong. They also used surfing competitions instead of wars to solve conflicts between people. For a long time ,this tradition of surfing was known mainly to the people of Hawaii. Then Duke Kahanamoku came along and changed the world.
When he was 21years old, Duke broke two world swimming records. Not surprisingly, Duke easily made the Olympic swimming team in 1912.During his Olympic career, Duke won three gold medals and two silver medals in swimming.
When Duke finished winning medals at the Olympics, he toured the world. He also brought along his surfboard. Duke had been surfing ever since he was a little boy. In 1917,he rode a single wave for more than a mile! Duke amazed people by riding his 16-foot-long board. He is considered the father of modern surfing.
Since Duke was handsome and strong, people loved to watch him. His next career move was clear. Duke headed for Hollywood. From 1925 to 1955,he made more than 30 movies.
One day in 1925, Duke and a few other surfers were hanging out on the beach when a boat turned over not far from them. The surfers hit the waves with their big boards and saved 12 of the passengers. Duke alone saved eight of them! After that, lifeguards at beaches started using surfboards to save swimmers. Helping others was a big thing in Duke's life.
In 1932,Duke became sheriff of Honolulu, Hawaii, holding the position for almost 30 years. As sheriff, in fact, his job was to greet visitors who came to the city .From the Olympics to Hollywood, Duke Kahanamoku had put Hawaii on the map when it was still a little known island.
When he was 75 years old, Dukes name was added to both the Swimming Hall of Fame and the Surfing Hall of Fame. He died in 1968 at the age of 78. | high12657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "you'd better bring a certain present with you"
},
"options": [
"you'd better bring a certain present with you",
"you must leave home for it at 7 p.m.",
"you should ask your host when you should leave",
"you must arrive ... | Some British and American people like to invite friends for a meal at home. But you should not be upset if your English friends don't invite you home. It doesn't mean they don't like you!
Dinner parties usually start between 7 and 8 p.m., and end at about 11. Ask your hosts what time you should arrive. It's polite to bring flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine as a gift.
Usually the evening starts with drinks and snacks . Do you want to be more polite? Say how much you like the room, or the picture on the wall. But remember--it is not polite to ask how much things cost.
In many families, the husband sits at one end of the table and the wife sits at the other end. They eat with their guests.
You'll probably start the meal with soup or something small, then you'll have meat or fish with vegetables, and then dessert, followed by coffee. It's polite to finish everything on your plate and to take more if you want it.
Did you enjoy the evening? Call your hosts the next day, or write them a short thank you letter. British and American people like to say " Thank you, thank you, thank you." all the time! | high8994.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she was robbed but she fooled the robber"
},
"options": [
"she was robbed of her earrings",
"she was robbed but she fooled the robber",
"she had such a nice time at the party",
"it is dangerous for a girl to walk alone ... | Agatha Christie used to go out at night. She will never forget the night when she met a robber many years ago.
That evening, she was invited to a birthday party which lasted till 2 o'clock in the morning. Without company, Agatha walked home along the quiet street. Suddenly from the shadow of a dark building, a tall man with a sharp knife in his right hand ran out at her. "Good morning, lady," the man said in a low voice, "I don't think you wish to die here!""What do you want?" Agatha asked.
"Your earrings . Take them off!"Agatha suddenly had a bright idea. She tried to cover her necklace with the collar of her overcoat while she used the other hand to take off both of her earrings, and then she quickly threw them on the ground.
"Take them and let me go." she said. The robber was uncertain. He saw that the girl didn't care for the earrings at all, only trying to protect the necklace. He realized the necklace would cost more, so he said, "Give me your necklace."
"Oh, sir. It's not worth much. Please let me keep it."
"Stop talking rubbish. Quick!"
With shaky hands, Agatha took off her necklace. As soon as the robber disappeared, she picked up her earrings and ran as fast as she could to her home.
The earrings cost 480 pounds and the necklace the robber had taken away cost only six pounds ten shillings . | high13549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To show how terrible lead poisoning is."
},
"options": [
"To tell us a strange story.",
"To warn us to keep away from lead.",
"To explain why the Roman Empire fell.",
"To show how terrible lead poisoning is."
],
... | As millions of playthings are recalled, doctors are reminded that the risks of lead exposure continue for young patients.
Lead is such a well-known health - perhaps even contributing to the fall of the Roman Empire- that it came as a shock to discover that toys played by children could contain lead. Doctors are now dealing with the aftershocks.
Just how dangerous is this exposure? That's the question physicians are being asked by parents who find a lead-polluted Elmo, of Dora. Millions of others toys, lunch boxes and pieces of jewelry manufactured in China have been recalled because they contain lead either in the paint that coats them or as a component of the plastic used to make the item more flexible. The lead content in some of the toys recalled this summer was 180 times the amount allowed by law. Some pieces of jewelry were almost 100% lead.
Experts advise that the items do cause a risk and that doctors should urge parents to check the comprehensive lists of recalled products on the Consumer Product Safety Commission's Web site and return any appearing on those lists to the manufacturers.
If exposure is suspected, a blood test is in order . Since there is no safe level of this universal element, the risk face by children for lead poisoning and its accompanying threat of learning disabilities and behavior problems is considerable.
Doctors who have toys in their waiting rooms also are advised to see if any of them have been recalled and to check for chipped, flaking paint-even on those that haven't yet been recalled--since new announcements of toy risk continue. | high14226.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To appeal to it to set air quality standards in the future."
},
"options": [
"To tell it the Beijing International Marathon was also named Smogathon.",
"To appeal to it to set air quality standards in the future.",
"To tell i... | The Beijing International Marathon has acquired a new name among some disappointed participants: Smogathon.
About 30,000 runners, many from other parts of China or abroad, awoke in the Chinese capital on Sunday to an orange sun glowing weakly through a dirty haze . _ . But no one cancelled on the advice of the organizers, the Chinese Athletic Association and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports, because those organizations did not call it off. That has made participants call the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), which has approved the 26-mile, or 42-kilometer race, to set air quality standards in the future to avoid damaging the runners' health. The association could not be reached by telephone on Sunday.
"Does the IAAF have guidelines?" asked Chas Pope, a British engineer who took part in the marathon on Sunday. "If they don't, they should consider it," said Mr. Pope, who has lived in Beijing for 11 years and runs several long-distance races each year. "It's meant to be fun and good for your health," Mr. Pope said of the marathon. "But in such air, it's just ridiculous to be running," he said. He abandoned the course. "Most of my overseas friends pulled out," he said. "And quite a few of my Chinese friends too, but a lot didn't. I think they don't know as much about the health impact."
Images on Twitter and Chinese social media showed Chinese runners wearing a variety of face protections, from light cloth masks to World War I-style gas masks. Still many completed the race without masks. "Today's race should definitely have been called off or rescheduled," said Zhang Kai, Beijing-based campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia. "What happened today to this sports even is just another reminder to the government that much remains to be done to China's energy and industrial structure to solve pollution," said Mr. Zhang. "If the battle against pollution is a marathon, it is now time to catch up on speed."
In the end, the race was won by two Ethiopians: Girmay Birhanu Gebru won the men's race in 2 hours, 10 minutes and 42 seconds while Fatuma Sado Dergo won the women's in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 3 seconds, breaking Chinese women's advantage of the race for the last 22 years.
The favored Chinese woman runner, Gong Lihua, told China News Net that the smog didn't affect her too much but it interfered with many people's ability to sweat, affecting their performance. | high9452.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "discover how human brain really works"
},
"options": [
"study the structure of human brain",
"make use of living human cell system",
"discover how human brain really works",
"separate cells from a cancer tumour"
],
... | Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.
They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson's disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour and making them behave like brain cells.
Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia ."
The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said,"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research." | high6761.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "1871"
},
"options": [
"1865",
"1871",
"1877",
"1878"
],
"question": "Kipling first left his parents in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"ans... | Joseph Rudyard Kipling, who enjoyed early success with his poems, was born on 30 December 1865 in Bombay, India. Some of Kipling's earliest and fondest memories are of his and sister Alice's trips to the fruit market with their woman servant, or walking with his parents alongside the sea at night.
The beautiful days were to end when in 1871 Rudyard and Alice were sent to school in Southsea, England, to live with Captain Holloway and his wife. She ruled the boarding house with punishment and Kipling was often beaten by her and her son. "Then the old Captain died, and I was sorry, for he was the only person in that house as far as I can remember who ever threw me a kind word." So he wrote in his later books. Kipling soon learned to read and found comfort in literature and poetry.
Freedom from the Holloway household was gained when he spent one month a year in London with his mother's kind sister Aunt Georgie and her husband, pre-Raphaelite painter Edward Burne Jones and their children. _
In 1877 Kipling's mother returned to England and collected him so that he could attend the United Services College in Devon. Now he was able to settle into the life of a student and in his second year started writing his own Schoolboy Lyric poems printed by his parents. In 1878 his father took him to the Paris Exhibition where he was allowed to wander freely and gained much appreciation for French culture which he wrote about in "Souvenirs of France". | high5268.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Getting the dishes ready."
},
"options": [
"Getting the dishes ready.",
"Repairing the cooker.",
"Washing dirty dishes.",
"Laying the table for dinner."
],
"question": "What might the mother be doing when the bo... | Our little boy came up to his mother in the kitchen one evening while she was preparing supper, and handed her a piece of paper that he had been writing on. After his mom dried her hands on her apron , she read it, and this is what was said:
For going to the store for you $2.
For cutting the grass in the garden $3.
For cleaning up the yard this week $2.5.
For cleaning up my room this week $2.
For setting the table for meals this week $1.
For baby-sitting my kid brother while you went shopping $1.5.
For getting a good school report $5.
Total owed: $17.
His mother looked at him, who was standing there with expectation. Memories flashed through her mind. Then she picked up a pen, turned over the paper he had written on, and wrote:
For the nine months I carried you while you were growing inside me, No Charge .
For all the nights that I've sat up with you and taken care of you, No Charge.
For all the problems and troubles that you've caused through the years, there is No Charge.
When you add it all up, the cost of my love is No Charge.
For all the nights that were filled with fear and for the worries I knew were ahead, No Charge. For the toys, food, clothes, and even wiping up your nose? There is No Charge. And when you add it all up, the full cost of real love is, No Charge, Son.
Well, friends, when our son finished reading what his mother had written, there were big tears in his eyes, and he looked straight up at his mother and said, "Mom, I sure do love you.." And then he took the pen and in great letters he wrote, " PAID IN FULL." | high20183.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "back-to-school day"
},
"options": [
"graduation ceremony",
"back-to-school day",
"campaign",
"educational reform"
],
"question": "This passage is a speech of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. Some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could have stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning. But I'm here because I want to talk with you about your education and what's expected of all of you in this new school year.
Every single one of you has something that you're good at. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That's the opportunity an education can provide. Maybe you could be a great writer, but you might not know it until you write that English paper that's assigned to you. Maybe you could be an inventor, but you might not know it until you do your project for your science class.
I know it's not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork. But the circumstances of your life---what you look like, where you come form, how much money you have---none of these is an excuses for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude in school.
I know that sometimes you get that sense form TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work---that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star. Chances are you're not going to be any of those things.
The truth is, being successful is hard. You won't lose every subject that you study. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right at this minute. And you won't necessarily succeed in everything the first time you try. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who have had the most failure. J. K. Rowling's first Harry potter book was rejected 12 times before it was finally published.
So I expect all of you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. | high10040.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "buy some gifts"
},
"options": [
"kill time",
"buy some gifts",
"go sightseeing",
"shop for her wedding"
],
"question": "The writer went to Harrods to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | I went into Harrods in London (a huge department store I am sure you have heard of) to buy some Minton china plates for a wedding anniversary which was to be a group gift from friends to other friends in Geneva.
Having only 30 minutes between meeting. I whizzed there in a taxi from the office and battled through the milling people on the 2nd day of the sales on the ground floor up to the 5th to the china department. There was a man standing there who was obviously a sales person who I rushed up to and asked if he had this particular china in stock and if it would take long to wrap, etc. He was amazing. He got the plates in seconds, wrapped them up and asked me if I wanted a store card, to which I replied no, because I lived in Switzerland, to which he replied asking if, as I lived abroad, would like a tax rebate form . After that he showed me what to do, produced a map of the store and told me where I should go for the formalities . That was fabulous! I thanked him and said what wonderful service he had given me. I even asked if he gave this to everyone, to which he answered: "I'm just doing what is required at Harrods". With that, a tall man in a gray suit approached me and offered his hand to shake mine saying, "Can I introduce myself? I am the Chief Executive of Harrods and what an interesting conversation I have just heard..." He had been wandering through the store (as you should do as a hands-on CEO) and had overheard me thanking this salesman, whose face, I can hardly describe, was frozen in a mixture of delight awe and astonishment!
Can you imagine the salesman going home to his family and friends recounting what the CEO spoke to him after overhearing him being praised by a customer? | high3619.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA"
},
"options": [
"the writer became an optimistic person",
"the writer was very happy about her new job",
"it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA",
"it was easy t... | (2013*,D)In 1974,after filling out fifty applications,going through four interviews,and winning one offer,I took what I could get--a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area:western New Jersey.My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen--teaching English.
School started,but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country.Was this rural area really New Jersey?My students took a week off when hunting season began.I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms.I was a young woman from New York City,who thought that"Make hay while the sun shines" just meant to have a good time.
But,still,I was teaching English.I worked hard,taking time off only to eat and sleep.And then there was my sixthgrade class--seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me.I had a problem long before I knew it.I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher.I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word.The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior.So I did,confident that,as the textbook had said,the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention.It sounds reasonable,but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans,particularly teenagers,rarely seem reasonable.By the time my boss,who was also my taskmaster,known to be the strictest,most demanding,most quick to fire inexperienced teachers,came into the classroom to observe me,the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room.The boys in the class were making animal noises,hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines.I just pretended it all wasn't happening,and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions.My boss,sitting in the back of room,seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.After twenty minutes he left,silently.Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying,but at my next free period I had to face him.I wondered if he would let me finish out the day.I walked to his office,took a deep breath,and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair,and he looked at me long and hard.I said nothing.All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher;I had been lying to myself,pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke,he said simply,without accusation,"You had nothing to say to them."
"You had nothing to say to them."he repeated."No wonder they're bored.Why not get to the meat of the literature and stop talking about symbolism.Talk with them,not at them.And more important,why do you ignore their bad behavior?"We talked.He named my problems and offered solutions.We roleplayed.He was the bad student,and I was the forceful,yet,warm,teacher.
As the year progressed,we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations.He helped me identify my weaknesses and my strengths.In short,he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson's words:"The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil."
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school.Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year,the school is my home now. | high16431.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She didn't intend to be a journalist."
},
"options": [
"She didn't intend to be a journalist.",
"She changed her major to journalism.",
"She now works as a science teacher",
"She's graduated from the university."
],... | Mu Yumin had no idea that when he stopped by the computer club as a freshman looking for something fun, it would decide his career four years later.The 22 -year -old biology major at Huazhong University of Science and Technology found a job as an IT technician in Shanghai." My experience in the club gave me another 'diploma' ," said Mu." More importantly, I found something I am good at and can make a living from."
Now campuses around the country have started recruiting fresh faces for all kinds of clubs.Upperclassmen and experts suggest a hobby-based choice of clubs, which might have a lasting impact on one' s life and career Zhang Ling did not get many chances to write stories as an environmental protection major at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology.But this changed when she joined the university broadcast station.Her daily interviews with students and teachers expanded her horizon.Now she is determined to become a journalist on environmental issues with her degree in environmental protection."Journalism changed my life track," said the 22 -year-old girl."I only wanted to be a science teacher in a local senior high school.But now I am applying for a graduate school in journalism."
Lan Yujie, professor at Anhui University of Technology, regards Mu and Zhang as good examples of choosing "what I like" instead of " what is practical" in finding jobs and seeking further study. "Some freshmen don't know what to choose," said Lan."Just following a hobby and doing something you like can easily give you the experience that makes you happy and special."
Lan further says that joining clubs should not necessarily have a purpose, As part of campus life, a club experience will impact one's life and career m one way or another."The point of clubs is to have as many diverse experiences as possible so that students can explore more of their life," said Lan. | high4610.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "pleased"
},
"options": [
"nerve-racking",
"injured",
"pleased",
"worried"
],
"question": "While climbing up rocks, the author was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Driving on up to Yosemite with my family was exciting but nerve-racking . I had never been to such an amazing national park before, yet I wasn't the most athletic person so I knew that I couldn't stick through all the hiking up and down. It actually ended up being a fun and adventurous experience.
The ride there was definitely long but worth it. As I woke up from my nap, I saw the beautiful scenery of the tall mountains and beautiful streams. The trails were made nicely for visitors. The waterfalls were breathtaking. Climbing up rocks was one of my favorite parts. Even though I fell a couple of times, I still have a lot of fun. The fact that my family and I spent so much time together all trying to find out which route to take and what views to watch really brought us closer together.
The great thing about nature is that, it's just you, the views, and the people around you. There's nothing there to bother you and it's the best way to relax and enjoy yourself. Yosemite has 5 of the world's highest waterfalls, and about 300 lakes. The structure of each mountain is incredible; it's formed in ways that almost take your breath away. Some of them are of a deep dark color1 with waterfalls forming; some are formed with spots of green peeking out. It's definitely something you wouldn't want to miss.
Yosemite isn't the only great National Park but based on my experience I highly recommend going out and enjoying nature with family and friends. It's a great time to bond, laugh, and take in what Mother Nature offers. | high19064.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "control the ecosystem in aquaculture"
},
"options": [
"improve water quality",
"help sensitive species",
"control the number of native fishes",
"control the ecosystem in aquaculture"
],
"question": "Asian carp h... | Seven species of carp native to Asia have been introduced into United States waters in recent decades, but it's four in particular-bighead, black, grass and silver-that worry ecologists, biologists, fishers and policymakers alike. Introduced in the southeast to help control weeds and parasites in aquaculture operations, these fish soon spread up the Mississippi River system where they have been crowding out native fish populations not used to competing with such aggressive invaders. The carps' presence in such numbers is also harming water quality and killing off sensitive species.
Asian carp are strong to jump over barriers such as low dams. They lay hundreds of thousands of eggs at a time and spread into new habitat quickly and easily. Also, flooding has helped the fish expand into previously unattainable water bodies. And fishers using young carp as live bait have also helped the fish's spread, as they have boats going through locks up and down the Mississippi.
The federal government considers the Asian carps to be annoying species and encourages and supports "active control" by natural resources management agencies. Federal and state governments have spent millions in tax dollars to prevent the carp from making their way into the Great Lakes, but an underwater electric fence constructed to keep them out has not worked as well as hoped, and policymakers are reviewing other options now.
In the meantime, state and federal agencies are monitoring the Mississippi and its branches for Asian carp and testing various barrier technologies to prevent their further spread. For instance, the National Park Service is cooperating with the state of Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources to construct new dams that are high enough to prevent Asian carp from jumping over. The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee has funded DNA monitoring in potentially affected water bodies whereby researchers can determine whether the troublesome fish are present just by the biological footprints they leave behind. Individuals can do their part by not transporting fish, bait or even water from one water body to another, and by emptying and washing boats before moving them between different water bodies. | high16357.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To exchange money."
},
"options": [
"To book train tickets.",
"To exchange money.",
"To visit a coin show.",
"To visit the station itself."
],
"question": "Why did people line up at the railway station?",
"q... | Hundreds of people lined up at Grand Central Terminal yesterday, but they
weren't there to catch a train. They came to New York City's famous railroad station to trade in old dollar bills for the new George Washington Presidential1 coin.
The gold-colored coin is the first in a new series by the U.S. Mint that honors former U.S. Presidents. The Mint will issue four Presidential1 coins a year through 2016. Like the popular 50 State Quarters program, which issues coins in the order in which each state joined the Union, Presidential1 coins will come out in the order in which each President served. The George Washington coin is the first to be released. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison coins will come out later this year.
The Presidential 1 coins will be the same size and color as the Sacagawea Golden Dollar. However, there is an important difference. For the first time since the 1930s, there is an inscription on the edge of each coin. Each coin will show a different President on its face, or head side. It will also show the President's name, the order in which he served and his years in office. The other side of the coin will show the Statue of Liberty and the inscriptions "United States of America" and " 1".
There will be one Presidential1 coin for each President, except Grover Cleveland. He will have two! Cleveland is the only U.S. President to have served two nonconsecutive terms.
The last President scheduled to get a coin is Gerald Ford because a President must have been dead for two years before he can be on a coin. | high11438.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "realized that he had not been invited to the golf game"
},
"options": [
"went to play golf with them",
"refused to pay for his son's game",
"realized that he had not been invited to the golf game",
"realized that he had... | "Can you take me golfing sometimes?" my 13-year-old son asked.
I had a bathroom to remodel . I wanted to say no. "Sure," I said."What did you have in mind ?"
"Well, maybe you could, like, pick up Jared and me after school on Friday and take us out to Oakway."
"Sounds good."
Friday came. In front of the school, Ryan and Jared piled in. Ryan looked confused.
"What's with the golf hat, Dad ?" he asked
It was, I thought, a silly question, like asking a diver: "What's with the swim fins ?"
"Well, I thought we were going to play some golf."
There was a strange pause. "Uh, you're going, too ?" He asked. Suddenly, it struck me that I hadn't been invited. Thirteen years of parenting flashed before my eyes.
All these memories sped by in about two seconds, leaving me about three seconds to reply.
I had to say something. I wanted to say this: "How could you do this to me? We have always been a team." But I said: "Me? Play? No. You know I'm up to my ears in the remodel project."
We drove on in silence for a few moments. "So, how are you planning to play for this?" I asked, my wounnded ego reaching for the dagger
"Uh, could you loan me $7?"
Oh, I get it. He doesn't want me, but he'll gladly take my money.
"No problem, " I said.
I dropped him and Jared off, wished them luck, and headed for home. Life would never be the same.
I walked in the door. "What are you doing home?" my wife asked.
"I wasn't invited." I replied.
Another one of those strange pauses came. Then my wife laughed. Out loud. At first, I was hurt. Then I, too, laughed.
I went back to the bathroom remodel and realized that this is what life is all about: change.
A few hours later, I heard Ryan walk in the front door.
"Dad," he said, "My game stinks . Can you take me golfing sometime ? I need some help."
I wanted to hug him and shout: "I'm still needed!"
Instead, I got one of those serious-dad looks on my face and said: "Sure, Ry, anytime." | high10726.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a person may own a part of the company that makes TV sets"
},
"options": [
"a farmer is not allowed to buy the shares of stock",
"if a company does well, its shares of stock have no value",
"a person may own a part of the com... | Who owns the large American companies that produce cars, washing machines, and television sets? They are owned by a large group of people called stockholders.
A company must have money to build factories and to buy machinery. To get this money, it sells shares of stock . Each share of stock is a share in the ownership of the company. The person who buys a share of stock becomes a part owner of the company. He is called a stockholder. A company can have thousands of stockholders. Sometimes a very large company is owned by millions of stockholders.
Few persons can afford to buy a whole company, but the average individual can become part owner of a business. He can save his dollars and buy a share of stock in a large company. A person does not have to be wealthy to be a stockholder.
When a company makes money, each stockholder may receive a dividend check, which is his share of the profits . Parts of a company's profits are not paid out to the stockholders. This money is used by the company so it can grow larger. If the company does well, its shares of stock become more valuable.
More than 20 million people own shares of stock in America's companies. By owning stock, they are helping America's businesses grow. They are also putting their money to work to earn more money. | high2261.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Losing a friend."
},
"options": [
"A high school task.",
"A professor's encouragement.",
"Losing a friend.",
"Doubts about the present test."
],
"question": "What made Jack Andraka research pancreatic cancer?",
... | Jack Andraka from Maryland won the grand prize at the 2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. It is the largest high school science competition in the world. The Maryland teenager is the youngest winner of the $75,000 prize. He was chosen from among 1,500 students in 70 countries.
Jack Andraka invented a test for pancreatic cancer . He started to learn it after losing a close family friend to the disease. "I went on the Internet and I found that 85%of all pancreatic cancers are found late, when someone has less than 2% chance of survival , " he says, "and I was thinking,' That's not right. We should be able to do something.'" He found that early discovery is important to increasing the chances of surviving the disease.
The Maryland teenager asked to work in a laboratory at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and was allowed. There he developed a simple paper test, which can recognize the disease in a single drop of blood. His test has proved correct 90% of the time. It also is 100 times more sensitive than other tests. "It costs 3 cents per test, and then it takes only 5 minutes to run," he said.
Jack's success wouldn't have been possible without Anirban Maitra, a professor at Johns Hopkins. He was the only person among the 200 researchers Jack wrote to who showed interest in his project. "I was very surprised that this was a 15-year-old who was writing this. I wanted to meet this clever young man and see what he wanted to talk about and so I called him over for an interview . "
Jack worked in Professor Maitra's laboratory, completing his project in 7 months. The government has given the Maryland teenager patent rights to the pancreatic cancer test. He is now talking with companies about developing the test into a simple product.
Whatever happens, the professor believes Jack Andraka's name is one we will be hearing again over the next 10 to 20 years. | high17049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he felt nervous."
},
"options": [
"To wait for Ron and Carol.",
"Because he felt nervous.",
"Because he met a black bear.",
"To take photos of the beautiful scenery."
],
"question": "Why did the author s... | Standing in front of the "Chilkoot Trailhead" sign for 15 minutes, I didn't take one step. I was afraid of bears. That's what was keeping me from walking the trail alone. I had hiked through black-bear country back home in Colorado, but now I was in Alaska, home to the fierce brown grizzly bear.
Fortunately, a friendly couple arrived and asked me to take their picture. We started talking and soon were walking the trail together. I was relieved. Ron and Carol were from Alaska and they taught me how to stay safe in bear country.
I had finally started my hike along the famous Chilkoot Trail, where more than 115 years ago, thousands of gold miners had walked. I was writing a book about the Klondike Gold Rush, and I wanted to follow in the footsteps of the miners to know what it was really like.
Ron, Carol, and I walked through the forest. As I was looking around at the beautiful scenery in the forest, I tripped over a big tree root and injured my ankle . Fortunately, my ankle felt better in the morning, and we followed the trail. We went to bed early that night because the following day would be the toughest hike of all.
At dawn, we started hiking up the steep , green valley. Icy glaciers covered the mountains above. Soon we were as high as the clouds and could see only 20 feet in front of us. Finally, we reached the top of the Chilkoot pass and saw a Canadian flag moving in the heavy wind. Hours later, we arrived at our campground.
The following morning, my ankle was feeling fine, and my fear of bears had mostly disappeared. I said good-bye to Ron and Carol and walked alone for the next two days. Without seeing any bears the entire trip, I finally arrived at Bennett Lake. I rode the old train down to the town of Skagway and checked into my hotel.
While relaxing in my comfortable bed in the hotel, I thought of the miners from the Klondike Gold Rush. When the miners reached Bennett Lake, they had to cut down trees, build boats, and travel 500 miles down dangerous rivers and lakes. Then, when they finally reached the goldfields, they had to start digging. | high14540.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "We meant to improve the relationship between China and Belgium."
},
"options": [
"We were supposed to make money from Belgium.",
"We meant to improve the relationship between China and Belgium.",
"We expected to amuse the Bel... | A pair of giant pandas from southwest China's Sichuan Province arrived at their new home in Belgium's Pairi Daiza zoo, some 60km southwest of downtown Brussels, at around 15:00 local time (1400GMT) on February 23, 2014.
About 2,500 people, many of them excited children waving national flags of China and Belgium as well as panda-decorated flags or wearing costume of Panda greeted the pandas along the road to the zoo.
Visitors today can only observe the pandas through a closed-circuit television system in the reception.
Officials said they wanted the pandas fully adapted to their new home before making public _ in April.
The pandas, Xing Hui, the male and Hao Hao, the female, are both 4 years old and are on lease from a breeding center in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The lease term is 15 years, according to officials with the China Conservation and Research Center for Giant Pandas, the world's largest research base for the species.
"It's a good thing for Belgium." Nicole Duflot, a grandmother coming to the zoo with her husband and her grandson told Xinhua, "We can't see the Panda today but it's a great thing for us to come here."
The Pandas will be living in a panda hall of 5,300 square meters within the zoo.
"I hope Xing Hui and Hao Hao will enhance friendship between Belgium and China." Liao Liqiang, the Chinese ambassador to Belgium, said during an interview with Xinhua. | high6007.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Wales"
},
"options": [
"Scotland",
"England",
"Ireland",
"Wales"
],
"question": "Gelert was the dog of the Prince of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index... | More than seven hundred years ago, the Prince of Wales had a very big and brave dog called Gelert. One day the Prince wanted to go hunt-ing with his men. He told his dog to stay at home and look after his baby son. The baby was in a wooden cradle, which was like a small bed. When the Prince came back from hunt-ing, Gelert ran out to meet his master. He wagged his tail and jumped up to put his paws on the Prince's chest. Then the Prince saw the blood on Gelert's jaws and head.
"What have you done?" the Prince said. He rushed into his house and looked for his baby son. The cradle was lying on its side on the floor. The clothes were torn and there was blood on them.
"So you have killed my son?" the Prince said angrily. "You unfaithful dog!" He took out his sword and killed the dog. Just as Gelert was dying, he managed to bark. Then the Prince heard a baby call to the dog.
The Prince ran out of the house and saw his son lying on the ground unhurt. Near him was a dead wolf. Then the Prince knew that Gelert had defended the baby and killed the wolf.
The Prince ran back into the house but he was too late. Gelert was dead. The Prince was very sad indeed. Tears ran down his face when he realized 'he had killed his faith-ful friend. The Prince carried the body of his brave dog to the top of a mountain and buried him there. After this, the Prince never smiled again. Every morning at dawn, he walked up the mountain and stood by the dog's grave for a few minutes.
If you go to Mount Snowdon in Wales, people will show you where Gelert is buried. There is a sign by his grave. It reminds peo-ple of a brave and faithful dog. | high15886.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Vancouver is a leading centre for the global agriculture and industry."
},
"options": [
"The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports",
"Vancouver is a film production centre and called \"Hollywood No... | Vancouver
Natural Resources
As a major centre for the global forestry industry, Vancouver is host to many international forestry conferences and events, and the natural home of the massive BC forestry business. Companies such as Canfor and West Fraser Timber Co., the second and third largest lumber producers in the world, are headquartered in Vancouver. Vancouver is also a major centre for the mining industry.
International trade
International trade is a key part for Vancouver's economy. The city has Canada's largest port and is one of North America's major gateways for Pan-Pacific trade. The Port of Vancouver ranks first in North America in total foreign exports and second on the West Coast in total goods volume.
Banking and Financial
The headquarters for HSBC Canada is located in the Financial District in downtown. Canada's third largest commercial entity , Jim Pattison Group is also based in Vancouver.
International relation
Vancouver is a major centre for diplomacy and foreign relations. Most countries of the world have consulate or general offices in the Central Business District. In fact, many major diplomatic conferences are hosted by the city - including the world famous G7 summit with President Clinton, APEC, and the World Trade Organization. Greenpeace has its world headquarters in the city. Therefore, Vancouver was among the first North American cities to declare itself a Nuclear Weapons Free Zone.
Tourism
Tourism is a leading industry to Vancouver. The Whistler-Blackcomb Resort is among the most popular skiing resorts in North America, and will be the site of the downhill events of the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver's beaches, parks, waterfronts, and mountain backdrops and its multi- cultural character attract more and more tourists.
Film
Vancouver was the source of the sobriquet "Hollywood North", for hosting the production of about ten percent of Hollywood's movies. Many U.S. television and films series are shot exclusively in Vancouver. This has partly been because of the favourable Canadian dollar exchange rate. | high7319.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "if they are exposed too much sunlight in the first weeks after they are born"
},
"options": [
"because the summer sun is too strong for babies",
"because babies born in summer have lengthened eyeballs",
"if they are exposed t... | Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.
As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.
They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.
Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused shortsightedness in animals.
Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.
A study of almost 300,000 young adults-the largest of its kind-showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January.
Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination causes the eyeball to lengthen-causing short-sightedness.
Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.
The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin , a pigment which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.
In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more _ to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.
Sight expert Professor Daniel O'Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said "At the moment we don't know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming shortsighted." | high9320.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The man had no hands."
},
"options": [
"The man was rich.",
"The man had no hands.",
"They knew each other.",
"He is Alex Ruiz's father."
],
"question": "Why did Alex Ruiz help the man eat his lunch?",
"ques... | When a customer came into a Mexican restaurant in Georgia with an unusual request, a selfless waiter didn't hesitate to help him out.
A disabled man with no hands who ordered a meal at Cinco cle Mayo Mexican Grill in Douglasville on Sunday afternoon hoped someone might be able to help him eat his lunch.
Server Alex Ruiz, 22, was more than happy to help as he sat opposite from the man and helped him enjoy his meal.
The heartwarming moment was captured in a photo by one of Ruiz's workmates, Crystal Figueroa. She posted it on the restaurant's Facebook page.
"He's a great person," Figuero, 24, whose father manages the restaurant, said.
"He's always so nice, and the fact that he just came out of nowhere and helped a man he doesn't even know have a meal says everything. That just shows the person that he is.
One of Figueroa's friends, Reginald Widener, also witnessed the moment and posted the photo on his Facebook page.
"This seriously hit me right in the soul," Widener wrote.
The waiters did not get the name of the man. He had never eaten in the restaurant before, according to Figueroa. But Ruiz jumped at the chance to help.
"I just feel like people should see that there're still good people out there," Figueroa said. "It was just a happy moment." | high14554.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "are suited more to domestic jobs than men"
},
"options": [
"cannot compete with men in any field",
"are suited more to domestic jobs than men",
"are sensitive enough to be a good caretaker",
"are too weak to do any agri... | Sex prejudices are based on and justified by the ideology that biology is destiny. According to this ideology, basic biological and psychological differences exist between the sexes. These differences require each sex to play a separate role in social life. Women are the weaker sex both physically and emotionally. Thus, they are naturally suited, much more so than men, to the performance of domestic duties. A woman's place, under normal circumstances, is within the protective environment of the home. Nature has determined that women play caretaker roles, such as wife and mother and homemaker. On the other hand, men are best suited to go out into the competitive world of work and politics, where serious responsibilities must be taken on. Men are to be the providers; women and children are "dependents".
The ideology also holds that women who wish to work outside the household should naturally fill these jobs that are in line with the special capabilities of their sex. It is appropriate for women, not men, to be employed as nurses, social workers, elementary school teachers, house-hold helpers, clerks and secretaries. These positions are simply an extension of women's domestic role. Informal distinctions between "women's work" and "men's work" in the labor force, according to the ideology, are simply a functional reflection of the basic differences between the sexes.
Finally, the ideology suggests that nature has worked her will in another significant way. For the human species to survive over time, its members must regularly reproduce. Thus, women must, whether at home or in the labor force, make the most of their physical appearances.
So goes the ideology. It is, of course, not true that basic biological and psychological differences between the sexes require each to play sex-defined roles in social life. There is enough evidence that sex roles vary from society to society, and _
But to the degree people actually believe that biology is destiny and that nature intended for men and women to make different contributions to society, sex-defined roles will be seen as totally acceptable. | high6013.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society."
},
"options": [
"The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was.",
"The recorder was impatient and rude.",
"The author was upset about the situation that mot... | A woman renewing her driver's license at the County Clerk's office was asked to state her occupation.She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
"What I mean is," explained the recorder, "do you have a job, or are you just a ..."
"Of course I have a job," said Emily."I'm a mother."
"We don't list 'mother' as an occupation... 'housewife' covers it," said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation.The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title."What is your occupation?" she asked.
The words simply popped out."I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations."
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
"Might I ask, " said the clerk with new interest, "Just what you do in this field?"
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn't), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out).Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money."
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to mankind than "just another mother."
Motherhood...What a glorious career! Especially when there's a title on the door. | high15892.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They both can cause pets to vomit."
},
"options": [
"They both can cause pets' sudden kidney failure.",
"They both contain different amounts of theobromine and caffeine.",
"They both can cause pets to vomit.",
"They bot... | Lots of human foods are dangerous to pets, many of which may seem tasty to our pets but can prove deadly if eaten. It can be very appealing to offer pets food from the table, but pets should not be given human food unless recommended by veterinarians .
If you suspect your pet may have eaten a dangerous food, contact veterinarians immediately. In many cases, early recognition and treatment are very important.
Chocolate, Coffee, and Caffeine
Chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical that is toxic to dogs in large quantities. Chocolate also contains caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, and certain soft drinks. Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine and caffeine. For example, dark chocolate and baking chocolate contain more of these compounds than milk chocolate, so a dog would need to eat more milk chocolate to become ill. However, even a few ounces of chocolate can be enough to cause illness in a small dog, so no amount or type of chocolate should be considered "safe" for a dog to eat. Chocolate toxicity can cause vomiting , diarrhea, rapid or irregular heart rate, restlessness, muscle tremors, and seizures. Death can occur within 24 hours of intake.
Grapes and Raisins
Grapes and raisins can cause sudden kidney failure in .cats and dogs. It is unknown what the toxic agent is in these fruits. However, clinical signs can occur within 24 hours of eating and include vomiting, diarrhea, and tiredness. Other signs of illness relate to the eventual shutdown of kidney functioning.
Garlic and Onions
Garlic and onions contain chemicals damaging red blood cells in cats and dogs. Affected red blood cells can damage or lose their ability to carry oxygen effectively. Cooking these foods does not reduce their potential toxicity. Fresh, cooked, and/or powdered garlic and/or onions are commonly found in baby food, which is sometimes given to animals when they are sick, so be sure to read food labels carefully.
Many cases of human food toxicity in pets are accidental. A pet may find and chew on a package of gum or candy, or steal food from a countertop or table. The best way to prevent this is to keep all food item: in closed cupboard or areas inaccessible to pets. This may be particularly difficult during the holiday season, when more candy, chocolate, fruit baskets, and other food item: are around. During these times, increased alertness can help prevent pets finding and eating dangerous foods.
Children should also be taught to never give candy, gum, or other human foods to pets. | high19070.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she was angry with him"
},
"options": [
"she didn't hear it",
"she was seriously hurt",
"she was angry with him",
"she had her phone broken"
],
"question": "The girl didn't want to answer the boy's' call because... | A boy and a girl were a couple of lovers. The girl liked feeling rain, so the boy was always holding the umbrella when it rained and most part of the umbrella was over the girl. Rain showered the boy every time but he said nothing except looked at the gift's face, which was full of silent satisfaction. He felt very happy, so did the girl.
One day they went out for a walk. They were walking hand in hand passing a building which was under construction. The girl jumped with excitement and said something. The boy seldom talked only feeling excited as she felt looking at her silently. When the girl was talking, a not big or small stone fell down from the building toward the girl's head! At that moment the boy took the girl in his arms so suddenly and so strongly that the girl let out a scream. He meant to protect the gift with his body. But the boy turned over to make his own body downward before they dropped on the ground. As a result, only the girl's hand was smashed by the stone and _
The girl came back to earth and cried with pain, tears weeping up. She thought the saying that "The husband and the wife are birds in the same forest essentially, but when serious tragedy comes, they will fly separately" was really not wrong! With this, she straggled and stood up from. the boy's body keeping from the pains and slowly ran away without glancing at the boy.
At the time, the boy was calling the girl's name in a weak voice, his lips were already white. He took out his mobile phone and dialed the girl's number, but the girl didn't answer. He dialed again she didn't answer again. For several times, he gave up. But his fingers pressed something on the mobile. At that time, beside the boy, the blood spread slowly, his hand hung and the mobile phone lay in the blood, he had no strength to press the "SENT" key yet.
The next day, when the girl heard of the news that the boy was being rescued, she ran to the hospital without considering her anger. When she hurried to the hospital, the doctor had already declared his death; the cause of his death was that his lung had lost too much blood.
It was because, when the boy meant to protect the girl with his body he found that there was a steel stick under them, so he turned over to make it inset(="put" into) his own body.
The boy's mother passed the boy's mobile phone on to the gift.
The girl read the message that hadn't been sent: "Honey, I'm sorry, I still couldn't protect you and made you wound... "Upon this, the girl couldn't help crying...
Please treasure the one you love and believe his or her LOVE! | high4604.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "picked at the right moment are more nutritious than those bought from the market."
},
"options": [
"can remain standing for a long time and need not be picked immediately.",
"have to be eaten as soon as they are picked",
"sel... | Vegetable gardening is the relaxing art and science of turning a love for growing plants into a worthwhile activity.
Vegetable gardeners agree that many home-grown vegetables picked at their best are superior to those vegetables purchased from markets. From spring through late fall, a well-planned and well-kept garden can prove a supply of fresh vegetables, thus increasing the nutrition of the family diet. Freezers make it possible to keep some of the vegetables to be enjoyed at a later date. Other vegetables can be stored for a few months in a cool area.
Having vegetables in the backyard makes home gardening appealing for many people. In addition, vegetable gardening provides exercise and fun for both urban and suburban families.
Although the money spent for a garden may be little, one cannot escape the fact that gardening requires hard work and time. Many of the gardening tasks must be performed at times that are most inconvenient. Not doing jobs that should be done on a regular basis may result in failure and a negative feeling toward gardening.
One should not plant a garden that is too large for him to care for. A small, well-kept garden is more enjoyable and profitable than a large neglected one. Vegetables do well in full sunlight and need at least five or six hours of sun during the middle of the day. Too much shading results in poor plants and few vegetables. If possible, the garden should be near the house so the gardener can work in it at odd moments.
Soils for vegetables should be easily broken up and porous for quick water drainage and good aeration . A deep, fine, sandy good quality soil is best.
Usually the hoe owner has little choice in the soil type he can choose. Fortunately, many vegetables can be grown on poor soils if the soils are properly prepared. | high16343.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "clothes will be able to change their pattern"
},
"options": [
"people will never get old",
"everyone will look the same",
"red will be the most popular color",
"clothes will be able to change their pattern"
],
"... | Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people your age could live to be 150,so at 40, you're not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age !
You say to your shirt , "Turn red." It changes from blue to red. In 2035, "smart clothes" contain particles much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change clothes'color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen . You pick up the milk ,but a voice says , " You shouldn't drink that!" Your fridge has read the chip that contains information about the milk , and it knows the milk is old . In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip .
It's time to go to work . In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your "smart car" where to go. On the way , you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve . Such "smart technology" is all around you.
So will all these things come true? "For new technology to succeed," says scientist Andrew Zolli , "it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already." The Internet is one example --- what will be the next? | high10732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "thinks singing for 80 hours straight is completely meaningless"
},
"options": [
"thinks singing for 80 hours straight is completely meaningless",
"feels it a pity he was not invited to share the happiness with the Burbures",
... | A round of applause, please, for the Indian man who recently sang for 80 hours straight, setting a new Guinness world record. It's an impressive feat, to be sure, but let's just hope he still has a voice.According to Indian newspapers, Rajesh Burbure has been told to keep silent for several days so his vocal cords can heal.
It was reported that Burbure and his family are in a celebratory mood. "It's a proud moment for all of us," his wife told DNAIndia.com.
I, on the other hand, am unable to share their enthusiasm.Don't get me wrong: I hope the 35-year-old Burbure lives forever, sells a million records and becomes an international celebrity.But his record--singing for 80 hours straight--is about as meaningful as most of the other curious but crazy feats listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Granted, I'm not qualified to speak on the subject.I've got no world records to my name, and I never expect to have any.Then again, maybe I am qualified to speak for those of us who have better things to do than train for years to sing an 80-hour medley of pop songs.
But let's not just pick on poor Burbure.He's not the only person chasing meaningless accolades .The Guinness Book of World Records is full of the names of people who at one time grew the longest hair, or built the biggest bicycle, or baked the largest cheesecake.
To all of these enterprising souls I ask, simply, "What was it all for?"
Congratulations! For all of your painstaking effort, you became a footnote in a thick book that no one reads, except for you and the person who will eventually surpass you, with one more hour of singing, a few more centimeters of steel or a few more pounds of cheese.
After all, records are made to be broken. | high2275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Many people attend New Year parties."
},
"options": [
"They kiss each three times at the stroke after midnight.",
"They use fireworks to scare away evil spirits.",
"Men and women make New Year's plants together.",
"Many... | Different countries and cultures celebrate New Year in different ways. Many countries still follow the lunar calendar, meaning that their new year often starts in late January or in February. New Year celebrations for some countries (like China, Vietnam and Korea) last not one day, but up to two weeks!
In the U.S., many people attend New Year parties. They drink champagne, dance, and cheer at the stroke of midnight. Fireworks, which in olden times scared away evil spirits, are very popular throughout the U. S. . U.S. residents often make one or more New Year's _ such as promising to quit smoking, lose weight, stop drinking. Most of these resolutions last little longer than a month.
In the southern U.S. , many people eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the new year. In Mexico and Venezuela, many people wear red or yellow underwear for good luck. In Brazil, residents wear red white clothes for good luck, and in China, they wear red clothes and give children red envelops with money in them. In Iran, people wear brand new clothes on the first day of the new year.
In Scotland, homeowners open the front door at midnight to let in the new year, and open the back door to let out the old year. In Switzerland, people kiss each other three times at midnight. In Spain, people eat 12 grapes-----one per chime----as the clock chimes midnight. In Japan, they ring a bell 108 times to get rid of the108 bad desires that people have. In Korea, they ring a bell 33 times in honor of 33 ancient soldiers. | high10054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "tornado"
},
"options": [
"tornado",
"earthquake",
"flood",
"drought"
],
"question": "What kind of disaster of this article is talking about?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Officials in the Midwestern U. S. town of Joplin, Missouri, say the death from Sundays' big tornado reaches 116 and that search efforts continue for possible survivors trapped in rubble . Search and rescue teams are conducting their third sweep through the nearly 10 kilometer - long and one - kilometer wide area of destruction left by the tornado. They are working as quickly as possible while weather conditions remain relatively stable. More storms are forecast for the area.
Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles said there are areas with large piles of rubble that might hold survivors. "We are still finding individuals. We did rescue seven individuals from underneath rubble yesterday and, of course, we are also finding dead folks as well." Said more folks and that is why we are doing these searches. We want to make every opportunity that we can to find everybody that is in the rubble and that has survived to this point."
Randles said the current sweep involves a slower pace that previous searches and that he plans a fourth search, possibly on Wednesday, using specially trained dogs. "We are searching every structure that has been damaged or destroyed in a more in-depth manner, "he said." I have dogs and dog handlers coming from all over the country do help us in that effort."
Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr said the Red Cross and other volunteer organizations are helping people who were left homeless by the tornado and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, is on hand to help. "Joplin is a great city. We have suffered a great loss, "said Rohr." We will recover and we will recover strongly and we have a lot of help and a lot of volunteers to make that easier."
The tornado that struck Joplin was classified by the Natioonal Weather Service as an F - 4, with winds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. It lasted only 20 minutes, but it killed more that 100 people, injured more than 400 others, and destroyed or heavily damaged some 2,000 homes, businesses, churches and a hospital. Authorities have registered more than 1,700 calls about missing people and they hope to _ most of those cases soon, as victims are identified and survivors come forth and reunite with loved ones.
This was the worst tornado to strike the United States in 60 years. It was the latest in a wave of violent storms that have swept Midwestern and southern states in recent weeks, leaving more than 300 people dead an causing more than $2 billion dollars in damage. | high2513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They are largely hunted by humans."
},
"options": [
"The effect of El Nino is destructive.",
"The number of them is increasing.",
"They are busy reserving energy.",
"They are largely hunted by humans."
],
"quest... | December usually marks the start of humpback whale season in Hawaii. But experts say the animals have been slow to return.
The giant whales are an iconic part of winter on the islands and a source of income for tour operators. But officials at the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary said they've been getting reports that the whales have been difficult to spot so far.
"This isn't a concern. But it's of interest. One theory was that something like this happened as whales increased. It's a product of their success," said Ed Lyman. He is a Maui-based resource protection manager and response coordinator for the sanctuary.
"What I'm seeing out there right now is what I expected a month ago," said Lyman. He said he was surprised by how few of the animals he saw while responding to a call about a distressed calf on Christmas Eve. "We've just seen a handful of whales."
It will be a while before officials have hard numbers. That is because the annual whale counts don't take place until the last Saturday of January, February and March. This is according to former sanctuary co-manager Jeff Walters.
"They don't necessarily show up in the same place at the same time every year," Walters said.
More than 10,000 humpback whales make the winter journey from Alaska to the warm waters off Hawaii. There, they mate and give birth.
Lyman said the whales' absence could just mean they're spending more time feeding in northern waters. That's possibly because of El Nino disruptions. Or it may be because their population has gone up.
"With more animals, they're competing against each other for that food resource, and it takes huge energy reserves to make that long migration over 2,000 miles," he explained. | high19716.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It will have to be rebooted when used again."
},
"options": [
"It will consume as little energy as possible.",
"It is more likely to be damaged by a virus picked up from the Internet.",
"It will have to be rebooted when used ... | How you end a computer session depends on how you use the computer, your views on energy conservation , and what you have been told about how your decision will affect your investment's longevity: will frequent starting and stopping cause its circuits to burn out sooner?
Rest easy, your computer is more likely to be damaged by a virus picked up from the Internet than by being turned off and on too much. They are also energyefficient: such efficiency has reached the point where most computers place themselves in sleep mode if they remain idle for a certain period of time. So your computer will likely slip into sleep mode anyway, even if you leave it on overnight.
Sleep mode itself, once a pretty unreliable option--you never knew if you would be able to wake your computer without having to reboot it--has been vastly improved with newer operating systems. If you want your computer to consume as little energy as possible when not in use, shut it down. If you want it to consume zero energy, you're going to have to unplug (......) it.
Your computer can be in only three states: on, sleep or off--each of which draws some level of electric current. A computer that is "on" will either be actively processing information or sitting idle, depending on whether the user is typing a document, reading an email or has stepped away briefly. The amount of wattage drawn when the computer is on varies greatly depending on whether it is a laptop or a desktop computer. The latter uses more energy because desktop power supplies are less efficient and require a separate and often larger, powerhungry monitor. It also varies based on the type of work being done: complex calculations requiring intensive processing are more powerhungry, whereas writing or Web browsing consumes far less electricity. | high21289.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "50%"
},
"options": [
"50%",
"40%",
"30%",
"10%"
],
"question": "If a customer arrives at the Hotel Santo Domingo on January 20th, he'll be offered a discount of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Lose yourself in the sights and sounds of Madrid -- a three-night break from PS175 per person.
* Have a three-night break in Madrid, with a four-star hotel.
* Prices range from PS175 to PS245 per person, depending on when you travel (PS350 as usual).
* Stay in the Hotel Santo Domingo in the heart of the city.
* Return flights are included in the cost of the voucher .
Details
* The voucher is valid from January 9th, 2014 to March 25th, 2014 (no discounts during January 16th -18th, February 1st-2nd, 12th-16th, March 1st-2nd).
* PS175 per person for arrivals between January 9th and January 31st; PS210 per person for arrivals between February 1st and February 28th; PS245 per person for arrivals between March 1st and March 25th.
* Once you have bought the voucher, book by calling 0800 368 0300. Book as early as you can. You cannot call off your deal once you book one.
* One voucher can only be used for one stay. You cannot use more vouchers to extend your stay. It's not available with any other discounts. The unused parts of the deal are not exchanged for cash or any other service.
What you will get
Madrid's mix of culture, wisdom and fun makes it one of Europe's most exciting capital cities. By day, go to the Golden Museum Triangle to enjoy works of art by Picasso and Van Gogh, and visit the Royal Palace. At night, go to clubs to experience the culture. When it comes to the food, no words can describe it.
In the hotel, you can have free Wi-Fi, air conditioning, LCD televisions and bathrooms. As well as being based in the best shopping area in Madrid, the hotel is also close to the biggest museum. | high8758.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Jack has the final say in the division of money"
},
"options": [
"Jack keeps back all the money",
"Jill can negotiate fair division with Jack",
"Jack has the final say in the division of money",
"Jill has no choice but ... | A four-year-old girl sees three biscuits divided between a stuffed crocodile and a teddy bear.The crocodile gets two; the bear one."Is that fair?" asks the experimenter.The girl judges that it is not."How about now?" asks the experimenter, breaking the bear's single biscuit in half.The girl cheers up: "Oh yes, now it's fair.They both have two." Strangely, children feel very strongly about fairness, even when they hardly understand it.
Adults care about fairness too --- but how much? One way to find out is by using the ultimatum game, created by economist Werner Guth.Jack is given a pile of money and proposes how it should be divided with Jill.Jill can accept Jack's "ultimatum", otherwise the deal is off, and neither gets anything.
Suppose Jack and Jill don't care about fairness, just about accumulating cash.Then Jack can offer Jill as little as he likes and Jill will still accept.After all, a little money is more than no money.But imagine, instead, that Jack and Jill both care only about fairness and that the fairest outcome is equality.Then Jack would offer Jill half the money; and Jill wouldn't accept otherwise.
What happens when we ask people to play this game for real? It turns out that people value fairness a lot.Anyone offered less than 20-30% of the money is likely to reject it.Receiving an unfair offers makes us feel sick.Happily, most offers are pretty equitable; indeed, by far the most common is a 50-50 split.
But children, and adults, also care about a very different sort of (un)fairness, namely cheating.Think how many games of snakes and ladders have ended in arguments when one child "accidentally" miscounts her moves and another child objects.But this sense of fairness isn't about equality of outcome: games inevitably have winners and losers.Here, fairness is about playing by the rules.
Both fairness-as-equality and fairness-as-no-cheating matter.Which is more important: equality or no-cheating? I think the answer is neither.The national lottery , like other lotteries, certainly doesn't make the world more equal: a few people get rich and most people get nothing.Nevertheless, we hope, it is fair --- but what does this mean? The fairness-as-no-cheating viewpoint has a ready answer: a lottery is fair if it is conducted according to the "rules".But which rules? None of us has the slightest idea, I suspect.Suppose that buried in the small print at lottery HQ is a rule that forbids people with a particular surname (let's say, Moriarty).So a Ms Moriarty could buy a ticket each week for years without any chance of success.
How would she react if she found out? Surely with anger: how dare the organisers let her play, week after week, without mentioning that she couldn't possibly win! She'd reasonably feel unfairly treated because _ .
To protest against unfairness, then, is to make an accusation of bad faith.From this viewpoint, an equal split between the crocodile and the bear seems fair because (normally, at least), it is the only split they would both agree to.But were the girl to learn that the crocodile doesn't like biscuits or that the bear isn't hungry, I suspect she'd think it perfectly fair for one toy to take the whole.Inequality of biscuits (or anything else) isn't necessarily unfair, if both parties are happy.And the unfairness of cheating comes from the same source: we'd never accept that someone else can unilaterally violate agreements that we have all signed up to.
So perhaps the four-year-old's intuitions about fairness is the beginnings of an understanding of negotiation.With a sense of fairness, people will have to make us acceptable offers (or we'll reject their ultimatums) and stick by the (reasonable) rules, or we'll be on the warpath.So a sense of fairness is crucial to effective negotiation; and negotiation, over toys, treats etc, is part of life. | high12643.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she was ill and no local doctors could help her"
},
"options": [
"she was ill and no local doctors could help her",
"she was invited by a group of specialists to a study",
"she wanted to visit the poor boy whom she had helped... | A poor boy was selling goods from one door to another to pay for his studies. One day he found that he had almost no money, and he was hungry. So he decided to ask for a meal.
But when a woman opened the door, he only dared to ask for a glass of water. To his surprise, she gave him a large glass of milk. He drank it and then asked how much he should pay her. She said, "You don't have to pay me anything. Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness" He was deeply moved and was determined to help those in need. The boy's name was Howard Kelly.
Many years had passed. One day that woman became seriously ill. The local doctors could not help her. So they sent her to a big city where her rare disease would be studied by specialists . Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for advice. When he entered her room in the hospital, he immediately spotted the woman. Howard Kelly was determined to do his best to help her.
The struggle was long, but together they succeeded in the end. After some time the woman received a bill for her treatment. She was worried that the amount would be so large that it would take the rest of her life to pay for it. However, when she looked at the bill, she found words on the side of the bill. They were, "Paid in full with a glass of milk." | high8980.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "give some new information about it"
},
"options": [
"change the data and rewrite it",
"give some new information about it",
"cut off the details and use as few words as possible",
"make it look like something different ... | There are three ways you can go about writing a resume: You can rely solely in your memory; you can dust off a previous resume and add something new to it ;or you can create a new resume from a permanent personal data record .If you don't have a personal data record, prepare one now. There are four topic areas for which you will need to record details.
_
List the schools ,colleges ,and universities you have attended or are attending. Start at junior high school and record the name of each school, the address and telephone number ,the dates you were there.
_
--Full name ,address ,and telephone number of the company or organization, and full name and title of each supervisor you worked for.
--The dates you started and finished employment.
--Your job title ,or titles if you held several position.
--Your specific responsibilities and duties for each position.
--Any special skills you learned on the job.
--Special praise you reserved ,or results you achieved.
_
--Membership in a club ,society ,or group ,particularly noting your responsibilities as an active participator or committee member.
--Participation in community activities. Particularly describe any executive or administrative positions you have held ,with special responsibilities and dates.
--Involvement in a technical society on a local or national level ,with particular mention of any conferences you have held, with special responsibilities you have presented or published.
--Involvement in hobby activities.
--A wards you have received for any activities you have been involved in.
_
The names of people you feel are best fitted to speak on you behalf.
For each person ,write down:
--Full name ,profession title, place of employment ,job position.
--Employer's address and telephone number.
--Home address and telephone number. | high22958.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a teacher with excellent knowledge about Health & Social Care"
},
"options": [
"a full-time science teacher",
"a teacher with the ability to get along with people",
"a technician who can provide a technical support service",
... | Health & Social Care Teacher
Our client, an 11-18 mixed comprehensive school in Ealing, West London, is currently seeking a teacher for Health & Social Care. The position will be a full-time post until July 2014. We require an energetic teacher to develop the learning potential of students. We are seeking someone with excellent subject knowledge who can combine academic strictness and achievement with enjoyment of teaching Health & Social Care.
Receptionist Administration
Full Time
A receptionist is required from 1stJune 2014 at Dartford Science & Technology College. The position is only from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30 am to 4:00 pm Friday, with an hour's break for lunch every day. The successful applicant must have a good telephone manner, good interpersonal skills and proficient IT skills.
Cleaner
Part Time, Term Time
We are seeking to appoint a hardworking person to join our cleaning team. Previous experience would be an advantage but it is not essential. 10 hours per week are required during term time and the extra 3 weeks are added in the summer holidays or as directed by the Business Manager to ensure the needs of the school are met.
Closing date: 12thMay 2014, 12 noon. Please return the completed application forms to the school.
Science Technician
Term time plus 10 days, 37 hours per week
We are looking for a technician to provide a technical support service for science teaching staff. Applications are to be received no later than midnight on 10thJune 2014.
If you are keen to work, visit our website via the button below. | high9446.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not so kind as kids in the past"
},
"options": [
"born to be kind",
"taught to be less kind",
"not well educated at school",
"not so kind as kids in the past"
],
"question": "62% of the participants believe that... | Kindness and kids just seem to go hand in hand. But 62% of more than 2,600 participants in the NBC News State of Kindness Poll believe that today's kids are less kind than those in the past. Women(66%) feel about this kindness fall more strongly than men(58%). Most of the participants who feel that way(77%) thank parents caused the seeming lack of kindness among today's children, with a few thinking that society, schools, or friends caused it.
At the same time, Americans say they don't put kindness first when it comes to teaching kids values. Among all participants, honesty is taught more than kindness as well as other things like courage, leadership and storing work ethic . But the younger generation--those aged 18-24--think highly of kindness rules. They choose kindness by 10% over honesty as the most important quality to teach kids.
The question of whether kindness is learned or taught--or somewhere in between --causes different opinions. According to the study, Americans have different opinions on whether kindness in something one is born with or needs to be learned and _ over time. Slightly more than half(52%) of the participants believe that all of us are born with the ability to show kindness, while 48% believe kindness must be developed.
Parenthood makes a difference to your thoughts on the causes of kindness. Those without kids(56%) are more likely to think that people are born to be kind, while 50% of the participants with kids think kindness is developed.
Also, 51% of dads and 54% of men with no kids believe kindness is something time is born with. Slightly more than half of the moms say kindness must be learned, while 48% believe it is what one is born with. | high14232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "replace it with a new one"
},
"options": [
"pay you up to$300 in insurance",
"pay you nothing for it is old",
"replace it with a new one",
"replace it with a used one"
],
"question": "If you lose an old video pl... | Students' Insurance
What Is Covered under Contents?
Under the "Contents" section your possessions---which you do not have to be listed--will be protected on a "new-for-old " basis where items will be replaced as new--regardless of their age or condition.
"Contents" include books,radios,audio and video players,TVs,jewellery,home computers,furniture,household goods,other electrical equipment and sports equipment. They will be insured as follows:
---Theft
---Fire,Lighting,Explosion
---Malicious Damage
---Storm,Flood and other natural disasters
But new-for-old cover does not include clothing and linen.
Where Does Cover Apply?
Anywhere in Australia whether in:
---Your prefix = st1 /Living PlaceWhile at College
---Your Parents' Home or Any Temporary Residence---where you are staying when away from College
---Your College or Students' Union Building
---College Storage during Vacations
Plus The Following Benefits Included Free
Loss or Damage to:
---Gas, water and electricity meters and telephones--- up to$300
---TVs and videos rented in your name
---Library books---up to$300
---Daily things bought---up to$500 as to cover described under "Contents"
---College or Landlord's Possessions in your room(s)---by Fire or Theft--if you are legally responsible---up to$2,000
---Personal Money---from your room---up to$60 PLUS fraudulent use of your Credit Card---up to$1,000 | high17713.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "at or after five or six months old"
},
"options": [
"on their first day of life",
"even before they were born",
"before five or six months old",
"at or after five or six months old"
],
"question": "According to ... | Not long ago, many people believed that babies only wanted food and to be kept warm and dry. Some people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old.
Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life. The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is a federal government agency. Its goal is to determine which experiences can influence healthy development in people.
Researchers at the institute note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other people.
The researchers say this ability to learn exists in a baby even before birth. They say newborn babies can recognize and understand sounds they heard while they were still developing inside their mothers.
Another study has suggested that low birth weight babies with no evidence of disability may be more likely than other children to have physical and mental problems.
American researchers studied almost five hundred boys and girls. They were born in, or admitted to, one of three hospitals in New Jersey between 1984 and 1987. At birth, each child weighed fewer than two thousand grams.
The boys and girls had an average age of sixteen at the time of the study. They were asked to complete intelligence and motor skill tests in their homes. Their test results were compared with those of other children their age. | high5254.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin."
},
"options": [
"It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice's skin.",
"People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings.",
"It has been pro... | A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us -- the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.
Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.
Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.
"No one had ever looked," explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.
Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.
"We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too," Johnson said.
These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen--a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone even after hours of such low oxygen.
These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.
Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. "It's hard to say what exactly might be done, however--there's a lot we don't know yet," Johnson explained.
The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell. | high3625.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the cost of a film"
},
"options": [
"the list of names of actors and directors,etc.",
"the cost of a film",
"the music for a film",
"the language used in a film"
],
"question": "All of the following are mentione... | What benefits can you have from a film? A well-made film offers a whole world of things to watch. First there are the story aspects -- the plot,characters, dialogue and themes. Then there are the technical aspects -- the camera work, cuttings and special effects. And there are many other things, like the credits, musical score and the acting. _ .
Films are a means of communication. They can tell you things, just as newspapers do, or television,or any other means of communication. Sometimes they communicate important things to you, like ideasor lifestyles or ways of looking at the world. Sometimes people are aware of this, and sometimes not.The more you are aware of this, the better you are.
Notice, for example, the way films sometimes affect fashion. A star dresses or wears her hair in a certain way, and suddenly everyone is imitating her. Boys in the 1950s could sometimes be seen wearingblack leather jackets, idling on street corners and smoking cigarettes. They were imitating Marion Brando. His films taught them a certain way to behave.
Films can also teach politics. In Star Wars, the heroes were a bunch of lovable incompetents fighting with guts and not much else. They were, in fact, rather like the British in the early days of WW II. Their enemies, like the Nazis, had a big advantage in equipment and numbers of troops, and they were like the Nazis in discipline and heartlessness too. The whole film, in fact, was a re-run of WW II, and taught values like faith and love of liberty. This is all to the good, but the point is, did you notice it? | high11362.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "benefit our mind and thinking"
},
"options": [
"help deal with some physical problems",
"benefit our mind and thinking",
"improve our reading skills",
"help learn more about history"
],
"question": "According to... | The works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth are "rocketboosters" to the brain and better than the other selfhelp books,researchers will say this week.
Scientists,psychologists and the English experts at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of Shakespeare and other classical writers has a beneficial effect on the mind,catches the reader's attention and triggers moments of selfreflection.Using scanners,they monitored the brain activity of volunteers as they read the works by William Shakespeare,William Wordsworth,T.S Eliot and other classical writers.
They then "translated" the texts into more "straightforward",modern language and again monitored the readers' brains as they read the words.Scans showed that the more "challenging" articles and poetry set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the modern versions.Scientists were able to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and record how it "lit up" as the readers came across unusual words,surprising phrases or difficult sentence structures.This "lighting up" of the mind lasts longer than the initial electrical spark,shifting the brain to a higher speed,encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry,in particular,increases the activities in the right side of the brain,an area concerned with "autobiographical memory",helping readers to reflect on their own experiences in light of what they have read.The experts said this meant the classics were more useful than selfhelp books.
Philip Davis,an English professor who has worked on the study with the university,will tell a conference this week:"Serious literature acts like a rocketbooster to the brain."
"The research shows the power of classical literature to shift mental pathways,to create new thoughts,shapes and connections in the young and the old alike." | high7443.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "fail to realize that rest is an essential part of life"
},
"options": [
"think that taking a rest means lacking ambitions",
"fail to realize that rest is an essential part of life",
"fail to realize that religions force them ... | One morning a few years ago, Harvard President Neil Rudenstine overslept. For this busy man, it was a sort of alarm: after years of non-stop hard work, he might wear himself out and die an early death.
Only after a week's leave---- during which he read novels, listened to music and walked with his wife on a beach---- was Rudenstine able to return to work.
In our modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. Amazingly, within this world there is a universal but silly saying: "I am so busy."
We say this to one another as if our tireless efforts were a talent by nature and an ability to successfully deal with stress. The busier we are, the more important we seem to ourselves and, we imagine, to others. To be unavailable to our friends and family, and to be unable to find time to relax---- this has become the model of a successful life.
Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the guide telling us where to go, the food providing us with strength, the quiet giving us wisdom.
How have we allowed this to happen? I believe it is this: we have forgotten the Sabbath, the day of the week---- for followers of some religions---- for rest and praying. It is a day when we are not supposed to work, a time when we devote ourselves to enjoying and celebrating what is beautiful. It is a good time to bless our children and loved ones, give thanks, share meals, walk and sleep. It is a time for us to take a rest, to put our work aside, trusting that there are larger forces at work taking care of the world.
Rest is a spiritual and biological need; however, in our strong ambition to be successful and care for our many responsibilities, we may feel terribly guilty when we take time to rest. The Sabbath gives us permission to stop work. In fact, "Remember the Sabbath" is more than simply permission to rest; it is a rule to obey and a principle to follow. | high8770.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Taj Mahal."
},
"options": [
"The Taj Mahal.",
"The Panama Canal.",
"The Akashi Kaikyo Bridge.",
"The Grand Canyon Skywalk."
],
"question": "Which construction took the longest time to build?",
"question_... | Taj Mahal, Agra, India
As many as 28 different varieties of semi-precious and precious stones were used to decorate the outside of the Taj Mahal. Construction of the Taj Mahal took around 20 years. The building, which was made from white marble from the quarries of Rajasthan, appears pink in the morning, white in the day and golden in the moonlight.
Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, Japan
It took 10 years to construct the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge. It connects the city of Kobe, on Japan's mainland, with Iwaya on Awaji Island. Before it opened, the only way to get between the two cities was ferry. However, the waterway was prone to severe storms and when two ferries capsized in 1955, killing 168 people, public anger convinced the government of the need for a bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a length of 1,991 meters.
Panama Canal, Panama
More than 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete were used in the construction of this canal's locks and dams. The Panama Canal is a 77-kilometer (47-mile) long waterway that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The earth and rubble excavated to make way for it was enough to bury Manhattan to a depth of four meters. A series of locks allow ships to pass through the water; each of the moveable lock doors weighs 750 tons and each of the locks fills with 52 million gallons of water to accommodate the 15,000 ships that use the canal every year. Completion date: January 7, 1914 after 10 years of building.
Grand Canyon Skywalk, Arizona, America
The Skywalk's foundation is strong enough to support 71 million pounds. Located 1, 219 meters above the Colorado River, the Grand Canyon's Skywalk consists of one million pounds of steel and 83,000 pounds of glass. It was the creation of Las Vegas businessman David Jin, who approached the Hualapai Tribe with the idea of a glass walkway over the Grand Canyon in 1996. The Skywalk was assembled on site. Completion date: March 28, 2007. | high13575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "$2.00."
},
"options": [
"$1.00.",
"$1.50 .",
"$2.00.",
"$3.50."
],
"question": "What is the lowest cost of a subway ride for an adult?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | City buses are white and blue. Please board at the front door and pay the fare as you get on. The fare per ride is $1.50 for adults and $1.00 for senior citizens. The fare may be paid by cash, bus pass or multiple passes. Please pay the exact amount directly into the slot at the top of the fare box. Remember that bills are not accepted and drivers cannot make change for riders.
When you wish to get off the bus, please notify the driver in advance by pressing one of the buttons provided throughout the bus for this purpose. The bus may pass bus stops without stopping if no one is getting off or waiting to get on.
There are five subway lines in the city. The fare is set at five rates from $2.00 to $3.50 according to the number of predetermined "price zones" traveled. To purchase the appropriate ticket, please check the fare on the boards installed above the ticket-selling machines in each subway station.
Pass through the automated ticket gates by inserting the ticket into the slot. When getting off the subway at a station beyond the validity of the ticket, pay the additional fare at a fare-adjustment machine. | high1032.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By shooting surfers."
},
"options": [
"By taking swimming races.",
"By teaching photography.",
"By shooting surfers.",
"By surfing waves."
],
"question": "How does Kenji Croman make a living?",
"question_typ... | Kenji Croman has broken his bones,his shoulder and elbow, and nearly drowned several times.He's also had three close encounters with sharks over the years.A 10-foot wave landed directly on top of him five years ago,bending his body to the point that he actually kicked himself in the head."I literally heard every bone in my body crack."he said.
Croman has been photographing ocean waves since 2008,sometimes risking his life to get that perfect shot at the surf break.Despite the risks and certain injuries that come with wave photography, the Hawaii resident,body surfer and former competitive swimmer wouldn't do anything else.The 36-year-old photographer loves the thrill of meeting breaking waves head on,shooting waves as his interest and shooting surfers to pay the bills.
The process of photographing waves requires more than just swimming out to where the surf breaks and waiting,he says.The night before a photo shoot Croman checks Surfline.com,a website and the coastal camera network that provides live and predicted ocean weather information,to see what the winds,waves and tide will be like at certain times.Croman has both a primary camera and a backup for emergencies.He goes without a wetsuit and uses heavy duty underwater housing to protect his camera.There is no great way for him to protect himself.He admits there are probably protective clothes he should be wearing,but there is little he could have done to decrease the impact of the 10-foot wave that crashed on top of him.
The hardest part of Croman's job is staying calm in the face of breaking waves when his initial reaction is to panic and swim away.At most.Croman will take two to three shots of a single wave."I've shot waves for so many years now that I see the wave in slow movement,"he said. | high9308.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "eat ice cream as slowly as possible"
},
"options": [
"eat ice cream as slowly as possible",
"stop eating ice cream",
"stop the competition between them",
"learn something from their way of eating"
],
"question":... | When I was a kid, my siblings and I used to have ice cream for dessert.Every day, we would choose which ice cream flavor to have, whether to eat it in a cone or a bowl. Then we would happily wolf down our treat as fast as we could.
Once, though, when I was probably about 10 0r 11, our grandpa came to visit. Grandpa always had a unique view on things. On this particular occasion, my sister and I were making bets as to who could finish their ice cream first. With a smile, Grandpa said, "Why would you want to finish first? If you eat slowly, it will last longer. You should have acompetition to see who can finish last." Even now, I always try to taste my ice cream, but of course this is about more than just dessert.
Too often, kids want to scramble for more, whether it's more ice cream, more toys, or more friends. This habit persists into our adult years, and we end up constantly scrambling for more. We never develop the skill of appreciating what we have. If we learn to recognize this pattern and change it, we can raise our kids a little differently, giving them the tool of tasting their proverbial dessert, which could lead to a happier life for them.
What my grandpa taught me that day was really that if you take the opportunity to enjoy what's in front of you, the pleasure will last longer and be more rewarding than if you rush through life always trying to get the next treat. It's a lesson that, I think, has made my adult life happier, as well. These days, when I want something, I wait as long as I can before I allow myself to have it. Then, when I finally get it, I make sure to treasure it as long as possible, because I know that, no matter what it is, it will be gone all too soon. | high13213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he was angry and sad without people's praising him."
},
"options": [
"Because he was not able to hold on any longer.",
"Because he was angry and sad without people's praising him.",
"Because he knew a big nail would r... | Once in a village, the villagers built a new church building and people came from far and wide to see it. They admired its beauty! They said it was the most beautiful building in the world. Up on the roof, a little nail heard the people praising everything about the lovely structure - except the nail! No one even knew he was there, and he became very angry and sad.
"If I am not important, nobody will miss me if I quit!" So the nail then released its hold, got down from the roof, and fell into the mud.
That night it rained and rained. Soon, the board that had no nail was blown away, and the roof began to leak . The water flowed down along the walls and over the beautiful pictures on the walls. The plaster began to fall, the floor was ruined, and the Biblewas also ruined by water. All this was because a little nail decided to quit!
But what of the nail? While holding the board, it was not known by others but it was useful. Buried in the mud now, it was useless and would soon be eaten up by rust!
What the story wants to say is that every member is important to a whole group!
You may, like the nail, feel not important at times, but just like the nail, your absence is felt. A big building might fall to pieces. You are important to a group even if you are small. | high1754.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The mental support John's mother gave him."
},
"options": [
"The key to success for blacks.",
"The mental support John's mother gave him.",
"The importance of a good education.",
"How John H. Johnson became successful."... | John H. Johnson was born in a black family in Arkansas City in 1981. His father died in an accident when John was six. He was reaching the high school age, but his hometown offered no high school for blacks.
Fortunately he had a strong--willed caring mother. John remembered that his mother told him many times, "Son, you can be anything you want really to be if you just believe." She told him not to depend on others, including his mother. "You have to learn success" she said. "All the people who work hard don't succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard."
These words, came from a woman with less than a third grade education. She also knew that believing and hard work don't mean everything. So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son, who was then 15, to Chicago.
Chicago in 1933 was not the promised land that black southerners were looking for. John's mother and stepfather could not find work. But here John could go to school, and here he learned the power of words--as an editor of the newspaper and yearbook at Du Sable High School. His wish was to publish a magazine for blacks.
While others discouraged him, John's mother offered him more words to live by "Nothing beats a failure but a try." She also let him pawn her furniture to get the $ 500 he needed to start the Negro magazine.
It is natural that difficulties and failures followed john closely until he become very successful. He always keeps his mother's words in mind:" Son, failure is not in your vocabulary!" Now John H. Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America--worth $150 million. | high7325.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Huttopia."
},
"options": [
"Huttopia.",
"Tree Sphere.",
"Four-Season Tents.",
"Houseboats."
],
"question": "Which of the following is the most popular in the Province of Quebec?",
"question_type": null
},
... | Huttopia
Created in Europe, but tailored to perfection in Quebec, Huttopia tents provide convenient, comfortable accommodation in 16 of Quebec's 23 national parks. Built atop a 4 by 7 meters wooden platform, the walls and roof enclose a roomy space that can sleep up to 5 people. Beds, lighting, heating, a small fridge, dishes, and an outdoor twoburner stove provide comforts. Open summer through fall, Huttopia tents can be booked for as little as $ 99 per night.
Tree Sphere
This creative option takes wilderness camping to a whole new level. Setting up camp in a Free Spirit Sphere you can sleep among the trees and stretch your wings in Qualicum Bay, Vancouver Island. Part tree house, part space capsule, founder Tom Chudleigh's handcrafted wooden spheres gently _ in the breeze thanks to a series of ropes tied to the forest's cover. Suspended at 3.1, 4.3 and 4.6 meters off the ground, each of the three spheres offers comfortable and unique lodging for adults age 16 and over.
Four-Season Tents
Gatineau Park's Philippe Lake has the perfect winter accommodation for you. Standing above the freezing ground on wooden platforms, two four-season tents are attractive with amenities that will keep you comfortable. With sleeping space for up to four people, the park's four-season tents feature double-sized beds, a fridge and a stove for cooking meals.
Houseboats
Why limit your camping adventures to dry land? Lakeway Houseboat Vacations in New Brunswick offers grand accommodation in their "cottages on the water". Choose from three luxurious floating vacation homes with full kitchens, full bathrooms, multiple bedrooms ( one boat sleeps 14!) , TVs, hot tubs, fireplaces and even waterslides. Sail along the St. John River, sunbathe on the upper deck, or stop at picturesque Mactaquac Provincial Park for a round of golf. Do as little or as much as you desire. | high8016.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He made connect with many people."
},
"options": [
"He had a good time after school.",
"He made connect with many people.",
"He satisfied his curiosity about others.",
"He had learned how to make wine."
],
"ques... | It's often true that jobs for students sometimes lead to employment after graduation, so it's a good idea to think carefully before you begin working during your college years.
During my entire college life I worked as a
. I have to say that I really enjoyed that job, and was fond of the idea of making money without doing too much work. I also had the opportunity to
( ) while working. I came to be known among the upper class, and gradually became popular on campus because of my job. However, working as a bartender can have the
side that people tend to think that you enjoy drinking.
All in all, I wish I had thought more carefully before deciding to take that job. I got a
in English, qualifying(***) me to work as a writer, but so far I have only been able to use the skills I learned from that part-time job.
It would be different if I had searched for jobs related to writing or editing instead of bartending. It's commonly accepted that employment for students is only
,but we should never forget that it can connect to the work we get after we graduate. After all, employers not only look at the degree, but also your previous experience.
So before getting a part-time job while you're at school, consider what you want to do for the rest of your life. | high15662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He was so much attracted by it."
},
"options": [
"He wanted to take a voyage.",
"He wanted to practice his skill.",
"He was so much attracted by it.",
"He was eager to do an experiment."
],
"question": "Why did ... | Mark and his brother Jason both were looking at the shining new computer enviously. Jason was determined not to go against their father's wishes but Mark was more adventurous than his brother. He loved experimenting and his aim was to become a scientist like his father.
"Dad will be really mad if he finds out you've been playing with his new computer." Jason said, "He told us not to touch it."
"He won't find out." Mark said, "I'll just have a quick look and shut it down."
Mark had been scolded before for touching his father's equipment. But his curiosity was difficult to control and this new computer really puzzled him.
It was a strange-looking machine -one his dad had brought home from the laboratory where he worked. "It's an experimental model," his father had explained, "so don't touch it under any circumstances." But his warning only served to make Mark more curious. Without any further thought, Mark turned on the power switch. The computer burst into life and seconds later, the screen turned into color1s, shifting and changing and then two big white words appeared in the center of the screen: "SPACE TRANSPORTER."
"Yes!" Mark cried excitedly, "It's a computer game. I knew it! Dad's only been pretending to work. He's really been playing games instead." A new message appeared on the screen:
ENTER NAMES
VOYAGER 1: ... VOYAGER 2: ...
Mark's fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed in both of their names.
INPUT ACCEPTED. START TRANSPORT PROGRAM. AUTO-RETRIEVE INITIATED
The screen turned even brighter and a noise suddenly rose in volume.
"I think we'd better shut it off, Mark," Jason yelled, reaching for the power switch. He was really frightened.
But his hand never reached the switch. A single beam of dazzling white light burst out of the computer screen, wrapping the boys in its glow , until they themselves seemed to be glowing. Then it died down just as suddenly as it had burst into life. And the boys were no longer there. On the screen, the letters changed.
TRANSPORT SUCCESSFUL. DESTINATION: MARS. RETRIEVE DATE: 2025. | high19058.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "His pride was hurt by his boss."
},
"options": [
"His pride was hurt by his boss.",
"He was not satisfied with his paper.",
"He couldn't support his family.",
"His boss stopped him attending a conference."
],
"q... | Albert Szent-Gyorgyi was born in Budapest on September 16, 1893. In 1911 he entered his uncle's laboratory where he studied until the outbreak of World War One, when he joined the army. He served on the Italian and Russian fronts, and he was permitted to leave the army in 1917 after being wounded in action. He completed his studies in Budapest before he went to Hamburg for a two-year course in physical chemistry. In 1920 he became an assistant at a university in Leiden, the Netherlands and from 1922 to 1926 he worked with H. J. Hamburger at the Physiology Institute, Groningen, the Netherlands.
In 1926, Szent-Gyorgyi was ready to end his own life after an embarrassing problem in his career. The scientist, thirty-two, had written a paper and handed it to his boss for approval to publish. His boss threw it in the dustbin. Concluding his life was a failure, the young researcher quit. Unable to support his wife and child, he sent them home to her parents. His final wish was to attend one last scientific meeting, to be among scientists, to have one last good time. So he went to the 1926 International Physiological Society Congress in Sweden.
Sitting in the audience, lost in self-pity, Szent-Gyorgyi listened to the president of the society, Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins, refer to the fine work of a researcher: Szent-Gyorgyi! After the speech, collecting his courage, he introduced himself to Hopkins. The great man invited the young scientist to Cambridge to do further work.
Szent-Gyorgyi's life changed. He discovered the oxidation-preventing action of vitamin C. He won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1937. He accounted for his success by saying that discovery is seeing what everyone else has seen but thinking what nobody else has thought. | high3143.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "more than 12 feet"
},
"options": [
"about 1.5 feet",
"less than 4 feet",
"about 2 feet",
"more than 12 feet"
],
"question": "In a less crowded place, an American usually keeps a stranger at a distance of _ .",... | We like to keep our distance from others and there are very specific social rules about how close we can go to others in particular situations. The social distances here are approximate, of course and will vary with people. But they are still a good general rule. Hall identified four zones that are common for Americans:
Public Zone: >12 feet. The public zone is generally over 12 feet. That is, when we're walking around town, we'll try to keep at least 12 feet between us and other people. Of course there're many times when we cannot do this. We'll start to notice other people who are with in this distance. The closer they get, the more we become aware.
Social Zone:4-12 feet. Within the social zone, we start to feel a connection with other people. When they're closer, then we can talk with them without having to shout, but still keep them at a safe distance. This is a comfortable distance for people who are standing in a group but maybe not talking directly with one another.
Personal Zone: 1.5-4feet. In the personal zone, the conversation gets more direct, and this is a good distance for two people who are talking seriously about something.
Intimate Zone: <1.5 feet. When a person is within arm's reach or closer, then we can touch them in intimate ways. Romance of all kinds happens in this space. Entering intimate zone of somebody else can be very threatening.
The rules about social distances vary with different groups of people. People who live in towns spend more time close to one another. In a large and crowded city, the distances will be less than in a small town. Different countries also have different rules about social distances. Watch a Japanese person talking at a party with a person from a Western country. The Japanese will step in and the Westerner will step back. Speeded up, it's like a dance around the room. | high20801.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was born in a small town in 1927"
},
"options": [
"wanted to be a singer as a child",
"was born in a small town in 1927",
"was known mainly for her acting skills",
"started her work as a TV program hostess"
],
"... | Patti Page, the top-selling female artist of the 1950s with more than 100 million records sold, died on January 2nd, 2013, when she was 85. She was one of the most beloved singers of the post-war era. Take her "Tennessee Waltz" for example, it sold more than 10 million copies and was her biggest hit .
Born in Claremore, Oklahoma, a small town near Tulsa, Page once dreamed of a career in commercial art. Her first job in the art department at a local radio station soon led to her performing 15-minute program on her own.
At age 20, Page was discovered by big-band leader Jack Rael, who gave up his job to become her manager. The next year, she signed her first recording contract with Mercury Records and enjoyed her first hit record soon. She stayed with Mercury for the next 14 years and recorded hit after hit including: "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming" and "Old Cape Cod".
Her last hit was "Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte" , recorded for the Bette Davis movie of the same name. And then, there was "Doggie in the Window". The creative tune was a huge hit, but with its repeated barking sounds and silly lyrics , the song has been used by many people as an example of all that was wrong with pop music in the early 1950s.
Throughout the 1950s, Patti Page made regular appearances on a variety of television shows and in 1957 she was chosen to host the musical program "The Big Record". The following year, Page appeared in her own CBS television series "The Patti Page Show". She continued to record and perform into the 21st century, most recently releasing an album of songs for children, a Christmas record, and a new "best of" collection.
Besides music, Patti Page did a bit of acting. She co-starred with the Oscar-winning Burt Lancaster in "Elmer Gantry", and also starred on stage in the musical play "Annie Get Your Gun". | high17075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Cooking with Cathy."
},
"options": [
"Let's Talk!",
"Wall Street Today.",
"Cooking with Cathy.",
"Farm Report."
],
"question": "If you were a housewife, which program would probably interest you most?",
"que... | What's on TV?
6: 00 3 Let's Talk! Guest: Animal expert Jim Porter
5 Cartoons
9News
7:00 3 Cooking with Cathy
Tonight: Chicken with mushrooms
5 Movie "A Laugh a Minute"(1955)
James Rayburn
8 Spin for Dollars!
9 Farm Report
7:30 3 Double Trouble(comedy)
The twins disrupt the high school dance.
9 Wall Street Today: Stock Market Report
8:00 3 NBA Basketball. Teams to be announced
8 Movie "At Day's End" (1981)
Michael Collier, Juie Romer
Drama set in World War II
9 News Special
"Saving Our Waterways: Pollution in the prefix = st1 /Mississippi" | high18346.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a heart attack"
},
"options": [
"a hip replacement",
"internal bleeding",
"a heart attack",
"intense pain caused by a hemorrhage"
],
"question": "The first time Mrs. Smart and the children said goodbye to Mr. Sm... | In the past two years, his wife, Merlie, and their seven children have said "goodbye" to him four times, most recently last month. Each time it has been unnecessary.
Mr. Smart had a hip replacement in February at the Burnie hospital but was rushed back two months later with internal bleeding.
"The doctors couldn't stop the bleeding," Mrs. Smart said. Medical staff told Mrs. Smart to contact her family, which includes children in Western Australia. "It took two days for them to get here. We had to hope he _ ." he did.
"The doctors were there 24 hours a day and they stopped the bleeding. They brought him back," Mrs. Smart said.
"I certainly believe in miracles because I've seen one happen, but it wouldn't have happened if the doctors didn't do what they did."
It was the second time Mrs. Smart thought she was losing her husband of 54 years. Two years ago, Mr. Smart was admitted to the Launceston General Hospital after a heart attack and a few days later with intense pain caused by a hemorrhage . Again, the family was called to say goodbye---twice.
"I was given a 50-50 chance of coming out of it, " Mr. Smart said.
Going through the ordeal (,) then was trying on the family, who had prepared themselves for the worst.
But to face the same situation only two years later was hard. The Smarts said the support they received at the Burnie hospital helped them through.
And it seems the experience has also left an impression at the hospital. Mrs. Smart said when she rang recently and mentioned her husband's name, the reply was "ah the miracle man". | high5532.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A woman offered a stamp to the man."
},
"options": [
"The man went back to his office immediately.",
"The man turned to a lady for help.",
"A woman offered a stamp to the man.",
"The man waited in line patiently."
]... | One day when I was driving on the freeway, I noticed all the way there were large dividing walls, which had been built between it and the road running parallel to it, for noise reduction and a sense of separation. The purpose was to create a sense of privacy for people on the other side.
This got me thinking: How often do we put up mental barriers that keep us distant from others? Lifting the artificial barriers that keep us apart can offer opportunities to express our goodwill and create better relationships. If we can do like this, maybe our life will be a little different.
There is a little post office in a nearby town, and since it is closer to me than the post office in my own town, I go there. One day, with many people jammed into the little building, a man came hurrying in to mail a letter, and the girl at the counter saw he had too little postage on it. She told him he needed 2 more cents. Obviously he was a little at a loss. He had hurried over from his office, and didn't have any money on him or time to stand in line. He was going to run back to get the needed money and wait in line again, but he hurried to get the letter mailed in the first place.
As we were watching him, one woman volunteered a two-cent stamp, and the whole line became very quiet. It was a beautiful moment. The man hesitated for a little while and asked her if she was sure, and she assured him she was fine with giving him the stamp. He offered to go back to his office to get the two cents, and she told him not to bother.
It was a small thing, but it meant something to both of the people involved, and to the rest of us. We aren't a yard that needs defining or a freeway that needs barriers. We are human beings who can contribute to each other's wellbeing by taking time to pay attention and interact. After all, we are all parts of a whole living in society. | high4638.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "was the name of a hurricane"
},
"options": [
"is the way people respond to risk",
"is the order to evacuate or shut down mass transit systems",
"was the name of a hurricane",
"was the author of the passage"
],
"... | Many of the 85 million people in Irene's path -- from the Carolinas to Maine -- had not experienced hurricanes, or had only been through storms that were weaker, smaller and less damaging. For those unfamiliar with severe hurricanes, Irene was either abstract or not particularly frightening, something to get excited about more than to fear.
Given that the way we perceive and respond to risk is affective --not merely objectively analytical, but the sum of the facts and how scary those facts feel -- it was likely that many people might be ignorant of the storm's threat.
So it was heartening to see how many did in fact take the warnings to heart and prepared. The long lines at grocery stores, the high demand for batteries and bottled water, and even the patience and understanding about local government orders to evacuate or shut down mass transit systems, show that people took the potential danger seriously.
There are two possible lessons from this storm. As much as our affective risk perception system can sometimes produce a dangerous "perception gap" between our fears and the facts -- when we sometimes fear more than we need to, or less than we should -- it's also reasonably good at recognizing risk when _ . Though most of us didn't lose power, we know that 7 million people did. Though most of us did not suffer property damage, we know that millions did. Most of us did not lose loved ones, but we know that at least 21 families did. We know hurricanes can be dangerous, even if for many of us this one wasn't.
The other lesson is that rare risks do hide and can spring up with little or no warning, and few of us are prepared for those. Remember the East Coast earthquake last week?
It might have been annoying to wait in line for hours for those extra D batteries or food supplies, but it was careful to do so, and it's a good idea to keep them on hand. Just because a risk might not be staring us in the face or feel all that scary, it doesn't mean that it doesn't make sense to be ready. Just in case. | high20815.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "mild"
},
"options": [
"hot",
"mild",
"cold",
"dry"
],
"question": "Usually the weather in the wetlands is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"... | There are many wetlands in China and some of them have become the world's important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng,Jiangsu Province. They are home of many different kinds of birds and animals. The world's largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there.
The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine,too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands.
Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.
Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the important of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2nd many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands around the world. | high3157.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sunday"
},
"options": [
"Wednesday",
"Friday",
"Sunday",
"Monday"
],
"question": "On _ you can stay at Museum until half past four.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | The Museum of Childhood is Australia's most comprehensive collection of childhood items including toys, dolls, infant and school material.
Housed in a modern facility , the displays reflect Australian childhood experience over time including play, child rearing(=raising),orphanage childhood and home, school and war time experience.
There are many hands-on exhibits and education sessions including the famous" lesson" in the 1920s One Teacher Bush Classroom.
The Museum also hosts national touring exhibitions and conducts special activities on Sundays and school holidays(ring for details).
Open: Tuesday--Friday 10am--4pm,Sunday 10am--4:30pm,or by arrangement.
Special activities on Sundays as advertise.
Closed: Public holidays,16 December--18 January.
Location: Edith Cowan University campus, Bay Road, Claremont(take bus 208 and alight at the Bay Road and Princessinter section. The Museum is 15 minutes' walk from Claremont. | high11410.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To tell us how to be a good leader at work."
},
"options": [
"To tell us how to be a good leader at work.",
"To describe the proper relationship between leaders and employees.",
"To inform us of how leaders and employees shou... | Leadership is the art of getting someone to do something you want done because he wants to do it. People naturally want to follow a good leader. After meeting with an effective leader it is not unusual to feel uplifted , inspired, and motivated to work towards a common goal.
An effective leader makes others feel good about themselves, as well as the work they are doing. The leader has a vision of what he or she wants to achieve, and can communicate that vision to others in a way that makes people want to be part of it. One thing a good leader typically does is to communicate the big picture, so that each employee can see how the particular role he or she plays makes a contribution to the final result.
Good leaders are positive and optimistic when they speak about the future. Their enthusiasm wins them plenty of supporters who help make their vision a reality.
Good leaders also understand that different people are motivated by different things. For employees motivated by a need for achievement, a leader explains how the task offers an opportunity to take on a challenge with an achievable goal. And employees are motivated by hearing how they will be part of a team of people working together.
Good leaders will introduce employees by name first, rather than job titles. They refer to employees as team members, companions, or colleagues, never as "servants". Words have power, including the power to make people feel whether or not they are important to the success of an organization.
Good leaders believe that every team member matters and set up environments that make everyone feel important. It is no wonder they can attract the support they need to help them achieve their goals. | high2249.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "have a knowledge of MP4"
},
"options": [
"first be a music fan",
"have a knowledge of MP4",
"get familiar with MP3",
"buy a CD-like disc"
],
"question": "It is suggested here that you should _ before buying ... | The first MP4 player was born years ago. Soon many music fans were wondering how fantastic it is! If you have been into technology enough, perhaps you may have a knowledge of the MP4. If not, you do need to know something before buying one, even if you are familiar with MP3. MP3 is the CD-like disc with greater capacity. How about MP4? This small digital product will really enrich the joy from listening to music. You can even feel the "touch" of music to your soul!
Now, some similar digital products advertised as "MP4 players" are simply MP3 players, which do not play video and MPEG format and also lack other particular functions. These products confuse some buyers, as they may think the "MP4" players simply mean they can do more than MP3.
What is MP4?!
It is a multimedia container. It is not only used to store digital audio and digital video streams, especially those of MPEG, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and pictures. As a most modern container format, it allows streaming over the Internet.
With the help of a piece of MP4 video equipment, you can change various programs such as MPEG to MP4, ASX to MP4, AVI to MP4 and so on, which can be done very quickly and easily without any effect on the sound quality. By installing DVD-MP4 software, you can transfer particular music from a DVD to an MP4 video file. It really excites your listening music experience.
Then, there is MP4 advanced and you can set your own collection of all the programs -- TV shows, games, and music. You can even see movies which are still running in cinemas. _ ? | high17061.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "people are busy with their work"
},
"options": [
"most children live in a school",
"people are busy with their work",
"table manners change a lot",
"food in the restaurant is better"
],
"question": "Some familie... | When was the last time your family sat down together to have a dinner?
The speed at which we live today no longer allows for slow eating habits. Most people work long hours. There is lots of fast food and eating out is now on the increase. Often, food is eaten in front of the television in silence, or a child eats alone in front of the computer.
When I was a child, every evening around the same time, one of the children would be asked to set the table, and then we'd go and wash our hands: before the meal. This was the time of day when we would talk about our day at school. But now things have changed a lot.
A family environment plays an important role for children in learning to communicate with others and understanding table manners, such as waiting for others to finish before leaving the table and not speaking with a mouth full of food. Parents' likes and dislikes of a certain food will also influence a child's own likes and dislikes. Studies have shown that children who often eat with their families have better results at school than children who eat with their families less than twice a week.
Regular meal times give children the chance to discuss their problems with family members. They can also learn to respect others around the table. Talking to your children over dinner is the best way of having their-trust. Children learn good eating habits from their parents at a very young age. Family meals are important. Prepare them for your children. | high5526.txt |
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