questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "get first-hand information and pictures"
},
"options": [
"save expense and avoid risks",
"get free and useful pictures",
"get first-hand information and pictures",
"satisfy the greed of the freelance cameramen"
],
... | When TV news programs report wars or disasters, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don't want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they may find some of these scenes disturbing, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes-the TV cameramen-have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how terrible and unpleasant they may be. Consequently, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable demand for TV information. But major broadcasters and the TV news agencies--such as Reuters and WTN-have never had enough staff to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to "freelance" TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, be it for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelancer must survive on his own.
TV will always need hard, vivid moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books, explains Nick Growing, once foreign editor for Britain Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to contract out the risk, he says. | high2885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "know about her family's economic situation"
},
"options": [
"learn how to earn and save money",
"understand the importance of saving",
"tell her friends about her money problems",
"know about her family's economic situa... | When I was growing up on a farm in Iowa, we didn't talk about money in my family. My parents valued teaching my brothers, sisters and me about saving, budgeting and earning money, but conversations about our family's economic situation and financial decisions were rare. This was typical at the time - especially in the Midwest of the US, so to my friends and me, money was enveloped in some level of secrecy. Later, when my family hit a difficult time, we began having more open conversations about money. And while those talks were very difficult at first, it was a relief to understand more about our family's finances.
Obviously, times haven't changed much when it comes to family money talks. Recent research by an American institute indicates that money remains among the lowest priorities in conversations between parents and their children. In fact, parents are much more likely to have prioritized discussions about pretty much everything else before money.
They're also waiting to have these discussions until their kids are older - 10 0n average - which can cause them to miss many opportunities during their children's formative years.
Talking about money with your kids can be difficult for many different reasons - especially if your finances seem very personal and private, or if you have anxiety about bills yourself. But discussing money in a calm and open way is pivotal to helping your children learn about and become comfortable with finances before they're expected to manage their own. While you certainly don't need to provide detailed information about your income to your children, it can be very effective to include them in meaningful financial discussions - even at an early age. Having regular family conversations about money will help them learn about financial concepts like saving and budgeting, develop financial decision-making skills and form a healthy relationship with money. | high19458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Randfontein High School"
},
"options": [
"its News Centre",
"Randfontein High School",
"Impala Crescent Primary School",
"Parktown High School for Girls"
],
"question": "BBC School Report started its first world... | School Report went international when the BBC News project's first global radio bulletin was made at Randfontein High School in South Africa.
Students from the school were joined by pupils from two other schools--Parktown High School for Girls and Impala Crescent Primary School--and went live at 14:00 local time on 3 February, 2010. BBC producers Ros Smith and Kate Riley were invited to work with the schools.
After deciding on their news topics, the students gathered vox pops from fellow students and their teachers.
Tiffany said, "We had a chance to talk to other kids from other schools. This was great because Randfontein is a place which is not known to many people and away from modern civilization." Nomakhosi added, "Interviewing our teachers and classmates was interesting and I felt important while doing this."
Chene commented, "My voice sounded like a whole new person. It takes some time to get used to hearing your own voice."
Pupils, known as learners in South Africa, then worked with School Report producer Ros Smith to edit their audio material while others started script-writhing .
With the 14:00 deadline fast approaching, and the audio edited, the new School Reporters recorded their scripts so they could be added to the bulletin.
Ros Smith was really impressed with the students' work. She said, "The stories they chose were an excellent mix. The final bulletin sounds really good, and they finished with 10 minutes to spare before the deadline."
On 26 March students from the three schools took part in the School Report News Day with support from the Open Learning Systems Education Trust, and it was a big success. | high17475.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They are held in the same place."
},
"options": [
"They are held in the same place.",
"They are held at the same month.",
"All of them are free of charge.",
"All of them limit the number of participants."
],
"qu... | March Break Leadership Camp
The aim of this FREE program is to develop an awareness of race relations, diversity, an equal issue for students in Grades 6-8.
Place: The Central Library Room
Time: March 16&17, 2009 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Pick up and hand in registration forms at the Central Library. All forms must be handed in by March 6th. Space is limited.
Please send any questions related to the program to Becky George, the Public Library 905-831-6265 ext 6230 or email: pickering-younity@hotmail.com
Free Your Space......Free Your Mind
At the Central Library: Wednesday, May 13thfrom7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
This time management course will help you to create more balance and time in your life. In today's increasingly stressful times, it is becoming more difficult to spend quality time with family and friends. This course will provide positive solutions and strategies to achieve peace.
Book Club for Teens
At the Central Library: Every 2ndThursday at 7:00 pm
Do you enjoy reading? Part of the pleasure of reading comes from meeting with others to discuss characters, plots or style. Come to trade ideas and questions, and make new friends.
This program is currently full but for more information, please call 905-831-6265 ext 6232.
Computer Training
Group computer classes for teens will be provided at the Central Library in March, April, and May. Registration starts at 9:30 am on Friday, March 6thfor the March session; Friday, March 27thfor the April session; and Friday, April 24thfor the May session.
A valid Public Library card is required for all computer training sessions. Call the Central Library for more information or to register, 905-831-6265 ext 6243.
Limit 10 participants per class. | high5132.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Super had limited power since he was only a machine."
},
"options": [
"the salesman was always cheating customers these days.",
"Super had limited power since he was only a machine.",
"he would forget the salesman's instructi... | We met in a crowded showroom fifteen years ago. As I inched forward I eyed him with suspicion, unsure what to make of this stranger.A salesman made the proper introductions and although we got to know each other, I didn't trust him. I call him Super. I would find myself staring at him, wondering what secrets he held.
I found myself spending more and more time with Super, getting to know him, learning to trust him. My other friends soon became a little jealous, stating that I spent too much time with him. It was true, but I didn't feel guilty, for I could just be myself with him. He didn't care about my appearance, pay and failure. None of these things mattered to him.
Then _ one _ day _ he _ said _ he _ was _ going _ to _ show _ me _ the _ world.He _ said _ that _ I _ could _ ask _ to _ go _ anywhere, _ anywhere _ at _ all. When I asked him to show me New York, he didn't hesitate. He showed me the bright lights of Broadway, the majestic Statue of Liberty and so much more.
Late at night we played games. Sometimes I won, sometimes he did.It didn't matter because we had fun. Through him I met other people. Men and women I never would have met if it wasn't for him.
Then suddenly he became sick. He was unable to do anything and I felt so helpless because I didn't know what was wrong. But I knew those who could.I paced around the room while he was examined.What if it was something serious? What if he died? I cried but luckily he was fine again.
I looked at him and saw my companion, teacher, instructor, travel guide and so much more.He was my friend, my best friend.He is ... my computer. | high18746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It uses renewable energy."
},
"options": [
"It is comfortable and fashionable.",
"It uses renewable energy.",
"It has walls of glass.",
"It is home to endangered species."
],
"question": "According to the passag... | With eco-tourism on the rise, eco-hotels are fast becoming the darling of the travel industry. These days, however, staying at an eco-hotel doesn't necessarily mean vacationing in a tree house in the Costa Rican jungle, although that is certainly a choice.
The majority of eco-hotels fall into several categories: hotels and resorts that conserve ecologically important habitats; "green" hotels that reduce, recycle, minimize waste, and protect water; sustainable hotels that harvest food from gardens on the hotel property or get part or all of their power from renewable energy; hotels that encourage community involvement such as guests taking part in trail clearing; and hotels that offer some form of environmental education to their guests.
As such, eco-hotels are a various group. Stylish urban hotels like the Willard Inter-Continental Washington focus on energy conservation whereas the Rosario Resort & Spa on Orcas Island in Washington State offers a wildly popular "green" vacation package where guests can "take a hike, clear a trail".
No matter what you call them, eco-hotel, eco-lodge, eco-resort, or green hotel, they're all part of the "greening" of the tourism industry.
Part of what drives this greening of the hotel industry is no doubt competition. Going green is another way to distinguish a hotel from the mass of other excellent hotels that consumers have to choose from. But for many hotels, it's also part of their philosophy. With the concept of "going green" firmly rooted in consumers' minds, eco-hotels have taken it to the next level, and whether or not money is the driving factor behind the greening of the hotel industry doesn't matter so much as it's good for the planet. | high3557.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "have less lasting determination in learning"
},
"options": [
"are more active in learning",
"are more hard-working in learning",
"have more difficulties in learning",
"have less lasting determination in learning"
],... | The world is changing so fast that English, perhaps the most worldly of languages, is struggling to keep up.
Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don't usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.
The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the "New Englishes" now used around the world.
Technology will allow English to come to you, rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.
Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure, private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions , or their particular needs at that moment. They, rather than their teachers, will decide how, what and when they will learn.
Above all, learning English is about communication and an important benefit of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners, trusted institutions and brand names will remain important. | high11010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he often writes to me."
},
"options": [
"he lives near to me.",
"he often calls me",
"I often visit him",
"he often writes to me."
],
"question": "I can know what happens to Carl because _ .",
"question_ty... | Carl studied in our middle school three years ago. Last August his father found a job in another city and his family moved there. He began to study in the new school and we often write to each other. He often tells me something about the city where he lives now and his studies in the school. So I can know what happens to him.
Last Friday Carl came to our city again. He hoped to accompany his old grandpa during the summer holiday. He was taller and stronger than before. We swam in the river outside the city together and had a picnic on the island. It surprised me that he had learnt to cook when we were traveling in the wild forest. He told me his parents were both busy and sometimes he stayed at home and he had to look after himself.
"How do you like your school?" I asked.
"Wonderful," said the young man." It has a tall building and there 're two chemistry labs, two biology labs and three physics ones. And its library is big and there're plenty of books in it."
"I can see you are satisfied with it."
"Yes," he answered. "But our geography teacher often says it himself in class."
"So does our new history teacher." I said. "But he doesn't notice it. He often talks on and on in a flow of the eloquence , but none of us listens to him." | high2891.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He doesn't enjoy brotherhood as they do."
},
"options": [
"He has no friends like Sam and Tonio.",
"He has only one brother in his family.",
"He doesn't enjoy brotherhood as they do.",
"He doesn't have a good relation w... | I know it is wrong to envy your children. But when I see my son, Tonio and his younger brother Sam going down a slide together, one's arm around the other, I know I have missed something wonderful.
Not only did I never have a brother, but also I had no friendships like theirs. My sister was old enough to help take care of me, so she was more a mother than a playmate, and I was more a _ than a friend. A brother would have been wonderful, but it was not in the family planning.
Now I finally live with brothers, my sons, Tonio and Sam. I am watching them build the kind of relationship that I once dreamed about. They go to bed together. When one comes into our bed after a nightmare, my wife and I know that before morning his brother will follow.
Sam manages the world with more ease than his elder brother, whose frustrations often bring him to tears. With a sincere "Smile, Tonio," Sam is the one who comforts him. Tonio, on the other hand, has stopped playing with boys at his age who don't like playing with Sam. They are always backing each other up.
I don't know what kind of relationship they will have when they grow up. Parents always want their children to have what they never could. I want them to have each other. So I imagine them going to the same college, marrying sisters and living on the same block.
That's why I was so worried the day Tonio started kindergarten. I felt that I would lose something too. As we headed for school that morning, both boys seemed relaxed, as if neither had any idea that the day was going to be different, that starting then, Tonio would be leaving behind his brother, his best friend, his right arm.
Tonio's first day was chaotic, with hundreds of children outside looking for their teachers. Before any of us could say goodbye, Tonio disappeared with his new classmates. He turned to wave and then was gone. It was so sudden. Sam even didn' t see him go. Although parents had been asked to ease the craziness of the first day by statying out of the school, I lifted Sam up and took him to Tonio's classroom, looking for a glimpse of Tonio. Sam spotted him first.
My wife and I didn't head back home immediately, stopping instead at a coffee shop to treat Sam to hot chocolate. We even let him eat ice-cream with his fingers. Sam was still quiet, so I asked him if he missed his brother already.
He didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Daddy, is Tonio going to be gone forever?"
"No, Sammy," I said, feeling happy about his sweet question. "Not forever, just until three o'clock."
I sometimes think that the greatest thing I have ever done is to help create these brothers. And I didn't stop with them. We had another child, and for the third time in a row, it was a boy. It wasn't long before his brothers climbed into the crib to play with him. I am surrounded by brothers. | high4238.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because they want gum to cure some diseases."
},
"options": [
"Because they want gum to cure some diseases.",
"Because they wish people to become addictive to it.",
"Because they plan to make gum more tasteful.",
"Becau... | Most schools ban chewing gum,but in a few years they might consider changing that rule.Why? Scientists are finding evidence that gum chewing may be good for your health.It may even help boost your test scores.
This exciting research is just beginning.And in the meantime,companies are also experimenting with adding vitamins,minerals,medicines,and other substances that could give gum the power to cure headaches and fight everything from serious diseases to bad breath.
People have been chewing gum for thousands of years.Ancient Greeks,Mayas,and Native Americans,for example,chewed on the sap,or resin of certain types of trees.Today gum is a litde more complicated.Gum manufacturers start by mixing resin,wax,and a molecule called polyvinyl acetate to make a gum base.By varying the types and amounts of these ingredients,scientists can make thousands of formulations.
Just what can gum do for your health?Many studies show that chewing gum after meals fights cavities by stimulating the production of saliva.Saliva helps wash away bacteria that damage our teeth.An ingredient called xylitol,which is added to it,provides an extra dose of cavity-fighting power.This is good for more than just the teeth.Research suggests that good oral health decreases the risk of heart disease,and other serious diseases.
Chewing gum might also be good for your brain.Chewing gum boosts the flow of blood to participants'brains by 40 percent.
But too much chewing can damage the jaw joint.And chewing too much of gum that contains vitamins,caffeine,or a medicine could lead to an overdose.What's a more,no matter how healthy gum chewing proves to be,it will never be a match for a healthy lifestyle.
Nothing like gum or a vitamin is going to cure a bad dietary habit or a bad exercise habit;it's not a magic bullet. | high17461.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They are for it since it's unfair for the employed and unemployed."
},
"options": [
"They are against it since the unemployed are poor.",
"They are for it since the unemployed should keep fit.",
"They are for it since it's un... | Britain's longterm unemployed could be forced to carry out manual work or risk losing their welfare benefits under plans being put forward by the government.
The U.S.style scheme would see the longterm jobless ordered to take up fourweek placements in order to get them used to having a fulltime job.
The idea is part of major reforms, due to be unveiled this week, to make cuts to Britain's huge welfare bill, reduce dependency on benefits and weed out those earning money but not declaring it, papers said.
"What we are talking about here is people who have not been used to working having both the opportunity and perhaps a bit more of a push as well, to experience the workplace from time to time. The vast majority of people in Britain will think that is the right thing to do." Foreign Secretary William Hague told BBC TV.
Shortly after the ConservativeLiberal Democrat Union took power in May, Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith unveiled plans to simplify the complex web of benefits available to reduce errors and inefficiencies.
Duncan Smith said the system had become regressive and was not giving people the right encouragement to work as many were financially better off unemployed.
Under his plans separate benefits for items such as housing, income support or disability will be replaced by a "universal credit" system whereby individual households would get a single welfare payment to ensure those in work would be better off.
The Observer newspaper said that in return, longterm unemployed would be told to take up work placements of at least 30 hours a week for a fourweek period.
If they refuse or fail to complete the programme, their jobseekers' allowance, worth 64.30 pounds a week for those over 25, could be stopped for at least three months. | high18752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He was a man working on bodybuilding."
},
"options": [
"He worked for a newspaper.",
"He was a man working on bodybuilding.",
"He worked in a small film company.",
"He was a businessman."
],
"question": "What di... | How to Get What I Want?
There's an expression: "What you see is what you get." My grandfather used to say: "If you looked at a tree long enough, it will move." We see what we want to see. Psychologists tell us that nothing controls our lives more than our self-image. We live like the person we see in the mirror. We are what we think we are. If you don't think you'll be successful, you won't. You can't be it if you can't see it. Your life is limited to your vision. If you want to change your life, you must change your vision of your life.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was not that famous in 1976 when he met with a newspaper reporter. The reporter asked Schwarzenegger: "Now that you've retired from bodybuilding, what do you plan to do next?" Schwarzenegger answered very calmly and confidently: "I'm going to be the No. 1 movie star in Hollywood." The reporter was shocked and amused at Schwarzenegger's plan. At that time, it was very hard to imagine how this muscle-bound bodybuilder, who was not a professional actor and who spoke poor English with a strong Austrian accent, could ever hope to be Hollywood's No. 1 movie star!
So when the reporter asked Schwarzenegger how he planned to make his dream come true, Schwarzenegger said: "I'll do it the same way I became the No. 1 bodybuilder in the world. What I do was create a vision of who I want to be, and then I start living like that person in my mind as if it were already true." Sounds almost childishly simple, doesn't it? But I worked! Schwarzenegger became the No. 1 highest paid movie star in Hollywood. Remember: "If you can see it, you can be it."
There's a successful businessman who often wears a shirt with these words on it: " _ ! " you only get one life to live, so why not live the best life possible? So you can be fully satisfied at what you see and get. | high5126.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Smoking can affect one's memory."
},
"options": [
"Smoking does harm to health.",
"Smokers take a tour to the University's campus.",
"Smoking can affect one's memory.",
"Smokers are compared to non-smokers."
],
... | People who smoke could lose around one third of their daily memory, researchers say.
A study by a team at Northumbria University showed that smokers lost more of their memory when compared to non-smokers.
And the research also found that those who kicked the habit saw their ability to recollect information restored to almost the same level as non-smokers.
The study involved more than seventy 18-to-25-year-olds and included a tour of the university's campus. Those who took part were asked to recall small details, such as a list of songs played at a campus concert and tasks completed at various points-known as real world memory test. Smokers performed badly, remembering just 59 percent of tasks. But those who had given up smoking remembered 74 percent and those who had never smoked recalled 81 percent of tasks.
Dr. Tom Heffernan, who leads Northumbria University's Collaboration for Drug and Alcohol Research Group, said the findings would be useful in anti-smoking campaigns. He said, "Given that there are up to 10 million smokers in the UK and as many as 45 million in the United States, it's important to understand the effects smoking has on everyday cognitive function-of which prospective memory is an excellent example. "
"This is the first time that a study has set out to examine whether giving up smoking has an _ on memory. We already know that giving up smoking has huge health benefits for the body, but this study also shows how stopping smoking can have knock-on benefits for cognitive functions too. ''
The research will now investigate the effects of passive smoking on memory, while Dr. Heffernan and Dr. Terence O'Neil will look into the effects of third-hand smoking-toxins left on curtains and furniture. | high2649.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "used to dislike vegetables from Mom's garden"
},
"options": [
"had taught her son how to grow food",
"used to dislike vegetables from Mom's garden",
"often has her teens help her with food",
"often got free food from th... | I hated every minute of it, digging in the smelly dirt in spring, planting the tiny seeds in rows, and weeding the plants while sweat poured down my face. I wanted to spend the summer with my friends. But instead, I spent every Saturday and my summer vacations working in my mom's large vegetable garden. My mom was determined that l would learn how to plant and harvest a proper garden.
I grew up and left home, happy to leave that old vegetable garden behind. But a few years later, living in a little house with my husband, I looked out of the back window and saw a big sunny spot. "That might be a good place for a vegetable garden," I thought, surprising even myself. I could hear Mom's voice in my head "Put the peas in rows, and the lettuce in bunches. Leave room between the tomatoes and cucumbers so they can spread. Pulling weeds right after it rains is easier."
Over the years, with each new house I've moved to, the first thing I've looked for is room for a garden in the backyard. As a teenager I would complain, sitting down to a table full of fresh vegetables from the garden, but now I exclaim to my own three teens, "Look at all this food you will never eat something so good and fresh picked from your own backyard!"
Now a third of my small backyard is a vegetable garden, and every year it grows just a bit bigger. When my son Simon was five, his eyes became wide as he helped me pick peas and beans one morning. "Wow! Mom, we have so much free food!" So, thanks, Mom, for knowing more than I did, about how much I would love digging in the dirt. Thank you for teaching me when I was unteachable and for somehow sparking an interest that would lead to a lifetime joy. | high13607.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "make more noise than usual"
},
"options": [
"make more noise than usual",
"fly in different directions",
"come down from tall trees",
"share a piece of bread"
],
"question": "There will be a storm if birds _ ... | When people want to know about the weather, they usually go to there radios, TVs, newspapers, or to the Internet. However, you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure produce an effect on small animals in many ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators. People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around, Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways. For example, some birds become irritable and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread. Other birds chirp and sing just before a storm. It seems they know they won't get another chance for an hour or two. Birds also seek safe places before a storm, You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building. Pre-storm low pressure makes the are so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime, rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn. Watch for other weather signs if you see this. If they fly in the wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature, we can become better prepared for any kind of weather. | high1340.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It's enough to use language in digital communication."
},
"options": [
"It's enough to use language in digital communication.",
"Instant Message chatters are childish.",
"Men never use emoticons.",
"There must be an emo... | OK, I admit it: emoticons are popular. Some people even think they are fun. Many seem unable to get through an e-mail or Instant Message chat sentence without using one. Some feel that they add feeling and character to otherwise cold digital communications.
Some people, such as a Hollywood scriptwriter John Blumenthal, however, _ the use of emoticons as "infantile just like the people who use them". He believes that words themselves should be enough. "If you're funny, happy or sad, that should be apparent from the comment that goes before the emoticons," he argues.
In the eyes of Blumenthal, the use of emoticons is a gender issue. "Men don't use emoticons very much. Maybe not at all," he said, "Teenage girls and women seem to use them a lot. Maybe there's an emoticon gene."
It's an interesting opinion, but it is not shared by all.
In an interview with The New York Times, Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, said that emoticons are popular because our brains are programmed "to seek out representations of humanity". He believes that they are popular not because they are shortcuts for the lazy, but because they bring in something beyond language. They satisfy our needs to be with and communicate with people.
All of these arguments may be somehow right. Each one of us will choose to communicate in our own way. I tried to use one once and felt like I was stealing into a primary school class that I had no place being in. I'd rather let my words do the talking.
Friends, however, send me messages and e-mails full of emoticons. I have no problem with this. I don't regard any of my friends as lazy or immature. It's just a question of individuality. | high7731.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "are more likely to stick to driving laws"
},
"options": [
"are more aggressive while driving",
"are more interested in auto knowledge",
"are more likely to stick to driving laws",
"are more familiar with safety equipmen... | Nowadays women appear to have a positive image of themselves as safer drivers than men.
In a survey done for insurer MetLife, 51% of women said they drive more safely. The evidence is on their side: Men are 3.4 times more likely than women to get a ticket for careless driving and 3.1 times as likely to be punished for drunk driving. "Women are on average less aggressive and more law abiding drivers, which leads to fewer accidents," the report says. However, not all male drivers share the same opinion. Of the men surveyed by MetLife, 39% claimed male drivers were safer. The findings did back them upon one point: automotive knowledge. The report showed that more men are familiar with current safety equipment such as electronic stability control,which helps prevent rollover accidents.
Auto safety unavoidably matters to Money. Insurance companies focus on what classes of drivers have the lowest dollar amounts of claims, and for now, that mainly includes women. In general, women pay about 9% less for auto insurance than men. A study by the website Insweb also showed that auto insurance rates are lower for women in most states. Among individual states, women get the greatest, advantage in Wyoming (where they pay 20% less), South Dakota and Washington, D.C, where their insurance costs are 16% lower.
"More than 11,900 male drivers died in US traffic accidents in 2009,compared with just under 4,900 women drivers" according to the study. "Based on miles traveled, men died at a rate of 2.5 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, vs.1.7 deaths for women." | high8402.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he had thought attending school meant being punished"
},
"options": [
"he loved his father and didn't want to leave his father",
"he had thought attending school meant being punished",
"he was afraid of the punishment given b... | I walked alongside my father, clutching his right hand.All my clothes were new: the black shoes, the green school uniform, and the red cap.They did not make me happy, however, as tins was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.I tried in vain lo convince him that I did nothing wrong all the way, but it didn't help.
When we.arrived at the sate we could see the courtyard, vast and full of boys and girls.I hesitated and clung to his hand, but he gently pushed me from him."Be a man, "he said."today you truly begin your life.You will find me waiting for you when it's time to leave."
I took a few steps.Then the faces of the boys and girls came into view.I did not know a single one of them, and none of them knew me.I felt I was a stranger who had lost his way.But then some boys began to glance at me in curiosity, and one of them came over and asked, " Who brought you? "
"My father," I whispered.
''My father's dead, " he said simply.
I did not know what to say.The gate was now closed.Some of the children burst into tears.The bell rang.A lady came along, followed by a group of men.The men began soiling us into ranks.We were formed into an intricate pattern in the great courtyard surrounded by high buildings.
Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis.From the first moments I made many friends and fell in love with many girls.I had never imagined school would have this rich variety of experiences.
We played all sorts, of games.In the music room we sang our first songs.We also had our first introduction to language.We saw a globe of Earth, which revolved and showed the various continents and countries.We started lean-line numbers, and we were told the story of the Creator of the universe.We ate delicious food, took a little nap, and woke up to go on with friendship and love, playing and learning.
Our path, however, was not totally sweet and unclouded.We had to be observant and patient.It was not all a matter of playing and fooling around. Rivalries could bring about pain and hatred or give rise to fighting.And while the lady would sometimes smile, she would often yell and scold.Even more frequently
she would resort to physical punishment.
The bell rang, announcing the passing of the day and the end of work.The children rushed toward the gate, which was opened again.I said goodbye to friends and sweethearts and passed through the gate.I looked around but found no trace of my father, who had promised to be there.I stepped aside to wait. | high15276.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Biologists are conducting research where psychologists have given up"
},
"options": [
"Results of scientific research fail to support popular belief.",
"Brain differences point to superiority of one sex over the other.",
"Bio... | Do women's minds work the same as men's? Absolutely not. At least, that is what most men are convinced of. Psychologists view the subject either as a matter or frustration or a joke. Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real differences between the brains of men and women. But being different, they point out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse.
There is, however, a definite structural variation between the male and female brain. The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processes-the link between the two halves of the brain.
The two halves are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum. Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men. This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance. The question is "What?", and, if this difference exists, are there others? Research shows that present-day women think differently and behave differently from men. Are some of these differences biological and inborn, a result of evolution? We tend to think that is the influence of society that produces these differences. But could we be wrong?
Research showed that these two halves of the brain had different functions, and that the corpus callosum enabled them to work together. For most people, the left half is used for word handing, analytical and logical activities; the right half works on pictures, patterns and forms. We need both halves working together. And the better the connections, the more harmoniously the two halves work. And, according to research findings, women have the better connections.
But it isn't all that easy to explain the actual differences between skills of men and women on this basis. In schools throughout the world girls tend to be better than boys at "language subjects" and boys better at maths and physics. If these differences correspond with the differences in the hemispheric trunkline, here is an unalterable distinction between the sexes.
We shan't know for a while, partly because we don't know of any precise relationship between abilities in school subject and the functioning of the two halves of the brain, and we cannot understand how the two halves interact via the corpus callosum. But this striking difference must have some effect and, because the difference is in the parts of the brain involved in intellect, we should be looking for differences in intellectual processing. | high12519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "find out the suitable time to do specific tasks"
},
"options": [
"find out the suitable time to do specific tasks",
"organize our time around work demands",
"do whatever our body feels like doing",
"be sure to be health... | Our body clock,or natural body rhythm,influences our energy and alertness.Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of day when we best perform specific tasks.
The reality,however,is that most of us organize their time around work demands,school deadlines,commuting or social events.Doing whatever your body feels like doing is a luxury in today's fast-paced modem society.
But that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying.Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits.Disrupting our natural body rhythm,on the other hand,has been linked to problems such as depression,obesity,or headache,says Steve Key,a biology professor.
When the body clock can synchronize(......)the rhythms of its natural processes,it "gives us an advantage in daily life",says Key.
According to him,when it comes to cognitive work,most adults perform best in the late morning.As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday,our memory,alertness and concentration gradually improve.
However,he adds,our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter.Most of us are more easily distracted between noon and 4 pm.
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm,making that a good time for a nap.
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers.For most adults,problems that require open ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired, according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning.
When choosing a time of day to exercise,paying attention to your body clock can improve results.Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm,says Michael Smolensky,a professor of biomedical engineering.
Of course, not everyone's body clock is the same,making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans. | high6349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To show off his good hair in an ad."
},
"options": [
"To invent a new character.",
"To advertise for an action film.",
"To show off his good hair in an ad.",
"To ask his fans to flood his Weibo page."
],
"questi... | The character "duang" is so new that it does not even exist in the Chinese dictionary.
But it has already spread like wildfire online in China, appearing more than 8 million times on China's micro-blog site Weibo, where it spawned a top-trending hashtag that drew 312,000 discussions among 15 ,000 users. On China's biggest online search engine Baidu,it has been looked up almost 600,000 times. It's been noticed in the west, too.
But what does it mean? "Everyone's duang-ing and I still don't know what it means! Looks like it's back to school for me," said Weibo user Weileiweito. Another user asked, "Have you duang-ed today? My mind is full of duang duang duang.''''To duang or not to duang, that is the question," wrote user BaiKut automan.
"Duang"seems to be an example of onomatopoeia ,a word that phonetically imitates a sound. It all seems to have started with Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan, who in 2004 was featured in a shampoo commercial where he said famously defended his sleek , black hair using the 'rhythmical-sounding "duang". The word resurfaced again recently after Chan posted it on his Weibo page. Thousands of users then began to flood Chan's Weibo page with comments, coirung the word in reference to his infamous shampoo appearance.
The word appears to have many different meamngs, and there's no perfect translation, but you could use it as an adjective to give emphasis to the word that follows it. A kitten might be "duang cute", for example. Or you might be "very duang confused" by this blog.
For readers of Chinese characters, the Jackie Chan theme is also. apparent from the quirky way in which the word is written:a combination of Chan's Mandarin names. | high13161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "overcrowdedness"
},
"options": [
"modern water pipes",
"overcrowdedness",
"lack of water",
"narrow roads"
],
"question": "The main problem of Yosemite Park is its _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"... | Millions of people visit Yosemite National Park every year to see the tall waterfalls and mountains. These mountains are a splendid sight when viewed from the valley floor. Lots of stores, hotels, and restaurants are needed to handle the crowds. Also, water, roads, and other service systems are part of the infrastructure( )that must be maintained.
Unfortunately, these systems are starting to break down. It is not just in Yosemite but in national parks around the nation.
Yosemite is thirty years old according to Dennis Galvin, a National Park Service worker. The park is not only old but worn out. Two or three times as many visitors come every year. That is too many visitors for the park to deal with.
Four years ago a storm washed out a water pipeline in the Grand Canyon. The National Park Service had to send water trucks to provide water for the visitors. Last month pipe almost broke again and roads had to be closed for a while.
Why hasn't the National Park Service kept up the park repairs? There is lack of money. The United States has 378 mountains, parks, and wilderness areas. Between three and four billion dollars are needed for repairs.
Yosemite is one national park that does have money fro repairs. It has two hundred million dollars but cannot spend it any way it chooses. When the park workers started widening the road, they were forced to stop by the Sierra Club. The club claimed that the road work was damaging the Merced River that runs through the park.
A Sierra Club lawyer, Julia Olson, feels that the infrastructure needs to be moved out of Yosemite. That way less pressure will be put on the already crowed park. | high1426.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Busy."
},
"options": [
"Busy.",
"Tiring.",
"Meaningless.",
"Boring."
],
"question": "What kind of life does the writer normally lead?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | As I drive about the Sois in rural Thailand I catch little glimpses of things that barely register on the mind as the scenery flies by; strange things, beautiful things, sad things, interesting things. I wish I could hold on to these scenes; explore them in detail. I wish that I had the time to stop and investigate further as I'm driving by, but time is a commodity worth more than all the moneys in the world. I wish I had more.
I once had a guy wave to me as I passed him. He yelled out something, almost in greeting, as if he knew me. I wonder if we knew each other once, in another place, another time, and he recognized my soul as I drove by in the truck, and just had to yell a hello. I wish I had stopped and said hello too.
I saw two young girls, dressed in school uniforms. White blouses, blue skirts, books in hand. They were holding hands, talking, walking down the road, jostling(,)each other with their shoulders and teasing each other as they strolled along. As I passed the one closest to the truck looked up. She was close enough to touch almost. Her smiling face, her clear eyes and golden smooth skin are there in my mind's eye now. I can see her as if she were standing next to me. Once in a while her face just pops into my head. Why? Why is she still there? Sometimes I think maybe I'm a bit mad.
I stopped at a road stop on a corner one time. An old lady standing by the roadside walked over to the truck and put her hand on my arm and smiled at me. Her palm was so cool. It must have been a hundred degrees out that day. She said something in Thai and giggled and walked away. Who was she? Why did she touch me? Why was her hand so cool? Why did I just sit there and let her touch me? I didn't flinch away. It was almost as if I knew her, and we were just saying a quick hello. Her cool touch almost seemed familiar; like my long dead grandmother's soothing cool touch remembered from when I was just a little boy.
I need more time. I need to stop the truck more often, and just say hello. Things glimpsed along the road are often far more interesting and wonderful than that which seems to consume our daily lives. Slow down. Stop the truck. Get out, and say hello. | high10468.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Special events."
},
"options": [
"Culture.",
"History.",
"Special events.",
"Explorations."
],
"question": "Which of the following is NOT exhibited in Children's Museum of Indianapolis?",
"question_type": nu... | Austin Children's Museum
This 7,000-square-foot museum focuses on entertaining and educating children up to age 9. In its World City Exhibit , children can go shopping, order lunch at a restaurant, pretend that they're doctors or workers, and more. In other fun exhibits, they learn about Austin's history, explore the world of water, and experience life on a large Texas farm.
Open time:From Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 a. m. ~5:00 p. m.
On Sunday, 12:00 a. m. ~5:00 p. m.
Address:201 Colorado St, Austin, Texas 78701
Phone:512-4722499
Brooklyn Children's Museum
Founded in 1899, it is the world's oldest children's museum, famous for different exhibits and special events. The Mystery of Things teaches children about cultural and scientific objects and Music Mix welcomes young performers.
Open time:From Wednesday to Friday, 2:00 p. m. ~5:00 p. m.
On Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a. m. ~5:00 p. m.
Address:145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, New York 1213
Phone:718-7354400
Children's Discovery Museum
This museum's exhibits explore the connections between the natural and the created worlds, and people of different cultures and times.
Open time:From Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a. m. ~5:00 p. m.
On Sunday, from noon. Closed on holidays.
Address:180 Woz Way, Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, California 95110
Phone:408-2985437
Children's Museum of Indianapolis
This museum is the largest of its kind. Exhibits cover science, culture, space, history and explorations. The largest gallery , the Center for Exploration, is designed for ages 12 and up.
Open time:From Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 a. m. ~5:00 p. m.
Closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25.
Address:300 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
Phone:317-3343322 | high18034.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They were the only two child stars in the movie, Slum dog Millionaire."
},
"options": [
"They were the only two child stars in the movie, Slum dog Millionaire.",
"They had been having a difficult life in India.",
"They were i... | MUMBAI, India --The children in their party clothes on the stage were very excited when they received the award. And the two of them said, "It's unbelievable!"
Nine-year-old, Rubina Ali, and Azharuddin Ismail, 10, were living a very different life and obviously loving every minute of it. The two, some of the child stars of the Oscar-winning Slum dog Millionaire(<<>> )movie, know the Indian slums very well. That was where they grew up, and it is where they will return at the end of their Hollywood dream trip.
But before going back home, there was an interview with the host, Ryan Seacrest. During the interview they smiled and repeated their disbelief in what was happening to them. To their surprise, their movie won first place in the Oscars. When the two received the award, it was late morning in the children's home city of Mumbai, where family, friends and many fellow residents of the slums watched the result from Hollywood.
"I don't really know what the Oscars are," Rubina's mother said. "I'm just glad my daughter looks happy, though she told me she missed Indian food."
"Our children lead a dog's life," Rubina's mother said, pointing out the rubbish everywhere, the open drains and the lack of education opportunities.
In a few days they will be back in Mumbai and back in the slums which are their home. Fortunately, according to media reports, the movie's director, Danny Boyle, has promised to help the children chosen from the slum and make sure they will go to a proper school.
The two don't need to worry about their daily lives because of the Oscar success of Slum dog Millionaire. But the poverty and lack of opportunity --the central theme of the movie--is always all around. | high5640.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Returned the prize to the organizer."
},
"options": [
"Took photos of Doran.",
"Had a meeting with Doran.",
"Returned the prize to the organizer.",
"Apologized to Woburn High School."
],
"question": "What did Gr... | Fair Way
The Westborough High School golf team had taken the official photos with the state prize. The other teams, disappointed, were on the bus heading home. And then Westborough instructor Greg Rota noticed something wrong on one of the score cards. A 9 had been recorded as A 7. They were not the state prize winner; Woburn High had won. "No one would have known," said Woburn's instructor, Bob Doran. For Rota, it wasn't a difficult decision: "The prize wasn't ours to take."
Coin Stars
"College students are lazy, but they also want to help," says University of Pennsylvania graduate Dana Hork. So she made it easy, placing cups in rooms where students could leave their spare coins, and handing out cups to first-year students to keep in their homes. Her "
for Change" effort has collected $40,000 for charities, which were decided upon by students.
Never Forgotten
A school in Massachusetts received a $9.5 million check from Jacques LeBermuth. But it took officials several days of digging to discover his connection to the school. Records showed the LeBermuth came from Belgium and studied in the school in the 1920s. When his family fell on hard times, he was offered free room and board. LeBermuth became a trader, owned shares of AT&T and lived off the earnings until he died, at age 89. | high16019.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "going to a marine association"
},
"options": [
"learning about it from books",
"going to a marine association",
"attending marine biologists' meetings",
"taking part-time jobs at marine associations"
],
"questio... | These days, young children can enjoy directly what it is like to be a marine biologist at a marine association. What they discover can lead them to appreciate and protect the ocean and also the animals living in it.
At the present time, learning isn't only limited to the classroom. It's quite common for kids to learn from outdoor experiences. Teachers commonly take their pupils on field trips to museums as well as other interesting areas. If you wish to help pupils to take care of the ocean, one of the best areas to take them to is a marine association, the place where the ocean biome is shown.
Taking your pupils to a marine association is a prefect way to help them learn. Education professionals agree that there are topics that children can learn more successfully whenever they experience them directly.
Several organizations that focused on protecting the ocean now operate on the coast of different areas in America and all around the world. It's quite common for marine associations nowadays to open their doors several times a week to kids, parents, and ocean lovers to learn more about the ocean biome.
A marine association has different programs for children of different ages. You'll find programs that are developed specially for pupils. Pupils are involved in interactive learning. This learning experience allows young children to recognize the value of the role each species performs in their environment. They not only get to research creatures from the ocean, but they also get to see, touch, and smell most of these animals and plants. This type of _ offers students an idea about the life of a marine scientist. It could help them choose a career afterwards.
These programs are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays in order that kids and parents can have more hours in which to have fun. Teachers who want to arrange these activities for their students can call a local marine association near them. | high3231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Determined."
},
"options": [
"Proud.",
"Fierce.",
"Determined.",
"Independent"
],
"question": "Which word can best describe Jane?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
}
] | Fear plays no part in this latest problem."I'm not afraid I'll lose my children.I won't lose my children. We live together, and nothing, nothing," she repeats, her voice rising when speaking to John's lawyer, "will stop me from being with my children. A law? Yeah, right. Don't disturb me when it comes to my children. You are never going to win. If John wants to see them, I cannot stop him. He's their father--I want them to see him! However, his visit in his present condition will disturb the children's stable life."
John, who has spent much of his time in California, recently, has only hired a house for himself in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. "If he'd like to stick to a regular life, I'd be more than happy to do that," Jane says. "The best thing for any child of a divorced parent is a stable life. I want nothing more than for him to set up a stable life for himself, so that he can be part of making our children's lives more stable. "
While matters of money and care won't be settled for weeks, Jane hardly puts her life on hold. Last week the ABC network announced that Jane would return with her own show, Twist of Jane, in which she gives advice to other moms.Jane and her eight children will also return to ABC in a series of Jane Plus 8 specials showing them on various adventures.It's a rest for Jane, who insists that she needs her new,busy life to provide for her family."I have to lead such a life, and I'm thankful that I've built it to the top where now I can support my children."she says.
And whether a bellicose dance judge or a bellicose former wife, Jane plans to keep on facing attacks on her. "Some people try to knock me down--only to make me more fierce,more protective,more determined to do better,"she says."Go ahead, take me on. This will just make me stronger." | high11776.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Health Report"
},
"options": [
"Scientific Technology",
"Science Fictions",
"Social News",
"Health Report"
],
"question": "What section of a newspaper is the passage probably taken from?",
"question_type": n... | A new study has found evidence of aggressive behavior in children who drink four or more servings of soft drinks every day. Information for the study came from the mothers of 3,000 5-year-olds. Researchers asked the women to keep a record of how many servings of soft drinks their children drank over a two-month period. They were also asked to complete a checklist of their children's behavior.
The researchers have found that 43 percent of the children drink at least one daily serving of soda, and 4 percent of the youngsters have even four or more sodas to drink every day.
Shakira Suglia, a famous expert, says they've found that children who drink the most soda are more than twice as likely as those who drink no soda to show signs of aggression.
"For the children who consume four or more soft drinks per day, we see more _ behaviors, which make them hard to get along well with others."
The aggressive behaviors include destroying possessions belonging to others, taking part in fights and physically attacking people.
The researchers have determined the link after considering factors like the child's age and sex. They have also considered other possible influence, such as whether the boys and girls are eating sweets or giving fruit drinks on a normal day. In addition, the researchers have examined parenting styles and other social conditions that may be taking place in the home.
Researches are trying to find why young children who drink a lot of soda have behavior problems. An ingredient often found in soft drinks is caffeine, which helps to make people feel energetic. Doctor Suglia suggests that caffeine could cause the 5-year-olds to be more aggressive. Earlier studies of adults have found the highest sugar levels in those who carry weapons and show signs of negative social behavior. | high5898.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Position in the family"
},
"options": [
"Birth order",
"Position in the family",
"Parents' social rank",
"Educational experience"
],
"question": "According to Norwegain researchers' finding, which of the followi... | Boys at the top of the pecking order either by birth or because their older brothers died score higher on IQ tests than their younger brothers.
Norwegian researchers now report that it's a matter of what they call social rank in the family that gives the first born the highest scores or, if the first born had died young, the next oldest.
Kristensen and Bjerkedal studied the IQ test results of 241,310 Norwegian men drafted into the armed forces between 1967 and 1976. All were aged 18 or 19 at the time.
The average IQ of first-born men was 103.2, they found second-born men averaged 101.2, but second-born men whose older brother died young scored 102.9. And for third-borns, the average was 100.0. But if both older brothers died young,the third-born score rose to 102.6.
The findings provide "evidence that the relation between birth order and IQ score is dependent on the social rank in the family and not birth order as such." they concluded.
_ since at least 1874,when Sir Francis Galton reported that men in noticeable positions tended to be firstborns more often than would have been statistically expected.
Since then, several studies have reported higher intelligence scores for firstborns, while other analyses have questioned those findings and the methods of those reports.
"These two researchers prove that how study participants were raised, not how they were born, is what actually influences their IQs," said Sulloway, an American professor, who was not part of the research team.
"The elder child pulls ahead," he said, "perhaps as a result of learning gained through the process of tutoring younger brothers and sisters".
"The older child benefits by having to organize and express its thoughts to tutor youngsters", he said, "while the later born children may have no one to tutor." | high5873.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "who are very fat"
},
"options": [
"with a slim figure",
"with high blood pressure",
"who are very fat",
"who seek for a healthy diet"
],
"question": "The passage is intended for those _ .",
"question_type"... | Welcome to WeKnowDiets.com. We have compiled the most comprehensive database of information for people who are looking for a trimmer body and healthier lifestyle. There are now thousands of Weight-Loss Products and Diet Programs available to choose from-that can be a little confusing. Our goal is to give you a quick snapshot of what options are available to you. We will inform you of the hottest new ingredients and which products and programs bring you the most quality and best results.
The most popular ones
NuPhedrine-burn 500 more calories per day
NuPhedrine is probably one of the best weight-loss pills ever made. What is so impressive about this pill is that the makers can honestly say that you WILL burn at least 500 more calories per day just by taking NuPhedrine. _
Miracle Fat Burning Cream
Imagine being able to target your problem areas for rapid results. Now you can do just that. We have found that Miracle Fat Burning Cream is clinically proven to burn fat and it uses a patented delivery technology that works immediately. _
Alli Diet Pill
This diet pill, claims to provide weight loss that "won't be easy". This product does not seem to promise particularly fast results, and instead emphasizes gradual weight loss. The accompanying book is intended to act as a companion to the weight-loss product. _
Bikini Boot Camp-14 days for a bikini body
It is a customized back-to-basics system, which, regardless of its name, is actually about putting "fun" back into exercise while eating in a balanced way. The developers of this diet system make it accessible to everyone by bringing it into people's homes-in both a book and an online-based plan. _ | high10483.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "provide the latest information for them"
},
"options": [
"nurse patients at hospitals",
"put out fires in distance",
"clean their houses and streets every day",
"provide the latest information for them"
],
"ques... | Cities could soon be looking after their citizens all by themselves thanks to an operating system(OS) designed for the metropolis.
The Urban OS works just like a PC operating system but keeps buildings 9 traffic and services running smoothly.
The software takes in data from sensors dotted around the city to keep an eye on what is happening.
In the event of a fire the Urban OS might manage traffic lights so fire engines can reach the blaze swiftly.
The idea is for the Urban OS to gather data from sensors buried in buildings and many other places to keep an eye on what is happening in an urban area.
The sensors monitor everything from large scale events such as traffic flows across the entire city down to more local phenomena such as temperature sensors inside individual rooms.
The OS completely bypasses humans to manage communication between sensors and devices such as traffic lights, air conditioning or water pumps that influence the quality of city life.
Channeling all the data coming from these sensors and services into a over-arching control system had lots of benefits, said Steve Lewis, head of Living Plan FT-the company behind Urban OS.The system can help with monitoring patients at hospitals.
Urban OS should mean buildings get managed better and gathering the data from lots of sources gives a broader view of key city services such as traffic flows, energy use and water levels.
" If you were using an anatomy analogy, the city has a network like the nervous system, talking to a whole bunch of sensors gathering the data and causing actions," said Mr.Lewis.
" We distribute that nervous system into the parts of the body--the buildings, the streets and other things.
Having one platform managing the entire urban landscape of a city means significant cost savings, implementation consistency, quality and manageability, he added.
"And it' s got local computing capacity to allow a building or an automotive platform to interact with people where they are, managing the energy, water, waste, transportation, logistics and human interaction in those areas."
That' s dealt with by the building itself, with the devices very locally talking to each other to figure out what' s the best solution for the current dilemma. | high21886.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "obtain more convenient services than other people do"
},
"options": [
"withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes",
"obtain more convenient services than other people do",
"enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper",
... | One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the "cashless society" is not on the horizon----it's already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply _ . They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers. | high11945.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "wishes and behavior"
},
"options": [
"psychology and the environment",
"wishes and behavior",
"space and distance",
"views and results"
],
"question": "The experiment with beanbags is done to prove the relations... | We all think that we see things as they really are. But according to a new report in Psychological Science, if we really want something, that strong wish may influence how we view our surroundings .
Psychological scientists Emily Balcetis from New York University and David Dunning from Cornell University did a set of studies to see how our strong wish affects perception. In the first experiment, people who voluntarily took part in the study had to estimate how far a water bottle was from where it was sitting. Half of the volunteers were allowed to drink water before the experiment, while the others ate salty cookies, thus becoming very thirsty. The results showed that the thirsty volunteers estimated that the water was closer to them than volunteers who drank water earlier.
Our strong wish for certain objects may also lead to behavioral changes. In a separate experiment, the volunteers threw beanbags towards the gift cards (worth either $25 or $0) on the floor, winning the card if the beanbag landed on it. Interestingly, the volunteers threw the beanbag much farther if the gift card was worth $0 than if it was worth $25 -- that is, they underthrew the beanbag when attempting to win the $25 gift cards, because they viewed that the gift cards as being closer to them.
These findings show that when we want something, we actually view it as being physically close to us. When we see a goal as being close to us, it encourages us to keep on going to successfully gain it. | high20540.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it can kill people"
},
"options": [
"it looks 1ike swords",
"it can kill people",
"it is sent by God",
"it comes naturally"
],
"question": "Electrical lightning is called\"swords from the sky\"to mean _ .",
... | Al Ossinger,an experienced mountain guide,knew it was time to leave Longs Peak in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park,and get off'quickly.The sky had turned threatening dark,and his ice ax at times gave out upset sounds.Suddenly,as Ossinger was crossing a large mass of rock,both hands pressed against it for balance,there was a roar,a flash of light and an electric current charged through his arms.
"In that second. I thought 1 was finished,"he said,"Then I realized 1 was still there--the jolt hadn't knocked me off.My body and legs were all right,but my arms were paralyzed from the shoulder down.''Fortunately Ossinger was able to continue down and soon the feeling began to return to his shoulders,upper arms,and,two hours later,his fingertips.Ossinger was a lucky man.
A single stroke of lightning,which is usually three to four miles long,travels at speeds of up to 100,000 miles per second.In a single flash,it can carry 100 million volts of electricity and reach a temperature of 55,000 degrees Fahrenheit,five times hotter than the surface of the sun.During its brief life span,lightning carries enough energy to power a 100-watt light bulb for as long as three months.If you find yourself unlucky enough to be near lightning's path,you could suffer a direct hit,sending electrical current though your body for some 5 00 milli-seconds.Because of the short duration,severe burns aren't common and the resulting burns are usually superficial .
According to the national Weather Service,more people have been killed by lightning in the United States during the past 30 years,an average of 87 a year-than by either tornadoes or hurricanes,484 people were injured in 1994 alone.These"swords from the sky" are also responsible for an estimated$100 million to$300 million of property damage a year.During the 1980s an average of 5502 wildfires a year were sparked by lightning on national forest lands alone.
Earth is struck by at 1east 100 of these flashes every second-more than 8.6 million strikes a day.For all its destructive power,lightning has its good sides too.It's likely that humans discovered fire from some early lightning-sparked flames.And all that activity above the earth may help create ozone ,which protects us from the sun's harmful rays.Lightning dancing across a summer night sky is a force to be respected and appreciated-from a distance. | high23049.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's unsafe to store personal information on computers."
},
"options": [
"It's important to set passwords to your computer.",
"Passwords help keep your personal information.",
"It's unsafe to store personal information on com... | Passwords are no safeguards
Typing your password or credit card number into a computer is a moment's work. But if you think your personal details disappear as soon as you hit the Return key, think again: they can sit on the computer's hard disk for years waiting for a hacker to take them.
As people spend more time on the web and hackers become more experienced, the dangers of storing personal information on computers are growing by the day, security experts say. There are some safe-guards, such as never allowing your computer to store your passwords. But even that in no guarantee of security.
When you type in a password, it is stored in random access memory (RAM), where it is held temporarily until other data overwrites it or the computer is switched off.
But every so often , the computer copies the contents of its RAM onto hard disk, where it is easy to prey for a hacker, who can read it directly or design a worm to e-mail it back. The longer sensitive data stays in RAM, the more likely it is to be copied onto the disk, where it stays until it is overwritten-which might not happen for years.
Tal Garfinkel and colleagues from Stanford University have created a software tool which simulates the workings of a complete computer system. Within the simulation, sensitive data can be tagged and then tracked as it passes through the system. Next, Garfinkel and his team simulated computers running common software that regularly handles passwords or secret personal information, such as Internet Explorer, the Windows login script and Apache server software.
In a paper to be presented, they conclude that the programs took no measures to limit the length of time the information is kept. Some of the tested software even copied the sensitive information, obviously without restraint . | high9091.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "out of their own free will"
},
"options": [
"at the request of the government",
"nearby their house",
"often in return for others' help",
"out of their own free will"
],
"question": "These guerrilla gardeners do... | Many cities in the world are benefiting from the night activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the effort of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn't look depressing in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr. Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to restore neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition. | high159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "artistic value"
},
"options": [
"atmosphere",
"mass appeal",
"box-office success",
"artistic value"
],
"question": "Product placement can have a bad effect on the _ of a movie.",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | If you've ever seen a James Bond movie,you'll know that the hero gets around in a smart Aston Martin car. Even if you know full well that you could never afford such an expensive vehicle, you don't forget the name, or the car.
Why? You have been affected by product placement.
Companies pay a film to place their products in the movie. Product placement took off in the West in the 1980s and is now catching on in China. Two Hunan Satellite TV dramas are recent examples:Ugly Wudi and Let's Go Watch the Meteor Shower (<<>> ).
Shampoo, mobile phones, cars and fitness centers-anything can be product-placed. Advertisers value the mass appeal of the movies, knowing that a successful film can showcase their goods to hundreds of thousands of viewers. But when product placement takes over, artistic considerations can take a back seat.
Cai Zhiyong has been product-placing for years. The Beijing-based advertiser admits there is a conflict between art and business. He explains the way one ad works. In If You are the One (<<>> ), the actress Shu Qi plays a flight attendant. The movie contains product placement for airline companies.
_ filmmakers often have to give less consideration to the quality of their work because they need money from advertisers. In the original story for Meteor Shower, the heroine's mother owned an ice cream shop. But no ice cream company wanted to sponsor the film. For this reason, the story was changed. In the film the man drinks 20 cups of milk tea instead of eating ice cream.
So you may see the power of business over the movies, since the script was perhaps written so that a product could be placed-whether it was ice cream or milk tea. | high12294.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the history of London"
},
"options": [
"the history of London",
"the tube of London",
"what London people wore before and what they wear today",
"the famous people in London's development"
],
"question": "From t... | Madame Tussaud's wax Museum, London
Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum was first set up in Paris in 1770, moved to London in 1802 and moved to its present address in 1884. The collection of famous people of the past and present is kept up to date. Visitors will see Henry VIII and his six wives, the present Queen and royal family, leading figures of the French Revolution and so on. In 1993 a new part was added to it, the "Spirit of London", a journey through London from medieval times to the present day.
Address:
Madame Tussaud's Marylebone Road
London NWI 5LR United Kingdom
Hours:
It is open from 9:30 to 17:30 from Monday to Sunday
Always closed on Christmas Day (December 25)
Cost:
Adult: PS25.00.
Child 16 & under: PS21.00.
Child 4 & under: FREE.
Tips:
Extra money applies to some peak periods.
Group rates apply to 10 or more persons.
Combined tickets for Madame Tussaud's and the London Planetariur are available at reduced rate.
Opening hours may change throughout the year.
Directions:
By Tube : Madame Tussaud's is a two-minute walk from Baker Street tube station
By Train: Marvlebone Station is within 10 minutes walking distance of Madame Tussaud's
By Bus: The following bus numbers travel to Madame Tussaud's: 13, 18, 27, 30, 74, 82, 113, 139 and 274. | high22357.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Not all of them are free."
},
"options": [
"Not all of them are free.",
"They are bad dreams for teachers.",
"They are popular among high school students.",
"All of them are about computer science and technology."
]... | A class with tens or even hundreds of thousands of students might sound like a teacher's bad dream. But a big idea in higher education these days is the massive open online course, or MOOC.
Some universities offer free, non-credit MOOCs available to anyone in the world. Others charge for courses and provide credits. The idea is still developing.
So far, most massive open online courses are in computer science, technology, mechanics and engineering. For example, students around the world are taking a free course called "Building a Computer Search Engine." Two computer scientists, Sebastian Thrun and David Evans, are offering this course throughudacity.com.
There are no education requirements for the course. The students watch short videos. Then, says Mr. Evans, they take informal quizzes after the videos each week for six weeks.
DAVID EVANS: "Quizzes are part of the lecture to keep students engaged and keep them thinking, for students to be able to check that they understood what we covered. Those are not graded and students try those as often as they wish. They can repeatedly watch the videos and take the quizzes whenever they want."
Students receive homework. They join online groups to exchange questions and answers about the course. The teachers hold office hours to answer questions that the students have voted to send them. They also present their own questions and observations to the students in order to help them make a deeper impression of the course.
The students take a final examination to show where they rate in the class Everyone who finishes the course receives a grade and proof of completion. Top students get letters documenting their work.
Mr. Thrun started Udacity, which supports free MOOCs.Udacityhopes to make a profit in the future by connecting possible employers with interested students. On his Stanford homepage he says he wants to " _ " education. "Education", he says, should be free, accessible for all, anywhere and any time | high22431.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "parties of the US colleges"
},
"options": [
"what to wear at the US college parties",
"how much to drink at the US college parties",
"how to make friends at the US colleges",
"parties of the US colleges"
],
"que... | College is not just about studying, writing essays and burning the midnight oil in the library. Making friends and enjoying yourself is also necessary for the courses. Parties are social events for students to gather and chat with each other.
Drinking and music College parties in the US are always lacking in creativity and full of wine and music. The basic form rarely changes -- drink until you cannot anymore and play loud music at an earthshaking volume. There is plenty of beer involved, and some mixed cocktails.
Creativity in dress The creativity comes in how parties are dressed up. Parties often have a specific theme, like a 90s party or a sports party. At a 90s party, guests might show up dressed like oncefamous celebrities. At a sports party, guests might wear their favorite team's uniforms.
Held in apartments The party is usually held in the apartment of a particular outgoing friend. Everyone will be invited, which means strangers will wander in and out of the apartment where you can get to know and make some new friends.
Ugly sweater party On holidays, parties frequently take on a proper theme. A popular theme around Christmas is the ugly sweater party. The goal is to wear the ugliest sweater you can find, creating an atmosphere of fun.
Whatever the occasion is, there will be no shortage of _ . If you are smart enough, you won't have so much as to lose your consciousness. Parties are always better when you can remember them the next day. | high13834.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The importance of self-discipline."
},
"options": [
"His writing hobby.",
"The best way to lose weight.",
"The importance of self-discipline.",
"How to live a healthy life."
],
"question": "What does the author ... | "In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves... self-discipline with all of them came first." -- Harry S. Truman
That is the quotation that had me thinking yesterday. Discipline , in particular self-discipline, is what will get us through most things in life, from writing this simple post to Achieving Greatness for You and I. You may ask, "Why is discipline important in writing this post?" For people who have tried writing, you would know how hard it might get sometimes to actually sit down and finish the whole article in one period without getting up every few minutes to get a drink, a snack or toilet break etc.
Just with most things in life, often we lack the self-discipline to see us through what we are hoping to do or achieve. One area where self-discipline is clearly important is in losing weight. Some people are constantly looking for quick fix to their weight problem; they will jump at anything that is claimed to help them lose weight in the shortest time. They may lose weight fast, but they will find the result short-term especially if they do not change the way they live and the food they eat.
A friend of mine shared his experience going through the journey from 115 kilograms to 56 kilograms in around one year. His journey of losing weight started from a trip with his daughter to the doctor for her check-up. He playfully weighed himself on the weighing machine while his daughter was having the check-up. The doctor saw his weight and made a remark, "If you maintain that balloon weight, you cannot see your grandchildren."
That made him decide, "Enough is enough!" Not only that, he felt tired easily and his excessive weight made him feel like a walking balloon. In that moment of awakening, he made decisions to change his lifestyle and eating habits. | high7902.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "shortly after his birthday"
},
"options": [
"on his birthday",
"shortly after his birthday",
"at an interview",
"not long before his birthday"
],
"question": "When did the reporter call on the old man?",
"qu... | The oldest man had just celebrated his hundredth birthday and the reporter of a local paper called on him for an interview .Having congratulated the old man, the reporter asked a few questions.
"To what do you owe your long life?"
The old man thought for a moment and then holding up his hand and counting the items on his fingers, began," I never smoked, drank, or overate and always rise at six in the morning."
"But,"the reporter didn't agree, saying," I had an uncle who acted in that way, yet he only lived to be eighty. How do you explain the cause of that?"
" He didn't keep it up long enough," was the calm reply. | high24040.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In 1925."
},
"options": [
"In 1925.",
"In 1941.",
"In 1962.",
"In 2014."
],
"question": "When did Mark win the National Spelling Bee?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | An insect bee stands out on the logo of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, despite "Bee" being unrelated to the name of the insect. "Bee" refers to "a gathering", where people join together in an activity.
The National Spelling Bee was formed in 1925 as a collection of many local spelling bees,organized by Louisville. With competitions, cash prizes, and a trip to the nation's capital, it was hoped the Bee would _ "general interest among pupils in a dull subject". Mark Neuhauser won the first National Spelling Bee held that year, by successfully spelling "gladiolus".In 2014,there were two winners of the Bee--a conclusion that has only happened three other times in Bee history, and not since 1962. Sriram Hathwar, a 14yearold from New York and Ansun Sujoe, a 13yearold from Texas shared the excitement as cochampions after 22 rounds of spelling. Each took home over $30,000 in cash, scholarships and bonds.
The Spelling Bee has been held every year except for 19431945 due to World War II.Later, the Scripps Company acquired the rights to the program in 1941. The bee is held in late May or early June of each year.It is open to students who have not yet completed the eighth grade, reached their 15th birthday, nor won a previous National Spelling Bee.Its goal is educational:not only to encourage children to perfect the art of spelling, but also to help enlarge their vocabularies and widen their knowledge of the English language. | high14183.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "distribute the work that had to be done"
},
"options": [
"help the writers get to know each other",
"distribute the work that had to be done",
"provide an informal information session",
"entertain important visitors fro... | Writing articles about films for The Front Page was my first proper job. Before then I had done bits of reviewing--novels for other newspapers, films for a magazine and anything I was asked to do for the radio. That was how I met Tom Seaton, the first arts editor of The Front Page, who had also written for television. He hired me, but Tom was not primarily a journalist, or he would certainly have been more careful in choosing his staff.
At first, his idea was that a team of critics should take care of the art forms that didn't require specialized knowledge: books, TV, theatre, film and radio. There would be a weekly lunch at which we would make our choices from the artistic material that Tom had decided we should cover, though there would also be guests to make the atmosphere sociable.
It all felt like a bit of dream at that time: a new newspaper and I was one of the team. It seemed so unlikely that a paper could be introduced into a crowded market. It seemed just as likely that a millionaire wanted to help me personally, and was pretending to employ me. Such was my lack of self-confidence.
Tom's original scheme for a team of critics for the arts never took off. It was a good idea, but we didn't get together as planned and so everything was done by phone. It turned out, too, that the general public out there preferred to associate a reviewer with a single subject area, and so I chose film. Without Tom's initial push, though, we would hardly have come up with the present arrangement, by which I write an extended weekly piece, usually on one film.
The space I am given allows me to broaden my argument--or forces me, in an uninteresting week, to make something out of nothing. But what is my role in the public arena? I assume that people choose what films to go to on the basis of the stars, the publicity or the director. So if a film review isn't really a consumer guide, what is it? I certainly don't feel I have a responsibility to be 'right' about a movie. Nor do I think there should be a certain number of 'great' and 'bad' films each year. All I have to do is put forward an argument. I'm not a judge, and nor would I want to be. | high20226.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "26th"
},
"options": [
"25th",
"26th",
"27th",
"28th"
],
"question": "From the text, we can know the writer spent her _ birthday with the homeless man.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"an... | I live in a big Scandinavian city that unluckily has a lot of homeless people. But there are many ways of helping them even though you may not have a lot of money. One way is to buy their monthly magazines. By doing this one day, I got to know a young homeless man who was often standing at the train station, selling the magazine.
He was from another country and I can only imagine what kind of psychological scars he must have had from living in a war-torn country. After a while, I found that his birthday was close to mine which meant that we were born under the same sign of the Zodiac . I met him last year shortly after his birthday, and without thinking, after congratulating him, I asked if he had had a good day. He said he hadn't really celebrated. I just couldn't bear the thought of this nice, young man being alone on his 25th birthday with no presents, no cakes and no songs!
So I went home and looked in my yarn basket and as luck would have it, I had two yarn cores of pure wool left. I set to work and knitted a scarf for the young man.
I ran into him on my own birthday the next year as I was going shopping. I had hoped to meet him so I had carried the scarf around with me and a piece of my own birthday cake. He was very happy with these gifts and so was I. The light in his eyes and the heartfelt hug he gave me was the best present he could have given me! | high18961.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "$92,000"
},
"options": [
"$ 8,000",
"$ 50,000",
"$75,000",
"$92,000"
],
"question": "How much debt will Erin Wheeler be probably in when she graduate?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"ans... | When she graduates from Columbia University next year with a master's degree in Public health, Eric Wheeler is hoping to get a job in international reproductive health. The 26-year-old post-graduate has always wanted to work in public service. But public service doesn't pay much, and her two-year program at Columbia costs about $50,000 a year with living expenses. She has a scholarship from Columbia that covers just $4,000 a year and has taken out loans to pay for the rest. She worries that she will spend years paying back her student loans and not have money left over to put away in an IRA. Wheeler is wondering what she can do to ease the pain of
being in debt. Is there anything she can do to handle the debt?
The good news is that in 2007, Congress recognized that there were so many students in Wheeler's position that it passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act. There were two programs established by this act that Wheeler should look into.
The first is the income-based repayment plan, which allows lower-income graduates with a lot of debt to reduce their monthly payments. Depending on a graduate's income and level of debt, the program, which goes into effect July 1, could limit his or her annual educational loan debt repayment to 15 percent of discretionary income ,said Peter Mazareas, vice charman of the College Saving Foundation.
The second is the public service loan forgiveness plan, in which the federal government will forgive the remaining debt of borrowers who make 10-year loan payment while working full time in public-service jobs. But the graduate must have a certain loan which is listed in the plan. Depending on the level of debt Wheeler ends up with and how much she repays over 10 years, Mazareas said she could end up with about $75,000 of her debt forgiven. " Tipically, it is projected that a borrower who performs public service under this program will repay only about one-fourth to one-half as much money as a borrower who does not", he said. He also pointed out that public service is broadly defined and includes any government and nonprofit organization job. | high21138.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "An article about police dogs' problem."
},
"options": [
"Chief LaBrusciano's permission.",
"The suggestion from a charity.",
"A call from the local police department.",
"An article about police dogs' problem."
],
... | Stacey Hillman, who is 10 years old, was reading a magazine about police dogs needing bulletproof vests . She thought that someone should start raising money for the police dogs.
After she got permission from Chief LaBrusciano, she went to the County Sheriff Don Eslinger. She got busy visiting all the police dogs and telling the departments about her new charity. She made "collection boxes" by using bottles and put a picture of her with a police dog on it. She put these bottles in vet's offices and pet stores.
The Chief from her hometown police department helped make Stacey's idea an official charity -- Pennies to Protect Police Dogs. The more money she collected, the more popular she became, and the more people offered to donate and help her with her goal of giving every police dog effective protection.
Stacey travels all around her state to raise money and tell people how important the police dogs are. She speaks at schools, and they donate to her charity, too. Since Stacey started her charity, she has bought bulletproof vests for the police dogs with all the 140 thousand dollars she has raised. But she has many more K-9 friends that still need to be protected and she promises to keep doing her charity until every police dog in the whole country has a bulletproof vest.
Each vest costs $700, and every police dog should have one. There are not always tax dollars to provide K-9s with these vests, and very few departments have them. The police dogs save lives just like police officers do, and often the police dogs are the first to go in. Stacey depends on donations from everyone to provide the dogs with bulletproof vests. | high16794.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Wizard rock."
},
"options": [
"Harry Potter.",
"Harry Potter's music.",
"Wizard rock.",
"Joe and Paul's band."
],
"question": "What is the text mainly about?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | You have probably read the books. You have probably seen the movies. But have you heard the music? The latest Harry Potter news is that bands form to play what is called "wizard rock" or sometimes just "wrock".
The new kind of music began when Joe De George and his brother Paul decided that the characters from Harry Potterwould make a great band. Ron on guitar, Hermione on bass, Hagrid on drums and Harry singing up front would make for an excellent group. In one day, the brothers wrote, rehearsed and performed six songs about life at Hogwarts. After the first performance, Paul decided that "we are Harry and the potters."
Wizard rock is pretty much what it sounds like: rock "n" rock inspired by and set in the world of Harry Potter. The De George started a trend. Today there are dozens of wizard-rock bands: the Whomping Willows, the Remus Lupins and the Moaning Myrtles to name a few. Rockers dress like Hogwarts students and play at conventions and festivals.
People who like Harry Potter think wizard rock music is totally _ . The songs can be funny, but the music is not a joke. Just ask the De George brothers. They've played more than 500 shows in 49 states and their hit songs are inspired by characters fromHarry Potter: "Save Ginny Weasley" and "Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!" The themes of their music are the same as those of Rowling's books: love and friendship, upset and struggle.
Wizard rock is just one more by-product in the Harry Pottercraze. Two years after J.K. Rowling published her last book in the series, Potter popularity continues to grow. There are Potter conventions and Potter clubs that try to get kids and grow-ups to help fight hunger, for example. And the fact that they may do it while humming "Wizard Chess" or "Platform 9" makes those meetings fun. | high20232.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A student who receives a confirmation notice."
},
"options": [
"A third grader in a primary school.",
"A 19-year-old student at college.",
"A student who receives a confirmation notice.",
"A student who sends the applic... | You are invited to join PTPI (People to People International)'s President and CEO, Mary Jean Eisenhower, inprefix = st1 /America's Capitol for the2009 Global Youth Conference! In D.C., you will spend four exciting days exploring into this year's theme, "Global Sustainability: It's All Connected!" Come to the GYC to learn how you can work together with friends from around the world to create a better, brighter and greener future!
250 students will stay in the Hyatt Crystal City Hotel in Arlington,Virginiafrom November 11-15, 2009 for this eye-opening conference. We hope that you will join us in exploring PTPI's mission through international understanding, education, leadership and humanitarianism!
Highlights of this event will include:
* A key-note address presented by PTPI's President and CEO, Mary Jean Eisenhower!
* An interactive student group, featuring your peers from across the globe!
* Take an active part in sustainingWashington,D.C.through a service project benefiting the
Anacostia Watershed!
* A unique tour of Washington,D.C.-- we promise that you have never seen D.C. this way before!
* An opportunity to reunite with old friends and make new ones from around the World!
Application
Successful applicants aged 13-18 who will be enrolled in a middle school, high school or home school during the time of the conference will be accepted _ .
We urge students to APPLY ON-LINE TODAY, as applications will likely exceed available space. Upon acceptance into the Global Youth Conference, you will receive a confirmation notice and other important information via e-mail. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact People to People International: youthconference@ptpi.org | high16958.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sino-France relationship is always harmonious with efforts from both sides."
},
"options": [
"France is a country of romance and fashion.",
"China will buy 60 Airbus planes from France.",
"Sino-France relationship is always h... | More than meets the eye
Fine wines, food, perfume, luxury brands and art-in the eyes of many Chinese, France is a country of romance and fashion. but there is more to France than that.
In an interview with CCTV, French President Francois Hollande, who paid a state visit to China on April 25 to 26 with hopes of fighting the recession in his country by improving relations with China, said that France also stands out in fields such as science and technology.
Indeed, during Hollande's stay in China, the two governments signed a series of deals on nuclear power, urbanization, new energy tourism and agricultural products, and a deal for 60 Airbus plans.
France is China's fourth largest trading partner in the EU, while China is France's largest trading partner in Asia and its largest source of imports in the world.
"I look forward to the future of our global strategic partnership,"President Xi Jinping said at a news conference with Hollande.
The French leader, in a speech delivered at Shanghai Jiaotong University, also addressed issues that directly concern Chinese young people .In the speech, he promised to shorten the processing tine of visa applications for Chinese students studying in France.
France is the most popular travel destination with Chinese tourists, according to a 2012 survey by the China Tourism Academy. In response to several recent attacks on Chinese tourists in France, Hollande and the country's tourism minister promised to take measures, such as deploying more police in scenic spots frequented by Chinese tourists to ensure their safety. Chinese tourists were also reminded not to carry too much cash with them.
China and France began interacting with each other in the 17th century, when French kings sent numerous missionaries to China to promote Christianity. They also spread Western science in China.
Jean-Francois Gerbillon (1654-1707),for instance, who went by the name of Zhang Cheng in China, was one of them, A good mathematician, Gerbillon taught Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty about Western science.
The missionaries' description of a stable and powerful China, compared with Europe's sectarian conflicts and problems at the time, led to a "China fever" sweeping across France and other parts of Europe during the 17th and 18th century.
In the 19th century, however, China became weak and was defeated in several wars with industrialized France and other European powers.
The 20th century, especially in 1964, saw Sino-French relations turn a new page. That year, France became the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China.
Since then, "France-China relations have been good or very good over the long run,"Xinhua said. But the relationship between the two countries hasn't been all well-established. The disruption of the Beijing Olympic torch relay in Paris and comments by French politicians on Tibet, for example, have caused anger in China. | high18975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "While in Africa, McGrady behaved considerately."
},
"options": [
"While in Africa, McGrady behaved considerately.",
"The trip to Africa has changed McGrady's life totally.",
"McGrady should be blamed for wanting to buy kids g... | Kids in a Sudanese refugee camp stir up a cloud of dust as they kick around a football. NBA superstar Tracy McCray watches from a distance before offering to buy the kids a grass pitch for $1. 000.
Perhaps he sees a Ronaldinho rising up out of the African soil. Or maybe he just wants to do something -- anything -- to give these children some hope. But he is told, politely, that grass is not what the kids need.
This scene appears in 3 Point, a new documentary , which shows the Houston Rockets star coming face to face with the reality that life is more than sport.
McGrady,29, writes on his website that he traveled to Africa because he was tired of only reading about it in news. "Who were the faces behind the numbers?" He said. "I needed to see it for myself.
And he did. He stepped out of his large house and flew to a place torn to bits by war and famine . He slept in a tent. He kept away from minefields. He talked with people who have been suffering. And he swallowed his pride.
But no one should blame McGrady for wanting to buy the kids a pitch of grass. Sports gave him a chance, so perhaps he thought it would do the same for the refugees.
McGrady was _ by NBA managers as a teenager and he didn't bother going to college.
Instead, he leaped right into the NBA. Since that move, basketball has given him a handsome living, but one very far removed from the lives of ordinary people.
As McGrady would learn in Africa, most people see sports as just a break from life's difficulties. They don't mistake it for 1ife itself.
Only McGrady knows how this Africa trip changed him, but I'd bet that, at the very least, it has given him a new sense for what is truly meaningful.
McGrady doesn't own an NBA championship ring. He hasn't risen to the heights of Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan.
But, perhaps, now he knows he doesn't have to in order to truly make a difference in the world. | high16780.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "leave the bone marrow transplant unit"
},
"options": [
"recover soon from the cancer ks5u",
"leave the bone marrow transplant unit",
"come out of hospital and live in her own home",
"no longer need to write the column f... | I opened my eyes and found the doctors were standing by my bed. They had some welcome news. I had been living in the bone marrow transplant unit of the famous cancer center for a month. The doctors told me that while my immune system was still very weak, my brother Adam's healthy cells were beginning to work in my bone marrow. I was showing signs of progress: I was able to walk around---slowly---without assistance, my blood counts were going in the right direction, and I no longer needed to be connected continuously to an IV machine.
It was the"graduation"day. The doctors were sending me to the Hope Room, a halfway house sponsored by the American Cancer Society. I would live there for the next three months and would be cared for by my boyfriend, Seamus, who is again helping me write this column for Internet readers as I regain my strength.
Pushed out of the hospital in a wheelchair, I took my first breath of fresh air in weeks. But before I could enjoy this moment, my mother helped me put on a mask. I gave her an annoyed look, but I knew she was right. For the immediate future, I would need to wear gloves and a mask wherever I wanted to go in public. No subways, no crowds. However, I can enjoy my freedom, even if cancer continues to limit my choices. My new freedom means not being waken up every couple of hours by a nurse with pills in her hand, not seeing doctors with their masks and their caring, and not being connected to an IV machine 24 hours a day.
Freedom also means being patient with my mother and boyfriend, who try hard to cook for me in the kitchen and make sure I don't fall off my chair in the shower. Freedom is the responsibility to take medicine on time. Freedom also means returning to the hospital several times a week to receive follow-up examinations. But all is well worth. You surely know the reason. I love every one of my family and I love Seamus. | high22425.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "honor the harvest time"
},
"options": [
"honor the harvest time",
"honor the dead",
"honor the living",
"play a trick on each other"
],
"question": "Apple bobbing was an ancient ceremony held originally to _ ... | On Halloween Night, children go trick-treating in their neighborhoods. Dressed up as ghosts, skeleton devils, and various other characters, children knock on doors to collect their treats. Seldom do they actually perform a "trick".
It is thought that trick-or-treating comes from an old English custom. On All Souls Day, poor people went begging and promised to say prayers in exchange for food. Apple bobbing, still a favorite Halloween game, was originally an ancient ceremony honoring the harvest time.
A jack-o'-lantern is placed on porches and windows to tell children that treats are available. The legend was that a man named Jack could enter heaven because he played tricks on the devil. As punishment, he had to wander the earth carrying a lantern waiting to be judged fit to get into heaven.
People believed that Halloween marked the connection between the world of the living and the world of the dead. This meant that ghosts would _ the earth on this night. Some believed that these ghosts would go back to the homes they lived in before they died.
Thankfully, Halloween is an amusing night when children can dress up and get a bag full of candy. We don't have to worry about ghosts. Or do we? | high15289.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Nate Archibald's."
},
"options": [
"Nate Archibald's.",
"Earvin Johnson's.",
"Karl Malone's.",
"George Gervin's."
],
"question": "Whose nickname has nothing to do with basketball?",
"question_type": "factiod... | Many great basketball players had clever nicknames , usually describing the player's overall style on the court . Below are some of the colorful nicknames among popular NBA players.
"Tiny"
Nate Archibald, at six feet one inch tall, was small for a basketball player. Still, Archibald used speed and his brains to control the court in the 14 seasons that he played in the NBA. Interestingly, his nickname originated off the court: he was named after his father, "Big Tiny".
"Magic"
Earvin Johnson was called "Magic" by a sportswriter who saw him playing basketball in one high school game. Johnson was a skillful player, often doing the unexpected, to the _ of his competitors and the delight of the audience. He also won a gold medal as part of the U.S. "Dream Team" in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.
"The Mailman"
Karl Malone earned his nickname because on the court he delivered consistently. Malone spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz, gaining a reputation as one of the best power forwards of all time. He also won two Olympic gold medals, as part of the U.S. "Dream Team" in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain and in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
"The Iceman"
George Gervin made the most difficult shots look easy. He was also famous for keeping his cool in every game, playing in a relaxed way under pressure. Gervin, who played most of his 14 years in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs, was unequalled in many ways as a shooting guard. | high13820.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "High temperature in Sydney."
},
"options": [
"Sydney, a beautiful city.",
"Wildfires in Sydney.",
"High temperature in Sydney.",
"Prime Minister Julia Gillard"
],
"question": "What is the best title for the pass... | The Australian city of Sydney is experiencing its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching nearly 46C.
A temperature of 45.8C was recorded at Observatory Hill in the city at 14:55 local time.
Some areas in the wider Sydney region were even hotter, with the town of Penrith, to the west, registering a temperature of 46.5C.
Firefighters are still battling dozens of wildfires sparked by the intense heat in New South Wales and Victoria.
The small town of Licola in eastern Victoria is reported to have been cut off by a 44,500-hectare fire, as its only access road is blocked.
Officials said dozens of people had been evacuated but 10 locals were still there.
Rob Gilder, a sheep farmer, said he and two employees had found themselves trapped on their farm and were "in grave danger".
He told the Herald Sun they were taking steps to protect their house and farm equipment, but that he was concerned for his livestock, and that the situation could worsen.
"I am very worried. But I am hopeful that one of those helicopters will come and get us but I think the smoke might beat them."
Australia faces wildfires each year as temperatures climb. In February 2009, on what has come to be known as Black Saturday, 173 people were killed in fires in the state of Victoria.
On Friday, Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended a memorial service for fires in 2003 in the capital, Canberra, which killed four people and destroyed thousands of homes.
She reminded Australians to "take the appropriate precautions to stay safe and monitor information from local emergency services as they work to protect lives and property", the AFP news agency reports. | high24054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "illustrate men and women's different brains"
},
"options": [
"reveal men and women's preference of living expense",
"criticize women's wasted living expense",
"think highly of women's considerate behavior",
"illustrate ... | A man enters a store to buy milk. He walks out of the store with milk. That is all-- milk. At the same time, a woman enters the same grocery store also to buy milk. She buys it. But, she also buys chicken and lemons to make dinner that night. Then she remembers to buy food for her son to eat at school. She also gets a bottle of wine for drinks with friends and a birthday card for her husband's niece. Then she gets coffee for breakfast, ice cream for dessert and remembers stamps to mail the bills. And don't forget soap for the bathroom.
And that is the difference between the female and male brains simply explained in a grocery store. Generally speaking,men do one thing at a time. Women do many. Doing many things at one time is often called "multi-tasking", a very popular word these days.
Now scientific research supports this theory about male and female brains. A recent study has confirmed what we have known all along--men and women think differently.
Scientist at the university of Pennsylvania studied brain images of 949 people aged from 8 to 22 years old. They found that male brains have more connections on one side of the brain, or hemisphere. In female brain, they found more activity and connections between the right and left sides of the brain. The left side of the brain is known as the side of "reason" The right hemisphere is known as the "creative" side.
Regina Verma is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. She co-wrote the report. She says when women are asked to do something difficult they might use different parts of the brain. Men, she adds, generally use just one side of the brain.
As a result, men generally deal directly with a problem. There is a strong connection between the "understanding" and the "action" parts of their brains. Women, however, might include other parts of the brain, like the part connected with reason and the part connected with sensitivity when solving a problem. Women take a less direct path to find a solution.
Dr. Venma warns that the study should not lead anyone to expect some behaviors from women and others from men. | high7916.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "an art museum called the Louvre"
},
"options": [
"an art museum called the Louvre",
"an Italian artist named Leonardo da Vinci",
"a king of France named Francis I",
"the best known painting in Louvre"
],
"questi... | From the earliest times,man has been interested in art.People have often worked together to collect and save the world's art treasures.
Fine art treasures from many countries are kept in an art museum called the Louvre in Paris,France.The works of art have been collected by the people of France over many centuries.
The Louvre has not always been a museum.The first building was a fort .In 1190,it was the king's castle with high walls and a round tower.It had a _ to keep out his enemies.
Over the years,the number of buildings around the castle grew.By 1350,the castle was no longer needed as a fort.The Louvre became a palace home for French kings and queens.
During times of peace,new treasures were brought in.During days of war,many treasures were stolen,and the buildings were damaged.
When Francis I became king of France in 1515,he brought in artists from many countries.One of the artists was Leonardo da Vinci from Italy.Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is the best known painting in the museum today.
In 1793,the Louvre became a public museum,just as it is now.It is a place where art treasures have been saved for everyone to enjoy. | high9085.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "What makes the Ice Hotel special"
},
"options": [
"How the Ice Hotel is built",
"What makes the Ice Hotel special",
"Why the Ice Hotel is made of ice",
"The services of the Ice Hotel"
],
"question": "What is the... | Are you going into skiing? Is winter your favorite time of year? If you like snow and ice, maybe you should stay at Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada. But, you can only check in at this hotel during the winter. Why? Because this hotel is built every December. It has 32 rooms and 80 people can stay there each night. The hotel even has a movie theatre, art gallery, and church. Of course, all of these parts of the hotel are made of ice. In fact, all the furniture, art, lights, and even plates and drinking glasses are made out of ice.
Because this hotel is so unusual, it is becoming very popular. People from all over the world come to the Ice Hotel to look at the fantastic ice art, drink and eat from designed ice dishes and experience the unique atmosphere. Some couples have even gotten married in the hotel's ice church. But all these guests keep their winter coats on! Because of all the ice, the temperature inside the hotel is always between -2degC and -5degC. Surprisingly, sleeping is not a problem in the freezing cold hotel rooms. Every guest gets a special cold weather sleeping bag and some fur blankets. These keep the room cozy until morning. | high14829.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He helped to build houses after the earthquake in Haiti"
},
"options": [
"He planted trees and flowers in Haiti.",
"He gave some money to the poor in Haiti.",
"He helped archeologists search for ancient objects.",
"He h... | There is an old saying about volunteer work that goes like this: " No one can do everything, but everyone can do something."
Today, many people volunteer their time and energy to help others. There are a lot of ways to meet other people's needs. For example, some volunteers provide help after a disaster. Others are happy to get dirty while repairing homes or planting trees or flowers in poor neighborhoods. Young people see suffering and loneliness around them and find ways to help. And history lovers help archeologists search for ancient objects to help deepen our knowledge of the past.
Volunteers work in many areas around the world, including Haiti. More than two years have passed since a 7.0 earthquake shook the nation. The exact number of people who died may never be known. Thousands of survivors of the Haitian earthquakes still live in temporary shelters. Last year, former American President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn joined five hundred volunteers in the town of Leogane to build houses.
Organizations do not have to be large to get volunteers. An activist group in Dharamsala, India is a good example, Jodie Underhill from England arrived in northern India several years ago. She planned to volunteer for an environmental project. She could almost not believe how much rubbish was ruining some of the area's most beautiful sights. Jodie Underhill learned about how to deal with the rubbish while taking part in other volunteer projects. But soon enough she formed her own group, Mountain Cleaners. Jodie Underhill says the work is very hard. But she praises the group's efforts as a wonderful experience. The young Englishwoman says the Indian media started calling her "Garbage Girl". And she says she was pleased with the name.
American teenagers also volunteer in many ways . | high12280.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "you meet with specific lessons every day"
},
"options": [
"it is full of all lessons to learn",
"you have plenty of time to learn lessons",
"you meet with specific lessons every day",
"there are so many subjects for you... | You are enrolled in a full - time school called "life". Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or hate them, but you have designed them as part of your curriculum.
Why are you here? What is your purpose? Humans have sought to discover the meaning of life for a very long time. What we and our ancestors have overlooked, however, is that there is no one answer. The meaning of life is different for every individual.
Each person has his or her own purpose and distinct path, unique and separate from anyone else's. As you travel your life path, you will be presented with numerous lessons that you will need to learn in order to fulfill that purpose. The lessons you are presented with are specific to you; learning these lessons is the key to discovering and fulfilling the meaning and connection of your own life.
As you travel through your lifetime, you may encounter challenging lessons that others don't have to face, while others spend years struggling with challenges that you don't need to deal with. You may never know why you are blessed with a wonderful marriage, while your friends suffer through bitter arguments and painful divorces, just as you cannot be sure why you struggle financially while your peers enjoy abundance. The only thing you can count on for certain is that you will be presented with all the lessons that you specifically need to learn; whether you choose to learn them or not is entirely up to you.
The challenge here, therefore, is to align (......) yourself with your own unique path by learning individual lessons. This is one of the most difficult challenges you will be face with in your lifetime, as sometimes your path will be completely different from others'. But, remember, don't compare your path to the people around you and focus on the difference between their lessons and yours. You need to remember that you will only be faced with lessons that you are capable of learning and are specific to your own growth.
Our sense of fairness is the expectation of equality - the assumption that all things are equal and justice will always prevail. Life is not, in fact, fair, and you may indeed have a more difficult life path than others around you, deserved or not. Everyone's circumstances are unique, and everyone needs to handle his or her own circumstances differently. If you want to move toward calm, you will be required to move out of the complaining phase of "it's not fair". Focusing on the unfairness of circumstances keeps you comparing yourself with others rather than appreciating your own special uniqueness. You miss out on learning your individual lessons by distracting yourself with feelings of bitterness and anger. | high22343.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "no cure had been found for ALD"
},
"options": [
"they had never treated the disease before",
"Lorenzo was too young to be cured",
"no cure had been found for ALD",
"ALD was a rare disease"
],
"question": "Doctor... | When a rare disease ALD threatened to kill the four-year-old boy Lorenzo, his parents refused to give up hope. Doctors explained that there was no cure for ALD, and that he would probably die within three years. But Lorenzo's parents set out to prove the doctors wrong.
The parents devoted themselves to keeping their son alive and searching for a cure. But doctors and the families of other ALD patients often refused to take them seriously. They thought the efforts to find a cure were a waste of time, and drug companies weren't interested in supporting research into such a rare disease.
However, the parents still refused to give up and spent every available hour in medical libraries and talking to anyone who would help. Through trial and error, they finally created a cure from ingredients commonly found in the kitchen. The cure, named "Lorenzo's Oil", saved the boy's life. Despite the good results, scientists and doctors remained unconvinced. They said there was no real evidence that the oil worked and that the treatment was just a theory. As a result, some families with ALD children were reluctant to try it.
Finally, the boy's father organized an international study to test the oil. After ten years of trials, the answer is: the oil keeps ALD children healthy. | high5867.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "\"Sherlock Holmes\" made Charlie rise to fame overnight."
},
"options": [
"Mother had much influence on Charlie Chaplin's career.",
"\"Sherlock Holmes\" made Charlie rise to fame overnight.",
"Charlie had been famous when the... | Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London. Both his father and mother were entertainers and although not of big names, they were doing very well. While the family was by no means rich, the music hall provided the Chaplins with a comfortable living. Unfortunately happy life didn't last long. Father's alcoholism was slowly, but surely destroying his marriage. Finally it ended in divorce. His mother managed to keep Charlie and his brother Syney clean and warm, clothed and fed. She would sit at the window watching the passers-by and guess at their characters from the way they looked and behaved, making up tales to delight Charlie and Syney. Charlie took in her skills and went on using them all his life.
Charlie had always believed, even in the worst times, that he had something special locked away inside him. He took his courage and went to one of the top theater agents. With no experience at all, he was offered a plum part in a new production of "Sherlock Holmes", which opened on July 27, 1903 at the famous "Pavilion Theatre". Charlie seemed to change overnight. It was as if he had found the thing he was meant to do. By 1910, Charlie had become "one of the best pantomime artists ever seen ".
Cinema was born in the same year as Charlie thought people still believed it was a passing fashion, and would never replace live shows. But after using several weeks to watch and to learn, he was determined to master this new medium. It offered him the chance of money and success--and it would set him free from the _ of live audience.
Charlie's first film, released in February 1914, was called "Making a living". After that he made another ten. The public loved him and producers were demanding more and more Chaplin films. In an incredibly short time, Charlie had become a very important man in motion picture. | high11789.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "thought his colleague would get nowhere."
},
"options": [
"went back to his seat and got seated.",
"knew his colleague had some questions.",
"owed a big debt of gratitude to his colleague.",
"thought his colleague would... | I was born and raised in Minnesota, the USA,but as an adult I have mostly lived in Europe and Africa. I teach cross-cultural management at the International Business School near Paris. For the last 15 years, I've studied how people in different parts of the world build trust,communicate, and make decisions especially in the workplace.
While traveling in Tokyo recently with Japanese colleague,I gave a short talk to a group of 20 managers. At the end, I asked whether there were any questions or comments.No hands went up,so I went to sit down.My colleague whispered to me,"I think there actually were some comments, Erin.Do you mind if I try?" I agreed, but I guessed it a waste of breath. He asked the group again, "Any comments or questions?"
Still, no one raised a hand, but this time he looked very carefully at each person in the silent audience. Gesturing to one of them, he said, "Do you have something to add?" To my amazement,she responded "Yes, thank you." and asked me a very interesting question. My colleague repeated this several times,looking directly at the audience and asking for more questions or comments.
After the session, I asked my colleague, "how do you know that those people had questions?" He hesitated, not sure how to explain it, and then said, "It has to do with how bright their eyes are."
He continued, "In Japan, we don't make as much direct eye contact as you do in the West. So when you asked if there were any comments, most people were not looking directly at you. But a few people in the group were looking right at you, and their eyes were bright. That indicates that they would be happy to have you call on them."
I thought to myself I would never have learned from my upbringing in Minnesota. Since then, I try to focus on understanding behavior in other cultures I encounter, and keep finding the bright eyes in the room. | high10497.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "people hide the debt from their partners or families to some extent"
},
"options": [
"every family has serious financial problems",
"the UK's debt to other countries amounts to PS5bn",
"the UK's economy is in great trouble du... | The UK's "hidden" debt mountain stands at an estimated PS5bn, according to a new research today which reveals that as many as one in three consumers are keeping the full scale of their financial problems from their family.The research, for the Post Office, shows that while the average personal debt in the UK is PS9,731.51, people only admit to owing half this when talking to a partner or member of their family.
The new report exposes the serious emotional and physical consequences of covering up that debt, ranging from problems at work, sleepless nights and anxiety, to alcohol abuse.A recent report from the Commons public accounts committee said that in the UK, one person in 10 is struggling to manage their debts, while the total of all personal debt is some PS1,500bn.It warned that a government strategy to help consumers struggling with record levels of debt was "seriously deficient" because of poor management and a lack of leadership.The research was commissioned by the Post Office and carried out online by One Poll, which surveyed 2,258 UK consumers.
Doug Strachan, director of financial services at the Post Office, said, " The recession has put a massive strain on many families and people may be, for the first time, experiencing levels of debt that they cannot control.The most important thing to remember is that if you do need to borrow money, make sure you are responsible about it and set out a clear repayment plan.Managing the debt effectively can mean there is no need to experience the terrible emotional and physical symptoms hiding debt can result in."
Donna Dawson, psychologist specializing in personality, behavior and relationships, said the knock-on effects were enormous, " hiding the extent of debt from a partner or family member may give us a false sense of control or independence, but the reality is that our mental and physical health suffers--and once uncovered, the health of our loved ones suffers as well.
The irony is that the very things we are trying to protect--our trustworthiness and our good self-image--are lost anyway, when all becomes revealed. | high21892.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "drawing pictures"
},
"options": [
"using the computer",
"drawing pictures",
"collecting information",
"designing a program"
],
"question": "The Color Picker will probably be used while you're _ .",
"questi... | For light sleepers
Millions of people have trouble falling asleep each night, which is why Light Sleeper was created.
Developed in the United Kingdom, Light Sleeper's makers say it can help a person fall asleep and also help a person fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
Light Sleeper works by projecting a light onto the ceiling while the person is lying down. The idea is to watch the light, because the light moving in a circle has a relaxing effect.
One of the advantages of the product is that it won't disturb other people in the room. The product can be easily moved and will switch itself off after 30 minutes to save power.
Stop the snoring
Here's a new product designed to slow down the frequency and level of your snoring. The Snore Stopper has a sensitive instrument that will detect when you're snoring. Once it does that, it will send a very mild electronic signal to your wrist. This consequently changes your sleeping position to stop you from snoring. The Snore Stopper; won't cause any damage to your body.
Get your true colors
Photoshop features a pen that will copy the color settings of what you are monitoring onscreen to use as a color in your program. Now an off-line product allows you to pick a color when not using the computer software.
The Color Picker is a concept pen. After placing the pen against an object, the user just presses the scan button. Color sensors inside the pen send information to a box, which then mixes red, green and blue to produce the desired ink color.
Keep it fresh
More high technology products are showing up in the kitchen. A new Bagel dome advertises that it will keep your baked goods fresher for longer periods of time. The product, which is able to remove air, works for bread rolls, cakes and other _ . To use it, you just push a button at the top. | high11951.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "No specific date."
},
"options": [
"2020.",
"2010.",
"2018.",
"No specific date."
],
"question": "When will China's spaceship land on the moon?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | By Zhang Youlv (China Daily 09/29/2008)--A manned lunar landing is China's next target when the current three-stage space program ends in the next dacade. "When our manned space program is completed, we will travel even further," Wang Zhaoyao, deputy head of China's manned space program office and Shenzhou VII mission spokesman, told a briefing in Beijing three hours after China's third manned space mission was successfully concluded yesterday.
"After comprehensively analyzing the general trend of the international development of manned space, as well as realities in China, we see a manned lunar landing as a both challenging and tactical field in global hi-tech," he said.
"We believe it necessary for our country to do something in this field," Wang said.
He did not give a specific date for a moon landing. Wang, however, said, "Experts believe this is 'very much needed' for research into relevant (closely connected) technologies to further China's achievements in space."
The 68-hour Shenzhou VII mission featured a 25-minute spacewalk on Saturday.
It was broadcast live and watched by millions throughout the country. The crew's landing at a site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region was also carried live by national television.
The entire mission was pronounced a complete success.
Wang said the three astronauts, were transported to Hohhot, the region's capital, and would spend the evening there.
"They will return to Beijing this morning," he said.
"During the course of the mission, Russian experts provided strong technical support for the EVA spacesuits. The successful Sino-Russian cooperation for this flight created beneficial conditions for more intensive cooperation between the two sides in the future," Wang said.
The mission's success has paved the way for completing the second stage of the program--building a space station before 2020.
Before that, a space lab will be set up in 2010 with Shenzhou X, the country's next full-crew space journey. | high20554.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Perfect Match"
},
"options": [
"Perfect Match",
"Successful Graft",
"Anonymous Donor",
"Lucky Christmas Tree"
],
"question": "Which of the following may be the title of the passage?",
"question_type": null
... | Every Christmas the giant tree inprefix = st1 /RockefellerCentersparkles with thousands of lights. From the beginning, when construction workers raised the first one during the depths of the Depression, it has been a symbol of hope. Diana Abad, like most Americans, loved that tree.
In 1999, however, Diana was writing her will. The 33-year-old woman from Staten Island, New York, was diagnosed with leukemia and wanted to put her things in order. Doctors told her she had nine months to live.
Her slim chance for survival lay in finding a bone marrow donor. The most likely source for a match is always among s -- but her family was tested and there was none.
Then one day in February 2000, she got a call from the hospital saying that out of the four million people _ in the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, there was only one match. The potential donor was thinking about it. In March the donor agreed, and the transplant procedure was scheduled for March 27.
On that day, a doctor came in with the marrow in a bag, and Diana remembers him saying:"This is it. If it doesn't graft within four to six hours, nothing will bring you back." Diana asked a priest to give her last rite .
Almost immediately after the two-hour procedure, she felt stronger. Doctors told her it looked like the graft had taken.
Donors are anonymous, but when she was better, Diana sent a note through the Registry: "You don't know the joy that I am experiencing," she wrote. "I hope that one day we can meet and I can thank you in person."
It was several months before the donor replied. At first he didn't even give his name. He was 34-year-old David Mason, and he lived inDedham,Massachusetts. But eventually the two exchanged phone numbers and began to talk.
Then unexpectedly and unannounced, he turned up at her door inEnglishtown,New Jersey, on December 23. She says it was love at first sight. He says he didn't feel it until they met the second time.
That meeting began a long-distance romance that culminated under the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center in December 2004. That's where David proposed to Diana. She, of course, said yes. | high23075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says"
},
"options": [
"a phrase or a sentence that means exactly what the words say",
"a phrase or a sentence that doesn't mean exactly what every word says",
"... | Idioms are phrases and sentences that do not mean exactly what they say. Even if you know the meaning of each word you see or hear, you may not understand the idiom because you don't understand the culture behind it.
For example, if an American boy asks his mother what's for dinner tomorrow, she may say "I'll play it by ear", that means she doesn't have plans for dinner and she will decide later. "Play by ear" used to mean playing music using the sheet music, but now people often use it when they're not talking about music.
There're many idioms in English. If you learn to use them, your English will be more vivid and colorful. English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember sometimes. Next time when you hear somebody saying to you, "Give me a hand", you don't necessarily stretch out your hand to him/her, but you do need to be helpful. And when the situation is out of hand, you usually can do very little to manage all that. What about a green hand? It's not about the color of your hand! You're a green hand when you are very new at your work and don't have much experience. If you and your partner always work together hand in glove, you two definitely work together very well.
Can you guess the meanings of some common English idioms to do with parts of your body? | high165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "few people went to Loch Ness Lake"
},
"options": [
"few people went to Loch Ness Lake",
"many people had been there",
"nobody went to the lake",
"nobody knew about the lake"
],
"question": "Before 1930, _ .",... | In the north of Scotland there is a lake called Loch Ness. It is the biggest lake in Britain. It is over thirty kilometres long and in places nearly 300 meters deep. It is cold and dark and not many people went there until after 1930. Then a road was made around the lake. Holiday makers began to use the road, and this was when the stories began.
Someone said that he had seen a monster in the lake. He said it was twelve meters long. It had a long neck and a small head. Then someone else said he had seen it. Others said the same thing and in 1933 a London doctor took a photo. It looked like a monster with a long neck and a thick body but the photo was not dear. The newspapers printed the picture and called it the Loch Ness monster, or "Nessie".
Then the argument began. Some people, however, were certain there was something living in the lake. Others said there was nothing there.
In 1961, a lot of people joined together to make a real effort to see and photograph the monster if there was one! Several times people thought they saw something but after ten years there was still no real proof.
Later underwater television cameras were used, but no one found any real proof. However, they did find something interesting: a huge underwater cave. It was big enough to be home of a monster, but of course, this was not a proof.
In 1975, however, some American scientists formed a search group. They used an underwater camera. It took pictures every seventy seconds. Some of the pictures seemed to show a red-brown creature. Its body was about four meters long and had a very ugly head on the end of a four meter neck. Many people then began to believe in the monster. But even today we can not be certain. | high7080.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "a warning"
},
"options": [
"a warning",
"common",
"a direction of life",
"an example"
],
"question": "Your close friend's death is _ to you.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | When a close friend dies, it often forces you to consider your own death. The more you have in common with the friend, the more his death will make you wonder about your own. Sometimes you will naturally say to yourself, "It could just as easily have been me." Such a death has a way of reminding us how fragile life is, and it may cause you to reassess the direction of your own life.
Jack's story is a good example. A successful businessman making a lot of money, Jack didn't spend as much time with his family as he wanted. His job required him to work long hours. But three years ago one of his best friends, a man who worked in the same office, had a heart attack. He died while celebrating his daughter's eighteenth birthday in a restaurant. He was only fifty years old.
Not long after his friend's death, Jack started to have a chest pain. Finally he had a good physical check-up. _ . But the chest pain continued. He kept thinking of the death of his friend. Jack thought about how much his friend missed in life and he saw how hard it was for his friend's family to manage after he passed away.
Jack realized that he didn't want to end up his life that way. He talked his feelings over with his wife and children, and decided to change his way of life. The family moved to a small town where he started a simple life. Now he is running a small art gallery . He is relaxed, and says he has never been so happy in his life. And he has got no more chest pain. | high21662.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market"
},
"options": [
"Lee Scott is Wal-Mart's CEO",
"there are 5, 200 stores in the world",
"Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market",
"Wal-Mart has more than 7,... | All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine , which supplies 5% of the store's electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant.
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. "One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees," says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott."If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference."
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart's fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they're cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it's working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so.
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart's controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it's not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in going green. Scott says, " _ . We don't go where we don't think there's a great interest in change."
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart's image at a time when his company's reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. "By doing what we're doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything," he says. "At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take." Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit. | high4589.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Unique scents."
},
"options": [
"Friendly assistant.",
"Unique scents.",
"Soft background music",
"attractive window display."
],
"question": "According to the passage,what is an increasingly powerful tool in th... | What is the first thing you notice when you walk into a shop? The products displayed at the entrance? Or the soft background music?
But have you ever notice the smell? Unless it is bad,the answer is likely to be no.But while a shop's scent may not be outstanding compared with sights and sounds,it is certainly there.And it is providing to be an increasing powerful tool in encouraging people to purchase.
A brand store has become famous for its distinctive scent which floats through the fairly dark hall and out to the entrance,via scent machines. A smell may be attractive but it may not just be used for freshening air.One sports goods company once reposed that when it first introduced scent into its stores,customers'intension to purchase increased by 80 percent.
When it comes to the best shopping streets in Pairs,scent is just as important to a brand's success as the quality of its window displays and goods on sales.That is mainly because shopping is a very different experience to what it used to be.
Some years ago,the focus for brand name shopping was on a few people with sales assistants'disproving attitude and don't-touch-what-you-can't afford displays.Now the rise of electronic commerce(e-commerce)has opened up famous brands to a wider audience.But while e-shops can use sights and sounds,only bricks-and-mortar stores can offer a full experience from the minute customers step through the door to the moment they leave.Another brand store seeks to be much more than a shop,but rather a _ .And scent is just one way to achieve this.
Now a famous store uses complex man-made smell to make sure that the soft scent of baby powder floats through the kid department,and coconut scent in the swimsuit section.A department store has even opened a new lab,inviting customers on a journey into the store's windows to smell books,pots and drawers,in search of their perfect scent. | high11979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "improving their classroom skills and imagination"
},
"options": [
"improving their classroom skills and paying attention",
"improving their classroom skills and imagination",
"improving their attention, direction and imaginat... | The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.
Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang . Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them _ a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.
Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school. | high5697.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was afraid to be hurt"
},
"options": [
"became excited",
"was afraid to be hurt",
"refused his offer",
"met another poor guest"
],
"question": "When Joe stopped to help the lady, she_.",
"question_type": "cl... | When he was driving home one evening on a country road, he saw an old lady, strained on the side of the road. He stopped in front of her car and got out. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. He looked poor and hungry. He knew how she felt. He said, "I am here to help you, madam. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Joe."
She had a flat tire . Joe crawled under the car, changed the tire. But he got dirty and his hands hurt. She could not thank him enough and asked him how much she owed him. He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Joe added," And think of me."
She drove off. A few miles down the road the lady saw a small restaurant. She went in. The waitress had a sweet smile, and was nearly eight months pregnant. The old lady wondered how someone like her who seemed poor could be so kind to a stranger. Then she remembered Joe. After the lady finished her meal, the waitress went to get her change from a hundred-dollar bill. But she stepped right out the door.
When the waitress came back, she noticed something written on a napkin, "I am helping you because someone once helped me. If you really want to pay me back, here's what you do ---Do not let the chain of love end with you."
That night when she got home, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. She and her husband needed money with the baby due next month. She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she whispered, "Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Joe" | high18785.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an argument about the research on the pill"
},
"options": [
"a new medical invention",
"a new research on the pill",
"a way of erasing painful memories",
"an argument about the research on the pill"
],
"question... | NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spendall their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the prefix = st1 /USandFrance. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatryat Harvard Medical School. : "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity . They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out," said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist | high16970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The beggar once offered her a free meal."
},
"options": [
"The beggar was once her friend.",
"She felt very pity for the beggar.",
"The beggar once offered her a free meal.",
"She once worked with the beggar."
],
... | "Good morning!" said a woman as she walked up to an old man sitting on the ground. The man slowly looked up. He was Jack, who had been begging around here for a couple of years.
"See thatcafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get you something to eat and get you out of the cold for a while."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?" Old Jack thought hard and said, "I think so--I mean you do look familiar."
"I was thin and hungry," she said. "Maybe I've _ now more than when you worked here. That was when I was just out of college. I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked in the streets for days, cold and hungry. I saw this place and walked in hoping that I could satisfy my hunger."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said it was against company's policy."
The woman continued, "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, I saw you put the price of my food in the cash register."
"So you started your own business?" old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God,prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons, the personnel director of my company. He'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled, "If you ever need anything, my door is always open to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes, "How can I ever thank you?" he said. "Don't thank me;" the woman answered, "thank yourself. It was your kindness that let me know you." | high3580.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because the jewellery hung around the tree's branches gives it a record value."
},
"options": [
"Because the cost pf planting and decorating the tree is too high.",
"Because the tree itself has a value of more than 11 million dolla... | Christmas came in extravagant fashion to the Muslim desert emirate of Abu Dhabi as a shining hotel uncovered a bejeweled Christmas tree valued at more than 11 million dollars on Wednesday.
It is "the most expensive Christmas tree ever" with "a value of over 11 million dollars", said Hans Olbertz, general of Emirates Palace Hotel, at its inauguratuion .
The 13-metre (40-foot) evergreen, located in the gold hall of the hotel, is decorated with silver and gold bows, ball-shaped decorations and small white lights. But the necklaces, earrings and other jewellery hung around the tree's branches are what give it a record value. "It holds a total of 181 diamonds, pearls, sapphires and other precious stones," said Khalifa Khouri, owner of Style Gallery, which provided the jewellery.
"The tree itself is about 10,000 dollars," Olbertz said. "The jewellery has a value of over 11 million dollars--I think $1,141,150."
"This will probably be an entry into the Guinness book of world records," Olbertz said, adding that Emirates Palace planned to contact the organization about the tree which is to stay until the end of the year.
Asked whether the tree might be against religious sensibilities in the United Arab Emirates, where the vast majority of the local population are Muslim, Olbertz said he did not think it would. "It is a liberal country," he said.
The hotel has had a Christmas tree up in previous years, but this year "we have to do something different", and the hotel's marketing team _ the plan, said Olbertz. | high21104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a lot of people buy lottry tickets ,but lotteries cause disagreement"
},
"options": [
"lotteries are of great benefit to everyone who buys them.",
"play a lottery is just like investing in the stock market",
"a lot of people ... | Thousands of people began pouring into Pennsylvania from other states. They wanted to buy lottery tickets. The tickets cost only $0.9each. But that small spending could bring them a reward of $90 million. That was the second largest lottery jackpot in history.
More than 87 million tickets were bought for the Pennsylvania lottery drawing . Those who bought tickets had to choose seven numbers from 1 to 80 The chance of winning was one in 9.6 million. But that little chance certainly did not affect tickets sales. In the last few days before the drawing , tickets were selling at the unbelievable rate of 500 per second .
Experts say many people buy lottery tickets because they just want to have a piece of the action .Others say the lottery is a stock market for poor people . It allows them to dream about wealth they will probably never have .
But many people believe lotteries are no better than legalized gambling . Some critics note that most people who play are poor and may not be able to afford the tickets .There are also many addicts who take the game seriously, They may pour their life savings into lottery tickets .Some clubs have been formed to help them kick the habit.
Politicians like lotteries because they provide money that would otherwise have to come from new taxes. The profits from lotteries are usually used to pay for education or programs for senior citizens. But critics say this arrangement just allows states to legalize vice under the name of social progress . No matter whether you regard state lotteries right or not , you can not refuse to accept their extreme popularity with many Americans . | high2846.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The impact of social media on teenagers."
},
"options": [
"The major problems with social media.",
"The impact of social media on teenagers.",
"How teenagers benefit from social media.",
"Why social media appeals so muc... | Social media is one of the fastest-growing industries in today's world. A study conducted by the US think tank Pew Research Center showed that 92 percent of teenagers go online daily.
The wide spread of social media has changed nearly all parts of teenagers' lives.
Changing relationships
High school student Elly Cooper from Illinois said social media often reduces face-to-face communication.
"It makes in-person relationships harder because people give attention to their phones instead of their boyfriends or girlfriends," Cooper said.
There's also a greater possibility of things getting lost in translation over social media.
"If half of your relationship is over social media, you don't really know how the other person is reacting," Sienna Schulte, a junior student from Illinois, said.
Yet, some people believe social media has made it easier to start relationships with anyone from anywhere. Beth Kaplan from Illinois met her long-distance friend through social media. He currently lives in Scotland, but they're still able to frequently communicate with one another.
"I can feel close to someone that I'm talking to via FaceTime," Kaplan said.
Wanting to be "liked"
The rise of social media has changed the way teenagers see themselves.
The 19-year-old Essena O'Neill announced on the social networking service Instagram that she was quitting social media because it made her obsessed with appearing perfect online.
Negative comments also can do great damage to a teenager's self-esteem .
In particular, anonymous social media apps such as Yik Yak may provide opportunities for cyber bullying .
The app allows users within 5 miles (8 km) to create and add comments to everything. Teenagers who get negative comments on these sites can't help but feel hurt.
Opening new doors
However, Armin Korsos, a student from Illinois, takes advantage of the comments he receives over social media to improve his videos on the social networking site Youtube.
"Social media can help people show themselves and their talents to the world in a way that was never possible before," Korsos said.
But Korsos recognizes that social media has become a distraction .
"Social media, though it helps people connect with their friends and stay updated, is not all necessary." | high13808.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They were given brain imaging and memory tests"
},
"options": [
"They were asked to take a high-level flavones drink",
"They were given capsules containing flavones",
"They were given brain imaging and memory tests",
"T... | Can eating a chocolate bar every day really prevent age-related memory loss? No. But a new research shows that large amounts of flavones, substances found in cocoa, tea and some kinds of vegetables, may improve age-related memory failure.
Dr. Scott Small is a professor of neurology at Columbia University in new York City He is the lead writer of a research paper describing the effects of cocoa flavones on brain activity His study involved 37 volunteers aged between 50 and 69. Researchers gave them a high-level flavones drink made from cocoa beans or a low-level flavones drink. For a period of three months, some subjects got 900 milligrams of flavones a day. The others got 10 milligrams of flavones each day. Brain imaging and memory tests were given to each study subject before and after the study Dr. Small says that the subjects who had the high-level flavones drink showed much improvement on memorytests.
The researchers warn that more work is needed to be done because this study was performed only on a small group. Dr. Joann Manson is the lead researcher of a four .year study involving 18,000 adults. This study will use flavones capsules The study subjects will be divided into two groups and will take two pills per day. The capsules used will all Look the same. But one group's capsules will contain flavones, while the other group will take capsules made of an inactive substance, or placebo
Dr. Manson says it's not necessary for people to start eating more chocolate, because 3 person would have to eat a huge amount of chocolate to get the same level of flavones given to the Lest subjects. He adds many manufacturers have planned to remove the flavones from their chocolate products. Similarity, Dr. says a cocoa-based flavones extract may be developed in the future But he says that more studies are needed to see how much flavones is good for our health | high9913.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Desires to be stylish and great influence from the mass media"
},
"options": [
"Interest in stars' life and expectation of getting rich",
"Motivation for being fashionable and inspiration from popular examples",
"Intentions t... | Who is your role model? Normally the answer to this question would be anyone around you who you find truly inspiring. It could also be someone like J. K. Rowling or Martin Luther King Jr. who have proven to be strong and intelligent people.
However, in today's world, stars are regarded as role models along with the heroes listed above, despite their intentions or actions. Teens attempt to imitate their actions for two major reasons. First, to be fashionable and accepted by popular culture, and second>>because stars' actions are so well documented by the media that it seems to grab our attention and turns it to following stars' lives. Much of the reports about stars is shocking and exhibits bad morals or lifestyles that aren't right for teenagers. In addition, almost everything stars do is described beyond truth to make a shocking story by taking it to the next level.
However, teens must take responsibility for their actions. We can't always blame stars for influencing us. Only you have control over yourself and only you choose to do something. Our bodies and actions are in the hands of no one else.
Now, who ever said stars are role models? Whether they choose to be or not, stars set examples as soon as they step into the spotlight. With reporters following and recording every move they make, it is impossible not to be watched and then be imitated. These people influence, teens whether or not they want to. Why should someone who doesn't want to be setting an example set one? So,should we look up to them or to people who are true and good role models? It's our responsibility as teens to know right from wrong, and it's time for us to take responsibility for our actions. In doing so,we will lean toward those inspiring people that want to be setting an example, and follow in their steps to be like them. | high603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People cannot give an exact answer, not even Prof. Seashore."
},
"options": [
"Nobody can answer the question.",
"No one knows for sure but Professor Seashore.",
".Not everyone can tell the exact number.",
"People canno... | How many words one uses cannot be measured exactly. However, Professor Seashore concluded the first- graders entered school with at least 24,000 words and add 5,000 each year so that they leave high school with at least 80,000. These figures( ) are for recognition vocabulary ,the words we understand when we read or hear them, which are more than our active( ) vocabulary, the words we use in speaking and writing.
Using the words you recognize in reading will help get them into your active vocabulary. In your reading, pay attention to these words, especially when the subject is one that you might well write or talk about. Underline (draw a line under) or make a list of words that you feel a need for and look up the ones that you are not sure of in a dictionary. And then before very long you will find a way to use some of them. Once you know how they are pronounced and what they mean, you can safely use them. | high22419.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "An entrance visa."
},
"options": [
"A personal statement.",
"An entrance visa.",
"Evidence of English ability.",
"A secondary school diploma"
],
"question": "Which is unnecessary for people inside the EU when su... | Applying to Stellinga College
Why Stellinga?
Thank you for your interest in Stellinga International College. As an international student, we are sure you will find our college an exciting place to study, with like-minded and ambitious people.
Preparing and submitting your application
We have tried to make the application process as easy as possible for you, but there are a number of procedures you must follow.
All our courses are taught in English, so first of all you will probably need to submit evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS score of 6.5. You will also have to send us your secondary school diploma, so that we can evaluated it.
We will also require a personal statement. This is a text of up to 1,000 words in which you introduce yourself, explain your interest in our college, and why you want to study your chosen course.
If you are from outside the European Union(EU), it is important that you have an entrance visa before you come to study in the Netherlands, but we will apply for this for you.
We now only accept online applications, so please ensure that you have all your documents ready to upload before you begin. Any documents that are not in English originally will also need to be translated and the translation also uploaded.
You will need a passport photograph; a copy of your passport; copies of all your certificates and diplomas; your proof of language ability; and your personal statement in English.
What happens next?
Your application will then be considered. If your initial application is successful, you will be invited for an interview. This will be conducted in English via skype, over the phone or on site. You will talk to two or three members of staff for up to 30 minutes. We aim to inform you of our decision in writing, within 4 weeks. There are several possible outcomes: you may not have been successful; you may be offered a place on the waiting list. You will need to reply to any offers within two weeks, otherwise your place may be offered to somebody else.
Good luck with your application. | high9907.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Northern Lounge"
},
"options": [
"The Buzz.",
"Northern Lounge",
"Devil House.",
"Casey Moore's"
],
"question": "If you want to relax your mind and muscles, it's better for you to go to _ .",
"question_typ... | The Buzz
prefix = st1 /10345 N. Scottsdale Rd. , Scottsdale
(480)991-3866
The Buzz is a favorite among underage college students. The club, within a shopping center, has two levels. The downstairs is for everyone, while the upstairs is only for those over 21 years old. Open only on Friday and Saturday. Though it's intended for the youth, it's a wide age range. Devil House
829 S. Rural Rd., Tempe
(480)517-1188
There really isn't a ton to say about the Devil House. It's located right near the crossing of Rural and University, making it an easy walk on foot. It's a simple bar; not so expensive, not so big and not so concerned with anything other than offering beer drinkers and sports fans a homey place to meet up. Northern Lounge
5008 W. Northern Ave., Glendale
(623)937-0940
This bar is all about action and activity. You're welcome, of course, to sit around and drink. You'll come soon on stage for live music. It's a fun, interactive atmosphere and their karaoke nights have been popular on the west side for quite a while.
Casey Moore's
850 S Ash Ave., Tempe
(480)968-9935
Casey Moore's is really everything a college bar should be: comfortable, fun, reasonably-price and close to campus. The outside is pretty big and has plenty of tables, while inside is darker and equally comfortable and a big bar for sitting and chatting. | high24068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Britain"
},
"options": [
"Britain",
"The USA",
"Italy",
"Greece"
],
"question": "Where is the writer most probably from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | If you are planning on traveling, there are few simple rules about how to make life easier both before and after your journey.
First of all, always check and double-check departure time. It is surprising how few people really do this carefully. Once I arrived at he airport a few minutes after ten. My secretary had got the ticket for me and I thought she had said that the plane left at 10:50. When I arrived at the airport, the person at the departure desk told me that my flight was closed. Therefore, I had to wait three hours for the next one and missed an important meeting.
The second rule is to remember that even in this age of credit cards , it is still important to have some local money in cash . Once I arrived at a place at midnight and the bank at the airport was closed. The only way to get to my hotel was by taxi but because I had no dollars, I offered to pay in pounds instead. "Listen! I only take real money!" the driver said angrily. You can imagine how terrible I felt at that moment.
The third and the last rule is to find out as much as you can about the weather at your destination before you leave. I feel sorry for some of my workmates who travel in heavy suits and raincoats in May, when it is still fairly cool in London or Manchester, to places like Athens, Rome of Madrid, where it is already beginning to get quite warm during the day. | high1383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "give a hand to those in need of help"
},
"options": [
"ask for help from his neighbors",
"give a hand to those in need of help",
"require his neighbors to clear the snow",
"raise money for the old people in his communit... | Last Sunday, I waked into the house in the afternoon to find my brother rushing around in a hurry. As soon as I took my coat off, my little brother placed a bunch of papers in my hands and asked me to fold them up so they could fit into an envelope as quickly as possible. He said it needed to get done quickly before it turned dark.
I was a little surprised that something could be so urgent on a Sunday. It wasn't until I was halfway through that I actually looked at what I was folding. After I read it, it put the biggest smile on my face. It was a lovely letter to all the residents in my neighborhood. My brother was asking everyone to let him know if anyone needed help. He left his contact information and said that anyone that needed help should get in touch with him and he would figure something out. He also asked people to get in touch if they were able to help out.
London received an unusual amount of snow last week, and the city was completely under- prepared for it. So it was quite difficult to get anywhere. Only the major roads had been cleared, and smaller roads and pavements could be quite _ . There are a good number of old people in our little community. So my brother thought that the snow may have posed some difficulty for some of them, particularly because we live on a hill.
A few elderly people got in touch with him asking for help for things they needed. One of them was especially grateful because his caregiver couldn't make it. To our surprise, he got more responses from people offering to help. Then he received help from people who wanted to help. Everyone was really touched and wrote to my brother wonderful email. One of our neighbors wrote email saying that although she wasn't able to help, she was "very proud of having a neighbor like him who puts other people's interests first." | high617.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "know more about conditions of people and make decisions"
},
"options": [
"help people to answer the questions provided by them.",
"know more about conditions of people and make decisions",
"guide people to find a job when the... | The American Community Survey(ACS) is an outgoing survey designed to provide communities a fresh look on how they are changing, which provides data every year-- giving communities the current information they need to plan investments and service. The ACS collects information such as age, race, income, home value, and other important data. Information about individuals will remain confidential because participating in the American Community Survey is safe.
Your address was selected as a part of a sample and represents thousands of other households like yours. We randomly select about 3 million addresses each year to participate in the survey. Your answers are important. As part of a sample, you represent many people. Find out how each question helps your community, your state, and the federal government in questions in the form and why we ask.
The information that the Census Bureau collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services. Your answer help state and local leaders make decisions about programs and investments such as new highway, schools, hospitals, job training, community centers and emergency services.
Do you have questions about the American Community Survey? Have you lost the form? Would you rather complete the form over the phone? Respond by mail: Fill out the form and mail it back in the postage-paid return envelope. If you have trouble answering a question, call us and we will help you. Respond by phone: Call 1-800-354-7271 to answer the American Community Survey over the phone, or for other help. If we don't hear from you by mail or phone, a Census Bureau field representative may visit you in person to help you complete the American Community Survey. | high23707.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "found children suffering from a lack of shoes"
},
"options": [
"created a new kind of shoes with rope bottoms",
"wanted to donate money to people in need",
"found children suffering from a lack of shoes",
"gave 10,000 p... | In 2006, young businessman Blake Mycoskie went to Argentina on vacation. He went back to America with a business plan that would help thousands of children. While on vacation, Mycoskie saw children who couldn't afford even one pair of shoes. Their feet suffered cuts, and he wanted to help. He noticed the shoes that Argentinean farmers wore. Inspired by those simple shoes with rope bottoms, he had an idea. Mycoskie wanted to give these children the shoes they needed. He gave his new plan a name --- TOMS. For every pair of shoes he sold, he would give a new pair to a needy child. One for one.
It was a slap in the face to traditional business practices. How could he make a profit by giving so much away? However, he started selling shoes out of his apartment. When he had sold 10,000 pairs of shoes, he returned to Argentina with 10,000 pairs to give away.
Although often taken for granted, shoes play an important role. Children without shoes easily injure their feet. They can catch a disease through soil that could make them sick or slow down their growth. Some children can't attend school without shoes because they are part of the uniform.
TOMS, together with other charity organizations, continues to find communities that will get benefit. Since that first "shoe drop" in Argentina, TOMS has contributed new shoes to communities in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
Mycoskie's special principle is all about giving. This has attracted a lot of media attention, saving money on marketing. When people hear about TOMS' purpose, they buy the shoes and then share the story with a slogan of "shoes for a better tomorrow". | high16964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cheering for the Iron Hammer."
},
"options": [
"Staying professional.",
"Cheering for the Iron Hammer.",
"A match between China and the US.",
"Lang Ping's career as a coach."
],
"question": "What's the passage m... | A couple of years ago, before a trip to China, Nicole Davis and her US women's volleyball teammates were warned about the prominence (, ) of coach "Jenny" Lang Ping in her native country.
"I was pushed over by Chinese journalists while I was just trying to put my luggage on the bus," said Davis.
Known as the "Iron Hammer" for her punishing spikes , Lang made it possible for China to dominate in the sport in the early 1980s. She was a key player on China's 1984 Olympic gold medal winning team.
When the US team arrived for the Olympics, Lang, 48, who is from Beijing, had to take a different route to avoid a crowd of reporters and fans.
Then came the greatest moment to Lang:while the US team was playing in a packed gym, at least 8,000 Chinese fans _ an American flag.
"That really says it all," Davis said. "They look at her as an icon .I'm sure it's hard for them to see her coaching another country, but they love her so deeply that her success is their success."
The loyalty of the Chinese fans was tested on Friday, when China lost a match to the US.
"It's a pity that China lost the match, but I'm still glad that Lang Ping's team won, since she is the pride of China's volleyball," said Liu Chengli, a spectator. "We also cheered for Lang's victory."
Lang said she just tried to stay professional when the two teams meet. "It doesn't matter if we play China or any other team. It's the same." Lang said.
Davis said she and her teammates could not have imagined the passion for volleyball among Chinese because the sport was lack of popularity in the US. The reception from Chinese fans has touched the US players, said a US volleyball player Lindsey Berg.
"It's such an honor to be here and play for our coach here in China," she said. "The amount of support that the Chinese give to her and us has been tremendous. The whole event has been unbelievable." | high3594.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Some developments in seat belts, pedal controls and tyres."
},
"options": [
"Some developments in seat belts, pedal controls and tyres.",
".A digital camera that can help drivers to see obstacles in fog.",
".Satellite trackin... | 1.2 million road deaths worldwide occur each year, plus a further 50 million injuries. Toreduce car crash rate, much research now is focused on safety and new fuelsthough some electric vehicle and biofuel research aims at going faster.
Traveling at speed has always been risky. One cutting edge area of research in motoring safety is the use of digital in-car assistants. They can ensure you don't miss key road signs or fall asleep. The use of artificial intelligence software allows these assistants to monitor your driving and makes sure your phone or radio doesn't distract you at a vital moment. Most crashes result from human and not mechanical faulfs.
Some safety developments aim to improve your vision. Radar can spot obstacles in fog, while other technology "sees through" high-sided vehicles blocking your view.
And improvements to seat belts, pedal controls and tyres are making driving smoother and safer. The color1 of a car has been found to be linked with safety, as have, less surprisingly, size and shape.
And alternatives to fossil-fuel based petrol, such as plant oils, are a hot area of research. Fuel cells based on hydrogen burn cleanly, and are the subject of a serious research effort.
But whatever is in the fuel tank,you don't want a thief in the driving seat and there have been many innovations ,some using satellite tracking and remote communications, to fight against car theft. These communication systems can also come into play if you crash, automatically calling for help.
Accidents cause many traffic jams, but there are slighter interplays between vehicles that can cause jams even on a clear but busy road, such jams can be analyzed using statistical tools. Robotic drivers could be programmed to make traffic flow smoothly and will perhaps one day be everyone's personal tool, but their latest efforts suggest that won't be soon. | high21110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "draw the readers' attention to the topic"
},
"options": [
"test the readers' knowledge about waves",
"draw the readers' attention to the topic",
"show Jamie Taylor's importance",
"invite the readers to answer them"
... | "Have you ever been out on a boat and felt it lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the
water and felt the rush of energy as waves came over you?" asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the prefix = st1 /UniversityofEdinburgh."There is certainly a lot of energy in waves," he said.Scientists are working to use that energy to make electricity.Most waves are created when
winds blow across the ocean."The wind starts out by making little ripples , but if they
keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves," Taylor said." Waves
are one of nature 's ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.
When waves come toward the shore, people can set up dams to block the water and send it
through a large wheel called a turbine .The turbine can then power an electrical
generator to produce electricity .
"The resource is huge," said Janet Swain of the World watch Institute."We will never run out of wave power." Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil or coal.Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface - that would make wave power seem ideal for creating energy throughout the world, though there are some weak points yet to overcome.
Swain said that wave power still costs too much money.She also said that its effects on sea animals are still unknown.What is more, wave power could affect fishing and boat traffic.
Traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may someday run out." Demand for energy to
power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is rising rapidly throughout the world," Swain said.In the future when you turn on a light, an ocean wave could be
providing the electricity! | high21676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A detective."
},
"options": [
"An actor.",
"A professor.",
"An official.",
"A detective."
],
"question": "What is Dupin probably?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | "Mister D'Arcy is not a policeman. He is, however, very wise. He knew the police would search his apartment. He also knew how police think. So, he did not hide the letter where he knew they would look for it.
"Do you remember how Germont laughed when I said the mystery was difficult for him to solve because it was so simple?"
Dupin filled his pipe with tobacco and lit it. "Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized the police could not find the letter because D'Arcy had not hidden it at all.
"So I went to visit D'Arcy in his apartment. I took a pair of dark green eyeglasses with me. I explained to him that I was having trouble with my eyes and needed to wear the dark glasses at all times. He believed me. The glasses permitted me to look around the apartment while I seemed only to be talking to him.
"I paid special attention to a large desk where there were a lot of papers and books. However, I saw nothing suspicious there. After a few minutes, however, I noticed a small shelf over the fireplace. A few postcards and a letter were lying on the shelf. The letter looked very old and dirty.
"As soon as I saw this letter, I decided it must be the one I was looking for. It must be, even though it was completely different from the one Germont had described.
"This letter had a large green stamp on it. The address was written in small letters in blue ink. I memorized every detail of the letter while I talked to D'Arcy. Then when he was not looking, I dropped one of my gloves on the floor under my chair.
"The next morning, I stopped at his apartment to look for my glove. While we were talking, we heard people shouting in the street. D'Arcy went to the window and looked out. Quickly, I stepped to the shelf and put the letter in my pocket. Then I replaced it with a letter that looked exactly like it, which I had made it the night before.
"The trouble in the street was caused by a man who had almost been run over by a horse and carriage. He was not hurt. And soon the crowd of people went away. When it was over, D'Arcy came away from the window. I said goodbye and left.
"The man who almost had an accident was one of my servants . I had paid him to create the incident."
Dupin stopped talking to light his pipe. I did not understand. "But, Dupin," I said, "why did you go to the trouble of replacing the letter? Why not just take it and leave?"
Dupin smiled. "D'Arcy is a dangerous man," he said. "And he has many loyal servants. If I had taken the letter, I might never have left his apartment alive." | high20568.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "reasons why animals become endangered"
},
"options": [
"ways of protecting animals' habitats",
"effects caused by species endangerment",
"dangers of bringing in non-native species",
"reasons why animals become endangere... | Animals are considered to be endangered if the species is close to extinction throughout all or most of its environment. Animals become endangered for a variety of reasons.
Some animals become endangered when their habitats contain resources for humans. For example, commercial forest cutting in the Amazon Rainforest has seriously reduced the population of many animal species and lead to the extinction of other groups. Land itself is an important resource to humans since it provides us with living space, and when people replace animal habitats with human habitats, it can lead to larger loss of natural species.
Commercial and industrial operations may reduce land or water for animals and pollute their environment. Due to water pollution, the baiji, a fresh water dolphin native to China, was declared extinct, meaning it's unlikely the population can recover. Even noise pollution from human activities can lead to the disorder of animal behavior.
Another cause that makes animals become endangered is over-fishing or over-hunting. Over-hunting whales led to near extinction of many species of whales.
The introduction of a non-native species to a habitat may make animals become endangered. The native species may not defend against a new one, and the effects can be dangerous. In Australia, the introduction of the common house cat led to the extinction of the red-fronted parakeet and has seriously damaged the populations of several small animals.
Introduced species can also bring new diseases with them. As a result, animals become endangered. Native animals may not have the power to fight against non-native diseases, and population levels can suffer. Another cause of disease is human-introduced chemicals. The use of DDT is believed to be one of the leading causes in driving the California Condor to near extinction.
When animals become endangered, the entire food chain can be affected. For example, in 2008 disease seriously harmed the honeybee, which is largely responsible for pollinating plants, including many fruits and vegetables. Without their pollination, a very large part of the human diet could be reduced. In fact, if the honeybee should become extinct, our life would be affected and billions of dollars would be lost. Therefore, many people argue that when animals become endangered it is in man's own self-interest to protect them. | high5683.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a person who actually didn't need any sleep was found"
},
"options": [
"large numbers of people do not need sleep",
"a person who actually didn't need any sleep was found",
"everyone needs some sleep to stay alive",
"pe... | It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive.That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin.Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind.So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping.In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers.
The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness.They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer.They found only one answer that might explain his condition.Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born.But that was all.Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Herpin died at the age of 94. | high23061.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It has been planned and is being built."
},
"options": [
"It is being built on an old car park at present.",
"It has been planned and is being built.",
"It will be the world's tallest airport.",
"Acts of kindness can ma... | Singapore is building an airport where indoor trees, waterfalls and a 'rain vortex' sit alongside check-in queues, waiting rooms and baggage carousels .
Where once sat a car park, there will soon be thousands of trees and plants across 22,000 sq metres of landscaped indoor parklands. This will be joined by a 40m-high indoor waterfall, expected to be the world's tallest. These are the plans for the new 3.5 hectare 'Jewel' development at Singapore's Changi Airport, scheduled to open in 2018; a five-storey, 134,000 square metre complex, mixing natural outdoor plants with modern airport facilities.
"The aim behind the introduction of such lush landscaping is purely to provide all visitors with a memorable experience, one where they are surrounded by nature and greenery,"says Philip Yim, Chief Executive Officer of Jewel Changi Airport Development.
Promised sustainability measures include "extensive usage of photovoltaic panels "to produce renewable energy, as well as encouraging the use of natural lighting and a "high efficiency" air-conditioning system.
The indoor waterfall, named the "Rain Vortex", will make use of special lighting effects to change at night into what is promised to be a dramatic light and sound show. "The Rain Vortex is one example of how sustainable design plays an important role in the planning of the attraction," says Yim. 'In the event of a rain storm, the power of the rain water will flow naturally through the oculus. The excess rain water collected will be used for irrigation of the landscaping at Jewel.'
Yim quotes the popular reputation Singapore enjoys as "the garden city", where greenery is recognised as an essential part of the urban landscape, an attractive image which clearly inspires Jewel's design.
However, it remains to be seen whether, beyond the aesthetic appeal, Jewel can add genuine environmental things to something as un-environmental as an international airport. | high14815.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it had some trouble in finance"
},
"options": [
"it was already out of business",
"it had some trouble in finance",
"Steve didn't submit the application himself",
"it's not designed for people like Steve"
],
"qu... | Several dollars equal nothing for some people, but make a difference for others. Steve has just lost his wife to cancer and everything they had is gone due to the treatment. He now lives in the shelter for the homeless. So we know each other.
Just like other homeless people, he didn't think he needed anything. But once he mentioned to me he needed eye glasses. His voice hesitated a bit, he looked down, and it appeared like he thought such a request was just a dream. Too much to hope for? It was as if his wish were known by me only.
I submitted an application for him to a program that is supposed to provide a free eye examination and glasses. Three months later, I phoned to ask what was up with the appointment but they told me there was a cash flow problem until late summer.
Steve showed disappointment, thanked me and started to walk away. I said, "Hold on, I will figure out a way to get you an eye examination and glasses." His face lit up a tiny bit. He had seen some of the things I have done for other people in our shelter and to me it looked like he might have a line of hope.
I took a picture of him and posted his picture and his story in the Twitter. In about 4 days, eight people from around the world donated $25 each and one person donated $40 and I made up the rest to get him an eye exam and glasses.
Steve picked up his glasses on Wednesday: May 11th, 2011. Today Steve has returned to a previous job he had in a nearby car wash. Because he now has glasses he will be able to see what he is doing while cleaning the vehicles. He is starting a second job at a pet center next week! | high7094.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "animals"
},
"options": [
"animals",
"mountains",
"dust",
"winds"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the planet Mars has no _ on it.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | At first sight the planet Mars does not appear very welcoming to any kind of life. It has very little oxygen and water, the temperature at night is below 50 degrees and winds of 100 miles (161 kilometers)per hour cause severe dust storms. However, the surface of the planet seems to show that water flowed across it at some time in the past, and it is believed that there would be enough ice at the poles to cover the planet with water if it melted. Although there is no life on the Mars now, some scientists think there may have been some form of life a long time ago. At that time, the planet had active volcanoes ; the atmosphere was thicker and warmer; and there was water. In fact, in some ways the Mars may have been similar to the Earth, where life exists.
Some people believe that the Mars could support life in the future if the right conditions were produced. The first step would be to warm the planet using certain gases which trap the Sun's heat in the planet's atmosphere. With warmth, water and carbon dioxide , simple plants could begin to grow. These plants could slowly make the Mars fit to live on. It is judged that the whole process might take between 100, 000 and 200, 000 years. In the meantime, people could begin to live on the planet in a special closed environment. They would provide a lot of useful information about conditions on Mars and the problems connected with living there. | high12733.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Editorials and opinion columns."
},
"options": [
"Editorials and opinion columns.",
"News stories.",
"Some of the informative articles.",
"Jokes and humor."
],
"question": "What articles comment on controversial... | The role of a newspaper is to present and comment on the news. It is vital for keeping people well-informed on current affairs. In most Western countries, journalists try to shape the ideas and opinions of their readers, since in Western countries all newspapers are independent of the government. Some newspaper owners support liberal ideas including economic policies that help poor people. Other owners want policies such as lower taxes for rich people and less money to be given to poor people. You can almost judge the political ideas of a person in the West by looking at the newspaper he reads.
All newspapers report national and international news. They give the facts but also provide opinions on controversial issues in the editorials and columns of opinion. The readers of the newspaper can also comment on these editorials or articles. There are many informative articles too as well as reviews of new films and books, etc. These are very important, for if a film or book gets good reviews it will often become more successful.
All these articles require many journalists who are experts in different areas of life. All these articles come together and are checked by the chief editor of the newspaper. When he or she has made a decision on the articles, the newspaper is prepared for printing. All this work means that the journalists must work together as a team because there is a lot of pressure when you work in a newspaper office. There are constant deadlines and articles have to be fitted round advertisements, photographs and much, much more. | high8628.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To rate the cyclists' attractiveness according to facial appearance."
},
"options": [
"To help collect the headshots of professional cyclists from the Tour de France.",
"To pick out the cyclists whom they are familiar with or appre... | DAVID Beckham. Cristiano Ronaldo and Rnfacl Nadal while you watch sports and admin* the players' skills, do you ever notice how handsome the players are?
Yes, sportsmen tend to be handsome. And they haven't only attracted the interest of the audience even scientists are now studying their good looks.
In a recent study, Erik Postma, a biologist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, collected the headshots of 80 professional athletes from I hr 2012 Tour He France, a bicycle race held in Franco. The race, which covers 3,200 kilometers in 23 days, is often considered to In* one of the hardest endurance events, according to The Telegraph.
Postma then asked female participants to score the cyclists' attractiveness.judging them only based on their facial appearances. So, if a participant recognized any of the cyclists, meaning she knew how good he was at the sport, her score wouldn't count.
After comparing all the scores with the cyclists' performances in the 2012 race, Postma was surprised to find that the best riders were rated on average 25 percent more attractive than the worst ones. For example, one of the cyclists, Maxime Monfort , came third in terms of attractiveness and sixth in terms of performance, reported Discovery News.
But where did women get the ability to single out a good rider by simply looking at his face?
According lo Postma, evolution seems to be the answer. In ancient times, women preferred to marry strong men because they would provide good genes for their children. A man with great endurance was also able to cover long distances to hunt for food, which would allow him to better feed the family. "That's why endurance performance was a key evolutionary factor." Postma told Discovery News.
As you can see, it's not that sportsmen ate more attractive themselves, women were just born to think of them that way.
Perhaps surprisingly, when Postma did the same test with male participants, he found that men actually had a quite similar view on which riders were handsome. Even
though most men aren't aware of it. they inherited this ability from their ancient past, when it was necessary to "spot potential competitors" , explained Postma. | high6605.txt |
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