questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he can get a tennis ball to play with"
},
"options": [
"he wants to study endangered animals",
"he can get a tennis ball to play with",
"he wants to eat it",
"he wants to play with it"
],
"question": "Oakley is ... | The German shepherd runs off and noses around in the grass of Kenya's Laikipia Plateau. "OK, Oakley," the dog's handler orders, "Find it!"
Oakley sniffs until he comes to a bush, then stops, sits, and looks up at his handler. She bends to see what he has found: the waste of an endangered African wild dog. "Good dog!" she praises. The handler pulls a tennis ball from her pocket. Oakley jumps for his reward.
"He doesn't actually want the waste," says Aimee Hurt, a founding member of the U.S.-based group Working Dogs for Conservation. Hurt is in Kenya to train both Oakley and his handler. "He finds it so he can play with his ball. We're the ones who want the waste."
Detection dogs are sometimes taught to locate actual animals. Black-footed ferrets have been studied with their help. But more often the dogs learn to locate the waste of creatures such as bears, wolves and mountain lions.
What the dogs find provides scientists with data about a species. Scientists can use the DNA collected from animal waste to identify individuals, sex, and population sizes -- all without ever seeing the animal itself. "It can take years to gather this kind of information if you have to trap animals," Hurt explains.
Waste analysis might make a huge difference when wild species are accused of attacking domestic livestock . Hurt says, "A good detection dog will find the waste so we can see what the animal is actually eating." This may help reduce problems between people and wildlife. | high11830.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "an advertisement"
},
"options": [
"a story",
"an advertisement",
"a report",
"diary"
],
"question": "This passage is likely _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_i... | For children with cancer ,the facts of life include the facts of death.
There is always the fear that they might not live to grow up.Yet they realize that fighting cancer is the only way of beating it. So they fight.And sometimes, they win.It may take years.It certainly takes support from parents and doctors.
Unfortunately, many parents can't deal with their child's illness.And doctors, no matter how caring, have other patients to care for. At times like these, the Children's Cancer Foundation can help. We are a group of Hong Kong doctors, nurses, psychologists, parents of children with cancer and concerned persons .All of us are volunteers (offer one's help without payment).We're with the children every day, listening to, and encouraging them.
We also advise parents, educate the public and send doctors overseas to study new cancer treatments. Our funding (providing money) has brought better equipment to the wards (large rooms of a hospital), and paid for special flats where the children can recover.
We want to do even more.But to do it, we need your help. It will be money well spent.One who looks at our past achievements should prove that.
To the children, your contribution will also be a show of support.A sign that you're behind them is just the sort of news that a six-year-old chlid with cancer needs to hear. | high20353.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "senior high students"
},
"options": [
"university students",
"senior high students",
"professors",
"parents"
],
"question": "Who do you think the passage is aimed at?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"an... | Whether you like it or not, your parents are responsible for you, at least until you're out of high school. But does it feel like your parents are stressing you out with their love? Do you often fight with them?
Hu Muqing, 16, of Shenyang, complains that his parents only care about his grades and not his other needs. He and his parents fight the most about the time he spends watching TV and on the Internet. "They think because I'm in high school I should concentrate on my work," the Shenyang teenager said. "However, I need to be able to relax. Most of my friends can watch TV and surf the Web a lot. There are times when it's hard to talk to them." After some talks, Hu has been allowed to watch TV for 15 to 20 minutes every night, but has been told to keep away from the computer.
Since she feels she's grown up now, Shen Ying, 17, wants more respect from her parents. "My father shouts at me when he's in a bad mood . He doesn't listen to me, but instead acts like, 'I'm the boss'!" said the teenager from Mianyang, Sichuan province. "I'd like my parents to treat me like a friend and understand that respect is a two-way street."
"It's the age when teenagers are becoming more independent . But their parents are very concerned about their kids' futures," said Sun Yunxiao, a senior researcher at the China Youth and Children Research Center. Sun suggests that teenagers should learn to communicate with their parents effectively .
"Find the right time for a talk. On Mother's Day or Father's Day, say 'Thank you' to your parents or give them a small gift with a letter so they can get inside your head a little," he advised. Sun also believes that teenagers have to work to earn trust and respect from their parents.
"You need to make sure they know that you're not going to screw up your exams or let them down. Let them know that you want to do well, and that you will do well," he said. | high16839.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "its long history and charm"
},
"options": [
"pollution and population",
"its location and higher rents",
"its long history and charm",
"traffic jams and crowdedness"
],
"question": "Egypt is ready to join hands ... | Forget the pyramids, Tahrir Square and the Nile. Egypt is ready to ditch Cairo and build a shiny new capital if the government has its way.
Fed up with pollution, traffic jams, a packed population with soaring rents, Egypt is teaming up with a developer in the United Arab Emirates to build a city in what could be one of the world's most ambitious infrastructure programs.
The yet-to-be-named city will spread out over 150 square miles, or roughly the size of Denver, and could eventually be home to 7 million people, the developers and government announced Friday.
The current capital of Cairo, while full of history and vibrant charm, is home to more than 18 million people, and living in and getting around the city can be maddening and frustrating. The government says the idea is to reduce congestion in Cairo, which is projected to double in population in the coming decades.
An exact location was not announced, but the city is expected to be built east of Cairo. It will be closer to the Red Sea -- between two major highways -- the Suez and the Ain Sokhna roads.
The ambitions are big. In addition to the new embassies and government buildings, it plans to have an international airport bigger than Heathrow, solar energy farms, 40,000 hotel rooms, nearly 2,000 schools and 18 hospitals -- all linked together by over 6,000 miles of new roads.
_
The total cost is estimated at U.S. $45 billion, Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly announced at an economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.
The revealing of the new capital was paired with a glamorous website showing a luxurious and technological urban view of glass towers and pools.
The plan is backed by a group that describes itself as "a private real estate investment fund by global investors focused on investment and development partnerships" led by Emirati developer Mohamed Alabbar.
Alabbar made his name as the founder of Dubai's Emaar Properties, primarily known for developing the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.
Egypt is not the first country to plan on moving its capital from established big cities to rural greener pastures. Myanmar has only recently completed its move from Yangon to the new city of Naypyidaw. Nigeria moved to Abuja in the 1990's, and Brazil carved its capital Brasilia out of the wilderness over 50 years ago.
And then there was another crazy idea of building a capital city on a square of swampland that seemed mainly to be a boondoggle for wealthy land speculators at the time.
That city? _ | high10290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "20%"
},
"options": [
"1%",
"5%",
"23.5%",
"20%"
],
"question": "According to the estimation, what is the percentage of illegal fishing?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Experts estimate that one out of every five fish sold was caught illegally. It threatens food security and hurts the environment. Officials are using new observational technology to fight illegal fishing.
"Thank you for taking the time to join us here in Harwell (UK) in the Operations Center to what we call 'Project Eyes on the Seas.'" says Tony Long, who leads the Ending Illegal Fishing program for Pew Charitable Trusts. The group created Project Eyes on the Seas. Large three-dimensional images of a globe can be seen on a video.
"It looks different from what you might expect because this globe only shows you the boats that are coming into this system from a live automated information system or AIS."
The screen shows 120,000 fishing boats have AIS. They are required to have the technology. But those who are fishing illegally often turn it off. The technology does not tell observers when that happens. Project Eyes on the Seas combines satellite information with secret government records on every ship's past activities.
Mr. Long says that permits researchers to understand exactly where the fishing boats are operating. The Pew team gives the information it gathers to port officials to help them decide if they should take action against a ship. Tony Long says he would like to be able to provide port officials all over the world with clear lists. They would inform the officials about ships to inspect, ships to bar from entrance, and ships to permit entrance for trade activities.
The Pacific island nation of Palau was an early user of the technology. Palau has one of the richest fishing areas in the world. Last year, it announced a plan to ban commercial fishing in a 630,000 square kilometer area. K.B. Sakuma is a special adviser to the president of Palau. He says Palau is trying to deal with a recent increase in illegal, unsupervised and unreported fishing.
"And it's come to a head in the last year or two. From our southern island in the evening you can see on the horizon just dotted lights of these illegal fishermen that come into our waters, fill their ships with our fish, our resources, our food security..." | high18814.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Parents expect too much from the copy."
},
"options": [
"Parents expect too much from the copy.",
"Parents may get a quite different copy.",
"Parents are sure to have an identical copy.",
"Parents lose the talents of th... | Cloning is suggested as a means of bringing back a relative,usually a child,killed tragically.Some parents can understand that wish,but it must first be recognized that the copy would be a new baby and not the lost child.Here lies the difficulty,for the sad parents are seeking not a new baby but a return of the dead one.Since the original would be fondly remembered as having particular talents and interest,would not the parents expect the copy to be the same?It is possible,however,that the copy would develop quite differently.Is it fair to the new child to be placed in a family with such unnatural expectations?
Copying is also suggested as a means by which parents can have the child of their dreams.Couples might choose to have a copy of a film star,baseball player or scientist,depending on their interest.But because personality is only partly the result of genetic inheritance ,conflicts would be sure to arise if the cloned child failed to develop the same interest as the original.What if the copy of Einstein shows no interest in science?Or the baseball player turns to acting?Success also depends upon fortune.What if the child does not live up to the hopes and dreams of the parents simply because of bad luck?
Every child should be wanted for itself,as an individual.In making a copy of oneself or some famous person,a parent is deliberately specifying the way he or she wishes that child to develop.In recent years,particularly in the U.S.,much importance has been placed on the right of individuals to reproduce in ways that they wish.So I suggest there is a greater need to consider the interest of the child and to reject these proposed uses of cloning. | high13941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "direct the driver when necessary"
},
"options": [
"direct the driver when necessary",
"look ahead to see where there's a turn",
"move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable",
"keep looking at the map to find a place ... | It's great fun to explore new places--it feels like an adventure, even when you know you're not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
* Do the map reading if you're being driven somewhere. It'll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you' re traveling in. Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you'll have to move to the back seat.
* Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You'll need a good map, a compass , a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies . Tell someone where you're going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.
* See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc. ) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, it's not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit. | high992.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The person who may be your future supervisor."
},
"options": [
"Receptionists or secretaries of the right department.",
"The person in charge of the Personnel Department.",
"The person who may be your future supervisor.",
... | Sometimes you need to make phone calls to get a job. Calling is the first step where you can show your ability to an employer. Here are some tried and true tips:
Get the person responsible
You need to talk directly to the person who would supervise you. In a small business, you might ask to speak to the "person in charge". In a larger one, you would ask for the name of the person in charge of the particular department you're interested in.
Get the name of the person
If you don't have the name of the person you need to speak to, ask for it. Usually, you will be given the supervisor's name and your call will be transferred to him or her.
Get past the receptionist
In some cases, receptionists and secretaries will try to screen out your call. If they find out that you're looking for a job, they may transfer you to the Personnel Department or ask you to send an application or resume. Here are some ways to keep from getting screened out:
* Call back
Call back a day later and say you are getting ready to send some correspondence to the person who manages such and such. You want to use the correct name and title and request that they give you this information. And this approach usually gets you what you need. Say "thank you" and call back in a day or so. Then ask for the supervisor or manager by name.
* Call when the secretary is out
You are likely to get right through if you call when the receptionist is out to lunch. Other good times are just before and after normal work hours. Less experienced staff members are likely to answer the phone and put you right through.
Ask three times for an interview
Sometimes, the supervisor you contact just simply rejects you. Then, you can try asking three times for an interview! Although this approach does not always work, asking the third time works more often than most people would believe.
Arrange a time
If the person agrees to an interview, arrange a specific date and time. | high22544.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "new research on chewing gum"
},
"options": [
"the rule of forbidding chewing gum in school",
"new research on chewing gum",
"different kinds of chewing gum",
"the relationship between chewing gum and medicine"
],
... | Most schools forbid 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 improve 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.
Other researchers are finding that gum might work better than a pill to deliver medicines and other substances into the bloodstream. That's because the lining of our cheeks can absorb certain substances more quickly than our stomachs and intestines can.
That discovery could help other researchers develop medicine-containing gums that fight colds, ease headaches, battle nervousness, and more. Scientists might even create antimicrobial gums that cure bad breath.
Those projects may take years, but gum scientists have already had at least one recent success: They've created a gum that could help us stay awake.
Researchers have produced a gum called Stay Alert. Each stick has as much caffeine as a cup of coffee. It can take an hour for the caffeine in coffee to have its full effect, but the caffeine in Stay Alert _ in just a few minutes.
The gum is easy to transport and it's stable in cold and hot climates. Unlike a pill, it doesn't require water to swallow. Those qualities make it easy for soldiers to use.
For now, Stay Alert is available only to the military . The manufacturer may one day offer it for sale to the public. People who work at night, such as truck drivers and medical personnel who ride in ambulances, might benefit from a product like Stay Alert. | high12487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the writer values those who often ask \"why\""
},
"options": [
"the writer values those who often ask \"why\"",
"the writer regards these who like asking \"why\" are very silly",
"the writer is against the idea that one is ne... | The average man who uses a telephone couldn't explain how a telephone works. He takes for granted the telephone, the railway train , the airplane, as our grandfathers took for granted the miracles of the gospels . He neither questions nor understands them. It is as though each of us investigated and _ only a tiny circle of facts. Knowledge outside the day's work is regarded by most men as a gewgaw .Still we are usually in reaction against our ignorance.We excite ourselves sometimes and think deeply.We enjoy thinking about anything at allabout life after death or about such questions as is said to have puzzled Aristotle."Why sneezing from noon to midnight was good,but from night to noon unlucky".One of the greatest joys known to man is to take such a flight into ignorance in search of knowledge.The great pleasure of ignorance is.after all.the pleasure of asking questions.The man who has lost this pleasure or exchanged it for the pleasure of dogma ,which is the pleasure of answering,is already beginning to stiffen .One envies so inquisitive a man as Jewell,who sat down to the study of physiology in his sixties.Most of us have lost the sense of ignorance long before that age.We even become proud of our squirrel' store -house of knowledge and regard increasing age itself as a school of omniscience .We forget that Socrates was famous for wisdom not because he was Mr. know-all but because he realized at the age of seventy that he still knew nothing. | high23882.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "people have always found trees useful"
},
"options": [
"a long time ago, man didn't know how to make use of wood",
"trees are not as useful as they were in the past",
"trees were more found in the past than they are today",
... | Forests have always been useful and important to man who makes use of them in many ways. Every day trees are serving man everywhere. Trees supply man with fruits and building materials in the form of wood. Without trees it would be impossible to build houses, boats, bridges and so on. Furniture such as desks, chairs and beds is made of wood. Trees can stop man from terrible heat. They're also useful in preventing good and rich top soil from being washed away during heavy rains.
If there were no trees, heavy rains would wash away the rich top soil that is so important to plants. The result is that the land will become a desert. There are plenty of desert areas in the world. A long time ago these desert areas used to be very rich areas, but man in the past had no enough knowledge about science of nature, they cut down too many trees in the area where they lived and never planted new ones. By and by the rich top soil was blown and washed away by strong winds and heavy rains. In the end the rich land changed into useless deserts where nothing could grow. | high7877.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It charged for female versions."
},
"options": [
"It had no female versions.",
"It charged for female versions.",
"Its female versions were too expensive.",
"Its female versions were not good enough."
],
"questi... | Maddie Messe, 13, has always loved Temple Run, a mobile game that sends her racing through swamps and forests to outrun a pack of crazed monkeys. What she didn't love was being forced to play as a boy -- unless she was willing to buy a female version. "I felt like l was being cheated or misrepresented," Maddie explains."Girls are just as capable of running away from monkeys as boys are."
So last winter, Maddie researched 50 of the most popular iPhone games. What she found was infuriating:90 percent offered free male characters, but only 15 percent let you play as a female for free.
Armed with those statistics, Maddie drafted a spirited article and fired it off to several major newspapers. The Washington Post agreed to run the piece, which attracted millions of readers around the globe -- including the makers of Temple Run! "We realized she had a point," says Natalia Luckyanova, the game's co-creator. "It was the kick in the pants we needed to say,'We should fix it.'So we did."
Now you can play Temple Run with a female character for free, but Maddie hopes her campaign inspires something deeper."If you don't see characters that look like you on TV or in movies or games, speak up! Just do your research first,"says Maddie. "One well-supported argument is much more effective than a million angry complaints." | high13799.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "15"
},
"options": [
"15",
"16",
"17",
"18"
],
"question": "Xia Min died from alcohol at the age of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_... | When Xia Min started drinking alcohol(,) with her classmates at a friend's birthday, she didn't realize what would happen to her. She drank a lot and fell into a coma . The 15year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered.
Xia's death is warning to other students. A new rule went into effect on January 1, 2006. Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them.
A 1999 Chinese law forbade shops to sell alcohol to youths under 18. But _ is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it doesn't have specific rules. People hope the new rule will work.
"I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last New Year's Eve," said Lian Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen. She believes that the new rule will stop teens from drinking and help them grow in a healthy way.
"Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at parties, I think we can have soft drinks instead," she said. | high9682.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the start and customs of May Day"
},
"options": [
"the reason why they celebrate May Day",
"the start and customs of May Day",
"the way they celebrate May Day",
"the choosing of a May Queen during May Day"
],
"q... | The First of May is a Bank Holiday--the first public holiday of the year in England.
Most people consider it a special day ,the beginning of summer ,a day when the light lasts long into the evening ,and when we can look for warm weather .We don't always get it .We feel disappointed ,but not surprised if there are cold winds and frosts at night in May .Winter should be over .Most people know that in the past ,when farming occupied almost everyone ,the changing seasons were of great importance .In that older time there was every reason to celebrate May Day .Customs of those celebrations remain.
Of these customs ,the best known is the choosing of a May Queen and the dancing round Maypole .Even these customs are little more than memories now--but in the last century it was quite common in villages and small towns ,and even in schools and colleges ,for a pretty and popular girl to be chosen Queen of the May .It was a great honour to be chosen .For a day she wore a light and flowery dress, carried garlands ,and was ceremonially crowned with flowers .She presided over a procession ,as a rule with a number of attendants ,and over the Maypole dancing and all kinds of entertainment .The Maypole was slender tree trunk ,cut off its branches, with beautiful ribbons fastened to the top .The dancing was designed in such a way that the dancer's movements move the ribbons into a pattern. This, as you can imagine ,required skill from the dancer ,and was not achieved without practice .
It's the Celtic people who celebrated the First of May as a spring festival .Their celebration seems to have had little to do with taking pleasure in early ,beautiful flowers and in warmer weather! They called it Beltane--the fire of the god Bel .They lit fires ,in the expectation that their blaze would help the sun in its struggle to regain its strength. They drove their cattle between banks of flame in the expectation that the terrified beasts would be purified and protected from disease .A tree ,which must have been blackened with smoke ,stood in the middle of the fires ,and is thought to have been the origin of the Maypole .Their priests made sacrifices to the goods in the hope of good harvests and sufficient store of food for the winter. There was dancing certainly ,but it was noisy and cheerful ,since its purpose was not to weave a pattern of colored ribbons ,but to drive out evil spirits from the earth and to arouse those kind spirits. | high1235.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It sells only one kind of book each week."
},
"options": [
"It sells only one kind of book each week.",
"It is huge with various books to choose.",
"It is located in the busy shopping district.",
"It is opened by an exp... | Those accustomed to looking through thousands of books in big bookstores may find Japan's Morioka Shoten a little strange.That's because this tiny bookstore that is located in luxury shopping district of Ginza,in Tokyo offers just one title to its customers.
Opened in May 2015,Morioka Shoten(Japanese for bookstore)is the brainchild of Yoshiyuki Morioka.The experienced bookseller began his career as a bookstore clerk in Tokyo's Kanda district before branching out to open his own store.It was here while organizing book readings that he realized that customers usually came into the store with one title in mind.Morioka began to wonder if a store could exist by selling many copies of just one single book.In November 2014,he partnered with his two friends,to establish a unique bookstore with the idea'A Single Room,A Single Book.'
Like its offering,the bookstore is simple.The selections that are picked by Morioka change weekly and vary widely to attract customers with different interests.Recent choices include The True Deceiver,all award-winning Swedish novel by Tove Jansson,Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales.and a collection of artist Karl Blossfeldt's photography of plants.Morioka has also displayed books written by famous Japanese authors Mimei Ogawa and ito Akagi.
To highlight his single offering,Morioka often uses clever methods.For example,when selling a book about flowers,he decorated his shop with the ones that had been mentioned in the book.He also encourages featured authors to hold multiple talks and discussions so they can connect with customers.Morioka says his ultimate goal is for the customers to perience being inside a book,not just a bookstore!
Risky as the idea might seem,things appear to be going well.Morioka says he has sold over 2,100 books since he opened it.Things can only get better given that his bookstore is becoming increasingly popular not just among the locals but also visitors from other countries* | high13772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In the local newspaper"
},
"options": [
"In the local newspaper",
"On the Internet",
"On TV",
"In a magazine"
],
"question": "Where is the ad most likely to appear?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
}... | Volunteer at Shelter - North Toronto Cat Rescue---Bayview/Hwy 7
Do you like animals? Come and volunteer at our cat shelter.
North Toronto Cat Rescue is a no-cage, no-kill cat shelter. We are a volunteer organization, funded totally by donation, and are a licensed Canadian charity.
We are looking for volunteers who can join us once a week for a 3 month period (at least). The work is not wonderful but it is very rewarding. Mainly, we feed, clean, and scoop litter. Of course we also spend quality time with our cats.
We have 2 shifts per day, 7 days per week:
Mornings are 9am-1pm.
Evenings are 5-7pm or 6-8pm.
Please note that any new volunteer who wishes to work evening shift must be able to work 4 morning shifts on a team before moving to an evening shift. This is required in order to gain the ability to work more independently, as required during evening shifts.
Students must be at least 16 years old. Adults are also welcome.
If you do not have your own personal transportation, please check the public transportation from your area to our location at Bayview/Hwy 7 area before responding to this ad. | high9669.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Dickson was a graduate of York University where he studied global politics."
},
"options": [
"York University students come from over 150 foreign countries.",
"Dickson was a graduate of York University where he studied global polit... | A disheveled man appeared in court Thursday on charges of murdering a Chinese woman whose fight with her attacker was seen on webcam by her boyfriend in China. Police refused to release any details about the crime or its possible motive.
The body of York University student Liu Qian, 23, of Beijing, was found Friday in her apartment in Toronto a few hours after her boyfriend witnessed the attack, police said.
She was found undressed from the waist down but there were no obvious signs of sexual attack or trauma severe enough to kill her. Police say it may be weeks before the results of an autopsy are known.
Brian Dickson, 29, stood before the court in a wrinkled white shirt and blue jeans as a charge of first- degree murder was read out. He did not enter a plea. His case was held over until April 26.
Dickson was arrested Wednesday. Police only announced his name and his age and asked the media not to publish any photos of Dickson, saying it could compromise the investigation. Toronto police spokesman Tony Vella declined to respond to the request further.
Liu's father, Liu Jianhui, who arrived from China after being informed of his daughter's death, thanked authorities for their quick action.
"I sincerely thank the people concerned with my daughter's case," he told reporters after the arrest. "Our daughter was studying very hard."
Police released no motive or details about Dickson, but one friend described the Toronto man as _ .
Patricia Tomasi, a friend of Dickson's, told The Associated Press that she acted in a play at a local theater in Toronto with Dickson in 2007.
"He doesn't seem like the type but that's what they always say," Tomasi said. "He's tall with boyish good looks. I don't know much about him except that he wanted to be an actor."
Dickson attended York University where he studied global politics, but did not earn a degree from there.
He later worked for the Atlantic Council of Canada (ACC), where he served as an assistant to the president Juilie Lindhout. According to his biography on a newsletter from the Atlantic Council of Canada, Dickson has also been a running instructor and has been involved with Developments in Literacy, a Pakistani aid organization that raises money for children in Pakistan.
A statement from the Atlantic Council of Canada on Thursday said it was not council policy to comment on staff, but it confirmed that Dickson had been an intern with the council from September 29, 2008, until March 27, 2009.
Liu was chatting with her boyfriend, Meng Xianchao, by webcam at about 1 am. Friday when a man knocked on the door, police said.
Meng reported seeing a struggle break out between the two before Liu's webcam was shut off. Meng contacted other friends in Toronto who in turn called police.
The victim's father, Liu Jianhui, said his daughter studied at Beijing City University before moving to Canada, where she met Meng.
Liu Qian's laptop computer, webcam and mobile phone were taken from the apartment the night of the attack, police said. Police said the online chat was on a live streaming camera and was not recorded, though investigators were trying to figure out if there was any way they could recover it.
York University, whose campus is located near one of Toronto's rougher neighborhoods, is one of Canada's largest universities with more than 53,000 undergraduate and graduate students. About 3,200 of York's students come from more than 150 foreign countries, the university's website says. | high979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The text didn't tell us."
},
"options": [
"He was too tired before his death.",
"He was so lonely that nobody looked after him.",
"Maybe Jackson was too excited when he was invited by London.",
"The text didn't tell us.... | LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop giant Michael Jackson, who took to the stage as a child star, died on Thursday, TMZ website reported. He was 50.
There was no official confirmation of the reported death and spokespersons for Jackson could not be reached for comment. "We've just learned Michael Jackson has died," TMZ said. "Michael suffered a cardiac arrest earlier this afternoon at his Holmby Hills home and _ were unable to revive him. We're told when paramedics arrived Jackson had no pulse and they never got a pulse back," the entertainment site said. It added, "A source tells us Jackson was dead when paramedics arrived."
Earlier, the Los Angeles Times said _ had been rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital by fire department paramedics who found him not breathing when they arrived at the singer's home.The newspaper said paramedics performed perfectly at the scene before taking him to the UCLA Medical Center hospital. Jackson had been due to start a series of comeback concerts in London on July 13 running until March 2010. The singer, whose hits included "Thriller" and "Billie Jean," had been rehearsing in the Los Angeles area for the past two months. The shows for the 50 London concerts sold out within minutes of going on sale in March.
His lifetime record sales tally is believed to be around 750 million, which, added to the 13 Grammy Awards he received, makes him one of the most successful entertainers of all time. There were concerns about Jackson's health in recent years but the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors. | high15303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The first lady begins to fight against childhood obesity"
},
"options": [
"The first lady begins to fight against childhood obesity",
"The most urgent health issues facing the country",
"The Obamas care about the health of fa... | Michelle Obama has launched her campaign against childhood obesity in the US,saying that it is a problem that concerns her both as the first lady and as a mother.
Mrs.Obama said that the campaign was designed to encourage people to live healthier lives,but admitted that she herself was not immune to the temptations of junk food.
"I love burgers and fries.And I love ice cream and cake.And so do most kids," she said.But,she added,"We're not talking about a lifestyle that excludes all that."
"The question is how we help people balance their diet so that they're not facing lifethreatening,preventable illnesses,but they're enjoying their food,they're eating their vegetables,they're doing their running,walking and playing,and they still have time to get a good,fun meal every once in a while."
One in three American children are overweight or obese,putting them at the higher risk of developing diabetes ,high blood pressure,high cholesterol and other illnesses.
Billions of dollars are spent every year treating obesityrelated conditions.
"None of us wants this future for our kids," Mrs.Obama said at the White House.
"We have to act,so let's move."
Her campaign has four parts:helping parents make better food choices,serving healthier food in school vending machines and lunch menus,making healthy food more available and affordable,and encouraging children to exercise more.
The campaign,which Mrs.Obama starts,is aimed at solving the childhood obesity problem in a generation,so that children born today can reach adulthood at a healthy weight.
"This isn't like a disease where we're still waiting for the cure to be discovered.We know the cure for this," she said at the opening ceremony.
President Barack Obama praised his wife for solving what he called one of "the most urgent health issues facing the country".
"This has enormous promise in improving the health of our children,in giving support to parents to make the kinds of healthy choices that are often very difficult," he said. | high7644.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "one of the wind"
},
"options": [
"the discovery of wind highways",
"how wind travels",
"how wind affects different plants",
"one of the wind"
],
"question": "This story is about_.",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | A strong wind can be a dangerous thing-sometimes it is powerful enough to knock you off your feet.But to plants,the wind is a source of new life,carrying them or their spores thousands of miles.
A NASA satellite called QuikSCAT has discovered highways of wind over the Earth's oceans.Scientists believe these invisible roads may explain why many nonflowering plants,such as mosses and lichens ,grow where they do.
The satellite is able to send microwaves from space to the surface of the ocean.The pattern of signals that come back shows which way the winds are blowing.
Using this _ , the scientists studied a group of islands in the southern hemisphere ,near Antarctica.Winds tend to blow anticlockwise in this region,but there are lots of local differences.
When the researchers compared these local patterns to botanical data,they found that the wind had an important effect on where species of mosses,lichens,and other nonflowering plants grow.
For example,Bouvet Island and Heard Island,share 30 percent of their moss species,29 percent of liverworts ,and 32 percent of lichens-even though they are 4,430 kilometers apart.In contrast,Gough Island and Bouvet Island,separated by just 1,860 kilometers of sea,share only 16 percent of mosses and 17 percent of liverworts.They have no lichens in common.
Ferns and flowering plants don't travel as well in the wind,so they don't show the same kinds of distribution patterns. | high23869.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "shouted a warning to her boy"
},
"options": [
"dived into the cool water at once",
"was too afraid to move",
"shouted a warning to her boy",
"got ready to fight the crocodile"
],
"question": "Upon seeing the all... | Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the cold swimming hole behind his house.
In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he did not realize an alligator was swimming towards the shore. His mother in the house, looking out of the window, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In fear, she ran towards the water, yelling to the son as loudly as she could.
It was too late. The alligator reached him.
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator got his legs. That began an incredible tug of war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother would not let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, ran from his truck, and shot the alligator.
Amazingly, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His leg were extremely scarred by the animal's attack, and on his arms were scratches from mothers' fingernails where she had tried to hang on to the son she loved.
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs . And then, he proudly said to the reporter: "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom would not let go."
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from alligator, or anything quite so dramatic . But the scars of a painful past. Some of those scares are ugly and have caused us deep regret.
But some wounds, my friend, are because someone has refused to let go. In your struggle, maybe someone has been there holding on to you. | high11165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "After supper"
},
"options": [
"After lunch",
"After supper",
"At the weekend",
"Before their father's 90th birthday"
],
"question": "When does the discussion take place?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions... | I am in my father's house in Connecticut, sitting at a crowded table with my brother, my two sisiters and all our partners, talking about a tree.
"He doesn't want it cut down." My sister says when my father has gone to bed and none of us speaks of the tree in his presence. "He says he usef to climb it when he was a boy."
When I was last here, a year and a half ago, for my father's 90th birthday, Hurricane Irene drove seawater into the roads. The large tree that hangs over the houses swayed alarmingly, but it stayed up.
Last October, Hurricane Sandy acused a great deal of damage. Six months on, many of the surrounding houses are on sale, but the tree that hangs over the house still stands.
"That tree," my brother says, "has survived the two worst storms of the last 100 years."
Though my brother thinks highly of the amazing staying power of the tree, my sister says that the tree should never have been planted: it stops light from reaching the house. My other sister's partner says that all trees fall down eventually. There is plenty of evidence for what he says: throughout the neighborhood, the ramains of similarly sized trees lie on their sides, with their roots in the air. During this discussion, I offer to pay a quarter of whatever is required to remove the tree.
"A guy I talked to," my brother says, "told me it could cost us$10,000."
As night wears on, the discussion becomes increaslingly meaningless. There is no point in reaching any kind of agreement, since the decision is not for us to make. It's my father's tree, and he has refused to cut down the only thing in the neighborhood older than him. | high19539.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Soon he was given a contract, and he dropped out of college."
},
"options": [
"advertise readers",
"Soon he was given a contract, and he dropped out of college.",
"entertain readers",
"persuade readers"
],
"ques... | Steven Spielberg has always had one goal: to tell as many great stories to as many people as possible. Spielberg spent his early childhood in New Jersey and,later, Arizona. Some of his childhood memories became the inspiration for his filmmaking.
Even decades later, Spielberg says he has clear memories of his earliest years, which are the origins of some of his biggest hits. He believes that E.T.is the result of the difficult years leading up to his parent's 1966 divorce, "It is really about a young boy who was in search of some stability in his life." "He was scared of just about everything," recalls his mother, "When trees brushed against the house,he would jump into my bed. And that's just the kind of scary stuff he would put in films like Poltergeist." To this day, Spielberg's wife, actress Kate Capshaw , says her husband remains terrified of airplanes.
Spielberg was 11 when he first got his hands on his dad's movie camera and began shooting short movies about World War II battles. These homemade movies gave him a way to escape his fears. From the very beginning, he had a creative imagination. With his talent for scary storytelling, he could terrify his three younger sisters. It also made it easier for him to make friends. On camping trips, when night fell,young Spielberg became the center of attention. He would start telling his ghost stories, and everyone would suddenly get quiet so that they could all hear it.
Spielberg moved to California with his father and went to high school there, but his grades were so bad that he hardly graduated. Both UCLA and USC film schools rejected him,so he entered California State University at Long Beach because it was close to Hollywood. Spielberg was determined to make movies,and he managed to get an unpaid,non-credit internship in Hollywood. Soon he was given a contract, and he dropped out of college. He never looked back.
Now,many years later, Spielberg is still telling stories with as much enthusiasm as when he was a boy. | high18627.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It can release medicine regularly as preset."
},
"options": [
"It is of great use to all patients.",
"It is the first Microchip in the world.",
"It can cure long-term illnesses completely.",
"It can release medicine reg... | In March 2012, researchers in the United States announce that they have developed the first wirelessly controlled device that can supply a drug directly into the body. A small chip is implanted under the skin. It contains the medicine, which it releases at preset times.
The developers say the device could improve the lives of millions of people who take medicine for long-term illnesses.
A company called MicroCHIPS began developing the device about fifteen years ago. Last month, the company released the results of its first successful tests in humans. The tests took place in Denmark with seven women with osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and break easily. The disorder is common among older people, especially women. Many patients have to give themselves daily injections of medicine. One type of treatment requires injections for two years.
Robert farra is the president of MicroCHIPS. He says many patients stop taking the medicine because of the pain and stress of the injections and that only twenty-five percent of the patients will go through the entire twenty-four months of treatment.
The microchip is a few centimeters long. It has small sections that each hold a single dose of medicine. Mr. Farra says the device has to be programmed with the times to release the drug and that doctors will be able to reprogram the device from a computer or even a cell phone.
The seven women in the study were aged sixty-five to seventy. The researchers say the implants were just as effective as daily injections. And they say the dosage amounts were more exact than patients often give themselves.
The microchips in the study held only twenty doses of medicine. Mr. Farra and his team are now designing a version that could hold a full year's worth of medicine.
Robert Farra says, "The new version may take us two years, and then we may be required to do two additional trials, taking about four years before the device is available on the commercial scale." | high21918.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "receive presents from women"
},
"options": [
"send gifts to the women they love",
"attend an unusual party in dark",
"have to eat meals of black food",
"receive presents from women"
],
"question": "On February 1... | It was a Black Day for love in South Korea on Monday with lonely hearts trying to ease their pain by diving head first into bowls of noodles. South Korea celebrates Valentine ' s Day, where local custom dictates women give gifts to men.
It has taken on a popular event born in Japan but sweeping Asia known as White Day on March 14 when men return the favor with gifts for women. But Black Day, on April 14, is a South Korean original. It is marked by people who have not found love dressing in dark color1s and commiserating over meals of black food, with the dish of choice being Chinese-style noodles topped with a thick sauce of black bean paste. "I had a miserable time on Valentine ' s Day, felt even lonelier on White Day and now I' m crying over a bowl of' black noodles," said a young woman, "Things better be different next year.
At universities across the country on Monday, students without lunch dates ordered black noodles, dined with other lonely hearts and searched for companionship, South Korea marketers have used special days for the 14th of each month to create a calendar full of love. Some days have gained attraction such as Black Day, while others such as Green Day in August, when couples are supposed to drink cheap wine that comes in green bottles and walk in the woods, have yet to attract much of a following.
Black Day events have snowballed, with a major matchmaking service this year providing an evening of speed dating where the dish of choice is sushi blackened by squid ink. An on-line company for movie tickets sponsored a speed eating competition of black noodles for those who bought single tickets for the latest films. "It is depressing enough going to the movies by yourself," said Shin Youn-joo of the company called Max Movie. "We just wanted to spread a little joy to the singles ." | high18141.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "some of the predictions were unavailable"
},
"options": [
"some of the predictions were unavailable",
"Phil wants to do that for fun",
"Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions",
"he has predicted more late springs"
... | Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day ( )' forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When it comes, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that years' spring will arrive.
If it's a cloudy day outside when the groundhog _ from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, hiding underground for six more weeks of cold weather.
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.
Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years' predictions were unavailable, according to ABC.
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his "wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray's character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one's routines. | high5735.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because he couldn't find the station on his map."
},
"options": [
"Because he suddenly saw an underground railway station.",
"Because he walked past a kindergarten playground.",
"Because the ticket-seller looked very old.",
... | I had recently arrived in London and I wanted to see some of the famous places. Should I go to the seaside? Or maybe one of the famous parks? I walked along the street, past a kindergarten playground, and suddenly saw an underground railway station. I was surprised because it was not on my map. I went to buy a ticket. The ticket-seller looked very old. He gave me a ticket, said "Remember it's a return", laughed and walked away without taking my money. Was it special for tourists?
A train arrived. I could not see any other passengers. I got on and the doors closed. I suddenly felt I should not have got onto the train. It started to go faster and faster, shooting along the tracks. As it entered the tunnel, everything became as dark as midnight and I do not remember the next few minutes. The train came to a station and I got out. I could see light shining in the distance so I walked towards _ and came to a door. Beyond it there was a busy street.
There were lots of English people walking about, and I could see some of the famous buildings of London, but there was something wrong. The people's clothes were strange. There were no cars, no motorbikes--but there were horses everywhere. Was someone making a film?
"Excuse me," I said to a man. "Would you mind telling me where I am and what is happening?"
"What do you mean? Who are you? Where do you come from? Are you from China? This is London and everyone's going to work. Can't you see that?" he asked.
"Thank you, sir. I'm sorry, but could I look at your newspaper?" I asked.
"You can have it," he said as he walked off.
I looked at it; I saw "New Bicycle Law" and above that "July 5, 1880".
Maybe I should have walked around, but I ran back to the door. I waited a long time. I was very afraid. A train came. I got on. It took me back to the first station. As I left, a woman asked, "What were you doing in that abandoned station?" I had no answer, but I still had the newspaper in my hand. | high11603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five.",
"Six."
],
"question": "How many tips are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_t... | Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. However, anyone can become better if he or she does his or her best. Here are some tips to help you.
Plan your time carefully. You should plan your time for things such as eating, sleeping and dressing. Then make a good, regular time for studying. But don't forget to set enough time for entertainment.
Keep your _ quiet and clean. The study should have a desk, a chair and some study materials, but no games, no radio and no television! When you sit down to study, you can put your heart into it. Make good use of your time.
Listen to everything that the teacher says. Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says.
After you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss next day, read the material. It will help you study better.
Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. It helps you know what you are not good at. The world will still go on even if you fail in a test, so don't be too worried. | high3344.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To analyze why London appeals to tourists."
},
"options": [
"To show the effects of the 2012 London Olympics.",
"To analyze why London appeals to tourists.",
"To compare London with other world-famous cities.",
"To talk... | YOU probably think you know about London's problems. The people are unfriendly, it's way too expensive, and the food is terrible - so why do so many tourists flock there?
London was named the world's most popular city between July and September 2013. It _ other world-famous cities such as New York and Paris, welcoming 4.9 million visitors, according to the UK Office for National Statistics.
Amazingly, this was an increase of almost 19.5 percent on 2012 - the year when the Olympics happened in summer.
So can London's success be explained? Well, maybe. As the English writer Samuel Johnson once said, "when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life". London life is often crazy and expensive, but if you can think of something, you can probably do it there.
Anywhere in the city, you can often look around a great museum such as the British Museum, watch a concert at a historic venue like the Royal Albert Hall, or dance the night away in a cool nightclub such as Fabric.
And it's not just about culture - there are also world-famous sporting venues around the city. Many tourists like to watch soccer matches at stadiums such as Chelsea's Stamford Bridge, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, or Tottenham's White Hart Lane. Tourists even came to watch British tennis player Andy Murray's famous victory at the Wimbledon tennis tournament in 2013.
Yes, but what about the food? Well, even if you don't like British food - and if you've never had real fish and chips, or a summer pudding, then perhaps you should wait until you've tried them - there is plenty of great food from all over the world available in London's many restaurants.
London, like many of its buildings, has a long history, but also never lacks a vibrant pulse . All over the city, history and modernity come together to make it an essential place for tourists to discover. | high8211.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Hunters Pay to Kill Fenced Animals"
},
"options": [
"Fenced Animals Are in Danger",
"Animals Are Easy to Kill",
"Hunters Pay to Kill Fenced Animals",
"Animal Hunting Should Be Banned"
],
"question": "What can be... | Animals are being killed by hunters in America in a cruel way, says an animal protection organization. There are about 1,000 hunting farms across America whose owners offer hunters an opportunity to kill animals that are kept in fenced areas.
Russian boar, zebra, deer, antelope and many other species are raised just to be killed. Farm owners charge hunters thousands of dollars for animals that they kill, many of which are close to extinction .
The Humane Society of the United States says this type of hunting should be stopped because it is not fair to the animals. Many owners raise their animals. Others buy from animal dealers or from zoos and circuses that no longer want them. This means that the animals are not afraid of humans and they are easy to be shot by hunters.
Owners of small ranches keep their animals in fenced areas so that the hunters can get close to the animals before shooting at them. On large farms hunters are taken to areas where the animals are fed sometime of the day. This also makes it easy to kill the animals.
The hunters want to keep the heads and chests of the animals they kill to hang as trophies on their walls. This means that the animals are usually shot in parts of the body. That means they will suffer a slow and painful death.
The hunting is allowed across most of America but some parts of the country have stopped or restricted it. The Humane Society of the United States hopes that it won't be too long before the rest parts of the country also give up this cruel sport. | high15465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Five."
},
"options": [
"Two.",
"Three.",
"Four.",
"Five."
],
"question": "How many ways to be green are mentioned in the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Being green is everywhere these days, whether it is in the school, factory or anywhere on the Internet. This is because our planet is in danger, losing resources, polluting resources and destroying ecosystems . Different species are dying because we can't take care of our home. Now ask yourself why you don't want a green healthier lifestyle and to save animals. Keep _ in mind as you read on.
There are many ways to be green, first of all, everyone should recycle; it's something easy and helps our planet in many ways. All you'd have to do is put recycling in recycling and garbage in garbage. Another popular thing is to try your best not to drive a car. Sometimes you can just walk, bike, or take a subway. This ensures that our air won't be polluted, which in turn helps our lungs and everything else on our planet. Next thing is saving energy. We can do this by not using too much heat or air conditioning in summer or winter. It's not preferable because it's hard, but you can try and put your washing machine on cold whenever possible and try to keep electronics out of the rubbish. What's more, remember to stop drinking from plastic bottles because plastic can only be used once and if used many times, it will become unhealthy. So you'd better use a glass or buy a reusable water bottle. The last and most important thing is, spread this news to the world and tell them what's happening in our world. I've only listed a small part of the endless possibilities to save this world. The least you can do is do the simple ones. | high7122.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "study mathematics"
},
"options": [
"get a Ph.",
"study mathematics",
"study the universe and black holes",
"seek help from the Lucasian Professor"
],
"question": "Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in o... | Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia , and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking's determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray range of the spectrum . In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton's chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England. | high1553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she was worried about the physics exam"
},
"options": [
"she found Lisa was looking back at her",
"she had to take two exams within one day",
"she was worried about the physics exam",
"she had been waiting for too long ... | Eve was waiting in the corridor outside her class.She was feeling sick.She had two exams that day and physics was first.She really hated physics.It was her worst subject.Lisa looked back at her, and then looked away quickly.Eve thought she looked guilty.She didn't have a problem with physics.She didn't have a problem with anything...Miss Perfect!
"Hi, Eve! So what's wrong with you and Lisa?"asked Tina,"I thought you were friends.""Yes, so did I," said Eve."But she hasn't spoken to me for two weeks now.She promised to help me review for the physics exam too, but then she's ignored all my calls and texts."
While in the exam, Eve found Lisa was holding her phone on her knee under the table and reading from it.Eve couldn't believe it! Is that how Lisa always got such good grades? She thought about telling the teacher, but she hesitated.The next exam was history.That was Eve's favorite subject but she couldn't concentrate.She didn't know what to do about Lisa.Just then, Mr.Reed, their teacher, walked past."Mr.Reed..."
Lisa was called to the teachers' office and there waited Mr.Reed...
The history test was over.Eve was walking towards the school gate when she heard footsteps behind her.It was Lisa.Eve could see that she had been crying."Listen," said Lisa."I'm really sorry I haven't answered your calls, but my dad had a heart attack two weeks ago and he's in hospital.He had a big heart operation today and I was very worried about him.So I was reading texts from my mum, but Mr.Reed caught me.He thought I was cheating.He believes me now, but I have to take the exam again.I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening.Will you forgive me?" | high13014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "teenage girls have more influence over family budgets than teenage boys"
},
"options": [
"teenage girls have more influence over family budgets than teenage boys",
"teenage boys don't want to decide on household spending",
"t... | It may not be news to parents of teenage girls, but researchers have confirmed that no one can stop their 16-year-old daughter from deciding how the family spends its money.
The willpower and determination of teenage girls
in how a family's money is spent on everything from food and meals to mobile phones, and, of course, clothes. Teenage boys did not show up at all in the analysis, which was designed to find out the influence of young people on household spending.
The findings on the spending power of teenage girls were calculated from Office for National Statistics records of family spending during the 1980s and 1990s. Researchers examined how much money went on services and leisure goods in different kinds of homes. They checked spending on food, restaurant meals, alcohol, tobacco, services, heating, transport, clothes and sports in 2,745 British families.
They found that teenage girls in the UK typically played an active role in family decisions about the allocation of household resources. But older children-- those over the age of 21 who are still living with their parents--appear to have no say in household decisions.
They also tried to calculate to what extent the bargaining power of a teenager affected family budgets. "Every parent knows that children, even at a very early age, have their own preferences with regard to consumption, researchers said. "But children are only interested in a limited range of goods--mainly sweets and toys--and parents are able to use punishment to reduce their children's bargaining power or remove it." When they become teenagers, however, girls are much more independent and they are capable of earning their own money, which improves their bargaining power in family decisions.
The researchers could not explain why girls have more influence over spending while the evidence for boys is much less conclusive. However, this study could be of great significance to market research and how marketers target children. | high15471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "they are more likely to fall ill"
},
"options": [
"they won't feel happy anymore",
"they are more likely to fall ill",
"they will find the feeling goes away by itself",
"they are more mentally harmed than physically"
... | WHAT do you do when you feel lonely? Hide yourself away and spend your time reading, watching TV or walking around?
You might think that feeling lonely is just like feeling happy, sad or scared - that it's just one of your various moods . That is true. However, if you let yourself be lonely for too long without dealing with it, you could be making a serious mistake.
Doctors have known for some time that feeling lonely is bad for the mind. It can lead to mental health problems such as depression ,stress and reduced confidence. "Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, it's not about being physically alone," Lisa Jaremka, scientist from Ohio State University, US, told Live Science in January. But there's growing evidence that not having friends is connected with physical illness as well.
In 2006, for example, scientists studied 2,800 women who had cancer. They found that those who had few friends or family were five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts. Also, even healthy people had a better chance of falling ill if they felt left out by others, according to the BBC.
The results have scientists thinking that loneliness might hurt the immune system , which protects the body from diseases.
Hoping to prove this theory, Jaremka and her research team put volunteers through a stress test. During the test, volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech in front of a group of stony-faced people. The researchers found that volunteers who said they were lonely in their daily lives felt more stress during the test. And their blood samples showed that all the stress had managed to cause harmful changes to their immune system.
"Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor --- a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time," explained Jaremka, who led the study.
The number of people suffering from loneliness is increasing all over the world. However, solving the problem is easier said than done. It won't work to just "tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you", said Jaremka. " We need to create support networks." | high8205.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "black soldiers in the Civil War"
},
"options": [
"cause of the Civil War",
"the Emancipation Proclamation",
"black soldiers in the Civil War",
"why Lincoln was a good president"
],
"question": "This passage is m... | President Abraham Lincoln's first call for volunteers to fight in the Civil War was for whites only.The Civil War was a white man's war,northern whites insisted.Its purpose was to preserve the Union.It was not being fought to end slavery.But by September of 1862,the _ toward black volunteers had changed.Lincoln had hoped that the war would be short,but it had already lasted for a year and a half.Union manpower had fallen dangerously.
Lincoln had a plan.He issued the Emancipation Proclamation.It stated that as of January 1,1863,all slaves living in the rebellious southern states would be forever free.And starting immediately,Union armies would accept black volunteers.
The southern rebels'response to Lincoln's call for black troops was a deadly one.Captives of any Union regiment with black troops were to be given "no quarter".They were to be put to death immediately.
AfricanAmerican troops throughout the war distinguished themselves in battle at places like Milliken's Bend,Fort Wagner,and the Crater at St.Petersburg.As to their conduct on the battlefield,Colonel Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote,"Nobody knows anything about these men who has not seen them in battle.No officer in this regiment now doubts that the successful process of the war lies in the unlimited employment of black troops." By the war's end,186,000 black men had participated.They made up nearly 10 percent of Union forces.These black soldiers saw action in more than 250 battles.Black soldiers also gave their lives.By the war's end,about 38,000 black soldiers had died.They died from disease,in battle,and after capture by rebel troops. | high6228.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "PS500"
},
"options": [
"PS300",
"PS500",
"PS4500",
"5000"
],
"question": "If you earn PS5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to PS200 or PS300 a week. Put an advertisement for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed "rent a room" program, you won't have to pay any tax on the first PS4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Don't want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money. Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a "film set" could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free--but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(aroundPS14,000) and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof. | high1547.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Carotenoids are important in the immune system"
},
"options": [
"Carotenoids are only found in the fruit.",
"Carotenoids are important in the immune system",
"Carotenoids can be improved by catching sun rays.",
"Caroten... | Most of us would like to have glowing skin, especially as we get older. The good news is that you don't have to wait until summer to catch some sun rays. Scientists have found eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is by far the best way to achieve a healthy, golden glow.
Dr. Ian Stephen said, "Most people think that the best way to improve their skin color is to get a suntan . But our research shows that eating lots of fruit and vegetables is actually more effective."
The team first assessed the skin color of people in relation to their diet. Those who ate more fruit and vegetables a day were found to have a more golden, yellow skin color. Those with a healthy glow had a higher presence of carotenoids , which play a role in the immune system. Carotenoids are commonly found in fruit and vegetables such an yellow and red peppers, spinach, apricots and melons.
The team then studied the relation between skin tone and attractiveness. They used specialist software to operate the skin color on the images of 51 faces to simulate more or less carotenoids and suntans. Participants were then asked to adjust the skin color to make the faces look as healthy as possible. Given the choice between skin color enhanced by suntans and skin color enhanced by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoids skin color.
The study shows that not only do people use skin color to judge how healthy other individuals are, but they are accurate when they make those judgments. While this study focus on Caucasian faces, it suggests this phenomenon may exist across cultures, since similar preferences for skin yellowness are found in an African population. | high13000.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Parents."
},
"options": [
"Parents.",
"School children.",
"Teachers.",
"Officials."
],
"question": "Who is the text written for?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | March is a month of fun-filled activities for the entire family! When you want some family fun activities for March, consider these ideas centered on some of the events and holidays happening in this month.
Dr. Seuss's Birthday
March 2ndis Dr. Seuss's birthday and kids and adults of all ages can celebrate with books, games and more to honor this famous author of kids' books. Take some time in March to read your favorite books with your children or to read some you have never read before.
Spring Break
Spring Break can be the perfect time for families while the children are out of school. There are many places for families during this time period. For example, you might consider a trip to a local theme park or a national park. They often run junior camps and other activities during Spring Break that you can enjoy as a family.
St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick's Day is on March 17thand you don't have to be Irish to enjoy this holiday. This is a great time to get all the family together to enjoy quality time together. You can also take this time to explore the holiday, its history and what it means. You can also start or continue with your own St. Patrick's Day traditions that your family can continue year after year.
Seasonal Arts and Crafts
Arts and crafts can be a fun family activity all year round. So if you're looking to spend this fun time together in March, you can look for some seasonal arts and crafts ideas. You can do early preparation for Easter, spring plants and pictures, sun catchers for hanging in the windows or other seasonal related ideas. This is also a great time to consider planting a flower garden or working on outdoor craft projects. | high10509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The way of getting money"
},
"options": [
"The amount of wealth",
"The amount of money",
"The social status",
"The way of getting money"
],
"question": "What criterion did Adam Smith seem to go by in his classif... | In the eighteenth century one of the first modern economists, Adam Smith, thought that " the whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country" provided revenue to "three different orders of people: those who live by rent, those who live by wages, and those who live by profit". Each successive stage of the industrial revolution, however, made the social structure more complicated.
Many intermediate groups grew up during the nineteenth century between the upper middle class and the working class. There were small-scale industrialists as well as large ones, small shopkeepers and tradesmen, officials and salaried employees, skilled and unskilled workers, and professional men such as doctors and teachers. Farmers and peasants continued in all countries as independent groups.
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the possession of wealth inevitably affected a person's social position. Intelligent industrialists with initiative made fortunes by their wits which lifted them into an economic group far higher than that of their working-class parents. But they lacked social training of the upper class, who despised them as the "new rich."
They often sent their sons and daughters to special schools to acquire social training. Here their children, mixed with the children of the upper classes, were accepted by them, and very often found marriage partners from among them. In the same way, a thrifty, hardworking labourer, though not clever himself, might save for his son enough to pay for an extended secondary school education in the hope that he would move in a "white-collar" occupation, carrying with it a higher salary and a move up in the social scale.
In the twentieth century the increased taxation of higher incomes, the growth of the social services, and the wider development of educational opportunity have considerably altered the social outlook. The upper classes no longer are the sole, or even the main possessors of wealth, power and education, though inherited social position still carries considerable prestige. | high5721.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Fort Point"
},
"options": [
"Alcatraz",
"Fort Point",
"Coit Tower",
"City Hall"
],
"question": "Which of the following was built during the Civil War?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"... | The number of big-production movies shot in San Francisco has _ with the rise of digital technology. Instead of going on location, producers can recreate the city's look in studios with the help of computers at lower cost. But San Francisco still attracts moviemakers, as its long history of film offers plenty of iconic spots to visit. Here are just a few:
Alcatraz: The Enforcer (1976), Escape From Alcatraz(1979), Murder in the
First (1995), The Rock (1996)
A federal prison from 1934 to 1963, Alcatraz housed notorious criminals. Now a national park, Alcatraz offers visitors a chance to tour the prison, including a look at one of the cells portrayed in Clint Eastwood's Escape from Alcatraz, with the concrete chipped away behind the vent .
Fort Point, Golden Gate Bridge: High Anxiety (1977), Foul Play (1978), The Presidio(1988), Dopamine(2003)
Built to protect the San Francisco Bay area from attacks during the Civil War, Fort Point is where James Stewart saved Kim Novak in Vertigo, right at the base. The bridge has also been blown up countless times on films, including inX-Men:The last Stand (2006) andMonsters vs. Aliens(2009). The best view is from the north side, looking back to the city.
Coit Tower: The Enforcer, Inner Space(1987), The Presidio, Sister Act 2(1993),
The Rock, Dr. Dolittle (1998), Boys and Girls(2003)
The narrow white concrete column at the top of Telegraph Hill has been a part of San Francisco's skyline since 1933, and offers amazing views of the bay and the city. Coit Tower has been in the backdrop of numerous movies filmed in San Francisco.
City Hall: A view to a Kill(1985),Class Action(1991),Final Analysis(1992),Bedazzled(2000),The Wedding Planner(2001), Milk(2008)
City Hall has one of the largest domes in the world and it replaced a structure destroyed in the 1906 earthquake. It was used at the end of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and Metro City Hall in the 2010 animated movie,Megamind, was an homage to San Francisco's City Hall. | high18155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "What makes a house a home?"
},
"options": [
"How to make a house a home?",
"What makes a house a home?",
"Who are truly homeless?",
"What is a home for?"
],
"question": "Which of the following may serve as the b... | What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious and closer with one another than with
in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that's so magnetic that it's difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.
I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don't need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don't talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don't live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?
Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people. | high16178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "introduce an idea of cognitive interview."
},
"options": [
"give an account of a murder case.",
"introduce an idea of cognitive interview.",
"prove Fisher was an expert in cognitive interview.",
"help a witness to recal... | Some years ago, a Miami woman walking through an office building noticed two men standing together.Several minutes after her leaving, the men murdered a person working in the building.The police determined that the woman was the only witness and could possibly describe them.However, her memory of the men proved disappointingly unclear.Several days later, psychologist Ronald Fisher was brought in to obtain a more complete account from the woman.His interview produced a breakthrough--the woman reported a clear picture of one of the suspects.The important information enabled the police to arrest the suspect and close the case.
The police asked Fisher for help because of his rich knowledge in cognitive interview, a kind of memory - rebuilding process.Memory researchers have found that people trying to remember a past event often only recall part of the relevant information.Human memory is selective and it is often _ by stress.But a person's accurate recall of an event or understanding of a question can be improved using specific interviewing techniques.The "cognitive interview" was developed in the late 1990s.It encourages the witness to take an active role in recalling information rather than giving answers only to someone else's questions.The witness first describes what happened in his or her own words, with no interviewer interruptions.The interviewer then goes further with specific techniques, such as having the witness tell the details of what happened from different perspectives .
The cognitive interview focuses on guiding witnesses through four general recalling techniques: thinking about physical surroundings and personal feelings that existed at the time of past events; reporting everything that connects to mind about those events, no matter how broken it is retelling events in a variety of time orders, such as from beginning to end, end to beginning, forward or backward; and adopting different perspectives while recalling events.
Experiments with police detectives trained in this demanding interview method find that they obtain nearly 50% more information from witnesses than before training, while error rates remain about the same.It is proved that cognitive interviews are quite important tools in improving the accuracy and completeness of witness testimony . | high3350.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "starts a revolution of an industry"
},
"options": [
"starts a revolution of an industry",
"ruins an industry dramatically",
"puts itself in an unbeatable position",
"is soon overtaken by imitated products"
],
"q... | Why Doesn't Anybody Copy Apple?
Apple's products are the envy of the world. They have been spectacularly successful and are widely imitated, if not copied. The minute Apple crystallizes a product, everyone knows how to compete. This idea that the basis of competition is set by Apple and then the race is on to climb the path of improvement is unquestionable. When Apple releases a product that defines a category or dramatically changes the structure of an industry, it becomes obvious what needs to be built. But what I wonder is why everyone wants to copy Apple's products but nobody wants to copy being Apple?
I can think of two reasons. Firstly, Apple is not worth copying because it's not successful; secondly, Apple's success cannot be copied because it is a magical process.
There is a great deal of evidence for the first hypothesis. The idea of Apple being successful is not something reflected in its stock price. Being valued lower than the average company in the S&P 500 indicates that to whatever degree Apple was successful in the past, it's not seen by the vast majority of observers as successful in the future. Why should one bother copying Apple if it results in being punished with a low valuation? If one works really hard at innovation and then that innovation becomes commoditized very quickly, why should one bother?
When innovation practitioners are asked what makes Apple successful,the answers regarding the cause of this success border on the mythical.The climax of this hypothesis is the "chief-sorcerer"theory of success which places one magician,like Steve Jobs,in charge of casting all the right spells
What about Apple's own opinion of what makes it tick? Tim Cook refers to a great team and integration of hardware, software and services as unique Apple advantages. It's a better explanation. Integration is something that can take a long time, but it is possible with great effort. A few companies are starting to make moves in that direction, but efforts are half-hearted. There is no "move the Earth" panic to become an integrated company from Samsung, Google or Microsoft.
My own suspicion is that Apple is more aware of what makes it special than it lets out. However, as Tim points out, it's not a formula. It's complex, it's subtle, but it's not magic. It's a process that requires a degree of faith and courage. | high4359.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "sleep"
},
"options": [
"exercise",
"sleep",
"emotional intelligence",
"mood"
],
"question": "Which of the following has something to do with the immune system?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": ... | As a health editor, I spend the majority of my day poring over content related to health. At HuffPost, we're lucky to talk to experts on a daily basis about how to live our best lives. It's clear that life would be healthier if we would just do the following things. Sure, some of these are easier said than done. | high18633.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because students may be more concentrated in single-sex classes."
},
"options": [
"Because single-sex classes are popular in America.",
"Because students may be more concentrated in single-sex classes.",
"Because girls tend t... | The boys crowded in two teams at the front of Charlene Skinner's class as they thought over the math problem that flashed on the whiteboard. "That's not right," one boy said. "It says find the slope," another boy said, instructing his classmates. Next door, in Room A114, the girls spent five minutes in Justin Anderson's science class writing down everything they know about DNA. When the assigned time was up, Anderson asked the students to share some of what they noted down. "Nobody's DNA is alike," one girl said after raising her hand. "You get it from your parents," said another.
This is how some lessons are taught at James Gholson Middle School in Prince George's County: boys in one classroom, girls in another. Advocates argue that separating boys and girls removes distractions and sex prejudice in the classroom, taking the lead from expensive private schools and boarding schools that have relied on single-sex learning for generations. But opponents say there is little evidence that such separation works, that it can be discriminatory and that it doesn't properly prepare students for a world that is mixed.
Some experts say single-sex classes can break down sex stereotypes , create opportunities for students and improve test scores. Kathy Couture, an education professor at Stetson University in Florida and a board member of the National Association for Single Sex Public Education, said students tend to be more focused on their curriculum and less concerned about impressing or getting attention from the opposite sex. She said girls tend to "dumb themselves down for boys" when they are together in math and science classes.
But a report published last week by the Psychological Bulletin -- which reviewed 184 studies to compare the outcomes of learning in single-sex and mixed classrooms -- raised questions about whether there are any real advantages to single-sex classrooms.
Janet Hyde, one of the report's co-authors, said there was no evidence to support the argument that boys do better orally or that girls improve in math and science when in single-sex settings. What is more important is that separating students might not adequately prepare them for college and careers. "One of the major purposes of school is to prepare students for the adult world, and that world is mixed," Janet Hyde said. "I think we do harm to students by not preparing them for the adult world." | high17500.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Suggestions on becoming a confident speaker."
},
"options": [
"Good ways of studying English well.",
"Suggestions on becoming a confident speaker.",
"Things to pay attention to when speaking English.",
"How to correct y... | Become a confident speaker. How to improve your English speaking skills and make you able to communicate more easily and effectively? The following tips will help you to become a more confident speaker.
Practice where you can and when you can. And practice is good -- whether you speak to someone who is a native English speaker or not.
It's important to build up your confidence. If possible, use the simple sentence structure that you know is correct, so that you can concentrate on getting your message across.
Try to experiment with the English you know. Apply words and phrases you know to new situations. Native English speakers are likely to correct you if you use the wrong word. They usually don't mind if you use wrong grammar.
Try to respond to what people say to you. You can often get clues to what people think by looking at their body language. Respond to them in a natural way.
Never translate everything into your own language. It takes you much time and you'll find it difficult to find an English answer right away. You don't know how to do well. The more you want to act well, the more slowly you act. This will make you _
If you forget a word, do what native English speakers do all the time, and say things that 'fill' the conversation. This is better than remaining completely silent. Try using 'um', 'er', if you forget the word.
Don't speak too fast! It's important to use a natural rhythm in speaking English, but if you speak too fast it will be difficult for people to understand you.
Try to relax when you speak, and you'll find that your mouth does most of the pronunciation work for you. Speak English at a normal speed.
Final tips: Try to become less hesitant. Don't be shy to speak -- the more you do it, the more confident you'll become. Remember to be polite -- use "please" and "thank you" if you ask someone to do something for you. | high2728.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Disturbing their biological clock"
},
"options": [
"Improving their health",
"Weakening their energy",
"Disturbing their biological clock",
"Making up for their hormone loss"
],
"question": "What effect does \"s... | It's a time when school,homework,active social lives and pare-time jobs keep teenagers busy from early in the morning until late at night.They are likely to try to make up for a lack of sleep by "sleeping in" on the weekends.Unfortunately,this causes irregular sleep and actually makes the problem worse.
Most teenagers are not able to fall asleep until late at night.Since many teens aren't sleepy until around 11 pm.but need to be at school by 7:30 or 8:00 am .They cannot get enough sleep .During puberty ,the biological clock in the brain naturally re-sets to a later time ,and this causes teens to fall asleep later.Then ,when it's time to get up ,a teen's body clock is likely to still be producing the night-time hormones .This makes it hard for them to feel active and energetic in the morning.
A growing body of research suggests that starting high school later improves attendance,achievements and grades.A few years ago in an important study ,test scores on the SAT college entrance exams in Edina,Minnesota jumped more than 100 points on average,when the morning school bell rang an hour later.Unfortunately,most schools are not set up to start later and fail to satisfy teen's sleep needs. | high13766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Greater career options are offered for women and more patients require nurse care"
},
"options": [
"Women are better educated and provided with more different jobs than men.",
"More women are clever enough to be doctors, lawyers an... | At one time it was the dream of many little girls to become a nurse. Today, however, America is facing its worst nurse shortage since World War I. Recently about 2, 000, 000 nurses are needed and 60 percent of all hospitals in the US have shortages large enough to threaten the quality of care provided. The demand for nurses spreads widely throughout the nursing field.
What has become of these women in white? The answer lies in not one but several causes. One possibility is the fact that women have greater career options . In the past, women who chose to work outside the home had two basic choices: nursing or teaching. Today, more women than ever are in the work force, but their options have greatly increased. There are women doctors, lawyers, firefighters and police officers. In fact, women today are found in nearly every field of work. Nursing has been left behind, as women move on to jobs with higher pay and greater status . A woman or man in the nursing field is often looked down upon as "merely a nurse". Teachers may be also at fault. Many high school students are actually being persuaded to keep away from nursing, told by teachers that they are "too bright to be a nurse".
Americans are living longer than ever and requiring more medical attention. In fact, the number of elderly patients has almost doubled in the past twenty years. Obviously a larger population requires more nurses. AIDS and other diseases have caused more and more people to need nursing care. Usually fatal diseases mean long drawn-out hospital stay, that is to say, more nurses are needed to care for these patients. It is said that the demand for nurses will be doubled in the coming ten years. | high14009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "If he looks up and to the right."
},
"options": [
"If he looks up and to the left.",
"If he looks up and to the right.",
"If he looks down and to the left.",
"If he looks down and to the right."
],
"question": "... | Face-to-face communication involves much more than the spoken word.In fact, we often communicate our feelings to others through our body language without realizing we are doing so.We communicate through posture, gesture and facial expression.But the eyes also play an important part in this unspoken language.William Shakespeare called the eyes "a window to the soul," and you can learn to look through that window and better understand a person's body language by reading eye movement.
Begin a conversation and ask a simple question.Watch carefully for eye movement during the response.If the person looks up, he or she is thinking or forming pictures.This is also a sign of a visual thinker.Looking up and to the left shows recalling a memory, while looking up and to the right could show imaginative construction or lying.
If the person looks down, this could be a sign of obedience or even blame.Looking down and to the left can show a person talking to themselves.Looking down and to the right can show that they are feeling strong emotion.
Looking sideways can indicate distraction or checking out a potential threat, hut a sideways glance can also show anger.In addition, eyes that look side to side often show shiftiness and lying.
A glance usually indicates a desire for something.Glancing at a door could show a desire to leave the room, while a glance, at a person could indicate a desire to talk to them.A glance is also used when it is forbidden to look at something.
A person who is lying to you may hold eye contact longer than normal.In addition, this person might smile with his mouth but not with his eyes.Smiling with the eyes is difficult to do if the emotion is not genuine.
Rapid blinking of the eyes can occur when a person is thinking, and this can also be another sign of lying.Again, a person who is aware of this sign might overcompensate and stare. | high15317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They are not seen from the outside."
},
"options": [
"They are small soft rings.",
"They are not seen from the outside.",
"They are openings only on food fish.",
"They are not used to receive sound."
],
"questio... | Fish have ears. Really. They're quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths.
As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate . By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish's age, just like the growth rings of a tree.
Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They're examining the chemical elements of each otolith ring.
The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.
Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.
In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.
This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the track of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears. | high8563.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to contend with a difficult roommate."
},
"options": [
"how to identify the source of the problem.",
"how to evaluate the source of the conflict.",
"how to contend with a difficult roommate.",
"how to communicate wi... | Dealing with a difficult roommate can be both annoying and challenging. However, by becoming aware of the context of the situation, steps can be taken in order to improve the circumstance.
Identify the source of the problem. Sometimes, when someone is annoying, it is difficult to tell exactly which aspect of the situation is causing the anger. Therefore, it is important to find the one element that caused your anger to begin with.
Evaluate the source of the conflict. Is the conflict _ , or is it serious ? Sometimes, people can become angry over things that seem like a big deal at the time, but when contemplated , are really unimportant. Nevertheless, before any problem is dealt with, it is necessary to determine how serious it is.
Talk to the roommate about what is bothering you. Communication is very important when dealing with problems. The problems will only become worse if measures are taken without telling one another what is even wrong to begin with.
Listen to the explanation that the roommate has to over. Listening is also important when dealing with conflicts. Hearing each side of the story will make it easier to arrive at a possible solution.
Compromise with one another in order to form a solution. Sometimes, conflicts can be resolved simply by changing small occurrences. | high7650.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Science"
},
"options": [
"Social news",
"Community activities",
"Science",
"Children s life"
],
"question": "In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?",
"question_type": null
}
] | Scientists are not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time.One theory holds that it has a group of cells specialized to record the intervals of time, while another theory holds that some neural processes act as an inside clock.
Whichever theory it may be, studies find, the cells have a poor grasp of longer interval.Time does seem to slow during an empty afternoon and race when the brain focuses on challenging work.Stimulants , including caffeine, tend to make people feel as if.time is passing faster; complex jobs, like doing taxes, can seem to drag on longer than they actually do.And emotional events -- a breakup, a promotion, a transformative trip abroad --tend to be sensed as more recent than they actually are, by months or even years.In short, some psychologists say, the findings support the philosopher Martin Heidegger' s observation that time "persists merely as a consequence of the events taking place in it."
Now researchers are finding that the opposite thing may also be true: if very few events come to mind, then the sense of time does not persist; the brain shortens the interval that has passed.
In one classic experiment, a French explorer named Michel Siffre lived in a cave for two months, cut off from the rhythms of night and day and man-made clocks.He appeared then, convinced that he had been isolated for only 25 days.Left to its own devices, the brain tends to shorten time.
In earlier work, researchers found that a similar case at work in people's judgment of intervals that last only moments.Relatively infrequent stimuli, like flashes or tones, tend to increase the speed of the brain' s internal pacemaker.
On an obvious level, these kinds of findings offer an explanation for why other people' s children seem to grow up so much faster than one's own.Involved parents are all too well aware of first step in their own children; however, seeing a cousin's child once every few years, without bothering memories, shortens the time. | high12478.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years."
},
"options": [
"Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming.",
"Human activities made the storm more severe.",
"The force of dangero... | The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean's surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property damage and human death.
On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now.
There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents . This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs!
The United States, with just five percent of the world's population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don't have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act. | high11159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's too dangerous to play outside"
},
"options": [
"Families are smaller today",
"Toys can be played by children alone at home",
"It's too dangerous to play outside",
"Parents worried too much about their children"
... | Children's lives have changed greatly over the last 50 years.But do they have a happier childhood than you or I did?
It's difficult to look back on one's own childhood without some element of nostalgia .I have four brothers and sisters, and my memories are all about being with them.Playing board games on the living room floor, or spending days in the street with the other neighborhood children, racing up and down on our bikes, or exploring the nearby woods.My parents scarcely appear in these memories, except as providers either of meals or of severe blame after some particularly risky adventure.
These days, in the UK at least, the nature of childhood has changed dramatically.Firstly, families are smaller, and there are far more only children.It is common for both parents to work outside the home and there is the feeling that there just isn't time to bring up a large family, or that no one could possibly afford to have more than one child.As a result, today's boys and girls spend much of their time alone.Another major change is that youngsters today tend to spend a huge amount of their free time at home, inside.More than anything this is due to the fact that parents worry far more than they used to about real or imagined dangers, so they wouldn't dream of letting their children play outside by themselves.
Finally, the kind of toys children have and the way they play is totally different.Computer and video games have replaced the board games and more interesting activities of my childhood.The irony is that so many ways of playing games are called "interactive".The fact that you can play electronic games on your own further increases the sense of loneliness felt by many young people today.
Do these changes mean that children today have a less relaxing childhood than I had? I personally believe that they do, but perhaps every generation feels exactly the same. | high4371.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "About the workings of the universe."
},
"options": [
"About the workings of the universe.",
"About how black holes form.",
"About how the universe began.",
"About how the ripples form on the surface of water."
],
... | It took 100 years, but finally, scientists proved Albert Einstein's theory that gravitational waves exist.
The waves were predicted as part of Einstein's general theory of relativity nearly 100 years ago. It was the theory of the physics behind the workings of our world and the universe.
The idea was that the waves are like ripples in space, caused by some of the violent and energetic processes in the universe. For example, two black holes crashing into each other.
Now a group of scientists, including ones from Caltech, MIT and the LIGO Scientific, Collaboration finally found the gravitational waves.
David Reitze is the executive director of the LIGO observatory at Caltech.
"We have detected gravitational waves. We did it!"
What are these gravitational waves?
Well, imagine throwing a rock into a pond. When the rock hits the flat surface of the water, it creates ripples or waves. Space-time is like the surface of the water. So that means gravitational waves are like the ripples moving out from where the rock hits the water.
It might be hard to understand, but those gravitational waves expand and contract space and time as they move through space. And when they get to the Earth, the waves pass through, and they contract and expand the planet as the waves go by.
It was Einstein who said these gravitational waves should be observable.
But these are not huge waves. They are very, very small, which is why it took so long to find them. You cannot see them with your eyes. They are smaller than the size of an atom.
How did the scientists find them?
They used a giant scientific tool called LIGO, which stands for the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The billion-dollar LIGO project is two L-shaped observatories. One is in Louisiana and the other in Washington state.
For years, scientists have been watching two black holes in another faraway galaxy. The two were spinning around each other, moving closer and closer together. When they finally crashed into each other, it was with such power and force that gravitational waves rang throughout the universe, like a giant bell.
Those waves, traveling at the speed of light, finally reached the Earth, some l. 3 billion years later. They are the same waves that the scientists announced this past week.
So, what does this discovery mean?
Our understanding of the heavens changed dramatically. | high19505.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the English intend to live a life quite different from that of the Continentals."
},
"options": [
"the English intend to live a life quite different from that of the Continentals.",
"the social customs of the English are quite diff... | In English everything is the other way round. On Sundays, on the Continent even the poorest person puts on his best suit, tries to look respectable, and at the same time the life of the country becomes gay and cheerful; in England even the richest lord or motor-manufacturer dresses in some peculiar rags, does not shave, and the country becomes dull and sad. On the Continent there is one subject which should be avoided---the weather; in England, if you do not repeat the sentence "Lovely day, isn't it?" at least two hundred times a day, you are considered a bit dull. On the Continent people use a fork as though a fork were a shovel; in England they turn it upside down and push everything---including peas---on top it.
On a Continental bus approaching a request stop, the conductor rings the bell if he wants his bus to go on without stopping; in England you ring the bell if you want the bus to stop; On the Continent people have good food; in England people have good table.
On the continent almost every nation whether little or great has openly declared at one time or another that it is superior to all other nations; the English fight heroic wars to combat these dangerous ideas without ever mentioning which is really the most superior race in the world. Continental people are sensitive and touchy; The English take everything with a sense of humor---they are only offended if you tell them that they have no sense of humor. On the Continent the population consists of a small percentage of criminals, a small percentage of honest people and the rest are a vague transition between the two; in England you find a small percentage of criminals and the rest are honest people. On the other hand, people on the Continent either tell you the truth or lie; in England they hardly ever lie, but they would not dream of telling you the truth.
Many continentals think life is a game; the English think cricket is a game. | high20384.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "After his wife passed away."
},
"options": [
"When he was 91 years old.",
"After his wife passed away.",
"When he was 98 years old.",
"After he retired from work."
],
"question": "When did Henry begin writing hi... | Captain Henry,a 98"year--old American retired fisherman,has become a first--time author.having written and published his autobiography In a Fisherman's Language after learning to read at the age of 91.
Mr.Henry spent most of his life without even his closest family members knowing he wasilliterate .Forced to quit school in the third grade to take odd jobs,he kept the secret close to his chest,only telling his late wife.Henry's granddaughter,Marlisa,told reporters how he used tricks,like waiting for others to order at restaurants first,to avoid the issue.
A family dispute in his 90s,she said,aroused his desire for education."He signed a document he could not read about where he was going to live, Marlisa said.Starting with his name,he eventually moved on to the ABC's and children's books.He put them down since his wife fell ill.After the tragic loss of his wife,, he went back to reading and began to log his life.He wrote about his family's voyage from Portugal to the US,how he went on to captain a boat,and his many journeys at sea.
His life stories have become so popular that nearly 800 copies were sold in the first two weeks after the book's release.One thousand more have since been printed as requests for the book flood in from as far as Germany.And now even Hollywood producers have approached Mr.Henry about buying the rights to his life story for a big screen adaptation.
The family also now has a book agent and a deal in the works to publish a second edition.Meanwhile,the family says they are reconnecting and closer than ever as a result of Henry's.1ate--life efforts.."Everyone has a story,"Marlisa said."It teaches that when you're down and out. never give up." | high2700.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "one of the members saw the boat"
},
"options": [
"one of the members saw the boat",
"a warning call reached the lighthouse",
"the keeper put on the dress uniform and cap",
"the inspector flew special flags in the distan... | Have your parents ever inspected your room to see if you cleaned it properly? Imagine having your entire houses, garage, and yard inspected at any time -- with no warning. Inspections were a regular part of lighthouse living, and a keeper's reputation depended on results. A few times each year, an inspector arrived to look over the entire light station. The inspections were supposed to be a surprise, but keeper sometimes had advance notice.
Once lighthouses had telephones, keepers would call each other to warn that the inspector was approaching. After boats began flying special flags noting the inspector aboard, the keeper's family made it a game to see who could notice the boat first. As soon as someone spotted the boat, everyone would do last-minute tidying and change into fancy clothes. The keeper then scurried to put on his dress uniform and cap. Children of keepers remember inspectors wearing white gloves to run their fingers over door frames and windowsills looking for dust.
Despite the serious nature of inspections, they resulted in some funny moments. Betty Byrnes remembered when her mother did not have time to wash all the dishes before an inspection. At the time, people did not have dishwashers in their homes. In an effort to clean up quickly, Mrs. Byrnes tossed all the dishes into a big bread pan, covered them with a cloth and stuck them in the oven. If the inspector opened the oven door, it would look like bread was baking. he never did.
One day, Glenn Furst's mother put oil on the kitchen floor just before the inspector entered their house. Like floor wax, the oil made the floors shiny and helped protect the wood. This time, though, she used a little too much oil. When the inspector extended his hand to greet Glenn's mother, he slipped on the freshly oiled surface. "He came across that floor waving his arms like a young bird attempting its first flight," Glenn late wrote. After he steadied himself, he shook Glenn's mother's hand, and the inspection continued as though nothing had happened. | high10247.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to film a scene on the sea"
},
"options": [
"to film a scene on the sea",
"to find an actor and an actress",
"to watch a beautiful sunset",
"to meet the audience"
],
"question": "One evening, the director sent h... | The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever. He sent his camera crew out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men, "Have you provided me with that sunset?"
"No, sir," the men answered.
The director was angry. "Why not?" he asked.
"Well, sir," one of the men answered, "we're on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset."
"But I want a sunset!" the director shouted. "Go to the airport, take the next flight to the west coast, and get one."
But then a young secretary had an idea. "Why don't you photograph a sunrise," she suggested, "and then play it backwards? Then it'll look like a sunset."
"That's a very good idea!" the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, "Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea."
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay. Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director. "Here it is, sir," they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio. "All right," the director explained, "now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the 'sunset' behind them."
The "sunset" began, but after a quarter of a minute, the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.
The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach. | high1209.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Through the cameras of the market."
},
"options": [
"From other shoppers.",
"Through the cameras of the market.",
"From the shop assistants.",
"By talking with Mr.Denner."
],
"question": "How did the market get ... | Dear Mrs.Denner,
Over the past five months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. Our complaints against Mr.Denner are listed below:
July 2:Set all the alarm clocks in house-wares to go off at 5-minute intervals .
July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.
August 4: Took a bag of _ from the candy shelf and handed out to the passing children to eat.
September 14:Moved a "CAUTION--WET FLOOR" sign to a carpeted area.
September 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department.
September 23:When a clerk asked if they could help him ,he began crying and screamed,"Why can't you people just leave me alone?"
October 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
November 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
December 3:Darted around the store while loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
December 6:In the auto department, he practiced his "Madonna look" by using different sizes of funnels.
December 18:Hid in a clothing rack and when people looked through, yelled "PICK ME!PICK ME!"
December 21:When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a fatal position and screamed "OH NO!IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!"
December 23:Went into a fitting room , shut the door, waited a while, and then yelled very loudly,"Hey! There's no toilet paper in here!"
Our video surveillance cameras recorded all these. Never once did our reminding and warning work and therefore we are forced to ban him from the store.
Regards,
Wal-Mart | high14021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "is not only an additional afternoon meal but helps bring people together"
},
"options": [
"leads to the wide planting and large production of tea in England",
"helps bring King Charles II and his wife together in their childhood",
... | When tea was first brought to England between 1652 and 1654, it was so expensive that only the rich could buy it. It was said that an old couple had some sent to them as a great treat. But they did not know how it ought to be used. Eventually they boiled the leaves, put some of them on a piece of bacon for dinner, ate the leaves, and threw the tea soup away. However, tea quickly proved popular enough to replace ale as the national drink of England after King Charles II and his Portuguese wife began to follow this foreign tea tradition.
Before the introduction of tea into Britain, the English had two main meals -- breakfast and dinner. Breakfast was ale, bread and beef. Dinner was a long, massive meal at the end of the day. It was no wonder that Anna, the Duchess of Bedford (1788 -- 1861) experienced a _ in the late afternoon. So she invited friends to join her for an additional afternoon meal at five o'clock in her castle. The menu centered around small cakes, bread and butter sandwiches, and, of course, tea. This summer practice proved so popular that the Duchess continued it when she returned to London, sending cards to her friends asking them to join her for "tea and a walking the fields".
The practice of inviting friends to come for tea in the afternoon was quickly picked up by other social hostesses. A common pattern of service soon came into practice. The first pot of tea was made in the kitchen and carried to the lady of the house who waited with her invited guests, surrounded by fine porcelain from China. The first pot was warmed by the hostess from a second pot (usually silver) that was kept heated over a small flame. Food and tea was then passed among the guests, the main purpose of the visiting being conversation. | high9655.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Leadership has the obligation to speak up what you think is right or wrong."
},
"options": [
"The Jews have taken land of the Muslines by strong power of their leadership.",
"America should give part of its land to Israel though it... | Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad has been retired. But he didn't go quietly. In his final speech, he blamed the Jewish people for the problems between Israel and the Palestinians.
"The Jews have taken land of the Muslims," he said. "What if part of America was given to the Jews as Israel? Would the Americans let it happen? Of course not."
His words angered many western governments, but Mahathir doesn't care. "I like to speak my mind," the 77-year-old explained. "Sometimes people don't like it. But that is what leadership is all about."
Loved by some and disliked by others, his 22 years in power have seen great changes in Malaysia. He has taken it from being one of Asia's poorest countries to the world's 18th largest trading nation. It is also a peaceful country with native Malaysians living alongside minority groups. Chinese make up a quarter of the population, while a further 7.4 percent are of Indian origin. Teenage girls wearingMuslim1headscarves happily walk around large stores as ethnic Chinese playmah-jong2in nearby cafes.
But Mahathir has made enemies at home and abroad and some people will be glad he has gone. The US was unhappy when he often blamed it for globalization. Meanwhile, critics say that he has limited the freedom of the Malaysian people in order to stay in control of the country. Despite this, he is a hero to leaders in Southeast Asia as well as those in theIslamic3world. "He marked out the path to success for developing nations in the region to follow," said Thai President Thaksin Shinawatra.
Now he just wants to enjoy his retirement and insists that he will not take on a special role in government. "I'm a nobody," he said. But many Malaysians do not agree with this.
Notes:
1 Muslim adj.
2 mah-jong n.
3 Islamic adj.
Choose the best answers according to the above: | high7678.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the American teenagers."
},
"options": [
"the Chinese teenagers",
"the American teenagers.",
"the Korean teenagers",
"the Japanese teenagers"
],
"question": "According to the survey, _ cared little about thei... | How often do you change your hairstyle or ask for new dresses? You may try to follow trends in Western countries,but your peers in the United States don't care as much about fashion as you do.
A recent survey among high school students in China,Japan,South Korea and the US found that Asian teenagers care more about their looks than young people in the US.
This survey was held in 156 high schools in the four countries. More than 7,000 teenagers were questioned about their view on life and the world.
South Koreans, at 83 percent, cared most about their appearance. They were followed by the Chinese and Japanese while US students showed the least interest in fashion at only 33 percent.
"The different results show differences of cultural background," said Sun Yunxiao from the China Youth and Children Research Centre.
He explained that in the US there are many different _ of beauty, so teens are more likely to be confident about their appearance.
US teenagers' high self-confidence is showed in survey. About 85 percent are happy with themselves. The percentage of self-confident Chinese students stands at only 30 percent.
Strong ambition( ) is seen in Chinese high schools. Only two in five high school students are satisfied with "an average living". Koreans are next at 48 percent,Japanese come in at 66 percent and Americans are at 71.
"According to the survey,Chinese students are happy. But Chinese students need to be more independent and learn how to relax."said Sun. | high945.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Boring."
},
"options": [
"Exciting.",
"Boring.",
"Important.",
"Easy"
],
"question": "How did the author probably find the milking work?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | I grew up in Lakeland, Los Angeles.We all lived on my parents' farm.When I was 12,1 got a part-time job on a dairy farm, helping to milk cows.We milked 65 cows at 5 o'clock in the morning and again at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, seven days a week.
One day before daylight, I complained to my father about having to go to milk those cows.My father said, "You know, boy, to work is a blessing."
Going to college was a rare privilege for a kid from Lakeland.My father told me if I picked something to study that I liked, I would always look forward to my work.But he also added, "Even having a job you hate is better than not having a job at all." I wanted to be a farmer, but I joined the army to help pay for college.
In the late 1980s, during a visit to Bangladesh, I saw a woman with a baby on her back, breaking bricks with a hammer.I asked a Bangladesh officer why they weren't using a machine, which would have been a lot easier.He told me a machine would put that lady out of work.Breaking those bricks meant she would earn enough money to feed herself and her baby that day.Although that woman's job was bad, it was enough to keep a small family alive.It reminded me of my father's words: to work is a blessing.
I don't think I'll ever quit working.I'm retired from the army, but I'm still working to help people.I'm not going to stop.I believe in my father's words.I believe in the blessing of work. | high22593.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Those who are not familiar with their future college."
},
"options": [
"Those who are less prepared for their examination",
"Those who want to improve their social lives",
"Those who are not familiar with their future college... | International Students' Orientation Programme
What is it?
It is a course which will introduce you to the College and to Bingham. It takes place in the week before term starts, from 24th-28thSeptember, but you should plan to arrive in Bingham on the 22ndor 23rdSeptember.
Why do we think it is important?
We want you to have the best possible start to your studies and you need to find out about all the opportunities that college life offers. It will enable you to get to know the college, its facilities and services. You will also have a chance to meet staff and students.
How much will it cost?
* International students (non-European Union students)
For those students who do not come from European Union (EU) countries, and who are not used to European culture and customs, the progamme is very important and you are strongly advised to attend. Because of this, the cost of the programme, without accommodation, is built into your tuition fees.
* EU students
EU students are welcome to take part in this programme without accommodation for PS195.
Accommodation costs (international and EU students)
The cost of accommodation for one week is PS165
If you have booked accommodation for the year ahead (41 weeks) through the college, you do not have to pay extra for accommodation. You can ask us to pre-book accommodation for you one week only in a hotel with other International students.
What is included during the programme?
Meals: lunch and an evening meal are provided as part of the programme. Please note that breakfast is not available.
Information: including such topics as accommodation, health, religious matters, study skills, and other necessary information.
Social activities: including a welcome party and a half day trip round Bingham. | high12450.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The earthquake in Chile moved cities."
},
"options": [
"The earthquake in Chile was dangerous.",
"Earthquake often happen in Chile",
"The earthquake in Chile moved cities.",
"The earthquake in Chile had been predicted."... | The massive magnitude 8.8 earthquake that struck the west coast of Chile moved the entire city of Concepcion at least 10 feet to the west, and moved other parts of South America as far apart as the Falkland Islands and Fortaleza, Brazil.
These measurements, produced from data gathered by researchers from four universities and several agencies, paint a much clearer picture of the power behind this earthquake, believed to be the fifth-most-powerful since instruments have been available to measure earthquake.
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina moved about 1 inch to the west. And Chile's capital, Santiago, moved about 11 inches to the west-southwest. The cities of Valparaiso and Mendoza, Argentina, northeast of Concepcion, also moved.
The quake's epicenter was in a region of South America that's part of the so-called "ring of fire," an area of major seismic stresses which encircles(,) the Pacific Ocean. All along this line, the plates on which the continents move press against each other.
Mike Bevis, professor of earth sciences at Ohio State, has led a project since 1993 that has been measuring crustal movement in the Central and Southern Andes. The effort is called the Central and Southern Andes GPS Project, or CAP.
Ben Brooks, an associate researcher with the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii, said that the event, offers a unique opportunity to better understand the seismic processes that control earthquakes.
"We now have modern, precise instruments to evaluate this event, and because the site borders a continent, we will be able to get evidences of the changes it caused." said Brooks. | high23855.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he succeeded in using Xrays to find out the crystal structure"
},
"options": [
"he succeeded in using Xrays to find out the crystal structure",
"he was the first to use Xrays to help to do his experiment",
"he determined to l... | William Henry Bragg was born at Westward,Cumberland,on July 2,1862.He was educated at Market Harboroagh Grammar School and afterwards at King William's College,Isle of Man.Elected as a minor scholar of Trinity College,Cambridge,in 1881,he studied mathematics under the wellknown teacher,Dr E.J.Routh.He studied physics in the Cavendish Laboratory during a part of 1885,and at the end of that year he was elected to the Professorship of Mathematics and Physics in the University of Adelaide,South Australia.
His research interests dealt with a great many fields and he was skilled at picking up a subject,almost casually,making an important contribution,and then dropping it again.However,the work of Bragg and his son Lawrence in 1913~1914 founded a new branch of science of the greatest importance and significance,the analysis of the crystal structure by means of Xrays.It is true that the use of Xrays as an instrument for the systematic revelation of the way in which crystals are built was entirely due to the Braggs.This was recognized by the award of the Nobel Prize jointly to father and son in 1915.
He was an honorary Doctor of some sixteen universities,and a member of the leading foreign societies.Many other medals and awards were bestowed upon him among which may be mentioned the Rumford Medal in 1916 and the Copley Medal (its premier award) in 1930.
He was the author of many books,including Studies in Radioactivity,XRays and Crystal Structure,The World of Sound,Concerning the Nature of Things,Old Trades and New Knowledge,An Introduction to Crystal Analysis,and The Universe of Light.His favorite hobby was golf.After a life of astonishing productiveness,Sir William Bragg died on March 10,1942. | high6200.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to accompany Lesa"
},
"options": [
"to operate on Lesa",
"to treat her disease",
"to accompany Lesa",
"to look after Lemon-Aide"
],
"question": "The author went to the hospital with her friend _ .",
"ques... | When my friend Lesa was diagnosed with cancer, another friend and I went to the hospital to spend some time with her. We bought her a small toy and named him Lemon-Aide. We gave Lemon-Aide to Lesa and told her he was to go with her to all of her treatments to remind her that we were thinking of her and caring about her even though we could not always be with her. When the treatments were completed, she said when someone else needed him she would pass him along.
A few months later,much to my surprise, it was me that she passed him to. Lemon-Aide went with me to all of my treatments.
One day while waiting for my doctor I decided we could market the idea to fight cancer. Lesa thought it was a great idea so we founded the organization that came to be known as Lemon-Aide' s Friends, Inc. We designed our organization to remind people fighting cancer that there are people who love and care about them all the time. Today we have totally 5013 volunteers. The money raised is donated to cancer patients who do not have insurance. The physicians on our Board of Advisors determine how and where our money is donated.
Lemon-Aide is for men, women, and children of all ages and to date has been sent to 34 states and 33 countries to provide smiling support for people fighting cancer. When life gave us lemons we made Lemon-Aide, a soft smiling toy that represents love, support, and encouragement. | high14747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "not everyone in American looked down on Mexicans"
},
"options": [
"he could succeed easily if he tried his best",
"the waiters in America were all very friendly",
"not everyone in American looked down on Mexicans",
"he ... | One day, our teacher talked about the stereotypes of different people. I learned the stereotypes of Mexicans: they are poor and lazy. I was ashamed of who I was because I am a Mexican and thought that it would be hard for me to be successful.
One day in the eleventh grade, we had a discussion in history class. The kid next to me said, "You look like one of those Mexicans who sell food in the street." I told him that he was also a Mexican. He said, "I don't look as Mexican as you. I have light skin." That was the first time that I'd heard someone say, "I don't look as Mexican as you." Could it be that the people who succeed in this country are those who look like an American?
Towards the end of the eleventh grade, I was asked to write a restaurant review. When I went to a restaurant, I saw the waiter talking to the chefs and thought they were judging me. I felt nervous but I couldn't leave because I had to write the review. Minutes later, the waiter stopped talking and took my order. He was happy to serve me. I started asking him questions about his restaurant and I guessed that he liked that because he gave me a free dish. After I left the restaurant, I thought, "That's wasn't bad at all." Not all people think of me as a failure.
Now, I am running for the school president in my senior year. I am not sure if I can win, but I tell myself that if I want to be successful, I have to stop despising myself. I want to prove that Latinos can be successful. I do belong to the United States. An American is a person who overcomes struggles to become successful and that is what I'm doing. | high9133.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He hated himself for acting as if he were working on vacation."
},
"options": [
"He was determined to enjoy the beautiful view.",
"His iPad ruined his plan of finishing a great novel.",
"He hated himself for acting as if he w... | C Last year my summer holiday was spoiled by my bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad.Instead of looking at nature, I checked my e-mail.Instead of paddling a small boat, I followed my Twitter feed .Instead of reading great novels, I stuck to reading four newspapers each morning.I was behaving as if I were still in the office.My body was on vacation, but my head wasn't.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different: withdrawal from the Internet.I knew it wouldn't be easy, since I'm bad at self-control.But I was determined.I started by giving the iPad to my wife.
The cellphone signal at our house was worse than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration .I was trapped, forced to go through with my plan.Largely breaking away from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had few ways to connect to the world except for the radio--and how much radio can one listen to, really? I had to do what I had planned to do all along: read books.
This experience has had a happy ending.With determination and the strong support of my wife, I won in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was I, not the iPad, that was the problem.I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi."I don't need it," I said.
However, as we return to post-vacation life, a harder test begins: Can I continue when I'm back at work?
There are times when the need to know what's being said right now is great.I have no intention of giving up my convenience completely.But I hope to resist the temptation to check my e-mail every five minutes, which leads to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.
I think a vacation is supposed to help you rest your brain to become more productive.Here I hope this one worked. | high13028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It offers colouring-in activities to children."
},
"options": [
"It has an indoor playground for children.",
"It offers colouring-in activities to children.",
"It is famous for homemade sausage rolls.",
"It is located i... | Eating Out with Kids
When you go out to dine with kids, you need to know the places where kids are not only welcomed, but really catered for. Now we've listed some of the best family-friendly restaurants and cafes. MUMU Grill
It offers the perfect family dinner. The children can eat and then play in the park opposite the restaurant while the parents keep a watchful eye. It serves various steaks, and the most popular one is the beefsteak with onion rings. Children will be kept amused by the kids'menus, which feature colouring-in activities. Children are able to colour in a picture of a cow with crayons . Operating Hours: Monday to Friday: 4 pm to 6 pm Saturday to Sunday: 3 am to 7 pm Tel: 9460 6877FlyingFoxCafe
It is located in one park in Mona Vale. Near the cafe is a fantastic fenced children's playground, famous for playground facilities including a bike track, walking tracks and a dog walking beach. Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday: 9 am to 4 pm The weather can sometimes influence closing times, so if you are unsure, please call on 9986 0980. Billy Lids
It is a unique environment where your child can play safely while you relax in the central cafe area. The indoor playground includes facilities for children up to 11 years old such as a big climbing structure, slides and a jumping castle. There are plenty of food options for the kids, including homemade sausage rolls. Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday: 9 am to 5 pm Friday to Saturday: 9 am to 6 pm Tel: 9916 0350TheGladesvilleBistro
Welcome to our revolutionary kid friendly family bistro --where your kids are welcome to play, draw, slip and slide. Our menu includes sandwiches and chips. Your children will receive a free cup of popcorn with every kid's meal purchased. Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday: 11 am to 7 pm Tel: 9816 4052 | high21924.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "must book in advance"
},
"options": [
"have to pay for the services",
"should be an A-Level student",
"need to visit the school web",
"must book in advance"
],
"question": "If you want to join in the school acti... | School Activities
Our school activities are suitable for all ages and levels including primary, secondary and A-Level. We offer workshops, hands-on activities and a teacher support service to help you get the most out of your visit. All school services are free, but must be booked in advance.[:Z,xx,k.Com]
Darwin Centre
Find out who you really are and where you come from in our interactive films about evolution, described by Sir David Attenborough.
Hands-on Activities
Get up close and personal with Museum in these hands-on activities, where you can handle real specimens from our collections. Hundreds of real, natural history specimens for students to touch and explore are in our hands-on science centre.
Self-led Activities
Pupils can engage with specimens through role-play in a self-guided explorer challenge through the Museum.
The Great Debate School Program
Students are introduced to the history of the debate during a lively tour. They are then divided into groups and use exhibits to prepare presentations representing the views of the debated key characters.
Booking
All school activities must be booked in advance by calling the schools booking line: 4420 7942 6666. | high10521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "sugar might not be the only cause of pancreatic cancer."
},
"options": [
"the healthcare in Singapore should be greatly improved",
"2 soft drinks a day are considered harmful to health",
"87 out of 140 volunteers developed pa... | WASHINGTON(Reuters)-People who drink two or more sweetened soft drinks a week have a much higher risk of pancreatic cancer , an unusual but deadly cancer, researchers reported on Monday.
People who drank mostly fruit juice instead of sodas did not have the same risk, the study of 60,000 people in Singapore found.
"Sugar may be to blame but people who drink sweetened sodas regularly often have other poor health habits," said Mark Pereira of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.
"The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth," President said in a statement.
Writing in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Pereira and his colleagues said they followed 60,524 men and women in the Singapore--Chinese Health Study for 14 years.
Over that time, 140 of the volunteers developed pancreatic cancer. Those who drank two or more sweetened soft drinks a week had an 87 percent higher risk of being among those who got pancreatic cancer.
Pereira said he believed the findings would apply elsewhere.
"Singapore is a wealthy country with excellent healthcare. Favorite pastimes are eating and shopping, so the findings should apply to other western countries." he said.
But Susan Mayne of the Yale Cancer Center at Yale University in Connecticut was cautious.
"Although this study found a risk, the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases and it remains unclear whether it was a causal connection or not." Said Mayne, who serves on thee board of the journal, which is published by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest form of cancer, with 230,000 cases globally. In the United States, 37,680 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in a year and 34, 290 die of it. | high4417.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is a special campus culture in Utah Valley University."
},
"options": [
"It is a special campus culture in Utah Valley University.",
"It is used to encourage the campus culture.",
"It is painted on a staircase leading to e... | There's a "culture of walking and texting" on the Utah Valley University campus, according to conversations with students, but that's not the main reason Matt Bambrough, the creative director at UVU, came up with an idea to paint a "texting lane" on a staircase leading up to the Wellness Center.
According to Bambrough, it's first and foremost a design project--the texting lane was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the college-wide epidemic of kids walking around with their faces buried in their iPhones.
"You have 18-24-year-olds walking down the hall with smart phones. You're almost bound to run into someone somewhere; it's something we're dealing with in this day and age," Bambrough said. "But preventing collisions isn't the reason we did it--we did it to arouse the students' attention. It's meant to be there for people to look at and enjoy."
Still, when talking to Utah Valley students, it sounds like texting and walking can be quite the annoyance.
Robbie Poffenberger, an assistant news editor at the UVU Review, said that most collisions he witnesses aren't human-on-human; rather, it's generally human-on-inanimate-object. "They walk into barriers--chairs on the side of the hallway, or railings," Poffenberger said, "I'm sure they're fairly embarrassed." | high19263.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The writer was quick to notice the strange condition of his father."
},
"options": [
"The writer accompanied his father to a medical examination.",
"The writer's father got worse after the removal of the brain tumor.",
"The w... | One Sunday, my family had gathered at my parents' house to feast upon Mom's wonderful cooking. During the normal dinner chatter , I noticed that my father was slurring his words. No one mentioned this during dinner, but I felt compelled to discuss it with my mother afterward.
We decided that there was something seriously wrong and that Dad needed to see the doctor.
Mom phoned me two days later. "The doctor found a brain tumor . It's too large at this point to operate. Maybe they can do something then, but _ ."
Even with the treatment, my father's condition worsened, and the doctor finally informed us that this condition was terminal . During one of his stays in the hospital, we brought our baby daughter Chelsey with us when we visited him. By this time he had great difficulty speaking. I finally figured out that he wanted Chelsey to sit on his stomach so he could make faces at her.
Watching the two of them together, I realized I was living an experience that would stay with me forever. Though grateful for the times they could share, I couldn't shake the feeling of a clock ticking in the background.
On the visit to my parents' home during what we all know was my father's last days, my mother took Chelsey from my arms and announced, "Your father would like to see you alone for a minute."
I entered the bedroom where my father lay on a rented hospital bed. He appeared even weaker than the day before.
"How are you feeling, Dad?" I asked. "Can I do anything for you?"
He tried to speak, but he couldn't make out a word.
"I'm sorry, but I can't understand you," I said.
With great difficulty he said, "I love you."
We don't learn courage from heroes on the evening news. We learn true courage from watching ordinary people rise above hopeless situations. In many ways my father was a strict, uncommunicative man. He found it difficult to show emotion. The bravest thing I ever saw him do was overcome that barrier to open his heart to his son and family at the end of his life. | high3378.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Beijing University`s Reform Causes a Debate"
},
"options": [
"Beijing University Will Enroll More Students",
"Beijing University`s Reform Causes a Debate",
"People Are Against Beijing University`s Reform",
"The Governme... | Perhaps you do not know your school principal well . But you might be wise to take him or her seriously . Beijing University will enroll students recommended by high school principals this year . If the students recommended pass the interviews by Beijing University , they will have 30 extra points added to their national college entrance exam scores if they want to apply to the university.
Beijing University said the reason was a desire to give students with comprehensive or special abilities a chance to stand out .
However , a survey showed 10,046 out of 14,227 people are against the measure . Some experts agree to the criticism . Liu Daoyu , former president of Wuhan University is one strong opponent . " There are so many high schools in China . But only 39 schools are allowed to recommend students ."
Is it fair to the rest of the schools in China ? Besides , most of the 39 schools are in big cities , which is more unfair to other regions ."
The reform is also unfair to other students , some day . According to Liu , in the competitive exam , one extra point can put a student ahead of a large number of others------never mind 30 .
" Principals do not know students well . How can they guarantee the recommendation will be fair ?" asked Wang Xuming , an education expert .
The Ministry of Education said the move is a good experiment in college admission reforms and the public should support it even if it is not yet mature . It said Beijing University promised a series of supervision measures to avoid cheating . For example , the information of schools and principals that recommend students , and the recommended students will be put online for a week for public supervision . | high21930.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "controlled"
},
"options": [
"supported",
"banned",
"controlled",
"cancelled"
],
"question": "According to the author, bicycling should be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Our society reports many negative messages about bicycling in traffic. Bicycling in traffic is considered by many to be reckless and sometimes rude. The most common advice given to cyclists is to avoid busy roads that provide convenient access to important places, which means they should only go to unpopular destinations on undesirable and inconvenient roads. Another popular idea is that cyclists should stay as close to the edge of the road as possible in order to stay out of the way of cars. Getting in the way of cars is considered to be an invitation to death, because car drivers are often expected to run into anything that is slower or more vulnerable. Going together with motor traffic used to be regarded as a nice idea for cyclists, but today it is thought to be suicide. Roads are believed to be designed for cars and not for bicycles. Inferior bicycles may hold that they have the right to use the road, but they had better stay out of the way of superior users or they will be "dead right".
As a result of these "common-sense" beliefs, bike safety programs developed by motoring organizations and "pedestrian-style" cyclists during the 20th century attempted to teach cyclists to provide a clear path to motorists at all times by hugging the edge of the road, riding on sidewalks so cyclists can see when to get out of the way. Some towns tried to prohibit bicyclists from operating on important roads or roads without shoulders. Engineering projects designed for bicycle safety have involved construction of side paths to get cyclists off roads and bike lanes to keep cyclists out of the way of motorists. The benefit of these efforts is to protect cyclists from collisions from behind, which are widely believed to be the greatest danger to cyclists and caused by cyclists' failure to keep up with the desired speed of motor traffic. This is the taboo that harms the bicycle transportation policy: that bicyclists must be kept out of the paths of motorists or they will surely be killed. | high10535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce a new kind of cellphone."
},
"options": [
"predict people's lifestyle in future.",
"predict another way to show love on Valentine's Day.",
"introduce a new kind of cellphone.",
"share one's view of communicati... | Say you forgot about Valentine's Day, and it's too late to send someone some roses. Someday, you'll at least be able to send their odors .
A Paris lab under the direction of David Edwards, Michigan Technological University alumnus, has created the oPhone, which will allow odors to be sent, by Bluetooth and smart phone attachments, to oPhones across the state, country or ocean, where the person who receive it can enjoy American Beauties or any other kinds of rose. It can be sent by email, tweet, or text.
Edwards says the idea started with student designers in his class at Harvard, where he is a professor. Normally, he says, there's a clear end in sight, but with their project no one had a clue who was going to pay for the research or if there was even a market. With the early major buzz produced -- Wired Magazine, National Public Radio, and the British press -- Edwards is sure the market will come.
"We create odor profiles ," says Blake Armstrong, director of business communications at Vapor Communications, an organization operating out of Le Lab in Paris. "We put that into the oChip that gives away that smell."
Edwards said that the original four chips that will come with the first oPhones can be combined into thousands of different odors -- produced for 20 to 30 seconds.
In fact, Le Lab is working with Cafe Coutume, the premier coffee shop in Paris, using oPhones to create nice experiences.
"Imagine you are online and want to know what a particular brand of coffee would smell like," Edwards says. "Or, you are in an actual long line waiting to order. You just tap on the oPhone and get the experience."
And there are other benefits. "Fragrance houses, of course, culinary, travel, but also healthcare. "A patient with brain damage had lost memory, and the oPhone can help bring that memory back.
Improvements are already planned at the end of year--give phone to audience in 2015. "The oPhone will finally be smaller. " according to Armstrong. | high18169.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He has fallen in love with whale watching."
},
"options": [
"He has been crazy ever since.",
"He can't have a normal daily life.",
"He has fallen in love with whale watching.",
"He has organized watching trips every yea... | You never forget your first whale. The impact it makes upon you is huge and life is never quite the same again. My first whale was a 40ft grey, off the coast of California in 1979, and I've been a whale addict ever since. Now I have to go whale watching regularly just to survive normal daily life.
I may be crazy but I am certainly not alone. The world is filled with whale watchers: since its beginnings in the mid-fifties, whale watching has grown dramatically and now more than 13 million people join organized whale watching trips every year.
As a faithful whale watcher, all your holidays center on whales. The only books you read are ones about whales; you wear whale T-shirts, and every time you meet your friends you talk about whales.
So what is it about these larger-than-life animals that makes them so special? Their enormous size is one possible explanation: imagine sitting in a small boat next to a blue whale almost as long as a Boeing 737.The fact that we know so little about them is another possibility: modern technology has taken us to the moon and beyond, yet we are only just beginning to understand these extraordinary forms of intelligent life on our own planet.
Planning and patience are just two essential requirements for successful whale watching. Planning is needed because there are certain whale hot spots--where you have the best chance of seeing them--and because the larger species tend to be on their way from feeding areas to breeding grounds, so rarely do they stay in one place for more than a few months at a time.
Patience is necessary because, even under the best conditions, whales can be tricky to find. However, most commercial whale watching trips have a surprisingly high success rate because they tend to concentrate on well-known whale populations at peak seasons. | high19277.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cheriton; Sangatte"
},
"options": [
"London; Paris",
"Cheriton; Sangatte",
"Lille; Brussels",
"Dover; Kent"
],
"question": "The Channel Tunnel links _ with _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | "Choo,Choo!"Here comes the Chunnel train. Get aboard if you want to learn more about this underground transportation system. This is an unusual form of transportation, because it is a tunnel that trains travel through and not an actual form of transportation.
The Chunnel is actually the English nickname for the Channel Tunnel. In French,it is called le tunnel sous la Manche. It is a rail tunnel beneath the English Channel at the Straits of Dover. It connects Cheriton in Kent, England with Sangatte in northern France. It is the second longest rail tunnel in the world.
Did you know that the British and the French had a race while they were building the Chunnel? The race was to see who could get to the middle of the tunnel first. The British won by a little bit. It took 15,000 workers over seven years to dig the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1994.
The completed Chunnel cost about $21 billion. But it all paid off, because it became very popular, very quick. Millions of people use it. Now it is getting even more popular.
There are three complete tunnels in the Chunnel. The two outside ones are the passenger trains. The small inner one is a guidance train. The guidance train is not used for transportation. Each track is exactly parallel to each other.
There are four different train systems in the Chunnel. The Eurostar is a high speed passenger service that connects London, Paris, Brussels and Lille. The Eurotunnel shuttle is a rail ferry service. These shuttles carry cars and vans. These are railcars that allow drivers to drive their vehicles on and off. There are also two Eurotunnel goods service trains.
Now you know more about the Chunnel. Everybody off,this is the last stop. | high4403.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They try to find an excuse for their faults."
},
"options": [
"They want to get others' pity.",
"It is the best way to let out their anger.",
"They try to find an excuse for their faults.",
"They hope to get a solution ... | There are times when nothing seems to be working in our favor. We may use complaining as a coping mechanism (,) when we are truly unhappy. However, there are many times when we don't try our best and just want things to work our way. We may try to cover our faults by complaining about the unfairness of it all. These are expressive complaints where the complainer just wants to let out his/her anger or frustration, with no real intention of solving the problem. The complainer expects pity and recognition from the listeners although the results often disappoint him/her.
Sometimes, we use complaints as a conversation starter. Conversations that start with a complaint often have a domino effect. It may cause the listener to include his/her complaints in the conversation as well, which makes you think that you are not the only one facing problems. However, your good feeling won't last long as long as you are always focusing on the negative.
When complaining becomes a habit, you complain to anyone that comes around. Negativity that comes from complaining kills creativity and innovation . Habitual complainers are less likely to come up with new ideas, as they are busy finding faults and discourage others from trying new things by making them feel that they won't work. When you spend time with people who constantly complain, you are likely to view things in a negative light. This will make things worse. This can affect the way you perceive your own situation, and even the people around you.
Though expressing your feelings may momentarily improve your state of mind, it could sometimes have a bad effect on the listener's state of mind. A recent study has shown that at social gatherings while people who are unhappy may join you when you play the victim at the beginning, the majority would start avoiding you because of your negativity. | high12322.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Canadian Arts,Culture and Sports"
},
"options": [
"Brief Introduction to Canada",
"Canadian Arts,Culture and Sports",
"Canadian Artists",
"Canadian Arts and Culture Are World Famous"
],
"question": "What would b... | Arts and culture is lived and breathed in every corner of Canada.Due to a racial and immigrant population,the variety and richness of art and sports is very evident.
Since World War II,Canada has produced an impressive amount of writing.From novels to poetry,the selection is wide.Native writers are also becoming better known across Canada in recent years.
Musicians are reaching a higher level of recognition in the world music scene.Everything from country to pop,classical to heavy rock can be found across Canada and across the globe performed by Canadian artists.
The National Film Board,a film crew in Canada,is the primary producer of movies in Canada.However,many Hollywood studios are turning to Canada as a source for locations and as an alternative to the more expensive US.Many wellknown actors,directors,screen writers and movies come from Canada and often scoop awards for their work.
French art was the first to appear in Canada along the St Lawrence in and around Quebec.Since then the volume of art and artists has increased.Canadian photography as well as painting by Canadians is not wellknown outside of Canada but recognition is increasing.
Sport is a major part of today's society in Canada.Hockey is the most popular spectator sport with more participants taking part in curling.American style football and baseball are also very popular and all of these sports are played across Canada. | high6214.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The persons who are living in the cemeteries."
},
"options": [
"The persons who are very famous.",
"The persons who have much money.",
"The persons who have been born.",
"The persons who are living in the cemeteries."
... | "Don't worry if you have problems!" It is easy to say until you are in the midst of a really big one.The only people who don't have troubles are gathered in little neighborhoods.Most communities have at least one.We call them cemeteries.If you're breathing, you have difficulties.It's the way of life.And believe it or not, most of your problems may actually be good for you! Let me explain.
Maybe you have heard the Great Barrier Reef, stretching some 1,800 miles from New Guinea to Australia.Tour guides regularly take visitors to view the reef.
On one tour, a traveler asked the guide an interesting question."I notice that the lagoon side of the reef looks pale and lifeless, while the ocean side is vibrant and colorful," the traveler observed.Why is this?
The guide gave an interesting answer, "The coral around the lagoon side is in still water, with no challenge for its survival.It dies early.The coral on the ocean side is constantly being tested by wind, waves and storms.It has to fight for its survival every day.As it is challenged and tested, it changes and adapts.It grows healthy.It grows strong.And it reproduces."
Then he added, "That's the way it is with every living organism."
That's how it is with people.Challenged and tested, we come alive! Like coral pounded by the sea, we grow.Physical demands can cause us to grow stronger.Mental and emotional stress can produce tough-mindedness and resiliency.Spiritual testing can produce strength of character and faithfulness.So, you have problems? No problem! Just tell yourself, "There I grow again!"
Remember: A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner. | high9127.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "facial expression"
},
"options": [
"voice",
"gestures",
"facial expression",
"words"
],
"question": "To make a good impression on others, you should pay special attention to your _ .",
"question_type": "c... | Four Efficient Ways to Improve Your Speech
1. Use More Facial Expression
One psychologist feels that our facial expression is responsible more than anything else for the impression others have of us. In fact, more than 50 percent of another's impression, he believes, is influenced by the look on your face. Naturally a smile in which the eyes participate is extremely communicative. An unfriendly look often brings the same thing in return. People tend to mirror your expression, so try to show how you feel about a topic or an idea or the audience through your facial expression.
2. Rid Your Inner Fear
It's natural to have some tension or nervousness when you appear before an audience. The way to handle it is to put it to work for you, get into action, as Shakespeare observed, action cures fear. There are only a few known ways to control fear. The first is to admit it, do the thing you fear and it will be the death of fear itself. Another simple aid at the last minute before you begin, is to take a few deep breaths, this will help get the butterflies in formation and also keep your voice under control. In fact, if you're thoroughly prepared, just taking a few deep breaths before you're introduced will give you added confidence and balance. Other known ways to control nervousness and fear are to give yourself an encouraging talk or take some physical exercise.
3. Polish Your Voice
Our voice is the main instrument we possess for communicating with people, we're all sound sensitive. So invest in a tape recorder, practise your speech by speaking it into the microphone then listen to it. You can even have others join in the evaluation of your strong points and your weaknesses or faults as well. Remember that Demosthenes and Winston Churchill both used pebbles in their mouths while practising their speaking. Simply reading out loud can also help you improve your voice and develop a personal style.
4. Strengthen Your Memory
Psychologists tell us that most individuals don't use above ten percent of their natural capacity for memory, that's comparable to trying to run a car on one cylinder . Why do most people use so little of their power of memory? Because they don't practise the fundamentals of remembering. First and most important, it's necessary to have a burning desire to remember, it's difficult to recall anything without wanting to do so. Step number two is concentration. Henry Ward Beecher once observed, one hour of intense concentration can accomplish more than years of dreaming. The next principle is repetition, we learned many things in school by rote by repetition, when you hear a name for the first time repeat it, spell it, write it down, review it, you'll soon know it by heart. | high14753.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the USA"
},
"options": [
"in Britain",
"in the USA",
"in Australia",
"in China"
],
"question": "Where did the disaster most probably happen?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have given $500,000 to help the town of Joplin --a town near the Mississippi River, where Pitt's mother went to school recover from a huge tornado that struck on May 22, 2011.
The couple made the donation through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation on Thursday to help rebuild the town of Joplin after about 30% of the buildings were destroyed by the tornado. Over 150 people were killed.
"The Joplin community faces great challenges ahead," said Brad. "Having spent most of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient.
"The locally based Community Foundation of the Ozarks will be working shoulder to shoulder with these Joplin citizens for long to rebuild their lives. We, too, hope to further help with these rebuilding efforts."
"Last year 42 million people worldwide were hurt by natural disasters," added Angelina. "So often, these disasters seem far away; but now, the need is right here at home for thousands of people. Our hearts go out to the families in Joplin who have lost so much."
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks was founded in 1973 and has since grown to include 43 branch community foundations. The Foundation's task is to improve the quality of life in the Missouri Ozarks area through resource development, community grant making, working together, and public leadership.
"We had a call in the first day or two afterward from an organization representing them," said Brian Fogle, president of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks. "They made several calls afterwards, but we learned that they made a donation. | high789.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It is less expensive."
},
"options": [
"It has fewer functions.",
"It can be used to enjoy music.",
"It is less expensive.",
"It is more attractive."
],
"question": "Why are feature phones popular in Indonesia?"... | Twenty-three-year old Rio Safiyanto sells face masks, or coverings, for about 30 cents each in central Jakarta, Indonesia. He makes enough money to buy a cell phone that permits him to visit websites. He says every average person has a cellphone. He likes having one because he can talk to his family when he is away from home. And, he is especially pleased that he can use it to listen to music. It is known as a feature phone . That is because it is cheaper and cannot perform as many actions as more advanced phones like the Apple iPhone.
These devices make up the majority of cell phones sold around the world. They have proven more successful in places like Indonesia, where some smartphones cost 700 dollars or more. Although many lower-income users are new to smartphones, they are quickly learning to use the technology.
Cell manufacturer Nokia offers a service called Life Tools. For a small monthly payment, the company sends text messages to farmers. The messages tell of weather conditions, crop prices, agricultural news and give other advice.
Local businessman Aldi Haryopratomo has developed a way for small store owners to sell things like prepaid cellphone minutes and life insurance through text messages. Ruma is the company that developed the technology. The company is working on a system that will _ people about jobs in their area.
At a recent digital technology show in Jakarta, banks offered no-interest financing for credit card purchases. Marina Luthfiani manages a mobile shop in the area. She said almost everyone can buy a smartphone because of competitive financing and credit choices. She says Indonesians like to buy the latest devices.
A report last June by Semiocast, a French internet research company, said Jakarta was the world's top tweeting city, ahead of Tokyo and London. | high6572.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world"
},
"options": [
"there is a slogan in every large city all over the world.",
"the rush hour traffic is terrible in large cities of the world",
"one should try to... | "Avoid the rush hour" must be the slogan of large cities all over the world. Wherever you look it's people, people, people. The trains which leave or arrive every few minutes are packed. The streets are so crowded; there is hardly room to move on the pavements. It takes ages for a bus to get to you because the traffic on the roads has almost come to a standstill. Even when a bus does at last arrive, it's so full, it can't take any more passengers. The smallest unexpected event can bring about conditions of complete chaos. The strange thing is not that people stand these conditions, but that they actually choose them in preference to anything else.
Large modern cites are too big to control. People living there are forced by their environment to take a wholly unnatural way of life. They lost touch with the land and rhythm of nature. It is possible to live in such an air-conditioned existence in a large city that you can hardly tell the season. A few flowers in a public park may remind you that it is spring or summer. All the simple, good things of life like sunshine and fresh air are hard to find. Even the distinction between days and nights is lost.
The funny thing about it all is that you pay dearly to live in a city. The demand for accommodation is so great that it is often impossible for ordinary people to buy a house of their own. The cost of living is also very high. Just about everything you buy is likely to be more expensive than it would be in the country. Besides, the crime rate in most cities is very high. If you think about it, they're not really fit to live in at all. Can anyone really doubt that the country is what man was born for and where he truly belongs? | high23699.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "make the poorest children's lives better"
},
"options": [
"make the poorest children's lives better",
"put an end to the problem of children's dropout",
"attract more students to her platform schools",
"set up 20 platfo... | As a school teacher, Inderjit Khurana used to take the train to work. And one day, at the station, she saw dozens of children who spent their days begging from train passengers rather than going to school. She learned that it was not a rare problem and that millions of children in India lived on the streets.
Realizing that these children would never be able to escape poor life and homelessness without education, and that it would be impossible to send these children to school, Inderjit decided to create a model program---taking the school to the most out- of-school children.
Khurana's train platform schools aim to provide a creative school form and give children the basic levels of education. Her last goals reach far beyond the 20 platform schools she and her colleagues have created in India's Bhubaneswar region. She is determined that her program will become a model for changing the lives of the poorest children throughout India and the world.
Khurana founded the Ruchika Social Service Organization(RSSO) in 1985. The teachers gather the children together between the stops of the train for reading, writing, maths and history taught through songs and other teaching tools.
Khurana recently comes to realize that the education of these children is impossible when the most basic needs of their families are not being met. So she also provides food and medicine for their families.
Khurana insists that every child have the right to an education and that if a child cannot come to the school, then the school must come to him or her. | high9641.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Act as passengers as researchers required."
},
"options": [
"Answer questions only using words.",
"Pretend to be airport security agents.",
"Act as passengers as researchers required.",
"Communicate with researchers by ... | For a long time, the traditional method of identifying liars was to watch their body language, including facial expressions.
What if the person appears to be nervous? Is the person unable to look me in the eye? Is he or she look around the room? What about other nervous movements, such as fidgeting or shifting from side to side? Many people--from parents to police officers and airport security personnel--depend on this method. But does a person's body and face reveal the truth? Not according to a new study.
Talking, it seems, is the best way to smoke out a liar. That is what researchers in the United Kingdom found out recently. Their investigation took place at one place where lying can get you into big trouble--an airport.
The researchers asked volunteers to pretend they were real passengers and then lie to airport security agents. Some of the agents used spoke conversation-based methods to question these make-believe passengers. Others depended instead on the person's body language, like lack of eye contact and showing signs of nervousness. The agents talking with the passengers were 20 times more likely to catch the liars. The study found that these conversation-based techniques can help you recognize when a person is lying to you. Like many methods, this conversation method has a name. It is called Controlled Cognitive Engagement or CCE, for short.
The British government partly financed this study. The American Psychological (APA) published the findings. Body language cannot be trusted. Using body language and facial expressions to catch someone in a lie is really hard. And it only works, seemingly, by chance.
Thomas Ormerod is the head of the School of Psychology at the University of Sussex in England. On the APA website, he reported that the "suspicious-signs method"--or using body language--"almost completely fails" in finding lies. | high13982.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "about seven"
},
"options": [
"about seven",
"six",
"nine",
"four"
],
"question": "The writer has had to bear the noise in this area for _ years.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": ... | I moved to this area seven years ago. For years I have had noisy neighbours. Ever since I moved into this flat, I've had to put up with noise during the night. I decided I'd had enough and I've been looking for a new flat since the beginning of the year. I haven't found anything till now. Every week I go to the estate agent's office, but it's the same story. "I might have something by the end of the week" he says, or, "Wait till next week. I think I might have a few flats by then." I've seen a few flats during my search, but I don't like any of them. One flat I saw has been empty for two years. "It's got a busy road on one side and a railway on the other!" I said loudly, "I want peace and quiet." Last week I visited the agent again. "I won't leave till you show me something," I said. "I've got just the flat for you." I went to see it and I was frightened. "But it's next to a cemetery!" I cried. "But you won't have noisy neighbours," my agent said. "It's exactly right for peace and quiet!" | high12444.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": ".nothing"
},
"options": [
"x43.00",
". x36.00",
". x 89",
".nothing"
],
"question": "With a London Pass ,you are expected to spend_when visiting Tower of London and Windsor Castle.",
"question_type": "cloze_... | The London Pass is the final sightseeing package that has been specially tailor-made for visitors to the city. It allows holders to make the most out of their trip ,saving them both time and money .With the London Pass you will get the following :
*Free entry to your choice of over 60 popular attractions, tours, sights and museums
*A useful 160' page Guidebook about the attractions plus helpful tips about the city
*Ability to skip the lines at the selected attractions to save time
*Optional Travel card to cover all of your transport needs
The London Pass Saves You Money
London can be an expensive city , and its tourist attractions are no exception .However, go sightseeing with a London Pass you could make some great savings. Take a look at the normal gate price for some popular London attractions: Tower of London x19.00; Thames River Cruise x19.00; Windsor Castle x17.00; London Bridge Experience x23.00 ; St Paul's Cathedralx15.00. Visiting those five attractions will cost well overx89. With a London Pass , these and many more attractions won't cost you a penny .
The London Pass Saves You Time
London is a popular destination, therefore ,attractions and sights do get very busy . Waiting in line can sometimes take hours from your sightseeing experience--that's why London Pass holders get to skip the queue at key attractions such as Tower of London, Windsor Castle and London Bridge Experience . Also, the map of London and the information about the city's public transportation system available in our Guidebook help plan the perfect sightseeing itinerary to maximize your time in the city.
Practical Information
Adult ticket: From x43.00
Address: Charing Crous Road, London ,WC2H OEP
THL ; 01664 485020 | high23841.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "At school."
},
"options": [
"On the beach.",
"At the hospital.",
"At home.",
"At school."
],
"question": "Where was the writer when she learned her mother was sick?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answ... | I will always remember my mother's last days in this world.
On February 14th, 2008, my class went on a field trip to the beach. I had so much fun. When we returned to school, my teacher told me to go to the headmaster's office. When I got into the office, I saw a police officer. Suddenly, I realized something was wrong. The police officer told me what had happened and we went to pick my sister up. After that, we went to the hospital and waited. Time went slowly. Finally, we got to see our mother. It was terrible.
On the next day, the headmaster came and told my two teachers what had happened. I was taking a test that day. I knew it had something to do with my mother. I kept thinking that she either died or had gotten better. How I wished that she had gotten better. When my teacher took me outside, my sister ran up to me. She started crying, "She's gone, Terresa, mommy's gone. She's dead." I couldn't believe it. We jumped into the car and drove straight to the hospital. Most of my family were there. The silence was terrible. I knew I had to say goodbye.
Today when I look back, I still miss my mother very much, but I know that I will live. My mother was a strong mother, who had the biggest heart. She was an angel walking on the earth. I will always remember her as a living. When someone is asked who their hero is, they usually say someone famous, like Michael Jordan or Britney Spears. When someone asks me who my hero is, I tell them, my mother. My mother lives everyday. That is what makes her a true hero. | high9899.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he didn't want to fight for money or fame"
},
"options": [
"he was afraid of being defeated",
"he hated the managers and promoters",
"he was not short of money",
"he didn't want to fight for money or fame"
],
"q... | Teofilo Stevenson was born in 1952 and grew up in a small town in Cuba.He started boxing as a teenager and, when he was 13, went to Havana to train at the national sports complex."I lost 14 of my first 20 fights," said Stevenson."I hated getting hit.What happened was that I decided I hated losing even more."
When he was just 20, Teofilo went to the Olympic Games in Germany and won a gold medal.He was tall and powerful with a long "reach".His long arms could hit opponents before they could hit him.At the Games in Canada in 1976 he won the gold again.In the ring, boxers were afraid of Teofilo, they tried to stay away from him and not get too close to his powerful punches .He won another gold medal in Moscow in 1980.Only two of the fights he had at the Olympic Games lasted for the full three rounds.That means he either knocked his opponents to the floor and they were counted out or the referee stopped the fight because it was dangerous for the other boxer.
Stevenson was such a good boxer that people wanted him to turn professional.After he had won his first gold medal, managers and famous promoters started to offer him money to fight around the world.Teofilo turned them all down.He wanted to stay in Cuba and didn't want to fight for money or fame.
Lots of people think that Teofilo Stevenson was as good as the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, but the two fighters never fought each other.They did meet outside the ring and the two men are now friends.Teofilo thinks "it would have been a draw" if they had fought.
Teofilo now works for the Cuban Ministry of Sport and he is also the vice president of the Cuban Boxing Federation.He likes spending his time with his family and he is still regarded as a legend around the world. | high16622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Students of the French language."
},
"options": [
"Students of the French language.",
"Language experts doing research into French.",
"Teachers who are eager to improve their students' French.",
"Parents who want their ... | Learn To Speak French With Rocket French!
Who Wants to Learn to Speak French Fluently in the Shortest Possible Time?
If You Answered "I Do!" Then Please Read on to Try My FREE 6-Day French Course
Why do you want to learn to speak French?
Do you live in a French speaking country and want to communicate better?
Are you traveling to a French speaking country?
Are you a home-schooled student or a parent who wants their children to learn more quickly and easily?
Are you a student who wants to get an A in French?
Have you learned French before and want a fun refresher course ?
Or, perhaps you just have an interest in learning the language of love!
I've designed Rocket French Premium to be the easiest to follow, fastest system for learning how to speak French available. Rocket French Premium is an interactive course that makes you want to study. Also, it's practical. You are going to be able to speak at a restaurant, at an airport, and with new friends!
It's a great experience to be able to speak with others in a different language. You will be able to enter into a different culture, a different world! Being bilingual is a very special ability, and it's a gift that we want to give to you.
So are you ready to get to know the secret of learning a new language? You're looking right at it.
Try our free six-day course. If you don't, you'll be missing a valuable opportunity to see just how much Rocket French Premium can improve your language level. Thousands of people worldwide have used our unique multimedia course to _ their French learning, while having piles of fun in the process. Will you be next?
Your e-mail address is required for you to receive the FREE course. You can unsubscribe any time and your e-mail address will never be given to any third party. | high20390.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "By giving data"
},
"options": [
"By giving data",
"By making definition",
"By analyzing causes",
"By making comparisons"
],
"question": "How is Para1& 2 mainly supported when it tells that depression has become ... | This year, the World Mental Health Day on Oct 10 was marked by the theme: "Depression: A Global Crisis". According to the World Federation for Mental Health and the WHO, depression has moved beyond the medical domain to become a social problem. Statistics from the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center show that of the 287,000 people who commit suicide in China every year, 70 percent are victims of depression.
"This equates to one depression victim taking their life every three minutes," cited CCTV recently. According to the Beijing-based Capital Medical University, the number of depression patients has been on the rise in the past years and now accounts for 5 to 10 percent of the population, more than the global average of 5 percent.
Wang Shaoli, vice-president of Beijing Huilongguan Hospital, a medical center specializing in mental health, said that what makes depression so widespread is that everybody can get it.
"No one is immune to depression," said Wang. "It has become a social problem because depression kills one's social capabilities, such as communication, and leads to a negative social mentality."
According to Wang, depression can be treated with medicine and early psychological consultation. The real problem is the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.
"People with mental health illnesses are discriminated against," said Wang. "So they are reluctant to go to hospital and often keep the pain to themselves, which only makes matters worse." Only one in 10 depression victims are properly treated in China, according to the Beijing Suicide Research and Prevention Center.
"When people get depressed, it becomes part of their thoughts, making them negative, even desperate," said Wang. "And the ideas are difficult to change." That's why Wang suggests early intervention.
"Normally it takes about nine months to treat depression," said Wang. "But in most cases, patients drop treatment half way when they feel some progress." | high2714.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Parental involvement is not so beneficial as expected."
},
"options": [
"Modern parents raise children in a more scientific way.",
"Punishing kids for bad marks is mentally damaging.",
"Parental involvement is not so benefici... | Parents who help their children with homework may actually be bringing down their school grades. Other forms of prenatal involvement, including volunteering at school and observing a child's class, also fail to help, according to the most recent study on the topic.
The findings challenge a key principle of modern parenting where schools except them to act as partners in their children's education. Previous generations concentrated on getting children to school on time, fed, dressed and ready to learn.
Kaith Robinson, the author of the study, said, "I really don't know if the public is ready for this but there are some ways parents can be involved in their kids' education that leads to declines in their academic performance. One of the things that was consistently negative was parents' help with homework." Robinson suggested that may be because parents themselves struggle to understand the task." They may either not remember the material their kids are studying now, or in some cases never learnt it themselves, but they're still offering advice."
Robinson assessed parental involvement performance and found one of the most damaging things a parent could do was to punish their children for poor marks. In general, about 20% of parental involvement was positive, about 45% negative and the rest statistically insignificant.
Common sense suggests it was a good thing for parents to get involved because "children with good academic success do have involved parents ", admitted Robinson. But he argued that this did not prove parental involvement was the root cause of that success." A big surprise was that Asian-American parents whose kids are doing so well in school hardly involved. They took a more reasonable approach, conveying to their children how success at school could improve their lives." | high10253.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The baby was infected with HIV from its mother."
},
"options": [
"The baby was cured of its HIV before birth.",
"The baby was infected with HIV after birth.",
"The baby was infected with HIV from its mother.",
"The viru... | WASHINGTON--A baby born with the virus that causes AIDS appears to have been cured, scientists announced Sunday, describing the case of a child from Mississippi who's now 2.5 and has been off medication for about a year with no signs of infection.
There's no evidence that shows that the child will remain healthy, although complex testing uncovered just traces of the virus' genetic material still lingering . If so, it would mark only the world' s second reported cure.
Specialists say Sunday's announcement, at a major AIDS meeting in Atlanta, offers promising clues for efforts to remove HIV infection in children, especially in African countries where too many babies are born with the virus.
"You could call this about as close to a cure," Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, who is familiar with the findings, told The Associated Press.
A doctor gave this baby faster and stronger treatment than usual, starting a three-drug mixture within 30 hours of birth. That was before tests confirmed the infant was infected and not just at risk from a mother whose HIV wasn't diagnosed until she was in labor .
"I just felt like this baby was at higher-than-normal risk, and deserved our best shot," Dr. Hannah Gay, a pediatric HIV specialist at the University of Mississippi, said in an interview.
That fast action apparently knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body. Those so-called reservoirs of dormant cells usually rapidly reinfect anyone who stops medication, said Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center.
Next, Persaud's team is planning a study to try to prove that, with more aggressive treatment of other high-risk babies. "Maybe we'll be able to block this reservoir seeding." Persaud said.
No one should stop anti-AIDS drugs as a result of this case, Fauci warned. | high18380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "deal with life"
},
"options": [
"get high scores in some tests",
"do well in school subjects",
"deal with life",
"know what to do"
],
"question": "According to the passage, intelligence is the ability to _ .",... | When we talk about intelligence, we do not mean the ability to get good scores on certain kinds of tests or even the ability to do well in school subjects. By intelligence we mean a way of living and behaving, especially in a new or upsetting situation. If we want to test intelligence, we need to find out how a person acts instead of how much he knows what to do.
For instance, when in a new situation, an intelligent person thinks about the situation, not about himself or what might happen to him. He tries to find out all he can, and then he acts immediately and tries to do something about it. He probably isn't sure how it will all work out, but at least he tries. And if he cannot make things work out right, he doesn't feel ashamed that he failed; he just tries to learn from his mistakes. An intelligent person, even if he is very young, has a special outlook on life, a special feeling about life, and how he fits into it.
If you look at children, you'll see a great difference in what we call "bright" children and "not bright" children. They are actually two different kinds of people, not just the same kind with different amounts of intelligence. For example, the bright child really wants to find out about life, and he tries to get in touch with everything around him. But the unintelligent child keeps more to himself and his own dream world; he seems to have a walk between him and life in general. | high4832.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "naughty"
},
"options": [
"shy",
"brave",
"naughty",
"poor"
],
"question": "According to the passage, Mark Twain was a _ boy.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | As a boy, Mark Twain caused much trouble for his parents. He used to play practical jokes on all his friends and neighbors. The nature of his jokes often led to violence . He hated to go to school and he constantly ran away from home. He always went in the direction of the nearby Mississippi. He liked to sit on the bank of the river for hours at a time and just gaze at the mysterious island and the passing boats. He learned many things about the river during those days. He learned all about its history and unusual people. He later made them part of the history of America in the book Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain received his genius from his mother. Obviously he didn't get it from his father. He once stated that he had never seen a smile on his father's face. On the other hand, his mother had the ability to say humorous things. The same ability made Mark Twain an extremely humorous public speaker. | high3185.txt |
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