questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Individual state"
},
"options": [
"The Federal government",
"Individual school",
"Individual state",
"Local communities"
],
"question": "What is the educational system in the United States based on ?",
"ques... | Education is required and free for every child in the United States. Most children start school by the age of six. They attend eight years of elementary school and four years of high school (or secondary school ).The money for free public schools comes from taxes, and each state is responsible for its own educational system .State legislatures set the educational requirements but leave the management of the schools in the hands of the local communities .Most states require their children to go to school until a certain age. This age varies from 16 to 18 years according to the laws of the individual state. The Federal government contributes funds to the states for additional schools and schools services.
After graduation from high school, a student can start his higher education in two -year college, a four-year college, a university or a specialized professional school----either public or private. Most colleges admit students on the basis of their high-school records. The cost of a college education is expensive in private universities, but it is much less in those supported by states and cities. Many students receive scholarships from the schools, the government, or private foundations and organizations. More than 50 percent of the college students work to help pay their college expenses.
Only 2 percent of the population of the country cannot read and write. | high12452.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was once a poor man in Hollywood"
},
"options": [
"had poor eyesight but wore no glasses",
"went to Hollywood to direct a play",
"often got his clothes changed",
"was once a poor man in Hollywood"
],
"question":... | James Dean was not very tall-he was less than average height. He had thick, light brown hair and blue eyes. He was so near-sighted that he could hardly see anything without his glasses.
He came to Hollywood when he was eighteen, hoping to get into the movies. At first, he was not successful at all, and for a time he was so short of money that he had to live entirely on dry oatmeal. Then he went to New York. He got a part in a play and was seen by the great director Elia Kazan. Kazan was planning the movie East of Eden and realized Dean would be perfect for one of the main roles.
By this time, Dean already had a reputation for being odd and difficult to work with. He then went back to Hollywood to make East of Eden and then made two more movies, Rebel Withhout a Cause and Giant. He almost always wore the same overcoat and jeans and he had hardly any friends at all. "If he didn't like you, he wouldn't even give you the pleasure of his anger. You could be in the same telephone booth with him, but you wouldn't exist," someone who knew him said later.
In spite of his poor eyesight, he loved driving fast motorcycles and even faster sports cars. A few days after he finished Giant, on September 25, 1955, Dean went for a drive in his new Porsche. It was evening and the light was poor. Dean was not wearing his glasses. Suddenly, he saw a car in front of him. It was slowing down and trying to turn off the highway. Dean tried to slow down too, but it was too late. He hit the car at high speed and was killed immediately.
Two German girls killed themselves when they heard the news because "life would be
unbearable without him." A few years later, a New York salesclerk wrote a book called Jimmy Dean Returns in which she claimed that she was in contact with Dean from the other side of the grave. Half a million copies of the book were sold. It was only the beginning of a strange legend that goes on, even today. | high23857.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "late marriage should be respected"
},
"options": [
"marriage is a duty to society",
"people should get married before 30 years old",
"late marriage should be respected",
"women should get married earlier than men"
]... | In China, if you are not married by the time you are 30, you are _ trouble: social blame and pressure from family and friends can get you down. And if you are a woman, it's even worse.
Many young people get married simply to get other people off their backs . This is a serious compromise. One ends up not marrying the ideal partner.
There are, however, a few young people who refuse to compromise: if they can't find a good marriage partner, they say, they would rather not marry at all.
34-year-old Kate is a university lecturer in English. She said she would not describe herself as celibatarian but simply a woman who hasn't come across the right man yet. She has sharp comments for the way in which the old generation looks at marriage.
"Many people think marriage is a duty---to your parents, family and society. Nobody cares if your marriage is happy or not, she said, I think this is very wrong and I intend to live and act according to my own will."
Happily for her, her parents are open-minded and not lay stress on her. But the same does not apply to her friends. They are constantly trying to get her together with some young man or another. She always refuses politely. | high8549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was very hard for firefighters to control"
},
"options": [
"has been burning for a whole week",
"was started by someone on purpose",
"died out immediately the rain came",
"was very hard for firefighters to control"
... | Storms brought a tornado and 2-mch-thin hail ( ) to Wyoming on Thursday, a day after thunderstorms hit parts of Wyoming and Colorado with golf ball-sized hail and heavy rain.Three homes were heavily damaged by the tornado on Thursday, and 10 to 12 other buildings also had damage.One person was treated at a hospital for a cut on the head.Some power lines were also down to the ground.The tornado touched down briefly near Wheatland, north of Cheyenne, in a populated area, officials said.
Hail, the size of golf balls, was reported in the Wheatland area, and 2-inch-thin hail was reported in Laramie.Forecasters said thunderstorms that can _ tornadoes could develop and flooding was possible.Citizens should be careful.
A fire, which is believed to have been started by lightning on Sunday night, has burned about 3,500 acres about 20 miles northwest of Wheatland.About 120 firefighters, aided by helicopters and air tankers, were on the scene.The rain provided some help for firefighters who fully controlled a 227-acre wildfire in northern Colorado, but the weather in the beginning hurt efforts to control a 6,000-acre blaze in Wyoming's Medicine Bow National Forest.Storms passed close to the Wyoming fire but mostly brought winds that fanned the flames.Rain and hail fell later but didn't make a big difference, said fire spokeswoman Beth Hermanson.
Kyle Fredin, working for the National Weather Service in Denver, said the beginning of June is the peak time for such severe weather in Colorado.Most of the state has been experiencing moderate-to-extreme drought conditions. | high22591.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Attitude is everything"
},
"options": [
"Attitude is everything",
"Actions speak louder than words",
"Everything happens for a reason",
"A good beginning is half done"
],
"question": "The best title for the pass... | I'm a 20-year-old boy, and the following is my story.
A month after I graduated from high school in August,2007,I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident. I was so seriously injured that I was in a _ for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.
I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn't open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around.At that time,it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries. Just like my body,my dreams were completely destroyed. But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.
After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions, I had to make every great effort to learn to talk,eat,walk,shower,and live on my own again.When I was out of hospital,I still had to go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf, Maryland.After I spent a few months in a wheelchair, I took baby steps to walk on my own.It was a miracle that I was able to walk again, but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk, but also run. When it came true, I wanted to get back into the pool again.After having a few lung tests,I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week.After a few months of swim training,I began my freshman year at Mary's College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.
By telling my story, I want to make a positive influence on the world.I am just trying to 1ive every day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them. I remember when I was still in my hospital bed,I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members.I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay. Somehow,things would work out for the best. | high947.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Grades should be taken away at once."
},
"options": [
"Students may give up the chance to learn music and sports for grades.",
"Students' creativity may not be developed for grades.",
"Grades should not be used to measure a p... | The following are letters to the editor of a school newspaper
Dear editor,
I'd like to express my opinion about grades. Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators are becoming aware of the fact that students have different interests and abilities. I understand that grades are useful, but grades often limit creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to pursue music, dramatics and sports. Grades force an arbitrary standard of success on everyone. I do not demand as some extremists do, that grades be removed immediately. However, I do believe that less emphasis should be placed on grades. I hope that someday grades will become optional at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith
Drama Club
Dear editor,
I'd like to say something about grades. Let's face the facts about grades. Grades perform three basic functions. First, grades motivate students to work at their highest level of competence. Second, they act as a reward for hardworking students and as a punishment to students who do not work hard. Finally, grades are used as an effective standard by which to measure student achievement. Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university. I've spoken with a number of students who have jobs, and most of them say that they were hired primarily on the basis of their grades. My grades helped me land a part-time job and will help me get into university next year. I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper
Science Club | high6564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "music and murals"
},
"options": [
"literature and sports",
"music and murals",
"buildings and clothes",
"customs and festivals"
],
"question": "The author shows the multi-culture of the Mission District from the... | Each Sunday, people can hear the music of the Mission Dolores Basilica in San Francisco. The Spanish missionaries built the church in 1791. It was the start of a special kind of neighborhood: the Mission District.
The area is a place with a long and varied history. One community member says that it's important for people to understand the many levels of history in the neighborhood. He feels that _ is a big part of understanding what it means to be a real San Franciscan.
One of the most interesting parts of the district is its people. Over the years, immigrants have come to the area from Ireland, Germany, and Italy. But the most recent immigrants are mainly from Latin America. It's easy to see the style that these recent additions give to the neighborhood. You can see it in the art on the walls, taste it in the food, and hear it in the music!
Juan Pedro Gaffney, the director of the Spanish Choir of San Francisco, says that the people there share the pain and the happiness of their friends and family members and that music has always been a basic part of cultural identity in the district. He feels that the music of the district is colorful and lively.
But it isn't just its music that's colorful and lively. Its art is full of life as well.
The local art community stays close to the area's culture and tradition. A local arts organization often leads people on walks through the district. They visit streets like Balmy Alley, which is famous for its murals . Even though the meanings behind the murals are always changing, they are still very powerful. One artist explains that they are fighting for fairness in the community and to help the environment through murals. Apparently, they're something the community likes.
Many of these artists feel that the district is a successful neighborhood where new immigrants are welcome. "People see that they're not so different from each other," says one artist. "There are a lot of things that bind the immigrants through culture and tradition." | high9657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A theme park about Harry Potter."
},
"options": [
"A new book about Harry Potter.",
"A theme park about Harry Potter.",
"What people will see in the theme park.",
"Something about Harry Potter."
],
"question": "... | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park will open in Florida in 2009,and will provide attractions and rides based on places from the Harry Potter books.
The novels' author JK Rowling has already given her blessing to the project. She said,"The plans I've seen look unbelievably exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed."
Stuart Craig, the man in charge of the design of the park, is an Oscar-winning production designer who worked on the Harry Potter films so it should be faithful to JK Rowling's vision.
Stuart Craig said, "Our primary goal is to make sure this experience is an authentic extension of Harry Potter's world as it is _ in the books and films."
Visitors to the park will be able to explore some of their favourite places from the book such as the village of Hogsmeade, the Forbidden Forest and, of course, Hogwarts Castle, where Harry goes to school.
Although fans can look forward to a holiday in the Harry Potter theme park, many will be saddened by the fact that the best-selling series is now drawing to a close.
The final instalment in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will be published on 21 July, and to mark the event JK Rowling is to read extracts from the book to a select audience at midnight on the day of publication.
Rowling has announced that two characters die in the final book, but has not revealed if Harry is one of them so fans will have to wait to find out the fate of their magical hero. | high14023.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "East London."
},
"options": [
"Central London.",
"East London.",
"West London.",
"Outside London."
],
"question": "Where is the London'S Olympic Park located?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | The London 20120lympics are being praised as a sporting and logistical success,but the influence on economy is far less certain.Some London tourist attractions,businesses and hotels reported that their business actually fell during the Games.But as Olly Barratt reports from London,the overall UK economy is looking for long-term results.
Showing an Olympic-sized party like this cost the UK almost l 5 billion dollars.But while spectators went to east London'S Olympic Park,central London has been much quieter than. normal. Arthur lRason,a central London stallholder,said,"Am I taking less? Yeah,I'm taking less.There'S no question about it."
Restaurants were among businesses that reported lower takings than normal at this time of year.And one tourism trade association says a survey of its members found the Games had had a negative influence all over the UK.But during the recent recession ,British officials still insist the Games were worth it.Boris Johnson,Mayor of London said,"I think it'S been an amazing display of what you can do if you plan and you work for years and years on a project.
And I think it's a great advertisement for British engineering and British industry." The government hopes the Games will be a great help to the British brand worldwide,and they are also an opportunity to sweet-talk potential investors from all over the world.And a fall in takings for some attractions should not have come as a surprise. | high2702.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Deciding on a proper sleep position"
},
"options": [
"Deciding on a proper sleep position",
"Choosing a comfortable sleeping bag",
"Seeking a way to fall asleep quickly",
"Finding a right time to go to sleep."
],
... | The oddness of life in space never quite goes away. Here are some examples.
First consider something as simple as sleep. Its position presents its own challenges. The main question is whether you want your arms inside or outside the sleeping bag. If you leave your arms out, they float free in zero gravity, often giving a sleeping astronaut the look of a funny balled dancer. "I'm an inside guy," Mike Hopkins says, who returned from a six-month tour on the International Space Station. "I like to be wrapped up."
On the station, the ordinary becomes strange. The exercise bike for the American astronauts has no handlebars. It also has no seat. With no gravity, it's just as easy to pedal violently. You can watch a movie while you pedal by floating a microcomputer anywhere you want. But station residents have to be careful about staying in one place too long. Without gravity to help circulate air, the carbon dioxide you exhale has a tendency to form an invisible cloud around you head. You can end up with what astronauts call a carbon-dioxide headache.
Leroy Chiao, 54, an American retired astronaut after four flights, describes what happens even before you float out of your seat,"Your inner ear thinks your're falling . Meanwhile your eyes are telling you you're standing straight. That can be annoying--that's why some people feel sick." Within a couple days --truly terrible days for some --astronauts' brains learn to ignore the panicky signals from the inner ear, and space sickness disappears.
Space travel can be so delightful but at the same time invisibly dangerous. For instance, astronauts lose bone mass. That's why exercise is considered so vital that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) puts it right on the workday schedule. The focus on fitness is as much about science and the future as it is about keeping any individual astronauts return home, and, more importantly, how to maintain strength and fitness for the two and a half years or more that it would take to make a round-trip to Mars. | high10245.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "work together to try to create jobs"
},
"options": [
"work together to reduce debt.",
"work together to try to create jobs",
"discuss why the economy is bad.",
"discuss why they don't work together."
],
"questio... | US President Barack Obama is asking Democrats and Republicans in Congress to work together on efforts to create jobs. The president hosted a meeting with top lawmakers from both parties at the White House on Tuesday.
President Obama says Republicans and Democrats can work together to improve the economy, even though they disagree on many issues. "And although the parties are not going to agree on every single item, there should be some areas where we can agree." He said.
With the US unemployment rate at 9.7 percent, President Obama hopes Congress will agree to incentives for small business to add workers.
"A good place to start, and what I hope to spend a lot of time on these discussions today is how we can move forward on the job issue." President Obama said.
Mr. Obama also said he hoped for an agreement on ways to reduce the US debt and budget deficit, which are at record highs. He met with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top House Republican, House Minority Leader John Boehner, as well as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers. The president said he looked forward to having more such meetings in the future.
"My hope is that this is not going to be a rare situation," he said. "And I'm very thankful that everybody here has taken the time to come. I'm confident that if we keep in mind what's best for the American people, we should be able to achieve a lot."
Mr. Obama's approval ratings average just below 50 percent in recent polls, down sharply from this time last year. Approval ratings for Congress are much lower, averaging just over 22 percent. | high20386.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To raise awareness of the need for global education."
},
"options": [
"To raise awareness of the need for global education.",
"To show the achievements which have been made in the past few years.",
"To raise funds for global ... | Each year,millions of children around the world are unable to go to school.To draw attention to this widespread problem,the United Nations (UN) is putting education first.Recently,the UN screened a documentary film called Back to School.The film is the second in a series of documentaries for the project Time for School.
These films follow seven children from seven different countries.This 12year project began in 2003,when the children first started school."This is something we could do to help the education crisis in the world,"said producer and writer Judy Katz."Documentary filmmakers can get deeply involved in a problem and do something about it."
More than 100 million children will never set foot in a school.Sixty percent of those children are girls.Cheryl Faye,head of the UN Girls Education Initiative,spoke about the many factors that prevent girls from getting an education.One problem is the long distance many children must travel to get to school.Also,girls in many cultures are traditionally expected to marry early and work to help their families."We need to make a special effort for girls,"Faye said.
As part of the UN's Millennium goals,the organization wants every single child to get at least an elementary education by 2015.
Students from Lawrence Middle School in New York were deeply moved after they saw the film.The seventhgrade class is raising money to help build a library on the outskirts of Nairobi,Kenya,where Joab--a child in the documentary--lives.The class teacher,Karen Weiner,and the class are known in their school as the "Kenya crew".All the kids were really happy to support Joab and said they felt great about their fundraising efforts.Like the seventhgraders at Lawrence Middle School,kids can work together to make a difference in places like Nairobi.By raising money for education,kids can help children on the other side of the world have a chance of a better,happier life. | high18619.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "know more about Egypt's ancient religions"
},
"options": [
"know the exact number of mummies in Egypt",
"know what the Book of the Dead contains",
"know how mummies were decorated",
"know more about Egypt's ancient reli... | Archaeologists have discovered 45 ancient Egyptian tombs in Lahoun, Egypt. The site is about 70 miles south of Cairo, Egypt's capital. In most of the tombs they found a decorated painted wooden coffin. Each one captains a mummy . In one tomb, 12 coffins from around 1500 B.C. were found piled on top of one another, so the actual number of mummies comes to 57.
The oldest tombs that were discovered date back to around 2750 BC. The discovery will give scientists more information about Egypt's ancient religions.
Egypt's archaeology chief, Zahi Hawass, said many of the mummies were covered in cloth with drawings of ancient Egyptian gods. The cloth is also decorated with texts from the Book of the Dead and scenes featuring ancient Egyptian gods. The book contains instructions and information that ancient Egyptians thought would help dead people deal with difficulties that they would come across in the afterlife.
Abdel Rahman El-Aydi is the head of the archaeological team that made the discovery. He said some of the tombs were decorated with religious texts. The ancient Egyptians believed these texts, like the Book of the Dead, would help the dead person to cross through the underworld.
The recent discovery of the 45 tombs isn't the first in Lahoun. Last year, some 53 stone tombs dating back to various ancient periods were found in the same area. | high21098.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "kids could recognize their own"
},
"options": [
"the eggs looked more beautiful",
"kids could recognize their own",
"one could hide other kids' eggs secretly",
"kids could exchange their eggs"
],
"question": "Di... | In 1968, Easter preparation started on Saturday and Mom color1ed eggs. Mom boiled a few dozen eggs and while they cooled, Dennis, Diane and I gathered supplies. We put some color1 powder in each of six bowls, added boiling water and vinegar, and then mixed them together. Before dipping an egg into one of the pretty color1s, I'd catch a crayon and carefully print "Darlene" on one egg. Dennis and Diane did the same. Then Mum and Dad put the eggs with our names and some presents in separate baskets. When we hunted on Easter morning, we'd be sure to get the right basket.
Being 8-year-old, I am quite familiar with the rule, and I explained to my younger sister, Diane: Firstly, if you find the basket with the others' egg in it, quietly put it back and continue the hunt. Secondly, if the basket with your egg in it isn't found by fifteen minutes before church, you have to continue looking for it after church. That year I was unlucky, I didn't find my basket before church, so I spent one more hour looking for my hunt.
The next Easter was a different story since I was lucky enough to find my basket first. I was jumping up and down, and staring at the big chocolate rabbit in my basket when Mom and Dad told us to get dressed. I proudly left my basket in the sun porch before heading out of the door.
After church, my sisters and brothers ran ahead, but I was pleased to walk between Mom and Dad since I'd already found my basket and huge chocolate rabbit. As I jumped up the porch steps I knew Dennis found his too, since he was laughing his head off.
"Hungry for chocolate soup? " Dennis laughed. "Chocolate soup?" I was surprised. One look at Dennis pointed finger made me realize my beautiful chocolate rabbit was now a chocolate puddle . But I always think of the unforgettable Easters when I was a child. | high19507.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Online games can be helpful to kids."
},
"options": [
"Online games can be harmful to kids.",
"Online games can be helpful to kids.",
"Kids like to play games online.",
"Parents are worried about their kids."
],
... | Online educational learning games is an effective way with endless option for teaching kids of all age groups, and children are also able to operate it without much assistance. Parents find it easier to teach kids through these programs, who become familiar with operating the computer.
Kids have fun learning phonetics, spelling and even a new language. Children are not willing to learn math tables or difficult words at school. They find it fun to sit in front of a computer and learn language and solve mathematical problems. In this age of computers, computers are becoming an important part of the child's daily curriculum with parents opting to teach these children new things each day with the help of online educational games.
Computers are also known to improve the motor skills in children. In addition, the level of these games can be adjusted according to the level and learning ability of the kids. The makers of the games keep the kids' interest in mind while designing them so that their interest is maintained. Another advantage of these games is that you can find free online games and do not have to invest in these expensive products. Other activities that are available on the internet include online coloring games. This is also a constructive way that children can use to pass their leisure time.
Another advantage is that the children can lay in the comfort of their homes. Kids who are fond of playing on the computer can spend their time learning educational material instead on video games that teach violence.
Parents have to keep an eye on their kids and make sure that they do not spend their time on the computer playing games that could be harmful for them. It is essential to direct the kids to educational sites that have beneficial games and are known to help the progress of these children. | high4373.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Aman Singh Gill"
},
"options": [
"Aman Singh Gill",
"Christine Smallwood",
"Tim Novikoff",
"Willlie Lin"
],
"question": "Who thinks it is important to consider something critically?",
"question_type": "facti... | As the new term starts, freshmen around the world are asking the same question: how can I make the best of four years at college? The New York Times received suggestions recently from PhD students and seniors at some of the top universities . Here is their advice.
"Many young people today are raised in a protective cocoon ", wrote Tim Novikoff, a PhD student at Comell. "College is a time to explore the world beyond and a chance to learn new things about yourself. Take classes in different subjects. Try lots of different clubs and activities."
Remember also to take some time away from campus, suggested Willie Lin, a student at Washington University. " _ "
Try to find work assisting a researcher or a professor---this is the advice from Aman Singh Gill, a PhD student at Stony Brook University. And he also said, "With a window into the world of research, you will find yourself thinking more critically, accepting fewer states at face value and perhaps developing a brave sense of what you can accomplish."
Many young people can't imagine even a single day without devices such as computers and cell phones. But try to keep yourself off them, cautioned Christine Smallwood, a PhD student at Columbia University.
Start by scheduling a few Internet-free hours each day, with your phone turned off. It's the only way you'll be able to read anything serious. "This will also have the benefit of making you harder to reach, and thus more mysterious and fascinating to new friends and acquaintances ," she suggested. | high2716.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "running after a sheep"
},
"options": [
"rescuing her owner",
"caught in a hurricane",
"blocked by a rock",
"running after a sheep"
],
"question": "The dog Jody fell down the cliff when she was",
"question_ty... | When the dog named Judy spotted the first sheep in her life, she did what comes naturally. The four-year-old dog set off racing after the sheep across several fields and, being a city animal, lost both her sheep and her sense of direction. Then she ran along the edge of cliff( ) and fell 100 feet, bouncing off a rock into the sea.
Her owner Mike Holden panicked and celled the coastguard of Cornwall, who turned up in seconds . Six volunteers slid down the cliff with the help of a rope but gave up all hope of finding her alive after a 90-minute search.
Three days later, a hurricane hit the coast near Cornwall. Mr. Holden returned home from his holiday upset and convinced his pet was dead. He comforted himself with the thought she had died in the most beautiful part of the country.
For the next two weeks, the Holdens were heartbroken . Then, one day, the phone rang and Steve Tregear, the coastguard of Cornwall, asked Holder if he would like his dog bark.
A birdwatcher, armed with a telescope, found the pet sitting desperately on a rock. While he sounded the alarm, a student from Leeds climbed down the cliff to collect Judy.
The dog had initially been knocked unconscious but had survived by drinking water from a fresh scream at the base of the cliff. She may have fed on the body of a sheep which had also fallen over the edge. "The dog was very thin and hungry," Steve Tregear said , "It was a very dog. She survived because of a plentiful supply of fresh water," he added.
It was ,as Mr. Holden admitted, "a minor miracle ". | high10251.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "twenty"
},
"options": [
"ten",
"fifteen",
"twenty",
"eighteen"
],
"question": "Richard Smith was _ in 2000.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"... | A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances to the way his father died five years ago.
The dinghy ,used to take Richard Smith,21,to his yacht ,was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island.An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered . Richard's mother, Bicknell,said from her home in Hampshire,"It's so much coincidence.Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem,which included the date of his disappearance."
"Now, it's very strange because all they have found is Richard's dinghy.We need to know this time what has happened one way or another.If you know at least you can go through the grieving process ."
In November 1996,Mr. Smith's father, Charlie,was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife.They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again,and their disappearance remains a mystery.
Richard is described a talented and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer.He had sailed to the. Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment.He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy.
About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy.He started its outboard motor before giving all elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing.It was the last time he was seen. | high20392.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a female lion"
},
"options": [
"a girl",
"a male lion",
"a female lion",
"a pride"
],
"question": "Lisa in this passage is the name of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Hello! My name is Lisa, and I am a lioness. I live on the open grasslands of Africa with my family. Lions living in a group are called a pride.
My father is strong and powerful. He and his cousin are the leaders of our pride. The other members are my mother, her sisters, and their children.
The area where a pride lives is big! We roar to tell each other where we are and to warn strangers to stay away.
Meet my new baby brother. His name is Leon. See the spots on his fur? We lions are born spotted or striped . As we grow older, the spots gradually disappear.
Lionesses usually spend their entire lives with their birth pride, but Leon will leave when he is about three years old. He'll run around with a male friend or relative for a few years until they take over a pride of their own.
But for now, we have lots of fun together. We often play and fight for hours, which can help us practice skills that we will need for hunting. )
We lions keep ourselves very clean. Just like a house cat, I clean my fur (with my tongue. We clean for each other, too, to show we're friends.
Lions like to sleep for most of the day. We hunt in the cool evening. Female lions hunt more often than male lions. We work together as a team. At the right moment, we attack and kill our prey. Then we share it. Male lions usually eat first. Females eat next. Baby lions are the last to eat. The smallest one gets the least food.
Since we are full, it's time to go to find a nice place for a sleep. Bye! | high5079.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the skills of saying no"
},
"options": [
"the cases where ideas are rejected",
"the ways to give different opinions",
"the skills of saying no",
"the methods for solving disagreements"
],
"question": "This passa... | How good are you at saying "no"? For many, it's surprisingly difficult. This is especially true of editors, who by nature tend to be eager and engaged participants in everything they do. Consider these scenes:
It's late in the day. That front-page package you've been working on is nearly complete; the last editing and it's finished. Then enters the chief editor, who makes a suggestion requiring a more-than-modest rearrangement of the design and the addition of an information box. You want to scream: "No! It's done!" What do you do?
The first rule of saying no to the boss is "don't say no". He probably has something in mind when he makes the suggestion, and it's up to you to find out what. The second rule is "don't raise the risks by challenging his authority". That issue is already decided. The third rule is "be ready to put forward choices and consequences". The boss's suggestion might be appropriate, but there are always consequences. He might not know about the pages backing up that need attention, or about the designer who had to go home sick. Tell him he can have what he wants, but explain the consequences. Understand what he's trying to accomplish and propose a Plan B that will make it happen without destroying what you've done so far.
Here's another case. Your least-favorite reporter suggests a silly story idea. This one should be easy, but it's not. If you say no, even politely, you risk holding back further ideas, not just from that reporter, but from others who heard that you turned down the idea. This case is common in newsrooms that lack a systematic way to filter story suggestions.
Two steps are necessary. First, you need a system for how stories are proposed and reviewed. Reporters can bear rejection of their ideas if they believe they are given a fair hearing. Your natural reaction and strong rejection, even of a worthless idea, might not qualify as systematic or fair.
Second, the people you work with need to make a "What if",agreement covering ''What if my idea is turned down?" How are people expected to react? Is there an appeal process? Can they perfect the idea and resubmit it? By imagining "What if...?" situations before they happen, you can reach understanding that will help ease you out of opposition. | high16620.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "At Oberoi AmarVilas"
},
"options": [
"In Sherpa village.",
"Near the Forbidden City",
"Through Egypt Express.",
"At Oberoi AmarVilas"
],
"question": "According to the passage, where can you enjoy a view of the w... | In the hit film The bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in hospital in California after they have been diagnosed with cancer. Between them they cook up a "bucket list" ------ a to-do list of all they want to do before they _ . The movie makes you wonder what would be on your bucket list. So let's pack up some and see what it would cost to go out and have a little fun.
THE PYRAMIDS, GIZA, EGYPT
On to the pyramids, surely on anyone's bucket list. Exotik Tours can take you there on a variety of trips, including their popular Egypt Express which includes three nights in Cairo and a three-night Nile Cruise . From $1,384, including four-and five-star accommodation, 12 meals and a ton of sightseeing.
_ 416-646-3347
TAJ MAHAL, AGRA, INDIA
One of the world's most fascinating images, India's Taj Mahal makes even Nicholson and Freeman look calm. Toronto's Goway Travel has many suggestions for India, including a three-day independent visit to Agra. Stay at the attractive Oberoi AmarVilas overlooking the Taj. Include two breakfasts, touring and airport transfer from $1,420.
_ 416-322-1034
THE GREAT WALL, CHINA
If the Great Wall of China is on your bucket list, check into Tour East Holiday's four-day Amazing Beijing Tour for $580 per person, four-star accommodation, sightseeing including the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, breakfasts and two lunches, transportation and guide.
_ 416-929-0888
THE HIMALAYAS, NEPAL
And on to the Himalayas. Talk about something truly majestic . See the top of the world on GAP Adventures' Everest Adventure tour, a 15-day exploration including Everest Base Camp, teahouse lodge stays, and walking through Sherpa villages. Incredibly affordable at just $665 plus local payment of $250. GAP Adventures warns that this is a physically demanding trip.
_ 416-260-0999 | high4367.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Overcoming fear of heights."
},
"options": [
"Overcoming fear of heights.",
"Not Daring to Go up the Eiffel Tower.",
"Jumping from a plane",
"A special bond with friends"
],
"question": "What would be best title... | On April 22, 2012, I jumped from an airplane 13, 000 feet up. What was the purpose? It was just to overcome my fear of heights.
Seven years ago, when I went to France, I couldn't go up the Eiffel Tower because I was afraid. It seemed so high. I wanted to overcome my fear, so I could dare to go skydiving . At first, I didn't think I could, but I finally made it.
I don't think that I could have jumped out of that plane without the encouragement of my wonderful friends and classmates--Yodel and Tatiana! It was a pity that we couldn't jump together. However, as we prepared to jump, there was something special among us-- a special bond.
I made a reservation to go skydiving one week before the day of my jump. I felt nervous during the whole week, kind of blue; but mysteriously. When it was the moment to jump from the airplane, I didn't feel any fear... I just jumped! That was wonderful! Wonderful!
There was a whole new world and the beautiful sky. I had never seen such a beautiful world! First, I felt an awful acceleration and then I felt like I was lying in the air...like a bird! I think it was an illusion, but it was wonderful!
The oncoming wind blew me strongly. It was amazing! After about 50 seconds free fall, the parachute opened. When I landed on the ground, I felt a lack of oxygen. It was difficult to breathe in during the freefall.
I was so glad that I survived and was able to overcome my fear! Everything went well! If possible, I want to jump again. My first jump is an outstanding memory for me. | high19513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "No drinking for pregnant women."
},
"options": [
"Little in the first three months and a gradual increase afterwards.",
"An ounce a day after the first three months.",
"No drinking for pregnant women.",
"Those who drink... | Women should not drink any alcohol during pregnancy. A report released by NICE says. It says if they must drink, they should not do so in the first three months and should limit to one or two ounces once or twice a week afterwards. It replaces previous guidance of saying small daily amounts were fine.
NICE decided to tighten its guidance partly because of the concern that people are now drinking more than in the past. Previous draft guidance suggested women should drink an ounce of alcohol a day once they were past the first three months of pregnancy. The Department of Health in England changed its guidance last year, calling for no drinking while pregnant or while trying to get pregnant.
Drinking heavily in pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome , which can leave children with features like small heads, widely spaced eyes and behavior or learning problems.
The experts said there was no evidence that several ounces once or twice a week would do any harm to the baby but could not categorically rule out any risk.
National Childbirth Trust agreed women should limit their drinking during pregnancy. "Pregnant women who have had a few drinks often worry a great deal about whether they have harmed their baby. In general, it is believed that if a light infrequent drinker, in good health, drinks to the point of drunkenness on one occasion, the risk to her baby is small."
NICE also made a number of other recommendations for the care of women in the UK who were pregnant or planning to get pregnant. It said vitamin D and folic acid supplements should be offered by health staff to help avoid conditions such as rickets and spina bifida . Officials also called for local health officials to ensure equal support plans where mothers encourage new parents to breastfeed are set up. NICE also called for improvements in the care of pregnant women with diabetes. About 20;000 pregnancies each year are affected by diabetes and, therefore, carry, higher risk of miscarriage and still birth. The guidance said women should get access to advice and support, in particular to achieve good blood sugar control before they get pregnant. | high23843.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he read exotic things about cars in his brother's magazines."
},
"options": [
"Because other small boys liked to own a car of their own, too.",
"Because he read exotic things about cars in his brother's magazines.",
"... | Like many other small boys, I was fascinated by cars, not least because my oldest brother was a bit of a car guy and subscribed to cool magazines like Car and Driver and Motor Trend. Every so often, one of those magazines would run an article on the "Car of the Future". They featured unconventional styling and things like small nuclear reactors as power sources. Yet, frankly, my car doesn't do anything that my brother's Studebaker didn't do. It goes, it stops, it burns gasoline, it plays music. I still have to steer it, and it still runs into things if I don't steer it carefully.
But guess what? All of these things are subject to change in the not-so-distant future. It will still go and stop, but it may not burn gasoline, I may not have to steer it, and it may be a lot better at not running into things.
Airbags aren't the be-all and end-all in safety. In fact, considering the recent news about people occasionally being killed by their airbags in low-speed collisions ,they obviously still need some development. But they aren't going away, and in fact, you can expect to see cars appearing with additional, side-impact airbags, something some European car manufacturers already offer.
Better than systems to minimize injury in the event of an accident, however, are systems that minimize the likelihood of an accident happening in the first place. Future cars may be able to eliminate many of the major causes of accidents, including drunk-driving, tailgating and sleepiness. Cars could be equipped with sensors that can detect alcohol in a driver's system and prevent the car from being started, for example. Many accidents are caused by people following the car in front too closely. As early as next year, you'll be able to buy cars with radar-equipped control systems. If the radar determines you're closing too quickly with the car in front, it will ease up on the throttle . For city streets, expect other radar devices that will give advance warning that the car in front of you has slowed abruptly and you should step on the brakes-or that may even brake for you.
Will cars eventually be able to drive themselves? There's no reason to think it won't be technically possible, and Mercedes is working on a system that can brake, accelerate and steer a vehicle down a highway on its own. Nobody really expects people to give up all control to their cars, but such systems could be used as failsafe systems to keep cars on the road and bring them safely to a stop even if the driver suddenly became disabled. | high13980.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Napoleon introduced the right-hand traffic to this country."
},
"options": [
"They had used the right-hand since the 18th century.",
"Rich people enjoyed driving their carriages on the right.",
"Napoleon introduced the right-... | Why does most of the world travel on the right side today? Theories differ, but there's no doubt that Napoleon was a major influence. The French had used the right since at least the late 18th century. Some say that before the French Revolution, noblemen drove their carriages on the left, forcing the peasants to the right. Regardless of the origin, Napoleon brought right-hand traffic to the nations he conquered, including Russia, Switzerland and Germany. Hitler, in turn, ordered right-hand traffic in Czechoslovakia and Austria in the 1930s. Nations that escaped right-hand control, like Great Britain, followed their left-hand tradition.
The U.S. has not always been a nation of right-hand rivers; earlier in its history, carriage and horse traffic traveled on the left, as it did in England. But by the late 1700s, people driving large wagons pulled by several pairs of horses began promoting a shift to the right. A driver would sit on the rear left horse in order to wave his whip with his right hand; to see opposite traffic clearly, they traveled on the right.
One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in 1908; the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the edge, especially... if there is a lady to be considered). Once these rules were set, many countries eventually adjusted to the right-hand standard, including Canada in the 1920s, Sweden in 1967 and Burma in 1970. The U.K. and former colonies such as Australia and India are among the western world's few remaining holdouts. Several Asian countries, including Japan, use the left as well -- thought many places use both right-hand-drive and left-hand-drive cars. | high953.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The children couldn't get along peacefully."
},
"options": [
"The writer failed to understand her daughters.",
"The children couldn't get along peacefully.",
"The family found it difficult to keep the house clean.",
"Th... | I always feel sorry for world leaders busy dealing with fights between nations. When my three children were young, most days it was hard to keep my house from becoming a battlefield.
It got worse as they grew older. Three years ago, Zack, then 16, couldn't make it through a day without making his sisters, Alex 11 and Taryn 9, angry.
My husband and I tried to be understanding the boy at such an age. We reasoned, punished, and left heartfelt notes on his bed about how he was hurting our family. His answer was "I say it because it's true."
I even tried telling the girls to fight back. Bad idea. Now I had three children at war. Whatever I said to them, they paid no attention. When there was no way out, I told everything to my sister in an e-mail. She replied, "Don't e-mail me. E-mail him."
Our son was online every day, mailing and talking with his friends. Maybe he would actually hear me this way. I didn't say anything different, but e-mail just took the tension away. There'd be no shouting or door banging. Zack wouldn't feel under attack.
Zack didn't reply for days. When he finally did, his entire message was four small words. I smiled when I read them, "You're right. I'm sorry."
The children still fought, of course, but Zack changed. Best of all, I now have a better way to talk with not one but three of them. I like it that they don't _ as much as they used to. They like not having to listen to me shouting to them. Or as Alex says, "You're so much nicer online."
All I know is that the house is quiet. But we're talking. | high22585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "increase the ability to learn"
},
"options": [
"change one's brain completely",
"improve one's maths skills",
"make one smarter than others",
"increase the ability to learn"
],
"question": "The experience of lea... | If you think English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes _ . This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the earlier people learn a second language, the greater the effect is.
A team led by Dr. Andrea Mechelli, from University College London(UCL), took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of"early bilinguals ", who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference was.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language,"said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills.
"Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible,"he said,"You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of 2 and 34. Reading, writing and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the earlier they started to learn, the better."Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world,"explained the scientists. | high6570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "drive people to give up their future"
},
"options": [
"fill your heart with happy feelings",
"allow you to fully appreciate your \"here\"",
"make people experience the wonder of \"here\"",
"drive people to give up their... | Many people believe that they will be happy once they arrive at some specific goal they set for themselves. However, more often than not, once you arrive "there" you will still feel dissatisfied, and move your "there" vision to yet another point in the future. By always chasing after another "there", you are never really appreciating what you already have right "here". It is important for human beings to keep sober-minded about the age-old drive to look beyond the place where you now stand. On one hand, your life is developed by your dreams and aspirations . On the other hand, these drives can pull you farther and farther from your enjoyment of your life right now.
To be grateful means you are thankful for what you have right now. Gratitude fills your heart with the joyful feeling and allows you to fully appreciate everything that arises on your path. As you try hard to keep your focus on the present moment, you can experience the full wonder of "here".
There are many ways to develop gratitude. Here are just a few suggestions you may wish to try:
* Imagine what your life would be like if you lost all that you had. This will most surely remind you of how much you do appreciate it.
* Make a list each day of all that you are grateful for, so that you can stay conscious daily of your blessings. Do this especially when you are feeling as though you have nothing to feel grateful for. Or spend a few minutes before you go to sleep giving thanks for all that you have.
* Spend time offering assistance to those who are less fortunate than you, so that you may gain a new perspective .
What really matters is that you create a space in your consciousness for appreciation for all that you have right now, so that you may live more happily in your present moment. | high14037.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "confident"
},
"options": [
"strict",
"peaceful",
"nervous",
"confident"
],
"question": "Writing this passage, the author seems to be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Every New Year brings renewed expectation for a change, for a better life and for a better you. That's a wonderful thing, because this fresh start gives us a chance to reinvent our lives and ourselves. Here's how.
Let go
Many times we are held back by our previous failures,emotions and barriers . This is all old baggage. Let everything unhappy from the past go. Let go of failures. Let go of fears you've built up. Let go of your ideas about what your life has to be like. Let go of long-held beliefs and habits which seem to be burdens to you.
Clear away distractions
Clear away email, your favourite blogs and news websites. Clearaway the iPhone or Blackberry, and clear away all the _ that pull at your attention. In fact, if you can, shut off the Internet for a while. You can come back to it after you take a break.
Decide what matters most today
Forget about your goals for all of this year. Instead, decide what you want to do today. What matters most to you and your life? What are you most passionate about right now? What excites you? What gives you the most fulfillment ? Often the answer would be in creating something, making something new, helping others, becoming a better person, and working on a project that you will be proud of. But whatever your answer, have it clear in your mind at the beginning of the day.
Reinvent yourself every day
Every day, you are reborn.Reinvent yourself and your life. Do what matters most to you. It might be the same thing that mattered most yesterday, or it might not be. That isn't important. What's important is today---right now! Be passionate, and be happy!
You'll have a fresh start every single day---not just on January 1 of a new year. | high9643.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "want others to know or to think that they are rich"
},
"options": [
"hope to be rich people like their neighbors",
"want others to know or to think that they are rich",
"want to hide their wealth from other people",
"wo... | In the United States, when one becomes rich, he wants people to know it.And even if he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is.That is what "Keeping up with the Joneses" is about.It is the story of someone who tries to look as rich as his neighbors.
The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand.He told this story about himself.He began earning $125 a week at the age of 23.That was a lot of money in those days.He got married and moved with his wife to a very wealthy neighborhood outside New York City.When he saw that rich people rode horses, Momand went horseback riding every day.When he saw that rich people had servants, Momand and his wife also hired a servant and gave big parties for their new neighbors.It was like a race, but one could never finish this race because one was always trying to keep up.The race ended for Momand and his wife when they could no longer pay for their new way of life.They moved back to an apartment in New York City.
Momand looked around him and noticed that many people do things just to keep up with rich lifestyle of their neighbors.He saw the funny side of it and started to write a series of short stories.He called it ''Keeping up with the Joneses", because "Jones" is a very common name in the United States. "Keeping up with the Joneses" came to mean keeping up with rich lifestyle of the people around you.Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years.
People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses.And there are "Joneses" in every city of the world.But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses because no matter what one does, Mr.Jones always seems to be ahead. | high13758.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "tells us that reading is good for children"
},
"options": [
"advises kids to spend less time watching TV",
"explains why reading is good for us",
"tells us that reading is good for children",
"suggests that parents spen... | Remember those big, colorful books with large pictures of balls or apples when you were a little kid? Those have proven to be helpful, according to a number of studies. Between 1 and 5 years old, introducing books to Children can help greatly because this is usually the age when intellectual capabilities form.
At age 1 to 5, a child can decide whether he wants to learn or wants to be a good learner. The road to learning starts here. Their curiosity and imagination are fed with the many pictures, sounds and colors in the books.
Children normally began school at 5 years old. But today, they go to school when they are as young as one and a half years old. This is because many parents have recognized that influencing the child's formative years is very important. The fight influence can make the child want to read in the future.
Parents should play a part in encouraging children to read. Even just reading them bedtime stories can help children feel the joy and amazement connected to reading. This can help them become better readers and better learners as they grow older.
If children are interested in reading books rather than watching television, they can improve many skills besides reading and learning. Books can act as stepping stones to intelligence. However, parents must be very careful not to overpower their children. If they force children to read books that are too hard to understand, they might think reading is boring and lose interest in it. | high1579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Disabled Man Living His Dream"
},
"options": [
"Disabled Man Living His Dream",
"Nothing Is Impossible",
"Don't Look Down Upon the Disabled",
"Through the Same Door"
],
"question": "What would be the best title ... | Janice Fialka showed a new documentary about her cognitively disabled son at schools and seminars across the country.Everyone seemed to enjoy it,but one comment from a teacher proved her family's investment to Fialka was a success.
"In Baltimore an early childhood teacher came up and said,'I have to apologize to the family of a 4year old with Down Syndrome ,'"Fialka said."She said,'I told them to be more realistic about their dreams for him.Now I have to tell them I'm sorry.'"
The story of Micah FialkaFeldman,a 22yearold Oakland University student,is meant to show parents,educators and the disabled anything is possible.
FialkaFeldman wrote in an essay titled "I wanted to go to college and my dream came true".A lot of people didn't think he could go to college,but because family and friends believed in him he learned how to take public transportation to campus and found teachers who helped him pick the best classes.
The title of the film Through the Same Door came from a day when FialkaFeldman,who was enrolled in a first grade special education program,told his parents he wanted to walk through the same door as the rest of the kids at his school.It led him to becoming the first student with cognitive disabilities in mainstream classrooms in Berkley.
Though he can't read or write on his own,FialkaFeldman reached amazing heights with the help of voice recognition computer software,tutors,and the embrace of his community.
At Berkley High School,FialkaFeldman won the Social Studies Department Award for civic involvement.In 2004 he received the Michigan "Yes,I Can" award for selfadvocacy .
He finished high school in 2003 with a certificate of attendance,took a 10day trip through Israel with friends last year,and enrolled at Oakland University through the Transitions Program,which is geared to help the disabled go from high school to college.
Fialka said he's the happiest kid in the world.Everyone should be so happy. | high6216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because security measures at Sochi were stricter than before."
},
"options": [
"Because it was held at an area popular for vacation travelers.",
"Because the Russian government wanted to make it the best ever held.[:]",
"Beca... | Millions of sports lovers are still thinking about one thing----the Winter Olympics in Sochi Russia. Close to 2900 men and women competed in the 2014 Winter Games about a month ago.
The Olympics brought a lot of attention to Sochi, a city on the Black Sea, which is a popular area for vacation travelers. The area is known for its mild winters.
At least $50 billion was spent on the 2014 Winter Games, making it the costliest Olympics in history. Seven billion dollars was spent on the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada. Olympic officials chose Sochi to host the 2014 games almost seven years ago. At that time, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the games would cost about $13 billion. Yet the actual expenses exceeded his estimate. So where did all the money go?
Some observers say the high cost is partly the result of security measures. Brian Jenkins, a terrorism expert from the RAND Corporation, gave the following explanation. There were anywhere between 70,000 and 100, 000 policemen and military troops deployed around the city.
The main threat came from separatist and Islamist groups from the North Caucasus, especially from Chechnya and Dagestan. One group claimed responsibility for two suicide bombings in Volgograd last December. The attacks killed more than 30 people. The city is only about 600 kilometers away from Sochi.
Bruce Hoffman is a terrorism expert from Georgetown University in Washington DC. He says the increased security made Sochi a difficult target for terrorists.
It is thought that the terrorists' intention was to make life difficult for the Russians and to create some sort of incident that would take away the enjoyment.
The last Olympians from around the world on Russian soil were in 1980. That was a year after Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan. More than sixty countries didn't take part in the Moscow Summer Games to show their anger. | high9125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "choosing food is related to Asian-American's situation"
},
"options": [
"Asia-Americans care less about their health.",
"25 percent of Americans like junk food.",
"choosing food is related to Asian-American's situation",
... | After moving to the United States, immigrant groups trying to fit in tend to choose high-calorie, fatty foods in an attempt to appear more American, a new study finds. That's one reason why immigrants approach U.S. levels of obesity within 15 years of moving to America.
The researchers also did an experiment that measured whether or not the threat of appearing un-American influenced respondents' food choices.After being questioned about their ability to speak English,75 percent of Asian-Americans identified a typical American food as their favorite. Only 25 percent of Asian-Americans who had not been asked if they spoke English did the same.
When their American identity was called into question during a follow-up study, Asian-American participants also tended to choose typical American dishes, such as hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches, over more Asian fare. In that experiment, 55 Asian-Americans were asked to choose a meal from a local Asian or American restaurant. Some participants were told that only Americans could participate in the study. Those who chose the more typical American _ ended up consuming an extra 182 calories, including 12 grams of fat and seven grams of saturated fat .
"People who feel like they need to prove they belong in a culture will change their habits in an attempt to fit in," said Sapna Cheryan, an author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Washington. "If immigrants and their children choose unhealthy American foods over healthier traditional foods across their lives, this process of fitting in could lead to poorer health," Cheryan added.
Social pressures, the study concluded, are at the heart of the problem. "In American society today, being American is associated with being white. Americans who don't fit this image even if they were born here and speak English feel that pressure to prove that they're American," said Cheryan. | high7108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in his fifties"
},
"options": [
"in his twenties",
"in his fifties",
"in his seventies",
"in his eighties"
],
"question": "The old man started practicing the theory of \"a thousand marbles\" _ .",
"questi... | A few weeks ago, while I was reading the morning paper, I turned the radio up to listen to a Saturday morning talk show and I heard an old sounding gentleman, with a golden voice. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".
I was _ and stopped to listen to what he had to say ...
"Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities ."
He continued, "You see, I sat down one day and did a little math. The average person lives for about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 by 52 and I came up with 3,900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with (......) me, Tom. I'm getting to the important part."
"It wasn't until I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays that I started thinking about all this in any detail," he went on. "I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.
"I found that by watching the marbles diminish , I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
"It was nice to meet you, Tom. I hope you spend time with your family, and I hope to meet you again."
You could have heard a pin drop on the radio when the old man signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had panned to work that morning. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "Come on, honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast. And can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles." | high12320.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A Lost Wallet and a Family"
},
"options": [
"Money Is Everything",
"A Lost Wallet and a Family",
"A Kind Businessman",
"A Lost Wallet and the Police"
],
"question": "The best title for the passage would be \" ... | One day in the early March of 1993, Pauline and Tom Nichter and their 11-year-old son, Jason, were shopping for a toy in Buena Park, CA. Suddenly, Pauline saw a wallet lying on the floor. When she looked inside, she found $200. The family, homeless and without work, knew that could change their lives. But they took the wallet to the nearby police station and turned it in. The wallet was found to have some other pockets, and more money in them--over $2,000! The police called the man who lost the wallet to pick it up. The man thanked the Nichters and shook their hands, but did not
Luckily for the family, a TV news reporter filmed the story. People from all over the world heard the story and sent them letters, money, and even offered them jobs. A businessman even let them live in his house for free for six months. So far, the family has received over $100,000. Now the Nichters' future is bright. | high16146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the ones who have suitable people to marry."
},
"options": [
"the ones who don't earn much.",
"the ones who are not good-looking.",
"the ones who have difficulty winning promotion",
"the ones who have suitable people to... | In just two months, the latest buzzword from the Internet, diaosi, has spread so much that it can be found everywhere--from online forums to micro blogs. Many people even call themselves diaosi. It's not the first time a term has gone popular on the Internet in China. However, why is the word so viral that is has become a cultural phenomenon? Here, we tell you something you want to know about it.
Where it began
The word originated in Baidu. Com's Tieba (a top Chinese bulletin board system) of soccer player Li Yi. There, fans of Li, who are called yisi in Chinese, not only talk about soccer but complain about their lives, work and relationships. Yisi, who are known for their rude and dirty language, were given the name diaosi by others who have seen their posts.
What a "diaosi" is like
The word diaosi was coined first by single, young men who feel they have dead-end lives. Generally, men in this category don't earn enough, are not good-looking, and have difficulty winning promotion . Unlike their upper-class contemporaries , they lack influential families, useful social networks for their careers, and most importantly, suitable women to marry. "I'm just a diaosi, poor and plain-looking. Who will marry me?" The sigh can be heard, which is half self-mockery , half reality. Many young men call themselves diaosi because they feel they are among the lowest classes of the society.
"Diaosi" culture reflects social changes
According to Zhu Chongke, a professor in the School of Asia-Pacific Studies at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, the popularity of this word diaosi stems from the fact that is was created by common people and thus resonates with a huge population. "Labeling yourself a diaosi offers a way for people to mock themselves and relieve pressure, hence it spread quickly," he told Xinhua Agency. "The attitude is basically: 'I already have little to lose, so why don't I mock myself for gun?'." The phenomenon reflects a larger social issues. These young people have no influential family background, no chances of receiving promotion at work or no economic strength to find a proper woman to marry. It reflects a deep sense of loss. | high4401.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Highly trained professionals."
},
"options": [
"Skilled workers.",
"Highly trained professionals.",
"Ordinary engineers.",
"Government officials."
],
"question": "Which kind of the following persons will be the ... | We have recently heard a great deal about the effects of computers on our social and economic organizations. In industry, computers mean automation , and automation means unemployment. Computers in the prefix = st1 /United Stateshave already begun to take the place of workers whose tasks are simple. The variety of jobs, done only by humans in the past, which the machine can perform more rapidly, accurately and economically, increases with each new generation of computers. If we follow this trend, we will be faced with mass unemployment for all but a handful of highly trained professionals who will be more powerful and overworked than they are now.
What can we do about it? It is foolish to dream of making history backwards. We cannot pass laws forbidding the advancement of science and technology. The computing machines are here, and they will grow because engineers want to build them, and politicians want their help in the process of government. In short they will develop and become popular because they enable us to complete tasks that could never before have been done, no matter how many unskilled laborers we might have set to work. Computers will continue to increase our intelligence for just the same reason that engines continue to strengthen our muscles. The question we must ask is not whether we shall have computers or not have computers, but rather, since we are going to have them, how we make the most humane and intelligent use of them. | high19275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a researcher who studies the way humans think and act"
},
"options": [
"a poet who uses experience in his writing",
"a teacher who teachers story writing in university",
"a researcher who studies the way humans think and act"... | "Experience may possibly be the best teacher, but it is not a particularly good teacher." You might think that Winston Churchill or perhaps Mark Twain spoke those words, but they actually come from James March, a professor at Stanford University and a pioneer in the field of organizational decision making. For years March (possibly be wisest philosopher of management) has studied how humans think and act, and he continues to do so in his new bookThe Ambiguities of Experience.
He begins by reminding us of just how firmly we have been sticking to the idea of experiential learning: "Experience is respected;experience is sought;experience is explained." The problem is that learning from experience involves serious complications , ones that are part of the nature of experience itself and which March discusses in the body of this book.
In one interesting part of the book, for example, he turns a doubtful eye toward the use of stories as the most effective way of experiential learning. In our efforts to make stories interesting, he argues, we lose part of the complicated truth of things. He says "The more accurately reality is presented, the less understandable the story, and the more understandable the story, the less realistic it is."
Besides being a broadly knowledgeable researcher, March is also a poet, and his gift shines through in the depth of views he offers and the simple language he uses. Though the book is short, it is demanding: Don't pick it up looking for quick, easy lessons. Rather, be ready to think deeply about learning from experience in work and life. | high2070.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Art on Paper"
},
"options": [
"Bird Talk.",
"Mother Earth News",
"Disney Adventures.",
"Art on Paper"
],
"question": "Which of the following is the most expensive according to the cover price?",
"question_ty... | Bird Talk includes everything you need to know to help keep your bird healthy and active.Get important information on bird healthcare and nutrition,step-by-step training and caging tips. Readers also enjoy color1ful photos,entertaining stories,and a centerfold poster in each monthly issue.
Issues per year:12 Our price:$ 13.99 Cover price:$ 47.88
Art on Paper is a bimonthly art magazine devoted to works on paper. Offering a balanced range of media and historical periods. Art on Paper presents current information about exhibitions and the marketplace. Each issue contains news and announcements,reviews of current and recent museum and gallery exhibitions,as well as limited-edition prints.
Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 45.00 Cover price:$ 80.00
Disney Adventuresis for children aged 7 to 14 who are eager to learn.This wacky and. exciting magazine focuses on fun and action-packed adventure covering the world of entertainment, comics, Sports, technology, and weird science.
Issues per year:10 Our price:$ 14.95 Cover price:$ 29.90
Mother Earth News is a country lifestyle publication dedicated to helping readers with the how-to information of home building and home improvement.Topics include building, gardening,homesteading, do-it-yourself,kitchen and so on.
Issues per year:6 Our price:$ 18.00 Cover price:$ 23.70 | high21932.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "realized the harm of lying and wanted to change"
},
"options": [
"found that other people liked lying to her",
"realized the harm of lying and wanted to change",
"found that shame had a positive effect on her life",
"re... | It was 8:35 am. My girls and I were rushing through the front door of the school as I yelled, "Hurry up! The bell was about to..." RIIIIIIIING! The girls froze and their eyes widened. My shoulders sagged . We were too late.
We were often late for school last year, and every time we ran breathlessly into the attendance I heard myself making silly excuses to Beth, the long-suffering secretary: our alarm didn't go off; there was so much traffic; it was my husband's fault; the dog...I didn't know-something about the dog!
As time passed by, my lying became a habit, and it raised a red flag for me. Lying - even in the form of "harmless" excuses - means we're ashamed. Shame is different from guilt. Healthy guilt is fair and helpful. But shame can be dangerous. Nothing ruins the connection between two people more quickly than shame and lies do. Anyone trying to live a healthy and honest life must avoid shame at any cost. I was trying to live a healthy and honest life, but my excuses were keeping me from reaching my goal. So I vowed to do something different .
The next time we were late, I went to the attendance office. When Beth asked me to fill in a form with the reason for being late, I told the truth. "These days, we are very tired and disorganized," I wrote. Beth looked down at that form, and the slowly looked up at me. She gave us a warm and big smile and her blue eyes twinkled. She started laughing. So did my kids and I.
We're all imperfect human beings. We make mistakes. Everyone does make mistakes. However, it's OK to tell the truth about them. It's OK to forgive ourselves and promise to try again. | high10537.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "cheek"
},
"options": [
"hand",
"cheek",
"neck",
"arm"
],
"question": "Two close French friends will kiss each other on the _ when they meet.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Different countries have different greeting customs.Now let's learn more about the greeting customs in different cultures.
France
France people greet each other with a handshake ,but close friends kiss each other on the cheek when they meet.They do this when meeting and before leaving.
Korea
In Korea ,it is a sign of respect for people to bow when greeting each other.In Korea, a bow is followed by a handshake.However ,Korea women do not shake hands with western men ,instead ,they bow slightly.
Brazil
Kissing women on the cheek is a common way of greeting.In a formal situation ,a handshake is often done to show respect.Men should shake hands before and after meeting, and once they have become familiar with each other ,a light hug is often given to each other.
Ghana
In a social situation, it's polite to greet everyone in the room.A handshake is used in greeting,and the palm must directly touch the palm of the other.It's considered impolite to touch the back of the hand. | high13016.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They were being hunted."
},
"options": [
"They were being trained.",
"They were doing research.",
"They were on holiday.",
"They were being hunted."
],
"question": "What can we know about the group of people?",
... | "We leave at dawn and head out overland by jeep towards Base One. We will get as far as we can before proceeding on foot," Mark explained. The others sat and listened. Sarah, particularly, as a "casualty of events", wouldn't have known what to say or suggest even if she'd been asked. But Harry had a lot to say.
"We'll never make it," he protested . "We'll still be crossing the desert when they catch up with us. They'll know where we're heading for and they seem to know every move we make or are going to make."
Mark said nothing, but spread his hands out as if to say "Well, what do we do then?" "We wouldn't be in this mess now," Harry went on, almost ignoring Mark's gesture, "if we hadn't stopped to rescue Sarah."( He glanced at her briefly.) "But since we did, we must get on--but not across the desert. There is the sand, and deep ravines which are almost invisible until you're right on them and then the heat. You have to be used to going out there, and none of us is. This is no 'morning at leisure' on some pleasant holiday, you know! If we went north instead and made for the river,..."
He broke off and looked around at the others, feeling somehow that his argument was pointless. No one said anything.
"Good," said Mark, look around with authority, and returned to checking their stores.
A beautiful sunrise was about to burst over the horizon as the jeep headed out towards Base One. | high14779.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner."
},
"options": [
"Her addiction to bargain-hunting.",
"The financial difficulties she shared with her ex-partner.",
"The poor situation people around her were going t... | A British shopper, Emma Mumford, who was named "the Coupon Queen" has spent just PS350 on a luxury Christmas for her and her family--but got PS2,500 worth of food, drink and presents thanks to coupons and offers.
Ms Mumford is a so-called "extreme couponer" and spends hours hunting out the best deals and bargains. She has been preparing for this Christmas since the end of the last one. Ms Mumford made the huge savings by checking price comparison websites and as a result collected more presents than she needed for Christmas. After sorting out gifts for all of her family, she has even been able to donate PS1,000 worth of presents to her local hospital.
"It has been so nice to have Christmas sorted and not having to worry about _ . I wanted to get high quality presents for my family and show that you can do it without spending a fortune. There is a misconception that everyone who does couponing only gets value products but through my careful shopping I have managed to purchase designer perfumes , a high-end coffee machine." she explained.
She said "What started as a hobby to help me save money has turned into my life and I am able to run a business helping people save money. I know what it feels like to struggle as my ex-partner had a lot of debt which I took on for him. We were in a poor situation where every penny counted. That's what really inspired me."
She has now turned her bargain-hunting addiction into a business where she searches for the best deals and offers tips to the general public through video blogging and her Facebook Page.
"I try and show people that it is just a little bit of work in the beginning but it will eventually pay off. One of the best things to do is just to be a bit forward thinking and save throughout the year." | high12308.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "died six years ago"
},
"options": [
"always put his family in first place",
"didn't understand his daughter",
"didn't treat his daughter well",
"died six years ago"
],
"question": "We can know the writer's fathe... | Dear Daddy,
You've been gone for six years and I've had time to think. Now I'm ready to write this letter to you.
For a long time after Mom died, I thought I liked her more because I didn't like your attitude and I thought that her softer side was more desirable. In my 15-year-old's mind, I thought you could have stopped my mother from drinking herself to death. Instead, you were off playing tennis and working. Later, I realized that no one could make someone stop drinking. Support is important, but at the end of the day, it is a choice. You were just doing your best.
What I have learned is that I am much like you. You taught me self-confidence. I know if I am prepared to work hard enough for something, I will be successful. This is no small thing. What I've realized since you died is that you were always there for me. You fought to ensure that I got my place on the Quebec badminton team that I had earned. When I got divorced , you came up to see if I had what I needed to take care of the boys and you paid off my car.
You taught me not to spend money I don't have. I've always kept to that rule. It has served me well. We always had a good home to live in, nice vacations, and everything we needed and most of what we wanted.
You were not a perfect parent and neither am I. My children are much more thankful than I ever was. I am thankful that I had you as my dad. I am still Daddy's girl and I am proud of it. | high11601.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to find out the differences between the male's and female's sense of humor"
},
"options": [
"to find the funniest joke in European countries",
"to know what funny people are from different nations and cultures",
"to find out ... | Dr. Wiseman started the "laugh lab" project in September 2001. It is the largest study of humor. Participants are invited to log on the laugh lab website, give a few personal details, tell their favorite jokes and judge the jokes told by other people.
Their project will last for a year, and the organizers hope to finally discover the world's funniest joke. But there is also a serious purpose. The researchers want to know what people from different nations and cultures find funny. And they want to find out the differences between male's and female's sense of humor. The idea is that if we want to understand each other, we have to find out what makes us laugh.
This is a subject that has long interested psychologists and philosophers . Most of the time, people are not completely honest. We do things that society expects us to and say things that help us get what we want. But laughing cannot be controlled. When we laugh, we tell the truth about ourselves.
By December 2001 over 10,000 jokes had been submitted . This gave the scientists enough evidence to make early conclusions. It seems that men and women do have different senses of humor, for example.
"Our findings show the major differences in the ways in which males and females use humor," said Dr Wiseman. "Males use humor to appear superior (,) to others, while women are more skilled in languages and prefer word play."
Researchers also found that there really is such a thing as a national sense of humor. The British enjoy what is usually called "toilet humor". But the French like their jokes short and sharp, "You're a high priced lawyer. Will you answer two questions for $ 500?" "Yes. What's the second question?"
The Germans are famous for not having a sense of humor. But the survey found that German participants were more likely to find submitted jokes funny than any other nationality. Perhaps that proves the point. Is this joke funny? I don't know, but let's say yes, just to be safe.
Dr Wiseman and his workmates also submitted jokes created by computer. But none of those who took part in the survey found any of them amusing. Perhaps this is relief . Computers already seem like they can do everything. But at least they should leave the funny things to us. | high4429.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To catch seals for food."
},
"options": [
"To get back to the ocean.",
"To catch seals for food.",
"To get to a colder place.",
"To teach their children how to swim."
],
"question": "Why do the bears swim to the... | Polar bears are born in dens on land and their mother stays with them for the whole winter without eating anything. The mother and the babies come out from the dens around March, _ from a long winter and must immediately go hunting to find food to stay alive. Now, the only hunting they know is to catch seals from floating ice in the open ocean. In March, polar bear mothers and babies have to swim from the land in Spitsbergen to the edge of the polar ice cap.
Normally this is a short swim, since in March the polar ice cap is very close to the land, and the polar bears, and even the babies, are good swimmers. However, last year we saw that the polar ice cap had become smaller in size due to global warming.
Swimming hundreds of miles, especially when they are hungry and have babies following them, is really hard, and many bears are dying because of starvation.
The polar bear population in the Spitsbergen area was once threatened by hunters. In the 1970s, a ban on hunting was imposed and the polar bear population has been steadily increasing from just a few hundred to about 2,000 to 3,000. This was a great success story. However, now, because of global warming, the population is again in danger. If we do not stop making so much carbon dioxide, we will lose these beautiful animals forever.
The polar bears are just one example of animals that have become endangered because of man's appetite for energy obtained by burning fossil fuels. All life on earth could be in danger unless we change our ways. What can we do? To reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air we must save and make energy without burning coal and oil. Instead, we can use the sun or the wind to generate electricity. We must also cut down on needless driving and turn off things that use electricity when we are not using them. In addition, we have to stop cutting down forests and start planting more trees. | high18143.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he was priest of the local church"
},
"options": [
"he wanted to comfort the two families",
"he was an official from the community",
"he had great pity for the deceased",
"he was priest of the local church"
],
"... | I had an experience some years ago, which taught me something about the ways in which people make a bad situation worse by blaming themselves.One January, I had to hold two funerals on successive days for two elderly women in my community.Both had died "full of years", as the Bible would say.Their homes happened to be near each other, so I paid condolence calls on the two families on the same afternoon.
At the first home, the son of the deceased woman said to me, "If only I had sent my mother to Florida and gotten her out of this cold and snow, she would be alive today.It's my fault that she died." At the second home, the son of the other deceased woman said, "If only I hadn't insisted on my mother's going to Florida, she would be alive today.That long airplane ride, the sudden change of climate, was more than she could take.It's my fault that she's dead."
You see that any time there is a death, the survivors will feel guilty.Because the course of action they took turned out badly, they believe that the opposite course -- keeping Mother at home, putting off the operation -- would have turned out better.After all, how could it have turned out any worse?
There seem to be two elements involved in our willingness to feel guilty. _ .That leads us to find patterns and connections both where they really exist and where they exist only in our minds.
The second element is the view that we are the cause of what happens, especially the bad things that happen.It seems to be a short step from believing that every event has a cause to believing that every disaster is our fault.The roots of this feeling may lie in our childhood.
A baby comes to think that the world exists to meet his needs, and that he makes everything happen in it.He wakes up in the morning and summons the rest of the world to its tasks.He cries, and someone comes to attend to him.When he is hungry, people feed him, and when he is wet, people change him.Very often, we do not completely outgrow that childish view that our wishes cause things to happen. | high2058.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she didn't think much of it"
},
"options": [
"she didn't think much of it",
"she pretended to be excited",
"she became proud of herself",
"she hoped to learn more about Kenya"
],
"question": "When the author was... | Last summer I was lucky enough to participate in a volunteer adventure to Kenya, in association with Virgin Atlantic's Be the Change programme and children's charity, Free the Children. The moment I read the e-mail saying that I had been accepted into Free the Children's Virgin Atlantic scholarship trip to Kenya, I had no idea how much it was going to change my life. I thought the trip would be a great way to learn about life in one of the most rural areas of Kenya, but I never thought about how deeply I might be affected by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
When we entered the Masai Mara, the first thing that struck me was how unbelievably beautiful it was. As I looked closer to it, I realized there was something even more beautiful: the people. I have never been to a place where the saying "the people are what make the place" was more true.
The way they wave at you excitedly as you drive past, shouting "Jambo, Jambo!" is something that I have never experienced. They are always smiling and welcoming and it made me realize that, if everyone were to act like this, the world would be a much happier place.
The most amazing thing about the trip was that we weren't treated like tourists for one second. We were able to experience every little detail. We built foundations, carried ten litres of water...
The one thing I will never forget is visiting Emorijoi Primary School. Let me describe it like this: As soon as you entered into the gate, you would hear someone shouting your name. Then you looked around and realized that it was the same little girl that you were playing football with the last time you visited.
There are literally no words to explain how much I miss Kenya. It feels like there is a piece of string attaching me to everyone that I met there. They will stay with me forever and always be in my heart. | high10279.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Beau Rivage"
},
"options": [
"Diva",
"Legends",
"Beau Rivage",
"Les Pavillons"
],
"question": "If you have a 12-year-old child, you can choose _ for your Family holidays.",
"question_type": "cloze_questi... | Many of Nalade Resorts' hotels have Kids Club with special facilities for young children, making holidays more relaxing for parents and undoubtedly more pleasant and interesting for youngsters!
Kids Club in Beau Rivage (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
The club has a lovely atmosphere, with a large room for activities and a fenced, grass play-area outside. The qualified hostesses really know how to get on with children, as they look after and entertain youngsters from 3 to 12.
Activities are adapted according to children's ages and talents and include:
*Glass-bottom boat trips to see the brightly colored games
*Drawing and painting
*Making things and a whole host of indoor games
*Learning how to snorkel and water-ski
A baby sitting service is also available on request, for a fee. Children's dinner is served in the main restaurant at 6:30 p.m.
Kids Club in Legends (9 a.m. to 10 p.m.)
Three qualified hostesses entertain youngsters from 3 to 11 years old. For children under 3, a baby sitting service is also available on request, for a fee.
Children's lunch is served between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. in the main restaurant or in the Kids Club depending on the day. The children have dinner in the main restaurant between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m.
Kids Club in Les Pavillons (9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.)
Friendly, experienced, well-trained staff keep youngsters from 3 to 11 happy and occupied throughout the day and evening. Activities include:
*Learning the local dance, the Sega
*Gathering crabs on the beach by torchlight
*Making things and a whole host of indoor games
*Learning to play a traditional musical instrument
A special children's dinner is served from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Baby sitting service can also be provided, for a fee.
Kids Club in Diva
The ideal arrangement for both parents and their youngsters! Qualified staffs look after children aged from 3 to 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and organize a whole range of activities to keep them busy and happy.
Children have dinner between 6 and 7 p.m. A baby sitting service is also available, for a fee. | high5051.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the 1990s"
},
"options": [
"in the 1980s",
"in the 1990s",
"in the year 2000",
"in the 21st century"
],
"question": "The Internet became popular _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"a... | Now,I'll tell you something about the Internet.The Internet is a network of computers.It became popular in the 1990s.Now,we live in the Internet Age.The Internet is very useful.You can get information,do some shopping or talk with people all over the world.You can do all these things in your own room.
You can set up your own space on the Internet.We call it a homepage.It's open to anyone in the world.Write your message on your homepage.Soon,you can get answers by email from people around the world.
The Internet is also useful when a flood or an earthquake happens somewhere in the world.We can learn about the needs of the people there and send them food and medicine more quickly than before.
In the world of the Internet,everyone is equal.Famous writers,artists,and scientists--they are all your friends.A lucky person can even find a message from the president of a country.
Some people lose themselves in the world of the Internet.That's really bad.Remember that the world of the Internet is not a real world.Facetoface communication with family,friends,and neighbours is very important.Don't forget that the Internet is only a tool for communication and information.
Many people say that the Internet has some problems,but most people agree the Internet still has a wonderful future.For the first time in history,anyone can exchange messages and information immediately with other people. | high18625.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "showed his gift for writing"
},
"options": [
"had no playmates",
"showed his gift for writing",
"put out lots of poems and stories",
"got his first poem published in 1916"
],
"question": "From the text, we learn... | I was the middle child of three, but there was a gap of five years on either side, and I hardly saw my father before I was eight. For this and other reasons I was somewhat lonely. I had the lonely child's habit of making up stories and holding conversations with imaginary persons, and I think from the very start my literary ambitions were mixed up with the feeling of being isolated and undervalued. I knew that I had a natural ability with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, and I felt that this created a sort of private world in which I could get my own back for my failure in everyday life.
However, the quantity of serious writing which I produced all through my childhood would not add up to half a dozen pages. I wrote my first poem at the age of four or five, my mother taking it down to dictation. I cannot remember anything about it except that it was about a tiger and the tiger had "chair-like teeth" - a good enough expression. At eleven, when the war of 1914-18 broke out, I wrote a poem which was printed in the local newspaper, as was another, two years later, on the death of Kitchener. From time to time, when I was a bit older, I wrote bad and usually unfinished "nature poems". I also, about twice, attempted a short story which was a failure. That was the total of the would-be serious work that I actually set down on paper during all those years. | high17516.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "name"
},
"options": [
"name",
"owner",
"friend",
"trainer"
],
"question": "Duke is the _ of the German shepherd.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}
] | When the two tiny ducklings were caught by the sharp jaws of a larger German shepherd, they must have thought _
But as luck would have it for the frightened wild ducklings that had lost their mother, the dog that helped them out of the bushes had only their best interests at heart.
Duke, a one-year-old German shepherd, found the two ducklings hidden in long grass next to his owner's workplace on the edge of the Thronybank Industrial Estate in Dalkeith.
And despite the natural instincts of a hunter, the dog gently took them in its mouth and carried them back to his blanket, putting them down where it was warm and even washing them clean with his tongue.
The ducklings will be looked after by staff at the center until they are old enough to be released into the wild.
"This dog is a modern day Rin Tin Tin,( The world's most famous German shepherd dog) and to pick them up in his mouth without harming them is quite something. "To them try and wash them is just amazing behavior." said one of the staff. | high16608.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they can make a lot of money"
},
"options": [
"customers need the latest version",
"technology is developing so fast",
"they want to invent something new",
"they can make a lot of money"
],
"question": "Donald N... | Why are we addicted to upgrades? According to Donald Norman, American author of the book The Design of Everyday Things, "planned obsolescence" is the trick behind the upgrading culture of today's consumer electronics industry.
The New York Times cited Norman last month, saying that electronics manufactures strategically release new upgrades periodically, both for hardware and software, so that customers on every level feel the need to buy the newest version.
"This is an old-time trick- they're not inventing anything new," he said.
Thomas Wensma, a Dutch designer, despises the "planned obsolescence" of companies, as recently reported by UK-based The Guardian.
Wensma said this is a wasteful system through which companies - many of them producing personal electronics - release shoddy products simply because "they know that, in six months or a year, they'll put out a new one".
But the new psychology of consumers is part of this system, as Wensma said to the newspaper: "We now want something new, something pretty, the next shiny thing."
_
"It's to the damage of the consumer and the environment," as the New York Times quoted Norman. "But perhaps to the betterment of the stockholder."
In its most recent fiscal year, Apple's profit margin was more than 21 percent, reported the Los Angeles Times. At Hewlett-Packard, the world's biggest PC manufacturer, it was only 7 percent.
"Steven Jobs pushed the principle of 'planned obsolescence' to new heights," the newspaper commented on the company's profits and marketing strategy. "Apple's annual upgrades of its products generate sales of millions of units as owners of one year's MacBook or iPhone line up to buy the newest version, even when the changes are incremental."
Peer pressure
As to Li Jijia, the need for upgrading his smart phone comes mainly from friends and classmates. When the majority of friends are switching to the latest devices, he worries about feeling left out.
"Some apps and games require better hardware to run," said Li. "If you don't join in, you lose part of the connection to your friends." | high3420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the Chinese University of Hong Kong can widen her horizons"
},
"options": [
"she couldn't be admitted to Peking University",
"Hong Kong is a good place",
"she wants to be far from her homeland",
"the Chinese University ... | "I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can't there be 25 hours in a day?" complained Liu Ran in Hong Kong as mid-term exams were going on.
The 18-year-old was Shandong Province's top scorer in this year's college entrance examination. After graduating from Tai'an No.1 High School, she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong , although both Peking University and Tsinghua University promised her a place.
"I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I'm majoring in journalism, so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons," Liu said.
It is two months since Liu first set foot on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning, because of the food and language problems.
"The canteen offers mostly Western or Guangdong food, but it's convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English," Liu explained.
Her English and Cantonese are now both improving, but she still needs more time to adapt to the new environment.
"I'm happy that I made the right decision to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western cultures, there is so much to discover and learn," she said.
Liu has 18 credit hours of classes every week and 23 non-credit hours every other week. She has signed up for four associations including the Chinese Language Debating Team and the drama club. Essays, book reports and presentations also take plenty of time to prepare. And , of course, there are various parties to attend.
"I wasn't a party animal before, but that may be interesting part of college. I sense myself changing," Liu said. | high15301.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they don't meet the safety standards"
},
"options": [
"they have blast",
"they produced less coal",
"they are very small and illegal",
"they don't meet the safety standards"
],
"question": "Thousands of mines ha... | Coal mines claim (...) more lives
A COAL mine blast in Jixi, Helongjiang, left more than 100 miners dead on Thursday .Ten mines in Jixi were ordered to stop production. The government has tried to shut down thousands of small, illegal mines in the country that do not meet safety standards.
MIDDLE EAST
Bombers continues to kill
PALESTINIANS killed 32 Israelis in three major attacks between Tuesday and Thursday. There were two suicide bombing and a militant attack on Jewish settlement . They yielded one of the highest Israeli death tolls ( ) in such a short period over the last two years.
CHINA
Young people stand tall
THE average height of Chinese young people has risen by 6 centimeters compared to that of 20 years ago. This year far exceeds the word's average growth speed. A survey on health conducted by a panel of Chinese students found the results. According to the world average level, youths get taller by 1 cm every 10 years.
CANADA
Talking about world issue
The Group of Eight (G8)--the US, Japan , Germany, Britain, France, Italy , Canada and Russia ---- will hold a summit on June26 and 27 in Kananaskis , Canada. The G8 are the richest and most powerful countries in the world. G8 leaders and some African presidents will discuss strengthening global economic growth and helping Africa. Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General, will also attend. | high8575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It is controlled by human thoughts."
},
"options": [
"It is controlled by human thoughts.",
"It can be made humanoid.",
"It can be used to help the disabled.",
"It has high intelligence itself."
],
"question": "... | Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from human brain.By generating the proper brainwaves--picked up by a cap with electrodes that sense the signals and reflect a person's instructions--scientists can instruct a humanoid robot to move to specific locations and pick up certain objects.
The commands are limited to moving forward,picking up one of two objects and bringing it to one of two locations.The researchers have achieved 94 percent accuracy between the thought commands and the robot's movements.
"This is really a proofofconcept demonstration," said Rajesh Rao,a researcher from the University of Washington who leads the project."It suggests that one day we might be able to use semiautonomous robots for such jobs as helping disabled people or performing routine tasks in a person's home."
The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot's movements on a computer screen through two cameras installed on and above the robot.
When the robot's cameras see the objects that are to be picked up they pass on the information to the user's computer screen.Each object lights up randomly on the computer screen.When a person wants something picked up and it happens to light up,the brain registers surprise and sends this brain activity to the computer and then to the robot.The robot then proceeds to pick up the object.
A similar algorithm is used to decide where the robot will go.
"One of the important things about this demonstration is that we're using a 'noisy' brain signal to control the robot," Rao said."That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the surface of the head,not where they are generated deep in the brain.As a result,the user can only generate highlevel commands such as indicating which object to pick up or which location to go to,and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands."
In the future,the researchers hope to make the robots more adaptive to the environment by having them carry out more complex commands. | high7646.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Steve Jobs didn't know his real parents"
},
"options": [
"Steve Jobs's parents lived in San Francisco",
"Steve Jobs's parents were rich",
"Steve Jobs's parents worked at Hewlett-Packard",
"Steve Jobs didn't know his rea... | Steve Jobs-A surprising success.
Nothing in the early years of Steve Job's life suggested that he would be so successful. Born in San Francisco, the child of two students, he was adopted and grew up close to Silicon Valley. While at company-and he and his best friend Steve Wozniak got summer jobs there.
After finishing high school in 1972, Jobs studied at an expensive liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon but he dropped pout after one after one term. He grew his hair and a beard, slept on friends' floors, and sometimes went to a Hare Krishna temple for free meals. Like many drop-outs at that Beatles-inspired time, his ambition was to visit a guru([])in India, which he eventually did with a friend. When they got there, the guru had died.
At this point, Jobs has a limited education, and no obvious talents, apart from a notorious ability to talk. However, he did have a devoted friend who was an electronics genius. They were a great team. Without Jobs' s ambition, high design standards, the ability to make deals and great maketing skills-Wozniak might well have spent a quiet life designing hardware at HP. | high15315.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "her explanation of a set of difficult understandings"
},
"options": [
"publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review",
"her story of a Polish actress",
"her explanation of a set of difficult understandings",
"her ... | Susan Sontag (1933 ------ 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything----- to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag's lifelong watchwords , but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poorly-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture. In Notes Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. Notes on Camp, she wrote, represents "a victory of 'form' over 'content', 'beauty' over 'morals'".
By conviction she was a sensualist , but by nature she was a moralist, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor ------published in 1978, after she suffered cancer ------ she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19thcentury Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.
"Sometimes," she once said, "I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending... is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness." And in the end, she made us take it seriously too. | high1223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "help birders learn how to identify and understand birds"
},
"options": [
"attract more people to photograph birds",
"help birders learn how to identify and understand birds",
"call on people to set some comfort zones for bird... | This site , all-birds. com, is about bird watching. Enjoy your browsing. There is much to learn and see.
Bird Watching Equipment
Some items that might make bird watching more enjoyable are binoculars ( ) , a camera, some kind of system for keeping notes, and maybe a back pack. Birders often keep lists of the birds they see along with notes about the habits. There is some great bird log software that will let you keep records on your computer. For more details on choosing binoculars see our Binocular -Optics page.
Clothes
If you are walking through a wooded area just wear clothes you would wear on any hike or field trip. You are best off wearing clothes with dull colors that mix into the background. Greens, browns, and grays are good. Avoid fabrics that rustle easily. Depending on the birds you are watching you may want to get rain gear, rubber boots and warm clothing. For birds such as owls that you might look for in the evening a strong flashlight is also handy.
Choosing a Bird Field Guide
Take a good field guide to identify birds. Look for clear color pictures that make it easy to recognize one bird from another. Next to each picture should be detailed descriptions of each bird's anatomy, habits, and what it eats. The guide should have information about what habitat each species uses. Many guides have maps showing the range of different birds along with their migration patterns.
Where and When to see Birds
Learning the habitats of birds in your area will increase the number of birds you see, and make your birding more enjoyable. If you know that Meadow larks are likely to be in open grassy areas, and dippers are forage along stream beds, you may be looking for them if you are in those types of habitats. Edge areas where different types of habitats meet will likely have more species in them. You are more likely to see specific birds at certain times of the day. For example songbirds are easier to see two to three hours after dawn, or just before sunset. This is when songbirds are most actively feeding. Many small birds will be silent or even hidden during the rest of the day. After sunup is the best time to see eagles and hawks. Visibility is best for hunting at this time, and they can soar on the thermal currents from the warmed air. Birds like owls are more likely to be seen in the evening. Many shorebirds and waders rest at high tide and feed when the water rises or falls.
Photographing Birds
Patience in Bird Photography
Most birds are afraid of people, and all species have their own comfort zone. With a little time you can learn the comfort zone of the birds you are photographing. Once they know that you are not a threat you may be able to get closer.
Type or Style
Your reason for photographing birds may determine your style and the kind of equipment you use. If you are just recording the kinds of birds you see you don't need to get as close, and you can use less expensive equipment, then you need for high quality prints.
Photographing Birds in Flight
Photographing birds in flight can be fun. Many digital cameras have a tracking function. With these you focus on the bird, and then as you track it the lens will keep focus.
Use Your Yard
Choose an open area where the birds will get direct sunlight, showing off their magnificent colors.
Try using props
Birds will often land on a stick or post near a seed feeder before going to the feeder. The background was just an out of focus fence but you can use anything you want for a background, and then wait for a bird to perch. | high5045.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "colleges are producing more graduates than needed"
},
"options": [
"more graduates tend to take unskilled jobs",
"academic competition among universities is acute",
"today graduates are not qualified for skilled work",
... | The American political class has long held that higher education is vital to individual and national success. The Obama administration has labeled college as "the ticket to the middle class", and political leaders all have praised higher education as the best way to improve economic opportunity.
Yet despite such advice, total college enrollment has fallen by 1.5% since 2012. What's causing the decline? While a shortage of birth in the mid-1990s accounts for some of the shift, big foreign enrollment makes up for that lack. The answer is simple: The benefits of a degree are declining while costs rise.
A key measure of the benefits of a degree is the college graduate's earning potential and on this score, their advantage over high-school graduates is fading. Since 2006, the gap between what the median college graduate earned, compared with the median high-school graduate, has narrowed by $1,387 for men over 25 working full time, a 5% fall, women in the same category worse, losing 7% of their income advantage. A college degree's declining value is even more noticeable for younger Americans. According to data collected by the College Board, for those in the 25-34 age range the difference between college graduate and high school graduate earnings fell 11% for men, to $18,303 from $20,623. The decline for women was an extraordinary 19.7%.
Meanwhile, the cost of college has increased 16.5% in 2012 since 2006, according to the Office of Labor Statistics' higher education tuition-fee index. Tuition discount from universities has slowed down the rise, but not enough to balance the clear increase adjusted to the inflation .
Underemployment has arisen with this situation. The 2013 College Affordability and Productivity Report showed explosive growth in the number of college graduates taking ly unskilled jobs. In 1970 less than 1% of taxi drivers had college degrees. Four decades later, more than 15% do. This is only partly the result of the economic depression and public policies that have failed to produce employment growth. It's also the result of an academic arms race in which universities have spent large sums on elegant dormitories and campus expansion. More significantly, it's the result of sending more high-school graduates to college than professional fields can accommodate.
In 1970, when 11% of adult Americans had bachelor's degrees or more, degree holders were viewed as the nation's best and brightest. Today, with over 30% with degrees, a significant part of college graduates are similar to the average American --- not apparently smarter or more well-organized. Declining academic standards and grade inflation add to employers' opinions that college degrees say little about job readiness. | high17502.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He was begging for money."
},
"options": [
"He was selling his old hat.",
"He was busy counting coins.",
"He was begging for money.",
"He was showing his handwriting."
],
"question": "What was the boy doing on t... | A small boy sat on the street with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: " I am blind, please help". There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were.
The boy recognized his footsteps and asked :"Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said: "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way."
What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply told people to help by putting some money in the hat. The second sign told people that they were able to enjoy the day, but the boy could not enjoy it because he was blind.
The first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind.
There are at least two lessons we can learn from this simple story.
The first is: Be thankful for what you have. Someone else has less. Help where you can.
The second is:Be creative. Think differently. There is always a better way! | high11173.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "influences people' s lives"
},
"options": [
"causes no harm to the environment",
"influences people' s lives",
"is aiming at blind people",
"is easy to use"
],
"question": "NVDA won an award in the program of th... | For many blind people, computers are inaccessible. It can cost $1,000 to purchase "screen reader" software, but two blind computer programmers from Australia have solved this problem.
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) graduate James Teh and business partner Michael Curran developed a free, open-source program, called NVDA, which provides a voice to read the words on a computer screen as the cursor moves over them. NVDA won the blind inventors an award in the grand final program of the ABC's New Inventors, which aired on September 23. They took home the award for an invention that "might make a real difference to people's lives or the environment."
"A sighted person takes for granted that they can sit down at any computer and use it," Mr Teh said. "We really are in the information age -- everything is online these days. So access to computers for the blind is very important, which is why we wanted our software to be free."
Mr Teh, who majored in software engineering at QUT, said blind students typically didn't have the money to purchase "screen reader" technology, at the time in their life when they most needed it. Now NVDA could be downloaded on to anyone's personal computer free of charge.
"It can also be copied to a USB stick, which can be used on any PC at school or university, with no installation required," he said.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have drawn on their own experience as blind computer users to develop a product which has some unique features. For example, as the mouse moves up and down the screen, a sound becomes higher and lower to let you know where the cursor is located.
NVDA has been translated into 27 languages, thanks to volunteer translators. To date, there have been over 50,000 downloads.
Mr Teh and Mr Curran have been working on the project since 2006. They worked on their product without any pay for two years. When Mozilla offered some funding in 2008, Mr Teh was able to quit his day job and work full-time developing NVDA. | high3434.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Rafting is a good way to experience nature. If you want a normal rafting trip, choose a quiet stream or river that is wide and has few fallen trees or rocks. If you are looking for more excitement you may want to try whitewater rafting. You should alw... | The people below are needed to take part in a sport. After the description of these people, there is information about four sports(A-D). Decide which sport would be most suitable for the person mentioned in questions 58-61 and then mark the correct letter(A-D) on your answer sheet. | high11615.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "learn tolerance towards others"
},
"options": [
"avoid inappropriate manners",
"learn tolerance towards others",
"pay attention to others' needs and feelings",
"judge others favorably in any case"
],
"question":... | When you meet someone for the first time, you will form an impression in your mind of that person in the first moment. Your reactions to other people, however, are really just barometers for how you perceive yourself. Your reactions to others say more about you than they do about others. You cannot really love or hate something about another unless it reflects something you love or hate yourself. We are usually drawn to those who are most like us and tend to dislike those who display those aspects of ourselves that we dislike.
Therefore, you can allow others to be the mirror to illuminate (;) more clearly your own feelings of self-worth. Conversely, you can view the people you judge negatively as mirrors to show you what you are not accepting about yourself.
To survive together peacefully with others, you will need to learn tolerance. A big challenge is to shift your perspective from judgment of others to a lifelong exploration of yourself. Your task is to assess all the decisions, judgments you make onto others and to begin to view them as clues to how you can heal yourself and become whole.
Several days ago I had a business lunch with a man who displayed _ table manners. My first reaction was to judge him as rude and his table manners as annoying. When I noticed that I was judging him, I stopped and asked myself what I was feeling. I discovered that I was embarrassed to be seen with someone who was chewing with his mouth open and loudly blowing his nose. I was astonished to find how much I cared about how the other people in the restaurant perceived me.
Remember that your judgment of someone will not serve as a protective shield against you becoming like him. Just because I judge my lunch partner as rude does not prevent me from ever looking or acting like him. In the same way, extending tolerance to him would not cause me to suddenly begin chewing my food with my mouth open.
When you approach life in this manner, those with whom you have the greatest dissatisfactions as well as those you admire and love can be seen as mirrors, guiding you to discover parts of yourself that you reject and to embrace your greatest quality. | high3352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They wanted to sell more of their products."
},
"options": [
"The system were slower than cars.",
"The systems were too old to be fixed.",
"They were trying to build better ones.",
"They wanted to sell more of their pro... | The way people in the US travel to and from work has changed a lot in the last fifty years.
Before the Second World War, most people lived in the town or the city where they worked.
Almost everyone either walked to work or used a good inexpensive transportation system Many of
these systems were electrified and ran on tracks, so they used very little energy.
After 1945, the US government built many new roads and highways. People moved farther
and farther form the cities where they worked because they could drive their cars on these new
roads from their suburban homes to work in the city. Some of the big car makers also bought the
electrified transportation systems and destroyed them. As people stopped using public
transporation , cities spent less money fixing old buses and trains or buying new ones. Public
transportation got worse and worse.
In the late 1960s, people found out that the increase in the use of cars led to many
problems. There were always too many cars for the highway system, and terrible traffic problems
developed. People were spending hours in traffic jams getting to and from work every day. In
addition, the air in many cities became dirty because of pollution from millions of cars, and many
people died in traffic accidents. As people began to get worried about how the use of cars was
hurting the environment, cities began to spend more money on public transportation again, so
fewer people would have to drive cars.
When gas became very expensive in the mid-1970s, the number of people taking public
transportation began to increase .It's terribly expensive to build new public transportation systems.
so it's very difficult to make big changes in the way people travel .However ,an increase in the
use of public transportation has begun. | high18157.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "don't share the same interests"
},
"options": [
"both dislike the language",
"don't get along well with each other",
"are too busy to talk to each other",
"don't share the same interests"
],
"question": "Segovia... | Like many languages spoken by people, Ayapaneco is dying. Only two people in the world still speak it, and they won't talk to each other.
Spoken in Mexico for centuries, Ayapaneco is one of 68 surviving languages in the mainly Spanish-speaking nation. The two speakers are Manuel Segovia and Isidro Velazquez. Though they live only 500 meters from each other in the village, the two men seldom talk to each other. Daniel, an American expert, who is working to make a dictionary of Ayapaneco, says the two men "don't have a lot in common," and that Segovia can be "active" while Velasquez tends to mind his own business and stay at home.
While Segovia still speaks to his wife and son in Ayapaneco, neither of them can manage more than a few words. Velasquez hardly speaks his native tongue any more. Daniel is working to preserve the language in dictionary form before its last surviving speakers pass away. According to Daniel, Ayapaneco and the other languages began dying out with the introduction of public Spanish education in the mid-20thcentury. For decades, local children weren't allowed to speak anything else. Many people to cities, starting in the 1970s, also helped the dying out of native languages.
Ayapaneco is the name given to the language; Segovia and Velazquez call it "Nuumte Oote", which means "true voice". Neither man, however, speaks the same language. The dictionary will contain two versions of the language when it comes out later this year. Those behind the dictionary aren't the only ones trying to save Ayapaneco. The National Language Institute plans to hold classes so that Segovia and Velasquez can pass on what they know to children.
It is thought that there are about 6,000 languages spoken on earth and that about half will disappear over the next 100 years. Let's hope the "true voice" isn't one of them. | high5723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To ask for a change in the delivery date."
},
"options": [
"To make a complaint about a late delivery.",
"To cancel an order he had made.",
"To invite Ms Rogers to an auto show.",
"To ask for a change in the delivery da... | June 3, 2013
Suzanne Rogers
Ultra--Ergonomic Furniture
Sales and Shipping Department
Suite 58, 107 Morris Circle
Moorabbin, Victoria 3206
Dear Ms Rogers,
As I'm sure you are aware, our company has been organizing conventions, festivals, and other large corporate events for the last fifteen years. We have relied on your company for purchase and rental supplies of high--quality furniture for that entire period, and we've never had any cause for complaints with regard to your services.
I am writing to you personally to ask a special favor. We recently made an order with your company for the supply of rental furniture that includes chairs, tables, and partitions for an auto show (see order No. 11--35698A). Unfortunately, a serious error was made. In fact the show begins one week earlier than indicated on the order form. The starting date is actually July 7. I would appreciate it very much if you could try to do everything you can to ensure that our order be delivered to us on that date. Also, if possible, I'd like to add 20 Pop-up displays on top of our original order.
Please contact me soon.
Yours sincerely
Michael Robinson
Properties Manager
Mrobinson@btc. com
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
From: srogers@uef. shipping. com
Sent: June 8, 2013
To: mrobinson@btc. com
Dear Mr Robinson,
Thank you for your letter. I was surprised and of course concerned that you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. And of course I will do my best to help you.
Anyway, I personally look a trip down to our warehouse this morning to have a closer look at our stock to see if we have all the things you need for your convention--which I believe is from July 7 to July 14. I am happy to say that we will be able to provide you with everything you originally requested. However, as for the additional request you made, it won't be possible because we have already rented them out to another client during that week.
Kind regards,
Suzanne Rogers
Sales and shipping Department | high17264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Some unusual pets are adopted by people"
},
"options": [
"Some websites are set up to protect pets.",
"Some unusual pets are adopted by people",
"People should take good care of their pets",
"Pets sometimes can be very ... | What kind of pets do people have in your country? Dogs? Cats? How about a duck, hippo or lion? Here are two cases of animal owners with unusual pets.
Barrie Hayman has a pet duck called Star. Barrie adopted him after his brothers and sisters stayed away from him at birth. Barrie, a duck breeder, realized the little duck needed special attention. So he began taking Star with him everywhere he went. "I would put him in my pocket while I did my shopping," said Barrie. Now, at five months, Star is too big for Barrie's pocket, but the two are still _ . They watch sports, together and even share a drink together. Barrie said, "He is a fantastic duck. I've never known any like him." Star even has his own Facebook page, with more than 2,000 Face book friends.
Then there is the case of Tonie and Shirley Joubert in South Africa. They live with their hippo, Jessica. Tonie saved Jessica from floodwaters when she was only a day old. Jessica lives outside their riverside house, but she knows how to open the kitchen door, and often goes there for a snack. Tonie recently said, "I don't know whether Jessica sees me as a hippo or whether she sees herself as a human." Shirley is more certain, "Jessica sees herself as our child and I see Jessica as my daughter. I can't imagine my life without Jessica." Jessica is free to leave, and often visits wild hippos that live nearby. But she always returns home at night. Jessica's website notes that she has three hippo boyfriends, but one in particular,Fred, is her favorite. They often go grazing together and Fred has recently moved onto the Joubert's house as well. | high1545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "language"
},
"options": [
"eyesight",
"intelligence",
"language",
"emotion"
],
"question": "Dyslexia affects the part of brain concerning _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Dyslexia is a problem that restricts the ability to recognize words and connect sounds with letters when people read. People with this learning disorder may also have problems when they write. Dyslexia is not related to eyesight or intelligence. The problem involves areas of the brain that process language. Brain scientists are studying whether they can predict which young children may struggle with reading to provide them with early help. John Gabrieli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is leading the study of five-year-olds in about twenty schools in the Boston area.
They studied in the schools with kindergartens. And for all the children joining in the study, they give them a brief set of paper-and-pencil tests to look at which children appear to be at some risk for struggling to read. So far, fifty of them have been examined in a scanner, a special machine, to show brain activity. Written tests are not always able to identify dyslexia or other problems, while brain scans may offer a more scientific way to identify problems. And with reading problems, early identification is important. When it comes to helping children overcome reading difficulties, the younger the child, the more effective they are.
Reading problems are not usually identified until a child is in the third or fourth grade. The later children are recognized as poor readers, the less treatment can help. And, as Professor Gabrieli points out, poor reading can make education a struggle. Reading is everything. Even math and science have textbooks.
While the children are given tasks related to reading, the brain scans measure the extent to which certain parts of the brain become active while the children do the work. The scientists say they are pleased with early results from the study, but have a long way to go. | high13002.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "show its great achievements to the world."
},
"options": [
"make the Beijing Olympics more interesting.",
"show its great achievements to the world.",
"prove that China is a developed country.",
"introduce its science a... | China has now mapped out plans for its next four launches in the Shenzhou program on the next flight. But one conclusion seems to have escaped most reports in the aerospace media. The flight of Shenzhou 7 could be timed to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Plans for the 2008 Summer Olympics call for the events to be held between the 8th and 24th of August. It's reasonable to expect that China will use the event to promote its achievements before the world, and human spaceflight is China's most significant recent breakthrough.
Shenzhou 7, China's next manned space mission, was originally advertised for 2007. This fit into the pattern of staging a two-year gap between crewed Shenzhou missions, which have previously launched in 2003 and 2005. But Chinese media statements have recently _ this to 2008. Chinese media have reported that while the overall program is going well, more time is needed to work on the spacesuit that will be used on this flight to stage China's first spacewalk. It's possible that Chinese engineers want to make best preparations for this complex mission.
China could intend to carry out the mission of Shenzhou 7 just as media attention is focused on the lead-up to the Olympics. The crew of the flight, and possibly China's other flown astronauts, could then take part in the opening ceremony. China has previously feted her space travellers in great celebrations, such as the Hong Kong event that saw Yang Liwei singing with actor Jacky Chan.
China has also suggested that the activity will be carried out by a single astronaut, and has indicated that half an hour is a rough estimate of the planned time for the spacewalk. China is apparently following suit, probably for the same reasons of conservative mission planning and safety. | high9119.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "his own house"
},
"options": [
"the classroom",
"the school office",
"a bank near his house",
"his own house"
],
"question": "Johnny changed his English grade with the computer in _ .",
"question_type": "... | Johnny Smith was a good math student at a high school. He loved his computer. He came home early every day, then he worked with it till midnight. But Johnny was not a good English student, not good at all. He got an F in his English class. One day after school Johnny joined his computer to the computer in his high school office. The school office computer had the grades of all the students: the math grades, the science grades, the grades in arts and music, and the grades in English. He found his English grade. An F! Johnny changed his English grade from an F to A. Johnny' parents looked at his report card. They were very happy.
"An A in English!" said Johnny's Dad. "You're a very clever boy, Johnny."
Johnny is a hacker. Hackers know how to take information from other computers and put new information in. Using a modem, they join their computers to other computers secretly. School headmasters and teachers are worried about hackers. So are the police, for some people even take money from bank computer accounts and put it into their own ones. And they never have to leave home to do it! They are called hackers. | high8207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the IQ of smoking males is lower than that of non-smokers"
},
"options": [
"the IQ of smoking males is lower than that of non-smokers",
"the IQ of smoking males is higher than that of non-smokers",
"the IQ of smoking males is... | A study led by Professor Mark Weiser of Tel Aviv University and the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital has determined that young men who smoke are likely to have lower IQs than their non-smoking peers . Tracking 18-to 21-year-old men enlisted in the Israeli army in the largest ever study of its kind, he has been able to demonstrate an important connection between the number of cigarettes young males smoke and their IQ.
The average IQ for a non-smoker was about 101, while the smokers' average was more than seven IQ points lower, at about 94, the study determined. The IQs of young men who smoked more than a pack a day were lower still, at about 90. An IQ score in a healthy population of such young men, with no mental disorders , falls within the range of 84 to 116.
"In the health profession, we've generally thought that smokers are most likely the kind of people who have grown up in difficult neighborhoods, or who've been given less education at good schools," says Weiser, whose study was reported in a recent version of the journal,
, "But because our study included subjects with various socio-economic backgrounds, we've been able to rule out socio-economics as a major factor. The government might want to rethink how it arranges its educational resources on smoking.
Making the results more significant, the study also measured effects in twin brothers. In the case where one twin smoked, the non-smoking twin registered a higher IQ on average.
Although a lower IQ may suggest a greater risk for smoking addiction, the representing data on IQ and smoking found that most of the smokers investigated in the study had IQs within the average range, nevertheless.
In the study, researchers took data from more than 20,000 men before, during and after their time in the military. All men in the study were considered in good health, since pre-screening measures for suitability in the army had already been taken. The researchers found that around 28 percent of their samples smoked one or more cigarettes a day, 3 percent considered themselves ex-smokers, and 68 percent said they never smoked.
"People on the lower end of the average IQ tend to display poorer overall decision-making skills when it comes to their health," says Weiser. He adds that his finding can help address serious concern among heath counsellors at grade and high schools. | high15473.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Kari, a teacher who works eight hours a day."
},
"options": [
"Kari, a teacher who works eight hours a day.",
"Jim, who has a daughter sensitive to dog's smell.",
"Dick, a jobless teenager who can hardly pay his rent.",
... | Many people _ , only to find out that they are not ready for a pet. This often results in the dog being turned over to a shelter where it may not find another home. This can be avoided if potential pet owners take the time to figure out if they are truly ready for the responsibilities of pet ownership.
Being a responsible pet owner involves a financial commitment that goes beyond buying dog food. There are also parasite prevention, boarding costs while traveling and the cost to care for the pet should it become ill or injured. That is not to say that one must be rich in order to have a dog, but it is important to be prepared for the expenses that come with being a pet owner.
Another consideration is the time commitment. An owner away from home for 14 hours every day is not an ideal situation for a dog. A potential dog owner must also consider the time it takes to care for his or her pet, the time it takes to feed, walk, play with, bathe and clean up. Also, dogs require attention. Be prepared to spend time each day petting and playing with it.
Dogs are dogs, and will act like dogs. This includes barking, digging, having accidents in the house and, possibly, destroying some of the owner's prized possessions, such as furniture, shoes and cell phones. If the above would cause an owner to want to get rid of the dog, then he or she is not yet ready to be a pet owner. Many wonderful pets end up in shelters simply because they acted like dogs! | high7134.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to report the different roles mothers and fathers play in childdevelopment"
},
"options": [
"to introduce a famous educational psychologist to readers",
"to report the different roles mothers and fathers play in childdevelopment",
... | Much of the value mothers and fathers bring to their children is due to the fact that mothers and fathers are different.And by cooperating together and complementing each other in their differences,they provide these good things that samesex caregivers cannot provide.
Mothers and Fathers Play Differently Fathers tend to play with,and mothers tend to care for,children.While both mothers and fathers are physical,fathers are physical in different ways.
Fathers are rough while mothers are gentle.Fathers encourage competition;mothers encourage equity.One style encourages independence while the other encourages security.
Both provide security and confidence in their own ways by communicating love and physical intimacy.
Fathers Push Limits;Mothers Encourage Security Go to any playground and listen to the parents.Who is encouraging their kids to swing or climb just a little higher,ride just a little faster,throw just a little harder?Who is yelling,"Slow down,not so high,not so hard"?Of course,fathers encourage children to take chances and push limits and mothers protect children and are more cautious.
Joined together,they keep each other in balance and help children remain safe while expanding their experiences and confidence.
Mothers and Fathers Communicate Differently A major study found that when speaking to children,mothers and fathers are different.Mothers will simplify their words and speak on the child's level.Men are not as inclined to modify their language for the child simply.
Children who do not have the chance to meet both will not learn how to understand and use both styles of conversation as they grow. These boys and girls will be at a disadvantage because they will experience these different ways of communicating in relationship with teachers,bosses and others.
Mothers and Fathers Discipline Differently Educational psychologist Carol Gilligan tells us that fathers stress justice,fairness and duty,while mothers stress sympathy,care and help.Again,either of these parenting styles by themselves is not good,but together,they create a healthy,proper balance. | high22234.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "she felt pity for the street children"
},
"options": [
"she felt pity for the street children",
"she almost lost her Way in Bucharest",
"she didn't get legal papers",
"she would leave Romania"
],
"question": "Ol... | Catalin Baciu from Romania wanted to make money in Germany. So, he and his wife, Oltita went to Bucharest, the capital city of Romania to get legal papers to move to Germany. However, when they arrived, they were surprised by what they saw. "Hundreds of street children were living in a busy and dirty city of two and a half million people. Many of them were using drugs. They all seemed lost. Most of them were under ten years old. Oltita had tears in her eyes," Catalin said.
Many of these streets children were orphans . They had grown up in the government orphanages, but had run away. They thought any place would be better than the orphanages. But the streets were cold and hard. The winters were freezing. The children had to sleep in warm sewers under the ground. Many of the children even became involved with crime and violence .
The Baciu's did not like the sight of so many pitiful children in Bucharest. They wanted to leave immediately and go to Germany. However, that night, Catalin and Oltita stayed with a friend in Buchares. "The friend we were staying with was working with street children. I was deeply touched by what he and his fellows were trying to do...they were sacrificing their jobs and lives to save street children, " Catalin said.
After that visit, the Baciu's completely changed their life plan. Instead of moving to Germany, they began working with street children in Bucharest. They started by opening a home called House of Hope, which provided a warm and loving place for children who needed to get away from the streets. Many hospitals and business workers called House of Hope when they found troubled kids. Everyone knew the House of Hope would help. | high14786.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "in the early morning"
},
"options": [
"before 3:03",
"in the early morning",
"after three o'clock in the afternoon",
"after 3:45"
],
"question": "The robbery took place _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_quest... | At three a.m., Jack Mills was sitting at the controls of the mail train. The train was made up of 13 cars. At the end of the train, 71 mailmen sat sorting the mails. Inside the second car, there were only five mailmen and 128 bags full of five-pound notes. This train had run more than 100 years without being robbed. At three minutes past three, Mills and his helper, David Whitby, saw a yellow warning light. They slowed the train, and then stopped. Whitby went to the telephone beside the track. It was out of order. Then he saw a man moving between the second and the third cars. Before Whitby could give a warning, he was knocked down by two men. Mills' cars with all the mailmen had been disconnected by the robbers. At the bridge, the bags of money were unloaded from the train and thrown into waiting trucks. One of the robbers who obviously knew the schedules of all the trains kept looking at his watch. At 3:45 he said, "That will have to be enough." The robbers drove away with more than 2,500,000 pounds. | high20423.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "physically active kids get into less trouble"
},
"options": [
"physically active kids get into less trouble",
"more skating parks are being built",
"kids who spend hours watching TV benefit a lot",
"kids who have nowher... | Researchers found that compared with teens who spent much of their free time in front of TV sets, those who were physically active often had higher self-respect, better grades and were less likely to have risky behavior like taking drugs, smoking, or drinking.The findings, based on a national survey of nearly 12,000 middle and high school students, were published in a journal.
"Across the board, children who engaged in any kind of activity were belier off than kids who watched a lot of TV," said study co author professor Penny Gordon Larsen of the University of North Carolina.
Other studies have linked certain content of television programs, such as violence and sex, to children's behavior.But beyond this issue, Gordon-Larsen said that kids who spend hours watching TV "miss opportunities" to develop skills, learn teamwork and have other experiences that their more active peers benefit from.
That doesn't mean, however, that kids have to be on the football team. The study found that some activities like skating and skateboarding----which adults sometimes frown upon----were also related to better self respect and less risk taking.
That skaters were better behaved than TV watchers might come as a surprise to some adults who consider these teens to be bad, according to Gordon-Larsen.Skateboarding is forbidden in many public areas, and some communities oppose building skating parks.But if kids who like to skate have nowhere to do it, "it's a shame," said Gordon-Larsen.
Not only should parents encourage their kids to engage iii the physical activities they enjoy, she said, but schools and communities should also do more to create opportunities for children to be active. | high11826.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to have a meal."
},
"options": [
"to the subway station.",
"to his workplace.",
"to have a meal.",
"to see a drama."
],
"question": "When a teenage boy approached him with a knife, Diaz was on his way _ .",
... | When Julio Diaz stepped off the subway after work one night, he was simply planning to go to his favorite local diner for a meal. But when a teenage boy approached him with a knife, Diaz knew the evening was about to take a more dramatic turn.
The young man demanded Diaz's wallet, and Diaz passed it over without objection . But just as he turned to walk away, Diaz called, "Hey, wait a minute. You forgot something."
The young man turned around, surprised.
"If you're going to rob people for the rest of the night, you might as well take my coat to keep warm."
The teenager looked at Diaz in disbelief, and asked why he would do such a thing. Diaz replied, "If you're willing to risk your freedom for a few dollars, I guess you must really need the money."He said he was heading out for dinner, and that he would be happy to take someone with him.
The young man decided to _ his offer. As they were sitting at the table, the manager, dishwashers and waiters all stopped over to say hello to Diaz, and the young man was amazed at his popularity.
"Haven't you been taught that you should be nice to everybody?"Diaz asked him.
"Yeah, but I didn't think people actually behaved that way," the teenager replied. Thanks to Diaz, he was beginning to see that kindness wasn't so strange, after all.
When the bill came, Diaz told the teen that he'd have to get the check. After all, he still had Diaz's wallet.
But the teenager put the wallet on the table without a moment's thought, and Diaz treated him to dinner. Diaz also gave the would-be robber a $20 bill -- in exchange for his knife. "I figure, you know, if you treat people right, you can only hope that they treat you right," Diaz said. | high5910.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "see some places for the last time."
},
"options": [
"Show she was familiar with the city",
"reach the destination on time",
"let the driver earn more money",
"see some places for the last time."
],
"question": "... | Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living. One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2:30 a.m. When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark exvept for a single light in a ground floor window.
I walked to the door and knocked, "Just a minute," answered a weak, elderly voice.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her eighties stood before me. By her side was a small suitcase.
I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car.
She kept thanking me for my kindness. "It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated. "
"Oh, you're such a good man." She said. When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, " Could you drive through downtown?"
"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.
" Oh, I'm in no hurry." She said, "I'm on my way to a hospice . I don't have any family left. The doctor says I don't have very long."
I quietly reached over and shut off the meter
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
At down, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
"How much do I owe you?" She asked.
"Nothing." I said.
"You have to make a living," she answered. "Oh, there are other passengers," I answered.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment joy." | high16191.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "New research shows that high self-esteem may not be helpful."
},
"options": [
"High self-esteem is the key to success.",
"New research shows that high self-esteem may not be helpful.",
"New research shows that high self-estee... | For a long time people have believed that high self-esteem is the key to success. However, new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases, having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.
"Forget about self-esteem," says one of the psychologists involved in the new research. "It's not the most important thing."
This idea may sound a bit strange to you because studies also show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be anxious, shy, or lonely than those with low self-esteem. In short, to feel good does you good.
But, after reviewing about 18,000 studies on self-esteem, Roy Baumeister, a psychologist at Florida State University, has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person. He believes that violent and evil people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said, "There's no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school."
All types of people have problems. "People with high self-esteem can have big egos that can make them less likeable to their peers," said Kathleen Vohs, a psychology professor at Columbia University. "People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves," Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.
Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something, try to learn from the experience. The best therapy , as they suggest, is to recognize your faults, accept yourself, understand your weaknesses and then do something about them. | high18802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he was kind and helpful to people from heart."
},
"options": [
"Because he was a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Guinea.",
"Because he was kind and helpful to people from heart.",
"Because he wanted to make friends wi... | Jesse was a great teacher, tutor, mentor, and family member. He was a dedicated volunteer in the Peace Corps in Guinea, West Africa. He went to a place where he knew he could make a difference and wanted to help teach children who otherwise would not have a teacher. He made friends wherever he went and touched the hearts of many.
Jesse was never one to go anywhere without making a good impression on everyone he met. His sudden death in a tragic car accident in Africa brought his family and friends together in a celebration of his life. They came from all over: Africa, Canada, the US. The church was filled with people who knew that Jesse had made a difference in their lives, in the lives of the children, and in the hearts of his loved ones.
Jesse volunteered with the Peace Corps to help educate children in Guinea, Africa. Guinea is a very poor and complex country where tribalism is strong. Each tribe that Jesse worked with wanted him to commit to one or the other.
Jesse would not surrender to tribalism when he took an African name, and he wanted a tribal last name. Each of the two tribes in which he taught insisted that he choose their name. He would not choose but married the tribes' two names into one.
Jesse was a light to all who knew him. We will always remember the joy and love he brought to his work, to his family, his friends. The people who loved Jesse are planning to build a school in Guinea in his honor. So his work continues... | high11198.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "accept negative values more quickly"
},
"options": [
"sustain their family values easily",
"will hold their family values with age",
"often discuss family values of others",
"accept negative values more quickly"
],
... | Building a foundation for your child of family values may not be as easy as you think. Often we believe that our child will pick up on our values if they live in the same home. While they may pick up many of our values, parents need to remember they are not the only influence in their child's life. These outside values often compete with family values for your child's attention. If we do not make a conscious effort to _ our children, they may not get instilled at all.
I wish I had learned that lesson a little earlier. I thought if I lived my values for my children they would pick them up and make their own. Sometimes this happened and sometimes it didn't. I often see twenty-something "kids" who have no faith in many of the values of their family in favor of the values of their friends. Children will often pick up the negative you show quicker than the positive, so the positive things need extra focus to set them.
Some of the influences your children face every day include their church, their school, their friends, any clubs or sporting groups they are part of and more. Kids spend many hours a day at school and with their friends. Sometimes in the business of life, we suppose our children will obtain that foundation we want for them.
Instilling a foundation of family values to sustain your child requires more than living it in front of them. That is important, but building up your child with this important foundation must become intentional.
That means we plan times to gather as a family. We plan activities together that show the values we want to pass on. We talk about our values; we live our values; we discuss the values of others and how they differ from ours; we constantly look for opportunities and make our own opportunities to share these values in word or deed with our children.
Family values give our children a foundation to build upon. It helps them know they are loved and gives them a sense of belongings. Upon this sure foundation, they can spread their wings and grow to become parents who share these same values with their own children. | high10286.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Most US parents will support a law that limits IT companies to using personal information."
},
"options": [
"Parents are worried about social networks because they lead to the children's failing grades.",
"Most US parents agree tha... | When it comes to protecting the privacy of their children, U.S. parents give social networks a failing grade. According to a recent survey, three out of four parents believe social networks are not doing a good job of protecting kids' online privacy.
The survey was conducted for Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization devoted to helping families find the right way to deal with the world of media and technology.
Ninety-two percent of parents said they are concerned that children share too much information online, and 85 percent said they are more concerned about online privacy than they were five years ago. In other findings, Common Sense Media found that 68% of parents are not at all confident in search engines keeping their private information safe and secure and 71% of parents said the same about social networking sites.
The survey found a great deal of concern about the online geo-location services which find and show the exact position of somebody through the net. Ninety-one percent of parents said search engines and social networking sites should not be able to share the physical location of children with other companies unless the parents approve.
"The survey results present a clear divide between the industry's view of privacy and the opinion of parents and kids," Common Sense Media CEO and founder James Steyer said.
"American families are deeply worried about how their personal information is being used by technology and online companies, yet the companies appear to be keeping their heads deep in the sand," Steyer said.
IT companies need to step up but parents, children, schools and government also need to do more, he said.
"Parents and kids have to educate themselves about how to protect their information," he said. "Schools should teach all students and their parents about privacy protection."
"And finally, policymakers have to update privacy policies for the 21st century," he said. According to the survey, more than 60 percent of parents want the US Congress to update online privacy laws for children and teenagers. | high20345.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Martin's playing the piano damaged her health"
},
"options": [
"Martin's playing the piano damaged her health",
"Bosom suffered from heart attack",
"Martin refused to take regular classes in other towns",
"Martin flew a... | To most people, noise pollution is a jet flying over their head. For one Spanish woman, it is a neighbor playing the piano. The woman has taken her neighbor to court. Now she wants to send her neighbor to prison for over seven years on the charges of psychological damage and noise pollution.
In a country known for its noisiness, the case has raised eyebrows. Neighbors often complain about street noise in Spain, but people seeking prison time for someone practicing the piano is unheard of. At the trial, Sonia Bosom says she has been suffering noise pollution up to now due to the practice sessions of Laia Martin, who lives below her. Martin, 27, didn't admit that she played at home that often, saying she took regular classes in other towns and mostly practiced at home on the weekends.
On the first day of the trial, the newspaper reported that Bosom told the court she now hated pianos so much that she couldn't even stand seeing them in a film.
Bosom says years of hearing constant playing has caused her "psychological injury". Medical reports show she has suffered from a variety of problems, including insomnia , anxiety, and panic attacks.
She says tests by local authorities have found that the sound levels made by the piano are up to 10 decibels higher than the limit. City authorities have asked the family several times to either stop the piano playing or soundproof the room. The family told the court they carried out soundproofing work twice but the complaints continued.
The court hasn't made a final decision. A spokeswoman says the trial will end before May. | high9694.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she could be as great as Sophie"
},
"options": [
"she could save Sophie like a superhero",
"she could wear a beautiful sweater like others",
"she could be as great as Sophie",
"she had no homework at school"
],
... | Annabelle Smith and her two best friends, Samantha and Kristy, loved going to Sand City School. Mrs. Lemming, their teacher, would read them a story. That Monday afternoon, Mrs. Lemming read them a story called Super Sophie Saves the Day.
After school, Annabelle, Samantha and Kristy walked home together. "I decide that from now on I'm going to be a superhero like Sophie," Annabelle told her friends.
"You mean heroine," Kristy said. "You're a girl, Annabelle."
The next day Kristy and Samantha picked Annabelle up on their way to school. Annabelle had a red towel taped to her blue shirt. "I am Super Annabelle," Annabelle said. "I'll save someone on the way to school."
Charlotte, another second-grader, walked past the girls. Her sweater was tied around her waist. She ran a little faster, and her sweater was nearly on the ground. Annabelle wondered what she would do. Giving her a dirty look, Charlotte ran away.
Annabelle walked into her father's study when she got home. She had a homework question for him. A note on her father's desk said he was lending some books to Charlotte's father. She noticed a magazine on his desk that said Go Green. "Homework can wait," Annabelle thought. "Maybe Charlotte goes green!"
In the woods, Annabelle saw a man cutting down a tree. Trees were good for the environment. She prevented him from cutting down the tree, and then she fell on the hard ground. Annabelle walked farther in the woods, where she found Charlotte picking up litter.
Annabelle said, "You are the second-grade's hero, Charlotte."
Charlotte stared at Annabelle. "I'm picking up litter to make the earth a better place," she said. "I don't care about being famous."
Annabelle felt slightly ashamed of herself. | high24123.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "On the mountain."
},
"options": [
"On the beach.",
"On the mountain.",
"In the rice fields.",
"At home."
],
"question": "Where was Yuuki when the earthquake struck?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answ... | For hundreds of years, Japan has been hit, from time to time, by tsunamis , which are caused by earthquakes or underwater volcanoes. The story of the boy Yuuki is the story of such a disaster.
Yuuki lived with his family in a seaside village, below a small mountain. One day, as he played on top of the mountain, Yuuki felt a small earthquake but it was not strong enough to frighten anybody. Soon after, however, Yuuki noticed the sea darken and begin running away from the shore very fast, leaving behind wide areas of beach that had never been seen before.
Yuuki remembered reading that just before a terrible tsunami, the sea suddenly and quickly rolls backward. He ran to the beach, warning the villagers who had gathered to admire the new beach land.
But no one listened. They laughed at him and continued playing in the new sand.
Desperate, Yuuki could think of only one thing to do. He lit a tree branch, raced to the rice fields and began burning the harvested rice. Then he called out, "Fire! Fire! Everyone run to the mountain! Now!"
When everyone reached the mountain top, a villager cried out, "Yuuki is mad! I saw him set the fire." Yuuki hung his head in shame, but said nothing as the villagers screamed at him.
Just then, someone shouted, "Look!"
In the distance a huge dark wave of water was speeding towards the shore. When it hit the shore, it destroyed everything.
On the mountain everyone stared at the village ruins in terror.
"I'm sorry I burned the fields," said Yuuki, his voice trembling.
"Yuuki," the village chief answered. "You saved us all."
The villagers cheered and raised Yuuki into the air. "We were going to celebrate our rice harvest tonight," said one, "but now we'll celebrate that we're all still alive!" | high12491.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Feelings of warmth and comfort."
},
"options": [
"All the belongings in the house.",
"Feelings of warmth and comfort.",
"The houses and circumstances.",
"Drinking with friends on the kitchen counter."
],
"questi... | What makes a house a home?
Not size, of course. I've been in some of the grandest houses in prefix = st1 /America, and it's clear no one lives there. Earlier this year, I had dinner in a mud hut inEthiopia, where we sat on chairs next to the hostess' bed -- a home that had more warmth than any house I've been in since.
Now John Edwards is exploring what makes a house a home in his just-released Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives. There Edwards writes, "This isn't a book about houses; it's a book about homes. About the values they rest on, the dreams they are filled with, and the people they have shaped," Edwards writes. "The houses and circumstances are different, but much of what you find inside will be familiar."
Whether you're sitting in an airport flight now, waiting to fly to your childhood home for Thanksgiving, or in your own home waiting for the s to arrive, you know what he's talking about.
We've lived in our townhouse for 21 years. It's home now. The loose windows that shake in the wind. The fireplace so shallow it holds only one log. The kitchen window that offers a view of the world passing by. It's where friends sit on the kitchen counter drinking wine while dinner is being fixed. I lived there for only 18, but it will always be my true home. Even the lamp in the west living room window, which I could see far down the road when driving home late at night, still shines.
While all this talk about childhood memories can be warm and comforting, home is whom you're with, not where you are. As Edwards writes, "Home is family. Home is safety. Home is faith."
Happy homecoming. | high23894.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "appearance"
},
"options": [
"appearance",
"taste",
"color",
"value"
],
"question": "Eggplant got its name because of its _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | What's delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg.It can be steamed, fried, and baked.It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables.
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century BC.Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia.Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe.At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today.Instead, it's like a white egg.Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name.In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a "mad apple." This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health.People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer.
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer.In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer.In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable.Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion.
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today.Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white.And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber.Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious.
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival.The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes.There is plenty more to do and see, though.Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all "egg - cite" festival - goers.Most people at the festival would agree--eggplant is an "egg--cellent" vegetable. | high984.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "air pressure doesn't remain the same all the time"
},
"options": [
"there is air pressure",
"the air is heavy",
"air pressure doesn't remain the same all the time",
"air comes up and down"
],
"question": "Air mo... | Without the atmosphere there would be no weather, no wind, rain, snow, or clouds. Air is all around us; we live at the bottom of a great ocean of air. It is invisible, but we can feel it when it moves. There are miles of air above us, pressing down with great weight on the earth and everything on it. Because air presses down on us from all directions at the same time, and because we are able to bear this weight, we do not seem to feel it. But scientists have proved that air has this weight, and that anything that has weight creates a force called pressure. As changes in air pressure take place, they, make air move.
Air is a gas that expands when heated, gets lighter, and moves upward. When air is cooled, it gets heavier, sinks close to the earth's surface, and flows like water in a great river. As warn air rises, cold air rushes in to take its place. 'Thus winds originate . The winds that blow high above us are caused by the warmer air running away from colder air. The wind we feel near the earth's surface is the heavy colder air trying hard to catch the warmer air. Changes in temperature cause the air to move. And of course there are many changes, so air movements are taking place practically all the time. | high9680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Some expressions with the word \"mouth\"."
},
"options": [
"Expressions of American culture.",
"Best ways to learn English well.",
"Words that hurt people's feelings.",
"Some expressions with the word \"mouth\"."
],... | In the English language, there are many expressions using the word "mouth". For example, if you say bad things about a person, the person might protest and say "Do not bad mouth me."
Sometimes, people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person's feelings. Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell. The speaker might say :"I really put my foot in my mouth this time." If this should happen, the speaker might feel down in the mouth. In other words, he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Information is often spread through word of mouth. This is general communication between people, like friends talking to each other. "How did you hear about that new movie?" someone might ask. "Oh, by word of mouth."
Sometimes when one person is speaking ,he says the same thing that his friend was going to say . When this happens, the friend might say "You took the words right out of my mouth." Sometimes a person has a bad or unpleasant experience with another person ,he might say "I had my heart in my mouth."
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family. You might say such a person "was born with a silver spoon in his mouth ." This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth. This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life.
Parents might sometimes keep sweet food from a child ad punishment for saying bad things,
For example , if a child says things she should not say to her parents , she might be described as a mouthy child. The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off. | high24137.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Hope, One Wall at a Time"
},
"options": [
"Love, from Graffiti Writers to Muralists",
"MAP, a New Company in Philadelphia",
"Jane, an Excellent Mural Artist",
"Hope, One Wall at a Time"
],
"question": "What can ... | Since 1984, Philadelphia has been cleaning up its act. One by one, graffiti-covered walls are being changed into outdoor art. So far, more than 1,800 murals have been painted. Philadelphia now has more murals than any other American city.
The walls that were once ugly with graffiti are now covered with beautiful pictures of historical heroes and modern art, thanks to the Mural Arts Program (MAP). Its work makes schools and public places attractive, and its citizens very proud. The program began as part of Philadelphia's Anti-Graffiti Network. Jane Golden is the MAP's artistic director. "When people ask me what our program is about," she says, "I answer them with one word: hope." Each year, the MAP offers youth art programs and workshops. Some one-time graffiti writers even help paint MAP murals.
The MAP's work, says Golden, is all about developing a sense of community . When a neighborhood requests a mural, the MAP works with the people there to develop a message. Some messages have been "Safe Streets," "Love and Care," and "Peace Walk."
The MAP receives up to 50 requests for murals each week. Last year, the workers painted 140 murals.
"The making of a mural enters people's collective memory as an extraordinary, pleasant moment in neighborhood history" says Golden, who began as a muralist in Los Angeles. | high7875.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The writer does not give an opinion."
},
"options": [
"It is fun and easy to do.",
"It is not bad for children.",
"It will make children bad writers.",
"The writer does not give an opinion."
],
"question": "What... | Can you understand the beginning of this article?
"My smmr hols wr CWOT. B4, we usd 2go2 NY 2C my bro, his GF & 3 kds FTF."
The Scottish teacher who received it in class had no idea what the girl who wrote it meant. The essay was written in a form of English used in cell phone text messages. Text messages (also called SMS2) through cell phones became very popular in the late 1990s. At first, mobile phone companies thought that text messaging would be a good way to send messages to customers, but customers quickly began to use the text messaging service to send messages to each other. Teenagers in particular enjoyed using text messaging, and they began to create a new language for messages called texting.
A text message is limited to 160 characters, including letters, spaces, and numbers, so messages must be kept short. In addition, typing on the small keypad of a cell phone is difficult, so it's common to make words shorter. In texting, a single letter or number can represent a word, like "r" for "are," "u" for "you," and "2" for "to." Several letters can also represent a phrase, like "lol" for "laughing out loud." Another characteristic of texting is the leaving out of letters in a word, like spelling "please" as "pls."
Some parents and teachers worry that texting will make children bad spellers and bad writers. The student who wrote the essay at the top of this page said writing that way was more comfortable for her. (The essay said, "My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three kids face to face.")
Not everyone agrees that texting is a bad thing. Some experts say languages always evolve, and this is just another way for English to change. Other people believe texting will disappear soon. New technology for voice messages may soon make text messages a thing of the past. | high748.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Whether taxpayers should pay for online schools."
},
"options": [
"Whether students should study at online schools.",
"Whether online schools should be allowed to exist.",
"Whether taxpayers should pay for online schools.",
... | Recently, online high schools in America have sparked a debate about whether or not taxpayers' money should be used to support online education. Online schools receive the same amount of funding as all other public schools, even though they don't have to pay for rent or school equipment. States should use their educational funds to improve education at real schools, not to support online programs.
Some students only use online classes to supplement their school work. They benefit from the social experience of a traditional high school, while still taking online courses.
However, about 90 thousand students in America receive their education only from online schools. 50 thousand of these students take courses at Florida Virtual School, the largest online school in the country. While this method of schooling helps students who live in remote regions, most school systems are upset that they are losing more students each year to these online programs.
Although online learning allows children to work at their own pace, these online schools have only one teacher per several hundred students. Often, teachers can't give struggling students the help they need as they are unable to talk face-to-face with them, to find exactly what they're having difficulty with.
Additionally, even though online schooling accommodates students who live in more remote states, students in online programs may suffer in social situations because they will not learn valuable communication skills from their schooling. Similar to students who are home schooled, those who take only online classes won't learn social etiquette , and will be treated differently by their peers.
Online schooling might be useful for places where there are not enough students for a real school, such as agricultural regions, but states should only spend taxpayers' money on online schools in extreme cases. | high12485.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A pet dog."
},
"options": [
"A pet dog.",
"A policeman.",
"A doctor.",
"A firefighter."
],
"question": "What is Mr Gibbs?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | A sick little girl is being kept alive thanks to her best friend -- a dog who carries her oxygen tank on his back. Alida's faithful dog companion Mr Gibbs has been specially trained to shepherd the three-year-old, who breathes through a tube most of the time. He follows her closely as she plays in her family's ten-acre land in Louisville, uses the slide or even rides her bike.[:Z*xx*k.Com]
Alida was diagnosed with neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy(NEHI)when she was just eight months old. Her rare condition has just eight hundred documented sufferers throughout the world, and causes diseased pieces of the lungs to filter oxygen through extra layers of cells, making it hard or almost impossible to breathe. For Alida and her parents, it meant that even a walk in the park was very difficult because oxygen equipment was too heavy for the youngster to be able to carry herself. As parents, they wanted to do something to help their daughter survive despite having a tube following her all the time. _ found out about "service dogs" from a TV program and realized an animal trained to help the blind could be trained to help Alida. They finally found help in the shape of golden doodle--a retriever crossed with a poodle-dog Mr Gibbs. Now thanks to trainer Ashleigh Kinsley--Alida and Mr Gibbs love nothing more than playing and running around together with the dog acting as Alida's life saver. | high9858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Who swing voters will finally decide to vote for"
},
"options": [
"Whether working class whites care about Obama's inexperience",
"The economic trouble the country now faces",
"Who swing voters will finally decide to vote for... | The curtain on the 2008 US presidential election finally rose last month as John McCain and Barack Obama were formally nominated as candidates of the two major parties. This may be one of the hardest decisions voters have to make between two appealing candidates.
The big question for voters, as they face both an economic downturn and international threats, is: who will they elect? A young first-term senator promising change and new ideas, or a longtime senator with strong military experience and a reputation as a maverick ?
American voters have never seen a candidate quite like Obama. He has a white mother from theprefix = st1 /USand a black father fromKenyawho left the family when Obama was very young. He spent part of his youth inIndonesia.
His supporters say Obama's childhood gives him the advantage to repair the recent damage done toAmerica's image abroad. His opponents focus on his inexperience, noting he hasn't finished his first term in the Senate.
However, McCain has a very different life story.
He grew up in a Navy family and was a pilot during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. When Obama was in kindergarten in Indonesia, McCain's plane was shot down overVietnamand he became a prisoner of war. McCain could have been released if he _ Americabut he refused and so was held for five years.
So in the end, the election may hinge on (...) several factors that are hard to judge: Will Obama's race matter to a significant number of voters? Will working-class whites who tended to support his primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, vote for Obama? And perhaps most important of all, will swing voters be more drawn to Obama's vision or to McCain's experience?
Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Whoever walks into the White House on January 20, 2009, will find enormous challenges waiting for him in the Oval Office, both at home and abroad. | high22546.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "an experiment on honesty"
},
"options": [
"the policy of honesty",
"an honesty box to collect money",
"evolution on honesty",
"an experiment on honesty"
],
"question": "This passage is mainly about _ .",
... | Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle ,with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched,we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe _ our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior. | high990.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "No. 4"
},
"options": [
"No. 1",
"No. 2",
"No. 3",
"No. 4"
],
"question": "Of which movie does the reviewer have the best opinion?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer... | Read the following reviews for movies that are showing at the moment. And then answer questions.
.............................................................................................
Happiness(Romance)
Happiness tells the story of two people(Lisa Turbot and Danny Roy)who work for different advertising companies. They talk on the phone all the time and do not like each other. But then they _ by e-mail and fall in love. This movie will be very popular with teenagers and people who like romances. It also has beautiful music.
.............................................................................................
I Scream(Thriller)
In I Scream,Paul(Colin Jacks)is a young man who joins a thriller club. Each of the members tries to frighten the others. Paul is told to stay in an old house for the night. Everyone who has tried to stay in the house before has died. This movie is very frightening but also quite silly. It does not make sense for Paul to stay in the house when things start to go wrong. Only for people who like thrillers.
.............................................................................................
Paul's Heroes(comedy)
This is a very funny war movie set in World War Two. Six soldiers (including Sammy Tur- blow) have to get toprefix = st1 /Italyto take secret messages to the American army there. During the movie,they dress up as women and fight with Italian workers. You can guess the ending,but it is great fun getting there.
.............................................................................................
(Drama)
This is a very good drama with Jack Ross, who plays a hard--working truck driver. His wife becomes ill and he has to find a doctor who can help her. In his travels he meets Dr Lloyd(Phil Driver) who has found the cure for the illness,but Jack Ross has only twelve hours to get the medicine back to his wife on the other side of America. This is an excellent movie,which is very exciting. | high18816.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Merlin could supply her with comfort and warmth"
},
"options": [
"Merlin was her adopted child for nineteen years",
"Merlin could supply her with comfort and warmth",
"she failed to give birth to her own biological child",
... | The phone ID flashed, "Emergency Vet". "Oh no" I whispered. I could not lose Merlin now.
Ron and I had tried to have children for a long time with depressing results. I threw myself into my work. Any maternal feelings I had were spent on Merlin.
I couldn't wait to get home from work each night. I wanted to pick up that warm bundle of loving fur and nestle him. I wanted to sing "Rock-a-bye Merlin", as I did every night as he would put his paws around my neck.
Merlin was my comfort especially at times when I wondered if God was listening. But last night something had changed. Not only did I sing "Rock-a-Bye Merlin", but I asked, "What will I do after you're gone?"
Although Merlin was 19 years old, a senior in the age of a cat, he didn't look or act that way. I didn't want to accept the fact that he was nearing the end of his lifetime. My job at the law firm was so demanding and stressful that I couldn't imagine getting through the day without Merlin waiting to greet me at home.
I dialed the vet's number. I asked for my husband but he already left. Then I took a breath and asked the question that no one wants to ask, "Is my Merlin still alive?" The nurse said "yes."
Ron came home and said that Merlin had almost no red blood cells left. White blood cells were replacing them. Merlin would need expensive transfusions most likely on a monthly basis. We both knew Merlin was running out of time. I asked Ron to drive me to the vet so I could say goodbye to my little boy cat but he was beat tired and it was late. Ron said if Merlin was still alive the next morning then he would take me to the vet.
_ Merlin had survived the night.
After driving to the vet, I went into the examining room. The nurse brought Merlin and placed him on an examining table on his side. His eyes were tightly shut. I thought he died already. I carefully edged my hand to reach his body. His body felt warm, but when I spoke his name there was no response. No response to his name or that I was there and that I loved him. I was extremely sad.
In that examining room I felt helpless. I wondered how many people in an examining room felt as helpless as I did.
Feeling driven to prayer I yelled, "God this isn't good enough. I need to see my Merlin the way I remember him, I need a miracle and I need it now!"
At that moment, God granted a miracle. Merlin's favorite compliment entered my mind. I said, "Merlin, You are Beautiful and You are Gorgeous, do you hear me?"
One eye opened.
I said "Gotcha". I kept repeating those words.
Merlin opened the other eye and, one limb at a time, got up. He was waiting for that phrase. He wanted to hear that he was beautiful and gorgeous again.
Then I experienced another miracle.
There was no sound in that examining room until Merlin started walking to me. From out of nowhere, or maybe from heaven, I clearly heard a song we sung in church often: "It Is Well With My Soul." I remembered thinking, "Yes, it is well with my Soul. I got to see my little boy cat one more time."
Merlin walked to me. He put his face in mine, which he had never done before. He rubbed a circle around my face twice. Merlin said goodbye with his face and marked me for life.
Ron appeared shocked that Merlin was up and had walked to me. I said to Merlin, "Tell God you are a good boy and how much we love you" and then handed him back to the nurse.
Tears of gratitude poured forth in memory of a miracle. You see for nineteen years God spoke to me through a special cat named "Merlin." On Merlin's last day, God proved he heard me when he granted a miracle. That miracle gave me time to say goodbye. | high10292.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the effects of the nuclear radiation leaks"
},
"options": [
"the earthquake that happened in March",
"the government' s effort to avoid disaster",
"the effects of the nuclear radiation leaks",
"the earthquake - battered... | Areas of Tokyo which had usually been packed with office workers like sushi restaurants and noodle shops were unusually quiet.Many schools were closed.Companies allowed workers to stay home.Long queues formed at airports.
As Japanese authorities struggled to avoid disaster at an earthquake - battered nuclear plant 240 km to the north, parts of Tokyo resembled a ghost town.Many people stocked up on food and stayed indoors or simply left.transforming one of the world' s biggest and most populated cities into a shell of its usual self.
"Look, it' s like Sunday --no cars in town," said Kazushi Arisawa, a 62 - year - old taxi driver, as he waited for more than an hour outside an office tower where he usually finds customers within minutes." I can' t make money today."
Radiation in Tokyo has been _ , briefly touching three times the normal rate on Tuesday, smaller than a dental X -ray.On Wednesday, winds over the Fukushima nuclear-power plant blew out to sea, keeping levels close to normal.But that does little to relieve public anxiety about a 40-year-old nuclear plant with three reactors in partial meltdown and a fourth with spent atomic fuel exposed to the atmosphere after last Friday' s earthquake and tsunami.
" Radiation moves faster than we do," said Steven Swanson, a 43-year-old American who moved to Tokyo in December with his Japanese wife to help with her family business.He is staying indoor but is tempted to leave."It's scary.It's a triple threat with the earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear radiation leaks.It makes you wonder what' s next." | high20351.txt |
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