questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was watching the old man."
},
"options": [
"She was talking with him.",
"She was playing by the river.",
"She was watching the old man.",
"She was helping the old man."
],
"question": "What was the child doi... | An old man was fishing by a river. A child was watching him. The old man was really good at fishing and it didn't take him much time to catch a basket of fish. The old man saw that the child was very cute, and he wanted to give her a whole basket of fish. But the child shook her head.
The old man was surprised and asked "Why don't you want the fish?"
The child replied,"I want the fishing rod in your hands." The old man asked, "Why do you want the rod?"
"It won't take long to eat all the fish in the basket. But if I have the fishing rod, I can go fishing by myself and I won't be afraid of not having any fish to eat."
I think you will certainly say that the girl is very smart. Wrong! If she doesn't know how to fish, she cannot have fish to eat, even though she has the fishing rod. It's useless to only have a fishing rod. Fishing skills are the most important, not the fishing rod.
Too many people think that if they have a "fishing rod" in their life, they will no longer fear the difficulties in life. They are just like the child, who thought that if she had a fishing rod, she would have fish to eat. | high19052.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the University Boat Race"
},
"options": [
"the Boat Race of the University of Oxford.",
"the Boat Race of the University of Cambridge",
"the Boat Race of the Olympic Games",
"the University Boat Race"
],
"questi... | On the River Thames there are a number of boat races every year and these have become very popular with the public. Perhaps the best-known of these races is the University Boat Race. This takes place just before Easter every year and is a competition between teams from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. They row from Putney to Mertlake, a distance of about four and a quarter miles. This race has been taking place almost every year since 1829. | high3149.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To collect ideas on how to recycle plastic waste."
},
"options": [
"To describe plastic waste as potential \"gold\".",
"To invite members of the public to their forum.",
"To collect ideas on how to recycle plastic waste.",
... | Many environmentalists and entrepreneurs are looking for ideas on how to "capture gold" -- that is, how to collect and convert plastic waste into new plastic or fuel.
OK, describing plastic waste as potential "gold" may be overdoing it. But the campaigners say that publicizing the notion that plastic is worth something may help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in oceans and the bellies of sea creatures.
To that end, they have set up a competition inviting members of the public to submit ideas online. Organizers will take the best ones to the Rio+20 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro next month, where they are planning a daylong side event called Plasticity focusing on issues related to plastic pollution.
The plastic waste problem is gaining broader attention as environmentalists, scientists, manufacturers and the public become more aware of the sheer volume of the stuff that finds its way into the sea.
More than 260 million metric tons of plastic are now produced per year, according to the trade association PlasticsEurope. The majority of that is not recycled. Most of it ends up in landfill, and a significant amount ends up as litter on land, in rivers and in the oceans.
Technological advances have made clear that it is possible to reuse much of this plastic by turning it into fuel or new products. Yet the companies that have come up with such solutions have not achieved the economies of scale that would allow them to function profitably. Insufficient waste-collection and recycling systems in most countries also stand in the way of " _ " concept, said Doug Woodring, an environmental entrepreneur in Hong Kong who is among the organizer of the Plasticity forum in Rio.
Rather than breast-beating, the form aims to highlight some of the technologies and ideas out there for collection and reuse. My personal favorite for now is a vacuum cleaner with plastic parts made from plastic waste. | high10710.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Changes of zoos over the time."
},
"options": [
"Protection of zoo animals.",
"Changes of zoos over the time.",
"The safety problem of zoos.",
"The living habits of zoo animals."
],
"question": "What is the pass... | Zoos have been around for centuries -- and they've changed a lot over the years. In the Middle Ages, wealthy people kept animals in their gardens. Public animal parks appeared in European cities in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The Philadelphia Zoo, the first in the United States, opened in 1874.
Until a few decades ago, most zoos were organized by creatures -- monkeys in one area, cats in another, birds somewhere else, just like museum collections. In recent years, zoos have instead begun grouping animals that would normally interact in the wild. Moreover, instead of closing animals behind bars, designers are creating landscapes like the environments in which these creatures would naturally be found. Nearby signs provide information about the animals and their habitats in parts of the world where they normally live.
The Denver Zoo's new Predator Ridge exhibit, for example, aims to teach visitors about Africa. Eight acres of land provide homes for 14 animal species, including lions, porcupines, cranes, and wild dogs. Plants from _ grow alongside African-like landform. Ten-foot-tall mounds give lions a place from which to survey their surroundings, just as they would do in the wild.
Landscape design makes visitors to the Denver Zoo's Predator Ridge exhibit feel like they're really in Africa.
Animals in Predator Ridge can't actually be mixed with one another, for safety reasons. But hidden deep channels and other smart features allow visitors to see all the animals at once. Different species can see each other too. | high5538.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Technology can make our trips better."
},
"options": [
"The cost of Blu Hotel was higher than that of others.",
"The clerk was very friendly and patient.",
"The smart phones have many functions.",
"Technology can make o... | Can technology improve your trip? Meet Judy Williams. When she and her husband recently checked into Blu Hotel in Zurich, a clerk asked them to sign the dotted line on a room rate hundreds of dollars higher than their online offer.
"It was not a cheap stay," says Williams, a lawyer from Billings, Mont. But it became more of one after her husband fired up the Booking.com app he'd used to book their room on his smart phone. "As soon as we showed him the cost, he honored it," Williams says.
Technology may create challenges for travelers but it can also solve them. It's more than making sure of a hotel cost. The latest Booking.com can help users select hotels by location, make a secure booking and view the confirmed cost so they never need to re-discuss their hotel price.
Another pain point for travelers is traffic that eats away precious vacation time. There's a new app called Commute which is aimed at users who have to make the same trip every day. But if you're headed to Los Angeles or Honolulu, where visitors can easily get stuck in hours of heavy traffic, Commute can help.
Just input basic information about your destination and expected leaving time, and the app will start sending you traffic information 15 minutes before you leave. Testing Commute proved to be a challenge for me, because my home address is about 900 miles from my place of work. But if you have only a short distance to travel through a heavily populated area, you can use Commute to avoid traffic jams.
Another source of travel-related problems is money. That's particularly true when you're dealing with a foreign currency. The latest Travel Money Tracker helps travelers prevent currency mix-ups. It immediately changes a country's native currency to yours, so you know exactly how much that Espresso in Milan costs in dollars. It can also warn you when you're overspending, which can sometimes be a problem when you're on vacation. The only catch, of course, is that you have to remember to record all your purchases.
Taken together, these apps solve some of the most common travel problems. But not all of them. Some things, no smart phone can fix, which means I get to keep my job - for now at least. | high14576.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Second Wave of Feminist."
},
"options": [
"The Second Wave of Feminist.",
"Women's Independent Spirits.",
"The Unity of Women.",
"The Action of Union."
],
"question": "What was the main idea of this passage?... | The statistics I've cited and the living examples are all too familiar to you. But what may not be so familiar will be the increasing number of women who are looking actively for advancement of for a new job in your offices. This woman may be equipped with professional skills and perhaps valuable experience. She will not be content to be Executive Assistant to Mr. Seldom Seen of the Assistant Vice President's Girl Friday, who is the only one who comes in on Saturday.
She is the symbol of what I call the Second Wave of Feminism. She is the modern woman who is determined to be.
Her forerunner was the radical feminist who interpreted her trapped position as a female as oppression by the master class of men. Men, she believed, had created a domestic, servile role for women in order that men could have the career and the opportunity to participate in making the great decisions of society. Thus the radical feminist held that women through history had been oppressed and dehumanized, mainly because man chose to exploit his wife and the mother of his children. Sometimes it was deliberate exploitation and sometimes it was the innocence of never looking beneath the pretensions of life.
The radical feminists found strength in banding together. Coming to recognize each other for the first time, they could explore their own identities, realize their own power, and view the male and his system as the common enemy. The first phases of feminism in the last five years often took on this militant, class-warfare tone. Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Germaine Greer, and many others hammered home their ideas with a persistence that aroused and intrigued many of the brightest and most able women in the country. Consciousness-raising groups allowed women to explore both their identities and their dreams--and the two were often found in direct conflict.
What is the stereotyped role of American women? Marriage. A son. Two daughters. Breakfast. Ironing. Lunch. Bowling, maybe a garden club of for the very daring, non-credit courses in ceramics. Perhaps an occasional cocktail party. Dinner. Football or baseball on TV. Each day the same. Never any growth in expectations--unless it is growth because the husband has succeeded. The inevitable question: "Is that all there is to life?"
The rapid growth of many feminist organizations attests to the fact that these radical feminists had touched some vital nerves. The magazine "Ms." was born in the year of the death of the magazine "Life." But too often the consciousness-raising sessions became ends in themselves. Too often sexism reversed itself and man-hating was encouraged. Many had been with the male chauvinist.
It is not difficult, therefore, to detect a trend toward moderation. Consciousness-raising increasingly is regarded as a means to independence and fulfillment, rather than a ceremony of fulfillment itself. Genuine independence can be realized through competence, through finding a career, through the use of education. Remember that for many decades the education of women was not supposed to be useful. | high9302.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Commercial art."
},
"options": [
"Psychology.",
"Commercial art.",
"International business.",
"English composition."
],
"question": "What did the author study in the first place when he was in college?",
"qu... | I decided to go back to school in the fall of 2010 for not being happy with my current job and financial status. I got my Associate in May 2002 in commercial art. After graduation, I had trouble getting a job in that field. For years, I was going from one job to another, and I was not satisfied with unstableness .
I decided to go back to school to study either international business or psychology . I weighed the _ of both professions and psychology won. I like helping my friends and family. When they are faced with hard situations in their life, I'd like to give them sound advice and be honest with them. Also, I was interested in the "mind".
I searched for online schools because my work schedule would not allow me to study in a classroom. I was nervous about taking online classes because I had heard mixed stories from my friends who were taking online classes. I decided to do it anyway to experience something different. I wanted to find an online school that was affordable and believable. While I was doing the online search, I discovered Walden University, which is specially for working adults who want to have a bachelor's degree or higher. The process of getting accepted was easy, i.e. writing an essay on why I wanted to attend their school, sending my previous credits , etc.
I am currently enrolled in the bachelor's program for psychology, and I am paying for college via financial-aid loans . This experience has been interesting and yet upsetting as sometimes it was difficult to balance work, school and home life. I have learned a lot about psychology and myself. For example, I like writing about current events, relationships and traveling. I thought my English composition was ordinary, but after taking a few classes at Walden University, I have improved my English composition and it has made me feel confident enough to start writing professionally. Now I am a freelancer and I am only three classes away from getting my bachelor's degree in psychology. It is one of the best decisions I have made in my life. | high13219.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "is very special"
},
"options": [
"is very big",
"is very sweet",
"is very special",
"is good for health"
],
"question": "We can learn from the text that the tomato grown by Rod Matless _ .",
"question_type... | It's not often a tomato is described as so sweet 'whenever people see it they just want to hug it'--but this was no ordinary piece of fruit.
The heart-shaped tomato was grown by the retired worker, Rod Matless, who said he was surprised when he noticed it in his field. Mr Matless, 69, who had a heart attack a few years ago, was so _ the fruit that he decided to sell it and donate the money to the British Heart Foundation. The 64g tomato was bought for PS16 on eBay by a woman from Wales--who said she planned to give it to someone special.
Mr Matless, of Wymondham, near Norwich, said: 'I spent a couple of days thinking about what to do with it and I wasn't really sure, but this seems like a good use. I hope it will do someone somewhere a bit of good'. He added: 'It's very sweet--whenever people see it they just want to hug it.' But with the tomato's freshness a key factor , Mr Matless was up against the clock to send it to its new owner before it went bad. He said: 'I didn't want to send someone something horrible . I probably could have raised a bit more money with more time but I was worried about it.'
'It will certainly make a nice present for a loved one. I hope that they like it and I'm glad I got to help. It's all been very good fun and I've really enjoyed growing this very special tomato.' | high12107.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "have equal chances with men in education and work"
},
"options": [
"get higher pay than men",
"enjoy more freedom than men",
"do whatever they like to do",
"have equal chances with men in education and work"
],
... | Britain has laws to make sure that women have the same chances as men in education, jobs and training. But it's still unusual to find women doing dirty or heavy jobs.
Nikki Henriques is a car _ engineer in London. She used to be a secretary. Barty Philips, a journalist with "The Observer", a Sunday newspaper, asked her why she wanted to work with cars.
"My first reason was independence ," she said. "I also wanted to use my hands, and I like learning about how things work. Many people prefer to have a woman repair their cars, too."
Nikki didn't find it easy to become a car maintenance engineer. She went to a Government Skill Centre--a special sort of college where people can learn a new job for twenty weeks. "For ten weeks I was the only woman among four hundred men, and some of them were rude to me. It was also very tiring--from 8 in the morning to 5 in the afternoon, with only 30 minutes for lunch."
Now Nikki works free-lance, that is, she's self-employed, working for herself and not for a garage or a company.
Barty Phillips also spoke to Rose, who works as a general builder in Sheffield, an industrial town in the north of England. Like Nikki, Rose used to be a secretary. "I didn't enjoy it at all." she said. "I wanted to do more practical work, and I wanted to be self-employed."
Rose joined a women's building co-operative, and she learnt her job from other people and from experience. However, many of the women in her group have been specially trained. Most of the jobs they do are improvements to buildings and general repairs.
"People often say, 'Oh, women aren't strong enough,' but I don't think strength is important." said Rose, "The important thing is to get used to doing a different sort of work."
Rose would like more women to come into the building industry. "Everything built at the moment is a product of man's world. If women become builders, they will be able to understand the production of their house and their towns." | high1986.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "smiling"
},
"options": [
"talking",
"discussing",
"cooperating",
"smiling"
],
"question": "Huang Ruijia succeeded because she was always _ in the competition.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Smiling girls have their luck. It fits Huang Ruijia well. The 15-year-old student comes from Chengdu Experimental Foreign Language School. On March 22, 2014,she won third place(junior category)at the 12th China Daily "21st Century Lenovo Cup" National High School English Speaking Competition, which was held in Beijing. During the competition, many contestants kept a serious face. But Huang was smiling all the time. Her good manners also won her the Best Style prize at the contest.
"Smiling shows confidence, which is an important quality for speakers," said Meng Qingtao, associate research fellow at the National Institute of Education Sciences, and one of the judges . "Huang's smile brought judges closer to her, and also cured her stress."
Huang only became a smiling girl two years ago. At the time she was busy preparing for a speaking competition. One day, when she was practicing in front of the mirror, she was shocked by what she saw.
"I saw a poker face reciting a cold speech," said Huang. "Who would like to listen to a speaker like that?"
Since then Huang decided to face everything with a smile. It has worked in speaking competitions and in many other situations in her life, such as building friendships.
Once Huang and her friend had a fight and were mad at each other. After three days, Huang said she wanted to talk but didn't know how to start. She then decided to give a smile, the friend smiled back and gave her a hug in return.
"This is the power of smiling," said Huang. "You can make a difference in your life simply by smiling." | high9316.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "How to use the mind against disease."
},
"options": [
"How suggestion therapy benefits adults and children.",
"How modern therapy focuses on the disease.",
"Responses from the medical world.",
"How to use the mind again... | Psychology has a new application in the field of medicine. Many doctors, together with their patients, are looking for alternative methods of treatment of physical problems. In large hospitals, modern therapy seems to focus on the physical disease. Patients may feel they are treated like broken machines. Some doctors have recognized this as a problem. They are now using psychological therapy, in which the patient is working with the doctors against the disease with the help of medicine. The patient does not wait for the medicine and treatment to cure him or her, but instead the patient joins in the fight.
The doctor knows that a disease affects a patient's body physically. The body of the patient changes because of the disease. He is not only physically affected, but also has an emotional response to the disease. Because his mind is affected, his attitude and behavior change. The medical treatment might cure the patient's physical problems, but the patient's mind must fight the emotional ones. For example, the studies of one doctor, Carl Simonton, M. D., have shown that a typical cancer patient has predictable attitudes. She typically feels depressed, upset, and angry. Her constant depression makes her acts unfriendly toward her family, friends, doctors, and nurses. Such attitudes and behaviors prevent recovery. Therefore, a doctor's treatment must help the patient change that. Simonton's method emphasizes treatment of the "whole" patient.
The attitude of a cancer patient receiving radiation therapy, an X-ray treatment, can become more positive. The physician who is following Simonton's psychological treatment plan suggests that the patient imagine that he or she can see the tumor in the body. In the mental picture, the patient "sees" a powerful beam of radiation like a million bullets of energy. The patient imagines the beam hitting the tumor cells and causing them to shrink. For another cancer patient, Dr. Simonton asks him to imagine the medicine going from the stomach into the bloodstream and to the cancer cells. The patient imagines that the medicine is like an army fighting the diseased cells and sees the cancer cells gradually dying and his blood carry away the dead cells. Both the medical therapy and the patient's positive attitude fight the disease.
Doctors are not certain why this mental therapy works. However, this use of psychology does help some patients because their attitudes about themselves change. They become more confident because they use the power within their own minds to help stop the disease.
Another application of using the mind to help cure disease is the use of suggestion therapy. At first, the doctor helps the patient to concentrate deeply. The patient thinks only about one thing. He becomes so unaware of other things around him that he is asleep, or rather in a trance . Then the physician makes "a suggestion" to the patient about the medical problem. The patient's mind responds to the suggestion even after the patient is no longer in the trance. In this way, the patient uses his mind to help his body respond to treatment.
Doctors have learned that this use of psychology is helpful for both adults and children. For example, physicians have used suggestion to help adults deal with the strong pain of some disease. Furthermore, sometimes the adult patient worries about her illness so much that the anxiety keeps her from getting well. The right suggestions may help the patient to stop being anxious. Such treatment may help the patient with a chronic diseases. Asthma is an example of a chronic disorder. Asthma is a disease that causes the patient to have difficulty in breathing. The patient starts to cough and sometimes has to fight to get the air that he or she needs. Psychology can help relieve the symptoms of this disorder. After suggestion therapy, the asthma patient breathes more easily.
Physicians have learned that the psychological method is very useful in treating children. Children respond quickly to the treatment because they are fascinated by it. For example, Dr. Basil R. Collison has worked with 121 asthmatic children in Sydney, Australia, and had good results. Twenty-five of the children had Excellent results. They were able to breathe more easily, and they did not need medication. Another forty-three were also helped. The symptoms of the asthma occurred less frequently, and when they did, they were not as strong. Most of the children also felt better about themselves. Doctors have also used suggestion to change habits like nail-biting, thumb-sucking, and sleep-related problems.
Many professional medical groups have accepted the medical use of psychology and that psychology has important applications in medicine. | high12113.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "volunteers felt uncomfortable in it."
},
"options": [
"volunteers felt uncomfortable in it.",
"volunteers didn't want to eat anything.",
"the experiment was still going on.",
"volunteers were allowed to take their lapto... | Are you a media addict who would go mad after two hours without TV, friend requests, exciting online games and your mobile - or would you easily survive?
Recently, university students around the world were asked to volunteer in a global experiment called Unplugged. It was designed to see how young people would react if they were asked to observe a total media ban by unplugging all forms of media devices for 24 hours.
Unplugged is being run by Dr Roman Gerodimos, a lecturer in Communication and Journalism at Bournemouth University. The experiment is now over but he doesn't yet know the full findings. However, during the experiment, Dr Gerodimos said there were already signs of how much the exercise affected volunteers. He said: "They're reporting withdrawal symptoms , overeating, feeling nervous, isolated and disconnected." During their 24-hour painful experience, three of the experiment's guinea pigs had to endure one intrusion from the media: a BBC reporter plus cameraman who followed them around for the day. They were asked to write down 100 lines about their day offline, but of course, they all waited until the next day when they had access to their laptops. Elliot Day wrote: "Today, my whole morning routine was thrown up into the air. Despite being aware of the social importance of the media, I was surprised by how empty my life felt without the radio or newspapers." From Caroline Scott, we read: "I didn't expect it, but being prevented from the media for 24 hours resulted in my day-to-day activities becoming so much harder to carry out than usual... I didn't break out in a cold sweat like our lecturer expected us all to, but it's not something I would like to do again!" And Charlotte Gay wrote: "I have to say the most difficult item for me to be without has been my mobile; not only is it a social tool, it's my main access point of communication."
Earlier in the year, a UK government study found that in the UK we spend about half our waking hours using the media, often plugged into several things at once. And a recent study by Nielson found that on average, US teenagers send and receive over 3,000 texts per month ---that's about six texts per waking hour. So, with technology continuing to develop at an alarming rate, how much time will you set aside for sleep in the future? | high1992.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "your child's language ability"
},
"options": [
"your child's curiosity",
"your child's imagination",
"your child's patience",
"your child's language ability"
],
"question": "The sit-and-listen game is intended t... | Games are a good form of teaching or training children as they combine fun with knowledge. They make the teaching or training activities more interesting. They are useful in all fields of teaching and training.
Help your child discover just how much more is going on in the world around them with this listening game. It will also provide a few minutes of peace and quiet in what is probably a very noisy and busy day. A discussion of the sounds you each hear will also assist in language development and an ability to articulate that which was heard. The sit-and-listen game is especially helpful if your child is at the stage of developing language skills: listening, speaking and so on.
Method: This is a very relaxing activity in which you both need to sit still and silent for about 30 seconds and just listen to the world around you. You are both trying to hear as many different things as you can, whether they are cars, people, airplanes, water running, the wind in the trees or any other kinds of daily sounds.
After the given time is up, having a chat about what you both could hear. It is a good idea to ask your little one some open ended questions to promote their language development, such as: "What were the loudest sounds you heard?" "What were the closest sounds you heard?" "How many cars did you hear?" "How far away do you think that barking dog might live?" "What sounds did you hear which you did not expect to hear?"
Note: As an extension activity you may wish to draw a picture of all the things you could hear. | high19046.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "African farmers have ideas to help fighting hunger and poverty"
},
"options": [
"sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest hunger rate",
"African farmers have ideas to help fighting hunger and poverty",
"women farmers grow v... | Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest hunger rate. But according to a new report, African farmers also have ideas that could help the world fight hunger and poverty. Danielle Nierenberg from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington spent a year visiting twenty-five countries south of the Sahara. In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, Ms Nierenberg found women farmers growing vegetables just outside their doorsteps in the Kibera settlement. She says they are finding ways to make their lives better. The women feed their families and sell their _ They use the money to send their children to school.
Last year, about 925,000,000 people worldwide did not get enough to eat. Half of all people in the world now live in and around cities. Researchers like Ms Nierenberg are looking increasingly at creative ideas to feed those who don't have enough good food to eat. She says there are a lot of lessons that people in the Western world can learn from Africa. And what they are doing can certainly be done in other developing countries.
Farmers in the developing world lose between twenty and forty percent of their harvest before it ever reaches market. There are many reasons why food gets wasted. Farmers are without electricity and cold storage. They lack good seeds and fertilizer. They lack good roads. Conditions like these keep small farmers in poverty. Ms Nierenberg says more attention needs to be paid to protecting harvests. She says, "Given all that we invest in producing food in the first place, we need to devote the same amount of attention to making sure that it is not wasted."
In Nigeria, village processing centers are helping farmers reduce their losses and earn more money. They centers process cassava, a root vegetable, into basic food products. In Uganda, the Worldwatch report says some schools are teaching children how to grow local kinds of crops. And in South Africa and Kenya the report praises the breeding of local kinds of livestock. These animals may produce less milk or meat than other breeds, but they can survive heat and drought conditions. | high4632.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "president"
},
"options": [
"diplomat",
"scientist",
"businessman",
"president"
],
"question": "Benjamin Franklin was NOT a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17,1706 in Boston,America. In his life he built a successful printing and publishing business in Philadelphia;he conducted scientific studies of electricity and made several important discoveries;he was a diplomat and statesman;he helped establish Pennsylvania's first university and America's first city hospital;he also organized the country's first subscription library .
Franklin was also _ in America as an inventor until Thomas Edison. Ben had poor eyesight and needed glasses to read. He got tired of always taking them off and putting them back on,so he decided to figure out a way to make his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of them together. Today,we call them bifocals .Another invention of his,an iron stove,allowed people to warm their homes.
He loved to learn about new things. He also thought it was important to make life better with the things that he invented. Electricity was one of the things he experimented with when he retired from his business. Ben discovered that lightning and electricity were the same thing. The lightning rod was an important invention that we still use today to protect buildings and ships from lightning damage.
Franklin preferred to have his inventions used freely for the comfort and convenience of everyone. Thomas Jefferson,the third president of America,called Benjamin Franklin "the greatest man of the age and country in which he lived".To Benjamin Franklin there was no greater purpose in life than to "live usefully". | high2243.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "All kinds of discounts."
},
"options": [
"Reasonable price.",
"Various choices.",
"Wide coverage.",
"All kinds of discounts."
],
"question": "Which of the following is not an advantage of Eurail Pass?",
"que... | Every year, thousands of young Europeans set off to explore their continent by train in the summertime. It is a necessary part of growing up and often the first time many Europeans travel without their parents. Now you too can share this adventure.
There are so many places you can not afford to miss while travelling in Europe: the Eiffel Tower of France, windmills of the Netherlands and the Colosseum of Rome. How do young people afford to visit everything they want?
The answer lies with the Eurail Pass. This ticket allows a traveller unlimited journeys by rail in European countries which are members of the scheme. Ambitious Chinese travellers can buy the ticket in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The most popular type of Eurail Pass amongst young people, according to Zhao Jiaji, from China Air Service Ltd, is the Eurail Selectpasses. With this you can design your own trip by selecting three, four or five neighbouring countries from a total 18 nations including Liechtenstein, Monaco, Hungary and Romania.
"There is plenty of choice with this pass: in total this range offers over 400 different combinations of countries to choose from!" said Zhao.
The Eurail Selectpass gives 5 to 10 travel days within a 2-month period.
For more flexibility there are the Eurail Passes which allow you to take trains in 17 countries on any day you like. It is valid for a period of either 15 or 21 days, one, two or three months.
If you just want to travel in one or two countries to learn more about the local culture, Eurail Pass also offers two-country passes such as Spain-Portugal, France-Switzerland and Belgium-Luxemburg. And countries like Britain, France and Germany offer a kind of Eurail Pass which allows unlimited train travel in their country.
Before buying the Eurail Pass, you should know some tips to save money. The 2nd class train travel ticket is cheaper than 1st class. And youths under 26 years old or groups of 2 or more people traveling together can enjoy discounts.
For more information, please check out http://www.tt-europe.com. | high10704.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Through the experience, you learn to live in a tent."
},
"options": [
"It builds up your character.",
"Through the experience, you learn to live in a tent.",
"Through the experience, you learn to rely on yourself.",
"Th... | A spirit of adventure, curiosity about different cultures and the desire for a challenge can be found in young people everywhere. More and more students inprefix = st1 /Chinaare backpacking around the country.
According to the China Youth Travel Service, Hainan, Dalian, Zhangjiajie andQingdaowere among the most popular spots for young Chinese backpackers last year. Backpacking allows the traveler a greater sense of independence.
"I can no longer put up with the instructions of a tourist guide," said Huang Ye, a 19-year-old college student inBeijing. "They are always driving you to places that you do not want to go to and trying to make you buy local souvenirs."
Huang likes to travel as a backpacker. She prefers an independent trip that she took with two friends to Jiuzhaigou inSichuanProvince. There, they chose some scenic spots to visit and avoided the masses of tourists.
Backpackers see the difficulties of such travel as a challenge. Living on bread and water for days on end, wearing the same clothes over and over again and carrying a heavy bag on their backs while climbing a mountain are all character-building experiences.
But perhaps the greatest challenge that a backpacker faces is not a physical one, but mental. They may face loneliness if they travel alone.
Chen Xuewei, 21, suffered when he took off aroundChinalast year."I felt very lonely at the beginning of my journey. A walkman didn't make me feel better, but rather heightened the sense of loneliness I felt. I even called up my friends to tell them that I wanted to give up and go back toBeijing," he recalled. But he kept going. He started to make friends and appreciate the local customs. He took lots of photos to record his trip and now he is glad he stuck it out.
Backpackers generally find themselves to be mature after their experiences. "Their travel logs track their development as people." "When I feel _ , I read my travel log again," said Tang Weifeng, a postgraduate atPekingUniversity. "By reading it, I get a sense that I am better off now than I was when I wrote those words by the light of a torch in a hot tent." | high18358.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Women will show more dissatisfaction than men when unfairly treated."
},
"options": [
"Only monkeys and humans can have the sense of fairness in the world.",
"In the wild, monkeys are never unhappy to share their food with each oth... | Everybody is happy as his pay rises. Yet pleasure at your own can disappear if you learn that a fellow worker has been given a bigger one. Indeed, if he is known as being lazy, you might even be quite cross. Such behavior is regarded as "all too human", with the underlying belief that other animals would not be able to have this finely developed sense of sadness. But a study by Sarah Brosnan of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, which has just been published in Nature, suggests that _ , as well.
The researchers studied the behaviors of some kind of female brown monkeys. They look smart. They are good-natured, co-operative creatures, and they share their food happily. Above all, like female human beings, they tend to pay much closer attention to the value of "goods and services" than males.
Such characteristics make them perfect subjects for Doctor Brosnan's study. The researchers spent two years teaching their monkeys to exchange tokens for food. Normally, the monkeys were happy enough to exchange pieces of rock for pieces of cucumber. However, when two monkeys were placed in separate and connected rooms, so that each other could observe what the other is getting in return for its rock, they became quite different.
In the world of monkeys,grapes are excellent goods (and much preferable to cucumbers). So when one monkey was handed a grape in exchange for her token, the second was not willing to hand hers over for a mere piece of cucumber. And if one received a grape without having to provide her token in exchange at all, the other either shook her own token at the researcher, or refused to accept the cucumber. Indeed, the mere presence of a grape in the other room (without an actual monkey to eat it) was enough to bring about dissatisfaction in a female monkey.
The researches suggest that these monkeys, like humans, are guided by social senses. In the wild, they are co-operative and group-living. Such co-operation is likely to be firm only when each animal feels it is not being cheated. Feelings of anger when unfairly treated, it seems, are not the nature of human beings alone. Refusing a smaller reward completely makes these feelings clear to other animals of the group. However, whether such a sense of fairness developed independently in monkeys and humans, or whether it comes from the common roots that they had 35 million years ago, is, as yet, an unanswered question. | high2525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because he rescued 669 children before the Second World War."
},
"options": [
"Because he rescued 669 children before the Second World War.",
"Because he joined the army in the Second World War.",
"Because he made great contr... | Nicholas Winton,a British saved 669 children from the Nazis,was awarded the highest civilian honour in the Czech Republic on Tuesday.
Winton,now 105,was presented with the Order of the White Lion by the Czech president in a special ceremony at Prague Castle.
Winton,who has often been nicknamed "the British Schindler",organised the transportation and settlement of 669 children over nine months before the Second World War broke out in September 1939.Most of those he saved were Jewish children living in then-German occupied Czechoslovakia whose families were later imprisoned or murdered in concentration camps.
Winton gave a speech during the ceremony.He said,"I want to thank you all for this enormous expression of thanks for something which happened to me a long time ago.I am delighted that so many of the children are still about and are here to thank me.England was the only country at that time willing to accept unaccompanied _ .I thank the British people for making room to accept them,and of course the enormous help given by so many of the Czechs who were at that time doing what they could to fight the Germans and to try to get the children out.''
In the same ceremony,the Order of the White Lion was also presented to his grandson Nicholas Soames in honor of Sir Winston Churchill.They are the only British citizens to receive the award,after Margaret Thatcher and the Queen.Presenting the award,the Czech President,Milos Zeman said."It is a great pleasure to present this award to two great personalities of the UK.I am only ashamed it has been awarded so late--but better late than never." | high10062.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "makes customers walk slowly and buy more"
},
"options": [
"makes customers walk slowly and buy more",
"can help customers get the things they want",
"can make customers relaxed and happy",
"can tell customers exactly wh... | People in cities all over the world shop in supermarkets. Who decides what you buy in the supermarket? Do you decide? Does the supermarket decide?
When you enter the supermarket, you see shelves full of food. You walk in the aisles between the shelves. You push a shopping cart and put your food in it.
You probably hear soft, slow music as you walk along the aisles. This may be an attempt to please you, so you will enjoy shopping. Some supermarkets want to increase their profits by playing soft and slow music, because the slow music makes you walk slowly and you have more time to buy things.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are usually put near the entrance. When you arrive at the supermarket, you think about the kinds of fruit and vegetables you need first. Once you've got that out of the way, you can relax and do the rest of the shopping without any hurry. Besides, if you see fresh goods first, it gives you a "feel good" impression of freshness, so you can not help spending your money.
Maybe you go to the meat department then. There is some meat on sale, and you want to find it. The manager of the supermarket knows where customers enter the meat department. The cheaper meat is at the other end of the meat department, away from where the customers enter. You have to walk past all the expensive meat before you find the cheaper meat. Maybe you will buy some of the expensive meat instead of the meat on sale.
Most of the food in supermarkets is very attractive. It all says "Buy me quickly!" to the customers. The fresh fruit and vegetables say "Buy me quickly!" as you walk by. The expensive meat says "Buy me quickly!" The supermarket tells you what to buy. | high16413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People who use laptops."
},
"options": [
"People who are in fashion.",
"People who like carrying small bags.",
"People who drink coffee often.",
"People who use laptops."
],
"question": "Who is the passage espec... | Mini Riser -- Attractive, Compact, Adjustable Laptop Stand
PRICE:$10.95
KEY FEATURES:
*A compact, stylish laptop riser designed for laptops.
*Open design lets air flow under the laptop and positions the keyboard at a comfortable angle.
*Adjustable width will support iPads, netbooks, up to 17" laptops.
*Strong.
*Stable.
Every time we slipped out to our local coffee shop to remove a creative jam, the coffee was hot and so were the laptops. Other risers were too big to carry along, so we created our own. We call it the Mini Riser. A super-compact and stylish riser designed for people using laptops.
The Mini Riser allows air to pass under your laptop (1.8 inches of lift), and supports the keyboard at a more comfortable angle. The small, open profile makes it easy to put into your laptop case or just carry along. You can adjust the heavy, bendable wire to fit your laptop by stretching or compressing the legs as needed. Everything stays in one place, and it is strong enough to support up to 35 pounds (15.9 kilograms).
INCLUDES:
2 blue Mini Risers and a printed guide showing you how to use and adjust them. That's enough for you and a friend, for home and work, or an extra just in case.
Learn more about using and adjusting the Mini Riser with these videos:
USING A MINI RISER (Click here)
HOW TO ADJUST A MINI RISER (Click here) | high19720.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "there would be no standards without external examinations"
},
"options": [
"changing the standards could mean the end of equality",
"standards must keep changing in order to achieve equality",
"there would be no standards wit... | We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed ---- no examination is perfect ---- but to have no external tests or examinations would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in external examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency, the ideal and the purpose of each teacher.
Without external examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them ---- a form of favoritism will replace equality. At the moment, the bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of a certificate shows the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well - respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if external examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school's fame, unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.
These people are not just against school organization, but are at war with the whole idea of modem competitive society and they are using children in schools for their destructive purposes. There is no reason why we should allow such people to determine the way our schools are organized when it is to the obvious disadvantage of the pupils, of the schools and of our society as a whole. | high4154.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "relax yourself by not thinking of him or her any more"
},
"options": [
"try your best to defeat him or her",
"break off relations with him or her",
"persuade him or her to have a talk with you",
"relax yourself by not t... | LEEDS, England--- A Leeds University psychology professor is teaching a course to help dozens of Bristons forgive their enemies.
"The hatred we hold within us is a cancer," Professor Ken Hart said, adding that holding in anger can lead to problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.
More than seventy people have become members in Hart's first 20-week workshop in London--- a course he says is the first of its kind in the world.
These are people who are sick and tired of living with a memory. They realize their bitterness is a poison they think they can pour out, but they end up drinking it themselves, said Canadian- born Hart.
The students meet in groups of eight to ten for a two-hour workshop with an adviser every fortnight.
The course, ending in July, is expected to get rid of the cancer of hate in these people. "People have lots of the attitudes towards forgiveness," he said. "People confuse forgiveness with forgetting. Forgiveness means changing from a negative attitude to a positive one."
Hart and his team have created instructions to provide the training needed.
"The main idea is to give you guidelines on how to look at various kinds of angers and how they affect you, and how to change your attitudes towards the person you're angry with," said Norman Claringbull, a senior expert on the forgiveness project. Hart said he believes forgiveness is a skill that can be taught, as these people "want to get free of the past." | high12675.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Stop broadcasting advertisements for junk food on TV."
},
"options": [
"Produce more and better cartoons for young kids.",
"Stop broadcasting advertisements for junk food on TV.",
"Help kids develop healthy lifestyle in the p... | You might notice something new in the next few years as you watch Disney programs: Starting in 2015, there won't be any candy, sugary cereal or fast-food commercials aimed at kids.
The Walt Disney Company has become the first major media company to ban ads for junk food on its TV channels, radio stations and websites. It hopes this will stop kids from making poor food choices.
First Lady Michelle Obama called it a "game changer" that is sure to send a message to the rest of the children's entertainment industry. "Just a few years ago, if you had told me or any other mom or dad in America that our kids wouldn't see a single ad for junk food while they watched their favorite cartoons on a major TV network, we wouldn't have believed you," said the First Lady, who heads a campaign to help stop child obesity.
The ban would apply to Disney-owned ABC stations as well as Radio Disney and Disney-owned websites aimed at families with young children. In addition, Disney plans to make changes to its kids' menus at theme parks and resorts . Fast-food options will be replaced with healthier choices, such as smoothies , apples, vegetables and yogurt.
In addition to candy bars and fast-food meals, other foods that don't meet Disney's nutritional standards will be banned from the company's kid-targeted media. Any cereal with 10 grams or more of sugar per serving will be _ . There will be no ads for full meals of more than 600 calories. Juices with high levels of sugar and foods with too much salt will also be pulled.
Leslie Goodman, Disney's senior vice-president of Corporate Citizenship, said a company that wants to advertise will need to show that it offers a range of healthy options.
Disney isn't the only one pushing away unhealthy foods. Last week, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested a ban on drinks over 16 ounces sold in movie theaters, restaurants and convenience stores in the Big Apple. He says large, sugary drinks are partly to blame for obesity. | high6743.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "parents"
},
"options": [
"knowledge",
"concerns",
"school",
"parents"
],
"question": "In Adam Hancock's research, student's credit card debt is related to their _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Parents need to be good role models to help their children make sensible financial decisions, according to Adam Hancock and his team, from East Caronlina University in the US. Their work highlights that parents who argue about finances contribute to increasing credit card debt among their children during their students years. Their work is published online in Springer's Journal of Family and Economic Issues.
Credit card debt among college students has been a growing concern for researchers and policymakers over the last decade. In addition, there is growing concern among educators that more students are dropping out of school, not because of academic failure, but because of financial reasons, and credit card especially.
Hancock and colleagues' study is the first to examine how parental interactions, and financial knowledge and attitudes may have a cumulative effect on the number of credit cards students own and their level of credit card debt.
The researchers analyzed data for 420 undergraduate students from seven different American universities, who took part in the College Student Financial Literacy Survey. According to the online survey, nearly two-thirds of students had a credit card, and nearly a third had more than one. Those students who reported that their parents argued about finances were more likely to have more than two cards than the students whose parents who did not argue about finances.
In terms of debt, those students who had two or more credit cards were nearly three times more likely to report having credit card debt over $500.
The researchers conclude, "It is clear that the influence of parents cannot be neglected. Researchers, educators and policymakers should work in finding effective ways to increase the positive financial behaviors for college students. We need to help students learn financial skills and establish healthy financial attitudes at earlier ages to prevent poor financial habits from taking root. " | high9470.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "body language"
},
"options": [
"body language",
"habits",
"language skills",
"advice"
],
"question": "We can learn from the text that the \"secret\" system mainly refers to _ .",
"question_type": "summari... | Much has been written about body language during a job interview. Experts from across many fields are full of advice on just how to present your best performance in an interview using conscious body language choices. While many of these experts say there is a "secret" system for making the most of an interview, the reality is that most of them focus on a few general types of behavior that have the greatest effect during a job interview.
Entering the interview location -- Your walk should be active and confident. Keep your shoulders straight, head up, and make eye contact with the people around you. Maintain an active facial expression and be confident when shaking hands and greeting people to whom you are introduced.
During the interview -- Sit in a straight and attentive posture. Never let your shoulders drop or your head hang down, but rather keep your head up and make eye contact with the interviewers. Don't play with any papers or notes you have in front of you, and don't lean your arms heavily on the table. Keep your body position open and make eye contact while listening to and answering questions.
Leaving the interview location--No matter how you feel about your performance during the interview, carry yourself with confidence till you leave the interview location. Be confident when shaking hands and making eye contact as you say goodbye, and keep your body posture straight as you walk all the way to your car.
Remember, the more you make active and confident body language a part of your daily life, the more it becomes a habit that follows you wherever you go. | high18416.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he must have it known and well understood by others"
},
"options": [
"he needn't tell others about that",
"other members just follow his orders",
"he must have it known and well understood by others",
"others may have t... | It can be as simple or as complex as you want. Anybody who enjoys the cinema knows that when the final credits roll they include everyone who has contributed -- Director, Performers, Best Boy, Make Up, etc.
It usually takes over a hundred people working a year to make a feature film, ten people to produce a pop promo and around twenty to film a documentary. The reason so many people are involved is because films need to be made quickly and on budget.
Many famous directors started by making films completely on their own -- Orson Welles, George Lucas, Robert Rodrigues. You may not have the special effects and big budgets of Hollywood but you do have time on your side. Use it to experiment and make a few mistakes. It's the way to learn. And that's where the fun begins. Go on; make a film.
Now, let's talk about how to prepare for the shoot .
If you're making the film with other people, organize your cast and crew effectively. Make sure everybody knows their role and what day and time they're needed.
Give people specific jobs so they can become experts in their field. For example, a sound recordist listens to the sound through headphones as it's being recorded, and holds an extra microphone if needed.
A camera operator frames the picture, sets focus, checks the light and records the action.
The editor "cuts" the picture together after it's shot.
A producer is the contact point for the film. He or she makes sure crew and cast are there on time, talks to the press and organizes the budget.
A director has to make sure their vision is communicated. To do this everyone needs to be clear about what the director expects from each scene and each shot.
You may also need a make-up-artist, a choreographer, a driver, etc. However, you can quite easily make your first film on your own. Make a schedule that says which shots are to be taken where and when (this is called a shooting schedule) and when you've completed a take, cross it off the list. Remember that you may want to shoot "out of sequence", e.g. shoot the last scene first, and the first last. Similarly if the film begins and ends by a tree in the park, it may make sense to film both scenes while you're there.
Continuity is particularly important in drama. Take a Polaroid camera and take photos to capture details. You may need to come back to a scene days later. When you decide your locations, consider whether you need permission to use the space, how noisy it will be and what the light will be like at the time of day you will need to use it. Is there power available? Are you likely to be interrupted?
If you're making animation or any computer generated stuff, have a space that you can control. You may need extra lights and you may need to leave work in progress. Make sure people living with you are aware what's happening. Animation needs a lot of undisturbed concentration and patience. Keep at it and it'll pay off. Aardmann and Disney both started off at home experimenting with clay , pens and a camera. | high17725.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "find a dress which you've got used to"
},
"options": [
"put on your newly-bought clothes",
"have you hair cut",
"buy some modern and beautiful ties,shoes.etc",
"find a dress which you've got used to"
],
"questio... | So you have been called for an interview-well done? Your effort has been paid off. Now to get the job, you will feet better at the interview if you show an understanding of the nature of the organization.
Ask a member of family or a friend to act as the employer and to give you an unreal interview.Be as realistic as possible,answer the questions seriously.Afterwards discuss how it goes.
Think about how the employer would prefer to see you look. Remember the majority of employers are over 30.
It is not wise to rush out and buy new clothes which will be worn for the first time at the interview. You'll feel more at ease in a familiar dress.
Carelessness in any of these could cost you the job.Arrive at least 15 minutes before time.This will give you a chance to have a look around, read the notice board and get the feel of the place.
Being late at interviews produces a bad impression.The first impression the interviewer gets of you forms as you walk through the door, so take a couple of deep breaths.
Be ready to shake hands the interviewer offers.
Don't take a seat until asked. Then sit comfortably.
Make eye contact when you are greeted and again if you shake hands, and during questioning.Eye contact is a form of non-verbal greeting.
Remember the interviewer's name and use it from time to time.
Be ready for the question"Is there anything you want to ask?"Before the interview you should get ready for two or three such questions. Look on these not just as a chance to get information but as a means to improve your prospects in the employer's estimation .Asking can show knowledge and avoid mistakes ever before you begin. You can check on these later,when the hope for the job is offered.
And if you fail, look upon the interview as an experience in itself, learn from it.
We wish you good luck and good job hunting. | high20189.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She is a college student."
},
"options": [
"She is a high school student.",
"She is a college student.",
"She is a clerk in a school.",
"She is a traveler."
],
"question": "What can we infer about the writer?",
... | I start to wonder what else had changed since I'd been gone. My parents are in an awkward puzzle, wondering how to treat me now----whether to treat me--still their daughter--as one of them, an adult, or as the child they feel they sent away months earlier.
I run into two of my best friends from high school; we stare at each other, expressionless. We ask the simple questions and give simple answers. It's as if we have nothing to say to each other. I wonder how things have changed so much in such a small amount of time. We used to laugh and promise that no matter how far away we were, our love for each other would never change. Their interests don't interest me anymore, and I find myself unable to relate my life to theirs.
I had been so excited to come home, but now I just look at it all and wonder: Is it me? Why hadn't the world stood still here while I was gone? My room isn't the same, my friends and I don't share the same promise, and my parents don't know how to treat me--or who I am, for that matter.
I get back to school feeling half-satisfied, but not disappointed. I sit up in my bed in my dorm room, surrounded by my pictures, dolls. As I wonder what has happened, I realize that I can't expect the world to stand still and move forward at the same time. I can change and expect that things at home will stay the same. I have to find comfort in what has changed and what is new; keep the memories, but live in the present.
A few weeks later, I'm packing again, this time for winter break. My mom meets me at the door. I have come home accepting the changes, not only in my surroundings, but most of all in me. | high11354.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Chickens: a Better Choice of Living Drug Factories."
},
"options": [
"Animals and Protein Drugs.",
"Medicine Packaged in Various Forms.",
"A Scotland Scientist and His Chickens.",
"Chickens: a Better Choice of Living Dr... | We know, painkillers in a tablet can make your headache go away, and antibiotic from a tube can prevent your cuts from becoming infected. Can medicine come in chicken eggs? A team of scientists from Scotland says "yes." They've kept some special chickens that lay eggs with disease-treating drugs inside.
These drugs are made of molecules called proteins. Animals make thousands of proteins--they're the main ingredients in skin, hair, milk, and meat. Since animals can make proteins easily, they're good animals for making protein drugs.
Researchers have already made cows, sheep, and goats that pump out protein drugs in their milk. But chickens are cheaper to take care of, need less room, and grow faster than these other animals. "Those qualities could make chickens a better choice to become living drug factories." says Simon Lillico of the Roslin Institute near Edinburgh, Scotland.
Lillico and a team of researchers changed chickens' DNA--the code that tells cells how to make proteins--so that the birds' cells made two protein drugs. One drug can treat skin cancer, and the other treats a nerve disease called multiple sclerosis.
The scientists changed the chickens' DNA so that the birds made these drugs only in their egg whites. This protects the chickens' bodies from the drugs' possible harmful effects and makes it easy for scientists to collect the drugs.
These special chickens can pass on their drug-laying abilities to their chicks. So far, the Scottish researchers have kept five generations of drug-producing chickens. But the scientists need to improve these chickens. The chickens don't make enough drugs to treat people yet. Once the researchers perfect their technique, you might eventually take your medicine from chicken eggs. | high21297.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Sit less, live longer."
},
"options": [
"Take exercise, keep fit.",
"Change more, achieve greater.",
"Talk directly, improve relationship.",
"Sit less, live longer."
],
"question": "What might be the best title ... | If you are sitting down listening to what I'm going to say, stand up. Move your legs. Touch your toes, if you can. Do anything but sit.
If you cut down on the time you spend sitting, you might live longer. New research shows that sitting less than three hours a day might extend your life by two years.
Just the opposite, says Peter Katzmarzyk. He is a scientist at the University of Louisiana in the southern United States. He says that sitting is _ in our lives. "We sit while we're eating; we sit in the car; we sit while we watch TV. Many of us sit for many hours at work. " But, he adds, that does not make sitting good for us. The human body is designed to move. But modern lifestyles and office jobs rarely give us the chance to move around.
Exercise is important. So is not sitting.
"We can't throw away physical activity. It's extremely important. We have 60 years of research showing us that. Even if you exercise for 30 minutes a day, what goes on in the other 23-and-a-half hours a day is also very important."
Mr. Katzmarzyk and his co-workers are part of a new generation of researchers studying how sitting all day affects length of life. This is a relatively new area of study--studies that have assessed the relationship between sitting and mortality or television viewing and mortality.
Making uses of the few studies available to them, they found that cutting television time to less than two hours a day could add one-point four years to life.
New desk designs are helping
Change is already coming to some offices, especially in the design of desks. A "standing desk" lets people stand while they work. Another new design is called the "treadmill desk." A treadmill is an exercise machine that lets you walk in one place. That's one of the strategies that many companies are using now. Some companies may equip their employees with a "standing desk" or a "treadmill desk". Other companies may not buy one for everybody, but they'll have a bank of these desks where people can go for an hour a day and answer their emails or talk on the phone. Even some U.S. schools are beginning to experiment with such desks to keep children moving.
Mr. Katzmarzyk says studying this problem has inspired his team to make a few changes in their own lives. "As a university professor, you know, it is a very sedentary occupation. We're chained to a desk in terms of writing papers and doing research. We really try to limit the amount of time we spend doing that."
Suggestions for sitting less
If you work in office job or have a sedentary job, Mr. Katzmarzyk and his team suggest a few simple changes:
get up from your desk as often as you can take walks at lunch time walk to your colleagues' offices and talk directly instead of emailing them All these activities may help you live longer. | high8746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "not try to close the gap"
},
"options": [
"not try to close the gap",
"stop talking with him or her",
"back away too",
"ask him or her what happened"
],
"question": "If an American to whom you are speaking backs... | There are a lot of differences in life in the US that you can only learn by living here. However, we will try to introduce you to some of the more important cultural differences.
Personal Space
When two people are talking to each other, they tend to stand a distance apart. Each person has an invisible boundary around their body into which other people may not come.
Interestingly,the average personal distance varies from culture to culture. Americans tend to require more personal space than in other cultures. So if you try to get too close to an American during your conversation, he or she will feel that you are "in their face" and will try to back away.
Try to avoid physical contact while you are speaking, since this may also lead to _ .
Tipping
Restaurants do not include a service charge in the bill, so you should tip the waiter 15% of the total bill. If service is slow or particular bad, some Americans will tip only 10%. If service is particularly good, it is appropriate to tip 20%. If service is so bad that you will never eat in the restaurant again, leave two cents. It tells the waiter that you haven't forgotten to leave a tip. Tipping is only appropriate in restaurants which offer table service. You do not tip the cashier in a fast food restaurant.
Gestures
To wave goodbye or hello to someone, raise your hand and wave it from side to side, not front to back. Wave the whole hand, not just the fingers. Waving the hand front to back or the fingers up and down means "no", "stop", or "go away'. Holding your hand up with the palm facing forward but no movement means "stop".
If you want to point at an object, extend the index finger and use it to point at the object. It is not polite to point at people.
Although showing your fist with the thumb up or your open hand with the tips of the thumb and index finger together forming an "O" means "OK", these are stereotypes . Americans understand these gestures, but they are mainly used by actors in movies, not in real life. | high15132.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Beijing's air pollution"
},
"options": [
"a programme to improve Beijing's air quality",
"progress made in Beijing's air quality",
"Beijing's air pollution",
"the difference between Hainan and Beijing"
],
"quest... | While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.
But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.
"We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them," said an official.
Efforts are being made to improve the capital's environment with tighter controls on emissions . Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.
Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index gave just 100 days as good.
"I am glad to see an improvement," said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. "Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn't see a car only metres away from me in frog."
In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.
Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city's bad air. | high7475.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "During the spring season."
},
"options": [
"At the end of winter.",
"In the middle of autumn.",
"During the spring season.",
"At the beginning of summer."
],
"question": "When did the story happen?",
"questi... | The farmer and the stork
After the long winter, the farmers finally began planting their fields. This made the birds very glad, for now there would be millions of seeds to steal! While some of the birds were careful, the cranes were daring ; they stole seeds from right under the farmers' noses. The cranes considered stealing is fun, and that morning they asked a simple-minded stork to come along for the fun.
The stork went along, not knowing what the cranes were up to. But the party ended unexpectedly when the birds all got caught in the trap of the farmer's net, who had set the trap for just that purpose.
When the farmer discovered the birds in his trap, the stork asked for mercy .
"Please, Farmer, sir, I am a stork. I come from a good family that is honest and true. I went along with the cranes, but I had no idea they were going to steal from you," the bird said.
"You may come from a good family, but I caught you with the birds who were stealing. So you will receive the same punishment!" replied the farmer.
You are judged by the company that you keep. | high22946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the scenery in autumn is more attractive"
},
"options": [
"Holidays in autumn can be cheaper",
"the scenery in autumn is more attractive",
"the resorts in autumn are less crowded",
"The weather is neither too hot nor to... | September can be a depressing month. The summer holidays are over, it's time to go back to work or school and Christmas is four months away. However, for some people it's the perfect time to get away.
These days more and more people are taking their holidays late in the year and for good reasons. Holidays in autumn can be cheaper, the resorts are less crowded and the weather isn't as extreme as it is in the summer. So, where are the best places to go? Here are our top tips.
Sardinia (in Italy) has an average temperature of 27degC in September. It also has "Autunno in Barbagia" (Autumn in Barbagia) a series of festivals that take place in 27 villages in Barbagia, a mountainous region of inland Sardinia. The festivals continue from September to December, so there's always something happening. There are street markets, craft workshops and there's lots of eating and drinking (This is Italy, after all).
Dubrovnik Croatia has become very popular in summer but it's quieter and more pleasant once the crowds have left. The weather is still warm but less humid. You can take a ferry to the popular beaches on the islands of Sunj and enjoy it with locals.
Dahab Egypt, is extremely hot in the summer with temperatures up to 38degC. However, the autumn is cooler while the sea is still warm. This makes Dahab the perfect place for snorkeling and windsurfing. There are also interesting historical sites to visit such as the Coloured Canyon, with its dramatic rock formations, and St Catherine's Monastery, at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Kas is a relaxed fishing village on the Lycian coast in southern Turkey. There are plenty of things to do and the temperature has dropped (so you can actually enjoy doing them!) Kas is a good place to stay if you want to walk part of the Lycian way: a long-distance footpath that stretches for 500km from Fethiye to Antalya through the ancient land of Lycia. There are also watersports, of course. The best time to go diving is supposed to be after the first rains of autumn (usually between late September and early October) when the fish become most active.
Marrakech Morocco is another good destination. The city itself is a fascinating place to spend a few days. When you have had enough of that, go to Tigmi, a beautiful hill town about 20 kilometers away. There's a hammam (a Turkish bath) and a large heated pool, which makes it the perfect place to relax.
Wherever you go this autumn - have fun! | high590.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "training future leaders for development"
},
"options": [
"investing more money for development",
"developing computer science",
"training future leaders for development",
"founding more universities"
],
"questio... | Having just quit a highly moneymaking job with tech giant Microsoft in the United States,where he'd made millions working as a program manager, _
What Awuah wanted was to create a university in his native Ghana.a state-of-the-art education centre that would help educate the country's next generation of leaders.Awuah moved with his family,back to Ghana.There,he invested his own money and with the help of other donors he founded Ashesi University.
"Africa needs to have a renaissance ," says Awuah as he explained what drove him to
take the risky decision."The world needs to change in this way and I strongly believe that people like me need to be part of the solution;I need to be really actively involved in helping to drive this change in Africa''
Located about an hour's drive from the capital Accra,Ashesi,which appropriately translates to "beginning," is the first Ghanaian university to combine technical majors with a liberal arts approach.Its campus,set on 100 acres in a town called Berekuso,was designed to be inspiring for the more than 500 young Ghanaians studying there.
"So when I look at universities I see Africa fast--forward 30 years.When this 20-year-old is now in his or her 50s,that person is going to be a leader."
Today Ashesi,which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year,offers degrees in business,
information systems and computer science.There are plans to offer engineering and economics majors in the near future.The school's graduation rate is between 70%and 90%,according to Awuah.
In our last freshman class,50% of the students paid full tuition ,25%were on full
scholarships and 25%on partial scholarships ,"he said."The reason why variety is so important is that the most important conversation on campus is a conversation about the good society--what is the good society we would like to see in Africa? That conversation is a lot more interesting if you have variety in the classroom,"adds Awuah. . | high13543.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "More than 150"
},
"options": [
"Less than 100",
"Less than 150",
"More than 150",
"149"
],
"question": "_ whales and dolphins would probably die in this mass beaching along the coast of Australia and New Zeala... | Everyone makes mistakes in life, but for whales and dolphins, the "mistake" of landing on the shore costs the highest price---their lives.
People living along the coast of Australia and New Zealand have been shocked and saddened by the number of whales and dolphins that they have found on their beaches recently. Since November 28th, 96 whales and dolphins have died in Australia and 53 whales died in New Zealand. Although 20 whales were saved, some of these were not expected to live, as they were too weak to swim with the others back to sea.
Bob Brown, leader of Australia's Green party, said the mass beaching was caused by the recent "sound bombing" of the ocean floor between the two countries. This is a method of testing for oil and gas reserves .
But mass beaching of whales has long puzzled scientists. Typically most members of the stranded group will appear to be perfectly healthy. "Some researchers believe that close relationship within the group causes the problem, if one gets into trouble, the others will not leave" said Shery Gibney, a leading biologist in New Zealand. "Some will come in and try and assist it; if they get trapped on the beach, then more will come."
Another common theory is that the whales' navigation system are thought to break down in some way. It has been said that whales follow electromagnetic patterns in the sea-bed. The whales can get confused because these patterns sometimes change. That would be a bit like a new roundabout being built on a road you were used to driving on. You might be confused for a minute when you come to it for the first time, and you might even take a wrong turning before getting back on your route.
A different idea is that when whales chase fish for food they end up in shallow waters because they are not paying attention to where they are going.
And yet, from time to time a group will swim on purpose into shallow waters and end up on the beach, where they die. If returned to the sea, some whales often show great determination in restraining themselves. | high9458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "share her story and impression on Chinese cuisines"
},
"options": [
"share her story and impression on Chinese cuisines",
"tell readers how to comment on amazing Chinese food cities",
"talk the readers into enjoying the signa... | Although travelers can try dishes from around China and the globe in well-known food cities like Beijing and Shanghai, it is outside these major metropolises where a world of exciting Chinese cuisine awaits the true foodie . With this in mind and after three years of living in China and writing about Chinese food, I started a six-month journey with my husband and two daughters.
Here are four of the eight most amazing Chinese food cities I've come across so far. The list is in no particular order.
1. Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Crowned as Asia's first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2010, Chengdu is best-known for its fiery hot pot and spicy dishes, which are characterized by the use of Sichuan pepper and are usually layered with salty, sour and sweet flavors. There are also dishes that aren't spicy at all, such as beer-braised duck.
Hot pot is as _ in the city as the smell of chili. At Zigong Delicious Hotpot, the house specialty tiaoshui wa is a cauldron of fiery chili to which vegetables, noodles or other meats can be added.
For a real taste of Sichuan's signature pepper, hua jiao, spend a morning at the Chengdu Spice Market where the locals sell and buy it by the sack.
2. Lanzhou, Gansu Province
Synonymous in the minds of food-lovers with hand-pulled beef noodles, Lanzhou also has one of the liveliest street food night markets in China.
Just west of the city center, the buzzing Zhengning Road bazaar houses more than 100 street food stalls. Available is a broad selection of hot and cold dishes with emphasis on local Hui cuisine.
No trip to Lanzhou is complete without feasting on noodles at Wumule Penhui, the 2012 winners of Lanzhou's annual pulled noodle competition. The halal restaurant makes noodles spicy enough to satisfy even the most hardened heat-seekers.
3. Guangzhou, Guangdong Province
The birthplace of Cantonese food, Guangzhou is thought by many as the best place to eat in China. The city of 12 million has a passionate food culture, with equal excitement reserved for the opening of a hole-in-the-wall congee joint and a high-end restaurant.
The local cuisine is characterized by fresh clean flavors , seafood, barbecued meats and the wonderful tradition of yum cha, which is tea drinking accompanied by dumplings and small dishes.
Congee is the way locals love to start their day, and one of the most popular vendors is Ru Xuan Sha Guo Zhou. Here, one can get a bowl of signature seafood congee any hour of the day.
Roast meats are Bing Sheng's most popular order--their roast goose is marinated with five-spice, boiled, air-dried, then roasted by a flame oven to give a crisp skin.
For something more home style and removed from the madness of downtown, head to Ji Cun for steamed chicken and simple farmer-style dishes.
4. Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province
This ancient canal city is home to huangjiu, an amber-colored rice wine that's important in Chinese cooking.
Open since 1894, the dining chain is known by almost every Chinese for its appearance in early 20th century novels by Chinese literati Lu Xun.
Xianheng's delicacies include crispy-skinned chicken, smoked red dates in rice wine, beans flavored with fennel , and crispy bream in rice wine.
Fried fermented tofu is also a local specialty, which is available all over town at small street stalls including one just outside Xianheng. | high12885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A TV programme."
},
"options": [
"A news story.",
"A popular book.",
"A research report.",
"A TV programme."
],
"question": "What is Animal Hospital?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Tales From Animal Hospital
David Crant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Crant tells usthe very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical checkups to surgery . Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the programme and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whetherit be cat, dog, or snake !
PS14.99 Hardback 272pp Simon Schuster
ISBN 0751304417
Isaac Newton : The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in, Science, comes this colourful description of the life of the world's first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White's learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic ended and science began.
PS18.99 Hardback 320pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat's Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world'sgreatest mathematical problem: Fermat's Last Theorem . First put forward by the Frenchmathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had _ and beaten the finestmathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out theproblem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole Polytechnique.Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat's Last Theorem will delight specialists and generalreaders alike.
PS12.99 Hardback 384pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210 | high13225.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because her friend in Tanzania maybe had to quit school for lack of money."
},
"options": [
"Because she had to stop her voluntary work.",
"Because she had no money to buy food or other things.",
"Because she had spent all he... | I once did a year of voluntary service in a residential home for people with learning disabilities.
was set in an English village deep in the countryside, quite different from my home in Sweden. One of my fellow volunteers, a girl from Tanzania, seemed a little unhappy, so I asked what the problem was. She told me she had a friend back home who had financial difficulties and maybe it was impossible for her to complete her university courses.
So this friend of mine had sent all her money to Tanzania to support her friend! This meant that she didn't have much food to eat and no money to go anywhere outside the village.
I was so touched and I felt I had to do something. So, during my next trip to one of the nearby towns I walked into a shop. I didn't have much money left myself but I thought I'd buy her an extra box of chocolate we both liked and some rice. I started talking to the woman(also a volunteer)working in the shop and eventually told her about my friend.
The woman looked at me, amazed. "Does she eat pasta?" she asked. "Yes," I replied. She immediately started loading a bag with pasta, cookies, and other things until the bag was full. "Give her this for me. It's my treat!'' I couldn't believe it but accepted with happiness. As I left the shop to go home with my unexpected bag of food, I asked the woman her name. "Just Gloria," she said.
Imagine my friend's face when I arranged the gifts on my kitchen table and fetched her from her room to see! I had never seen her so happy! A few weeks later she found Gloria in the shop and thanked her in person.
These two extraordinary women really showed me what true kindness and compassion are, and the impression will stay with me for the rest of my life! | high15654.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "proved that cell death is programmed"
},
"options": [
"found that human beings are similar to the worm",
"got the fact we share 40 per cent of our genetic structure with the simple worm",
"found the computer which controls ea... | Whatever our differences as human beings are we all think we're more like the rest of the animal world than we realize. It is said that we share 40 per cent of our genetic structure with the simple worm.
But that fact has helped Sir John Sulston win the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Sir John is the founder of the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, which was set up in 1992 to get further understanding of the human genome .
To help them do this, they turned to the worm. The nematode worm is one of the earliest creatures on planet earth. It is less than one millimeter long, completely transparent and spends its entire life digging holes through sand. But it still has lots to say about human life, and what can be done to make it better.
What the worm told Sir John and his colleagues was that each of the cells in the human body is programmed like a computer. They grow, develop and die according to a set of instructions that are coded in our genetic make-up.
Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not obeyed. When the cell refuses to die but carries on growing instead, this leads to cancer. Heart attacks and diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body. Sir John was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death. | high7313.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The husband was considered a brave man by the clerk at the store."
},
"options": [
"The husband was doing all the talking when the couple viewed the works.",
"The husband tapped his way to the coatroom to get his jacket.",
"T... | One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the wonderful works..
A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided she was doing all the talking. I admired his patience for tolerating her constant words. Disturbed by their noise, I moved on.
I _ them several times as I moved through the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her constant talking, I moved away quickly.
I was standing at the counter of the museum gift store doing some shopping when the couple approached the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He turned it into a long cane and then tapped his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket.
"He's a brave man," the clerk at the counter said, "Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there's a new art show."
"But what does he get out of the art?" I asked, "He can't see."
"Can't see! You're wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do," the clerk said, "His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head."
I learned something about patience, courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life.
And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away arm in arm. | high11432.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Cotillard once won the best actress Oscar."
},
"options": [
"Cotillard once won the best actress Oscar.",
"Jennifer Lawrence was nominated because of The Hunger Games.",
"Mirren is the only one who can take the place of Jenni... | "Who is that?" When watching the movie, Silver Linings Playbook, at the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, the woman sitting next asked me.
It seemed to be a strange question. I wanted to ask if she ever saw a little movie called The Hunger Games, or the Oscar-nominated movie Winter's Bone. Instead, I just answered, "Jennifer Lawrence." But I wondered how a moviegoer does not recognize Lawrence! As Silver Linings Playbook continued to unfold and Lawrence revealed herself as a wonderful comic actress, it hit me: _ . That is the thing throwing her.
Audiences will have the opportunity to watch Lawrence's performance in Silver Linings Playbook when the film opens in limited release before a Thanksgiving weekend blowout expansion. The 22-year-old actress heads this year's lead actress Oscar race by a country mile. Here's an early main list of some competitors in this category.
1. Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
2. Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
3. Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone
3. Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
5. Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
6. Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Chastain, playing a CIA agent in Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty, is the wild card here and, quite possibly, the only candidate capable of replacing Lawrence from the top spot. The cruelty in Rust and Bone will put off sensitive academy members, making Cotillard lose chances for a second Oscar. Wallis makes for a wonderful story, but it is too early for her to be awarded a lead actress. Riva will need a push to win the nomination of lead actress.
Mirren, as the Alfred Hitchcock's wife and unsung partner, Alma Reville, might pose the biggest threat to Lawrence. Older academy members will love the historical Hollywood seen in Hitchcock, and Mirren's role as the unsung wind beneath Hitch's wings should find appreciation within creative circles. It's not "The Queen". but this year, it might be enough. | high3175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Too much screen time leads to obesity."
},
"options": [
"A new study on screens.",
"TVs do harm to children.",
"The less TV time ,the fatter.",
"Too much screen time leads to obesity."
],
"question": "Which of t... | Children and teenagers who spend lots of time in front of screens-especially TVs-are easier to get more weight as they age .according to a new study.
The findings agree with research suggesting all that inactive sitting and always watching advertisements may lead to poor eating habits.
Researchers used results from a long-term study of children Who took surveys every other year. Children were between ages 9 and 16 when the study started. Out of 4,300 girls in the Study. 17 percent were overweight or obese .Twenty-four percent of the 3 .500 boys were also above a healthy weight
The surveys included questions about their height and weight as well as how much time they spent watching TV and DVDs and playing computer and video games.
From one survey to the next, each one-hour increase in children's daily TV watching was in connection with an increase of about 0.1 points on a body mass index(BMI) , which measures weight in connection with height. That's a difference of about half a pound per
extra hour of TV.
"The weight of the evidence is so strong that television watching is connected with unhealthy changes in weight among youth,"says Jennifer Falbe . Who led the study while at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
"It's important for parents to know all the obesity-causing screens that really should be limited in their children's lives, Falbe says. " When children watch TV. There are many food advertisements on TV that might lead them to eat a cookie or drink a soft drink. " What's mare .she says . " You can get into a hibernating state on the sofa. Even if children are sitting down while playing a computer game. for example. they might be a bit more active." | high18370.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "was unhappy with......"
},
"options": [
"followed the fashion",
"got bored with his job",
"was unhappy with......",
"liked the author's collection of stamps"
],
"question": "We can learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3 ... | "Dad," I say one day .....take a trip. Why don't you fly and meet me?"
My father had just reired........... His job filled his day, his thought, his life. While he woke up and took a warm shower, I screamed under a freezing waterfall Peru. While he tied a tie and put on the same Swiss watch, I rowed a boat across Lake of the Ozarks.
My father sees me drfting aimlessly, nothing to show for my 33 years but a passport full of funny stamps. He wants me to settle down, but now I want him to find an adventure.
He agrees to travel with me through the national parks. We meet four weeks later in Rapid City.
" What is our first stop?" asks my father.
"What time is it?"
"Still don't have a watch?"
Less than an hour away is Mount Rushmore. As he stares up at the four Presidents carved in granite , his mouth and eyes open slowly, like those of little boy.
"Unbelievable," he says, "How was this done?"
A film in the information center shows sculptor Gutzon Borglum devoted 14 years to the sculpture and then left the final touches to his son.
We stare up and I ask myself, Would I ever devote my life to anything?
No directions, ...... I always used to hear those words in my father's voice. Now I hear them in my own.
The next day we're at Yellowstone National Park, where we have a picnic.
"Did you ever travel with your dad? I ask.
"Only once," he says. " I never spoke much with my father. We loved each other---but never said it. Whatever he could give me, he gave.">
In Glacier National Park, my father says, "I've never seen water so blue." I have, in several places of the world, I can keep traveling, I realize--- and maybe a regular job won't be as dull as I feared.
Weeks after our trip, I call my father.
"The photos from the trip are wonderful," he says." We have got to take another trip like that sometime.
I tell him I've learn decided to settle down, and I'm wearing a watch. | high16349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He believed it could prevent him drinking."
},
"options": [
"He wanted him to cure his illness.",
"He was trying to keep him dying.",
"He thought the medicine could make him sick.",
"He believed it could prevent him dri... | That summer I drank every day, everywhere I went. I had a bottle in my drawer next to me and a bottle next to my bed. I never did another drug, but I drank so much that my family finally asked a priest for help. My father gave me a bottle of medicine for alcoholism that produces unpleasant symptoms when users drink alcohol. I drank while taking it, which made me very sick. And I still drank.
When the priest came, he said, "Jimmy, doctors said that with your diseases and the amount of drinking you're doing, _ . So your choice is either to stop drinking and live or to continue drinking and die within six months."
I said, "I know I can't stop, so guess I'll have to die." The priest told my family what I said. My little brother-who is like my soul mate, looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "But we don't want you to die." All I could think of was how desperately I had to get out of that room at that moment and have a drink.
But I finally stopped drinking. I was on the care team of my dentist Russell. A lot of people in New York knew him. At the time he was the most famous dentist in the city. He drank heavily and was also with AIDS, so I was selected to be on his care team. Everybody on the team was sober but me. He went through dementia and died so quickly before my eyes. I stopped drinking and I've been with the disease for 35 years now. | high3161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "body language"
},
"options": [
"interesting words",
"attractive look",
"polite attitude",
"body language"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the first impression you usually give others is created by your... | We start forming impressions of people we meet from the moment we set eyes on them. A large part of the first impression that you create comes from your body language. Your body language speaks louder than the words you say.
Face
The face is the most expressive part of the body. If you are feeling anxious then your facial expression may lead you to appear cold, or unhappy. You can break this _ by trying to smile. Your smile is one of the strongest tools you have in meeting new people. It will help you appear warm, friendly and confident.
Eyes
Our eyes give clues to our emotions. Making very little eye contact can either show shyness or fear. Looking at others says that you are interested, friendly, and at ease.
Hands
Your hands are also very expressive. Open gestures tend to make you appear open and honest. By pointing your finger, or moving your hands closer together, you can draw attention to what you are saying. Used properly, hand gestures can make you seem friendly. Making too many gestures can make you appear uncontrolled. Touching your sleeves, face, etc. can make you appear tense, nervous, and sometimes dishonest.
Posture
Your posture makes a big contribution to your body language and shows your level of self-confidence. By falling away from them or leaning back, you show a lack of interest. When we are feeling low in confidence and want to hide away, keep our heads down. Your posture gives not only signals about your interest in something but also clues showing your status within a group.
In summary, our face, eyes, hands and posture express what is going on inside of us. Using good body language can bring up our level of self-confidence. | high20823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "parents are rewarding their kids improperly"
},
"options": [
"today's children are fed up with material things",
"parents are rewarding their kids improperly",
"today's children are more and more demanding",
"there is l... | CHICAGO ---Call it a reward, or just "bribery ".
Whichever it is, many parents today readily admit to buying off their children, who getgoodies for anything from behaving in a restaurant to sleeping all night in their own beds.
That's what worries parenting experts.
"I think that reward systems have a time and a place and work really well in certain situations," says Marcy Safyer, director of the Adelphi University Institute for Parenting.
"But what often gets lost for people is being able to figure out how to communicate to their kids that doing the thing is rewarding enough," Safyer says.
Parents and experts alike agree that thedynamic is partly a reflection of the world we live in. It's unrealistic to think a parent wouldn't reward their children with material things sometimes, says Robin Lanzi, a clinical psychologist and mother of four who's the research director at the Center on Health and Education at Georgetown University.
"But you want to make sure that they match the behavior, so it's not something huge for something small," Lanzi says.
She recalls hearing about a father who offered his child a Nintendo Wii game system for scoring a couple goals in a soccer game.
Elizabeth Powell, a mother of two young daughters in Austin, Texas, knows what she means.
"You want to raise them in a way that they're respectful and appreciate things," Powell says of her children. "But sometimes, you wonder now if kids appreciate even a new pair of shoes. " | high10738.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby."
},
"options": [
"Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby.",
"Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billi... | A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished .
Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, "I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services--to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling." | high5510.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "ask for help"
},
"options": [
"have a chat with him",
"make an appointment for dinner",
"ask for help",
"tell him their story"
],
"question": "The old couple went into a lawyer's office to_.",
"question_type... | One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walked into a lawyer's office. Obviously, they were there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after having a chat with them, he got their story.
This couple had been quarreling all their 40 over years of marriage nothing ever seemed to go right. They hang on because of their children, afraid that it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they want is to lead their own life free from all these years of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce.
While they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband. " really love you, but I really can't carry on anymore, I'm sorry."
"It's OK, I understand." said the husband. Looking at this, the lawyer suggested a dinner together, just three of them, wife thought, why not, since they are still going to be friends.
At the dining table, there was a silence of awkwardness .
The first dish was roasted chicken, immediately, the old man took the drumstick for the old lady. "Take this, it's your favorite."
Looking at this, the lawyer thought maybe there's still a chance, but the wife was frowning when she answered. "This is always the problem, you always think so highly of yourself, never thought about how I feel, don't you know that I hate drumsticks?"
Little did she know that, over the years, the husband had been trying all ways to please her, little did she know that drumsticks were the husband's favorite.
Little did he know that she never thought he understood her at all, little did he know that she hated drumsticks even though all he wanted was the best for her.
That night, both of them couldn't sleep, toss and turn , toss and turn. After hours, the old man couldn't take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he can't carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wants to tell her, "I love you."
He picks up the phone, started dialing her number. Ringing never stops. He never stop dialing.
Little did she remember, he had heart problems.
The next day, she received news that he had passed away. She rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holding on to the phone. He had a heart attack when he was still trying to get through her phone line.
As sad as she could be, She would have to clear his belongings and she saw this insurance policy, dated from the day they got married, beneficiary is her. Together in that file there's this note:
"To my dearest wife, by the time you are reading this, I'm sure I'm no longer around, I bought this policy for you, though the amount is only $1,000,000 I hope it will be able to help me continue my promise that I have made when we got married, I might not be around anymore, I want this amount of money to continue taking care of you, just like the way I will if I could have lived longer. I want you to know I will always be around, by your side. I love you." | high17057.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they had to put their plan into practice"
},
"options": [
"they had to put their plan into practice",
"health was more important than wealth",
"heart trouble was a serious illness",
"they both needed to stop working"
... | Like many lovers of books, Mary and her husband, Richard Goldman, seldom walked past a bookstore without stopping to look inside. They often talked of opening their own store one day.
When Mary was hospitalized with heart trouble in 1989, they decided it was time to get serious. Richard, who worked for a business company, was eager to work for himself, and Mary needed to slow down from her demanding job.
They started by talking to bookstore owners and researching the industry. "We knew it had to be a specialty store because we couldn't match the big chains dollar for dollar," says Mary. One figure caught her attention: She'd read somewhere that roughly 20 percent of books sold were mysteries , and many buyers spent more $300 a year on books. She and Richard were themselves mystery readers.
On Halloween 1992, they opened the Mystery Lovers Bookshop and Cafe near their home. With three children in college, the couple could not spend all the family's money to start a shop. To cover the $100,000 cost, they drew some of their savings, borrowed from relatives and from an bank.
The store merely broke even in its first year, with only $120,000 in sales. But Mary was always coming up with new ways to attract customers. The shop had a coffee bar and it offered gifts to mystery lovers and served dinners for book clubs that met in the store. She also invited dozens of writers to discuss their stories.
Today Mystery Lovers makes sales of about $420,000 a year. After paying taxes, business costs and the six part-time sales clerks, Richard and Mary together earn about $34,000.
"The job you love may not go hand in hand with a million-dollar income," says Richard. "This has always been about an enjoyable life for ourselves, not about making a lot of money." | high6019.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People with formal schooling plus work experience."
},
"options": [
"Students with a bachelor's degree in humanities.",
"People with an MBA degree from top universities.",
"People with formal schooling plus work experience.",... | If you know exactly what you want, the best way to get a job is to get specialized training. A recent survey shows that companies like graduates in such fields as business and health care who can go to work immediately with very little on-the-job training.
That's especially true of booming fields that are challenging for workers. At Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, for example, bachelor's degree graduates get an average of four or five job offers with salaries ranging from the high teens to the low 20s and plenty of chances for rapid advancement. Large companies, especially, like a background of formal education coupled with work experience. But in the long run, too much specialization doesn't pay off. Business, which has been flooded with MBAs, no longer considers the degree an automatic stamp of approval. The MBA may open doors and command a higher salary initially, but
.
As further evidence of companies gradually losing faith in specialized degrees, Michigan State's Scheetz mentions a pattern in hiring practices. Although companies tend to take on specialists as new hires, they often seek out generalists for middle and upper-level management. "They want someone who isn't constrained by details to look at the big picture," says Scheetz. This sounds like a formal statement that you approve of the liberal-arts graduates. Time and again labor-market analysts mention a need for talents that liberal-arts majors are assumed to have: writing and communication skills, organizational skills, open-mindedness and adaptability, and the ability to analyze and solve problems. David Birch, manager of the Boston Red Sox, claims he does not hire anybody with an MBA or an engineering degree, "I hire only liberal-arts people because they have a less-than-canned way of doing things," says Birch.
For a liberal-arts degree, students focus on some basic courses that include literature, history, mathematics, economics, science, human behavior--plus a computer course or two. With these useful and important courses, you can feel free to specialize, "A liberal-arts degree coupled with an MBA or some other technical training is a very good combination in the marketplace," says Scheetz. | high15898.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Confusing"
},
"options": [
"Expected",
"Unbelievable",
"Alarming",
"Confusing"
],
"question": "What does the author think of Thompson's disappearance? _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}
] | China produces 58,000 tons of silk each year.Yet one of the most popular silk companies in the world is Jim Thompson, a brand based in Thailand.Thompson, a Delaware native, was trained to be an architect in the mid-1920s, but then joined the United States army during the World War II.He was soon appointed to the CIA and traveled around the world, including Thailand, where he fell in love with the people and their country.
Being aware of the potential in silk trade, Thompson returned to Thailand to start his own silk business upon his retirement in 1946. At that time, silk production was becoming weaker due to the slow collection process. To revive the business, in 1947, he took a variety of silk clothes back to New York City to see if the product would be marketable to foreign consumers. He received a positive response, so the Jim Thompson Silk Company was founded in 1948.
After the establishment of his company, silk costumes soon appeared in Broadway plays and popular films such as Ben Hur, and Thai royalty, such as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, began wearing silk often.Many also think his work contributed greatly to the Thai economy, since the silk industry continues to employ thousands of Thai citizens even today.
Jim Thompson's success is no mystery.However, his disappearance on March 26, 1967 certainly is one.Thompson made a trip to Malaysia to visit friends and one day , ventured into the jungle on an afternoon walk.He was never seen again despite search parties sent out by the Royal Army Air Corps and British troops.Many have their own theories on his disappearance, but none have been completely confirmed. | high13231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a single adult had better visit the Magic Kingdom on a school day"
},
"options": [
"children are not allowed to visit Disney World on New Year's Day",
"Disney World theme parks have the same opening and closing times",
"a sin... | Opened in 1971, the Magic Kingdom was the first theme park at Walt Disney World. All Disney World theme parks are open 365 days a year, although opening and closing times for each park are different from day to day. If you are traveling without kids, try to visit it on a school day to avoid the largest crowds. If you need to visit it during a school vacation, try at least to avoid the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and the Fourth of July.
If you are not staying at a Disney World hotel, avoid visiting the Magic Kingdom on its Extra Magic Hours days. The hotel guests get into the park early on those days, increasing the waiting time for visitors who arrive at the normal opening time.
Buy your Walt Disney World tickets online at Disney World's website. There will be some advice on picking the right ticket. See the guide to Disney World tickets. You will also need to call in advance to make lunch or dinner reservations . Disney accepts reservations, through 1-407-WDW-DINE, up to 180 days in advance. Time does pass quickly, so you should call six months before your trip to get a lunch reservation in the castle. We suggest you should have your lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table for your tour. If you can't get the reservation, ask for the Liberty Tree Tavern instead.
Keep in mind that to reach the Magic Kingdom, you must park at Disney World's Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) parking lot, take a tram , and then take a boat across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom. | high15640.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To give advice to high school students."
},
"options": [
"To recall the experiences in high school.",
"To warn high school students about love in high school.",
"To give advice to high school students.",
"To encourage h... | If I had known the following things when I was in high school, my life would have been 100% easier back then and probably would have helped me greatly. I realized some of these things I was told but being young and ignorant I refused to listen.
1.Your high school sweetheart will probably not be your spouse.
When I was in school, I thought my boyfriend and I were the "one and only true love". Honestly as most young people do, statistically only like 2% of people end up marrying their high school sweethearts and even if they do they probably won't be as happy as they were in high school. Being an adult is very stressful and your relationships become different.
2. _
How many kids play sports per year? How many kids are good enough to get a scholarship by playing sports? How many of them even make it to the Olympics after college or university? The kids who actually stay at home and focus on getting good at computers or math are the ones who make the most in the adult world financially.
3. It doesn't matter what university you go to.
I was convinced I was going to go to a great art school when I graduated and I was so stressed out about it that I ended up dropping out of school. In reality my life wasn't over; I only got my GED a year ago but I am in a decent school now. In the real world when you go to apply somewhere all they care about is "do you have a degree or a certification"?
4. Your friends probably won't be your friends after you graduate.
I really thought I was going to get an apartment with my friends and our kids were going to grow up together. The truth is, when people grow up they move, have kids, get married, and therefore change. You will change; you will not be the same person you were. High school is just a transitional period of your life. So don't worry about who is saying what about you or who is making fun of whom. | high8034.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Education Report"
},
"options": [
"Education Report",
"In the News",
"Development Report",
"Science Report"
],
"question": "This passage may be adapted from a column entitled _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Cyber Cafe computer centers are found in many cities around the world. Now, a few American high schools are opening these centers. For example, high school in the state of Maryland began operating a Cyber Cafe last March. All students at Bethesde-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda can use the Cyber Cafe. But school officials say I especially helps students who have no computer or cannot use the Internet at home.
The officials say thirteen percent of the students at the school are from poor families. Many student have arrived in the United States from poor families. Many students have arrived in the United States from other countries only recently. Students in the school's program for learning English speak twenty-three other languages.
The idea for a Cyber Cafe at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School began three years ago. A that time, officials were planning o restore the school building. Parents interested in technology proposed a Cyber Cafe.
They wanted this center even though schools in the area had suffered budget cuts. The community wanted to help. It wanted all students to have the best chances to learn.
Officials in the area supported the idea. So did an organization called the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School Educational Foundation. The foundation includes parents, teachers, former students, and business, community and other leaders.
Over two years, the foundation collected money for a Cyber Cafe and other new computers. It received more than one hundred seventy thousand dollars. The Cafe now has sixteen computer, a printer and a device called a scanner . School official Ann Hengerer (HEN-grr-er) says students use the Internet to complete research. They also write homework and required papers on the computers. In addition, they can send and receive electronic mails. That is especially helpful for the many students who have family members in other nations.
The Cyber Cafe also serves a social purpose. Visitors can stop by for a drink of coffee, tee or hot chocolate. On Long Island, in School has six computers in is Cyber Cafe. One student at the school says students can start their homework even before they leave school. | high7307.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A break in the food chain."
},
"options": [
"A shortage of clean water.",
"A break in the food chain.",
"A small variety of animals.",
"The constant warming climate."
],
"question": "According to what Richard Bu... | Planet Earth would be a scary place for humans if dinosaurs still ruled the world.
Though there are still some traces of life from the Jurassic Period, the Age of Dinosaurs more than 65 million years ago.
This mass extinction is believed to be the result of an asteriod hitting Earth. A new report by the journal Biological Reviews called " The Extinction of Dinosaurs" concludes that this impact was, indeed, the cause of the dinosaurs' _ . But the space blast wasn't the only reason these creatures aren't still around today.
Dinosaurs need food to survive. Meat-eating monsters like the Tyrannosaurus Rex were at the top of the food chain, and fed off plant eaters like the horned Triceratops . These herbivores were decreasing in population after the asteroid hit Earth, which left the meat-eating species less food to survive on. "In any ecosystem where you remove links to key species, that community has problems," Richard Butler, one of the review's authors, told National Ceographic.
While the herbivore population was going down, Earth's temperatures were rising when volcanoes erupted. Hot vapors and gases began wiping out some of the dinosaur population and weakening the survivors.
These changes made the asteroid's impact especially powerful. It caused more volcanoes to erupt, heated up Earth's atmosphere, and led to a sharp drop in the level of oxygen in the oceans.
With the dinosaurs gone, mammals began to evolve into bigger and more diverse species. Many animals we see today, like birds, sharks, and even some cats and dogs, appeared after the asteroid hit Earth. But none rule Earth quite like the dinosaurs did.. | high8752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "deal wisely with employees' emotions"
},
"options": [
"provide a variety of project for employees",
"help raise employee's living standards",
"give employees specific instructions",
"deal wisely with employees' emotions... | When we think of leadership ,we often think of strength and power .But what are these really ,and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things .If this is even possible .it is short-term ,and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must , but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term ,They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down , making the person unable to function at his or her best .If they associate you with this emotion of fear. They will become less functional around you ,and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot .but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively .Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion .We can order someone to do something ,which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level ,so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation . Today's work place is all about relationships as a human being as well as a worker .Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like .Leaders understand the way things work .They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others . Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you , which is the key to the leadership skills . | high7461.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They can monitor the movement of feet."
},
"options": [
"They can monitor the movement of feet.",
"They feel much softer than normal clothes.",
"They are expensive to produce.",
"They act as a smart phone for users."
... | This could be the perfect gift for the partner, who embarrasses you on the dance floor. Smart socks, which can teach to dance, may be the answer for _
The socks have been developed as a running tool to help runners improve their skills. Thanks to the socks, users can accurately record not only know far and fast they run but also how well. It means the user maximizes theirperformance, and reduces damage to body and prevents hurt. The hi-tech socks are made of special fibers that watch the movements of your feet. They look, feel and can be washed like normal clothes.
Sensorsrecordeach movement and send it by an ankle transmitter to a smart phone. Then a "virtual coach" application shows the information and can tell the user what they are doing wrong, and help to improve skill in any task with feet.
The socks should be useful to athletes and weekend joggers. "People think running is so easy and of course everybody can do it but not necessarily safely and well," Dr Davide Vigano said. A recent study showed that between 60 and 80percent of runners got hurt per year. This is pretty much more than any other human activity. Researchers say the technology can also be developed to teach people how to dance, play sports such golf, or even to help to teach women to walk better in high heels.
Mr. Vigano said, "People could all benefit from the idea. We have had interest from all sorts of sports, like skiing, football, cycling and golf. Anything where you have to use your feet can use it. It could even be put in high heels to help women walk in them safely."
Socks are just the start, and the technology could be used in gloves, hats and boots. The socks, anklet and software package, are expected to be sold for around PS120, which will go onsalein March. | high12649.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "shoppers can buy many items at low prices on that day"
},
"options": [
"shoppers have longed for this day for a long time",
"the shops will be very crowded on that day",
"the shops will keep open until the daybreak of next da... | The Friday after the American holiday of Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. It's said that it's the day that store ledgers move into the black and companies become profitable. On that day, retailers slash prices to get consumers to buy. It is also a time when many Americans start their Christmas shopping. VOA's Elizabeth Lee tells us how the economy may affect consumers on that bargain day.
This day should be a shopper's dream. "It's just the deals, the sales and everything you can get for a lesser price," said Sandy Thomas, a shopper. But it's a nightmare for others. "I think it's crazy. I've done all of my shopping throughout the week so I don't have to go out on Friday," she said. It's called Black Friday, the start of the traditional Christmas shopping season in the United States. Every year it's the day after the Thanksgiving holiday. Stores open before sunrise and there are deep discounts everywhere you look.
Last year a crowd of bargain-hunters killed a Wal-mart worker in a New York suburb. This year, many stores are increasing security while they slash prices. "This is a huge time for the retail stores," said Fred Joutz from George Washington University. "This is when they begin making their profits for the year."
Economics professor Fred Joutz says how Americans spend the weekend after Thanksgiving is a good indication of how consumers feel about the future.
With the unemployment rate above 10 percent, Joutz says Americans are saving more and spending less. Some retailers are attracting consumers by opening on Thanksgiving Day, when shops are traditionally closed. Other stores open their doors anywhere from midnight to four in the morning.
And shoppers will be lining up in front of the doors in order to be one of the first ones to walk through and get a big discount. Electronics like flat screen TVs are usually the first items to go. Sandy Thomas says it's an annual family tradition and well worth it. "I just save maybe half of what I would have spent on a regular, you know, shopping trip," she said.
Economists say U.S. consumers will spend money this Black Friday, but they will spend it more carefully. | high584.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "you book a table beforehand and check to be properly dressed"
},
"options": [
"you book a table beforehand",
"you book a table beforehand and check to be properly dressed",
"you go with a friend",
"you just show up any ... | Be sure to book a table if the restaurant you choose is an expensive or a popular one. You will feel embarrassed to show up without booking and having to wait for a table, leaving very bad impression on your friend, especially your girl friend. Also, be sure to check to see if you need to be properly dressed and tell your friend ahead of time what to wear.
When your food arrives, proper dining manners make you eat at a right pace so that you have time to talk. A good measure of how fast you should eat is to count 10 seconds between each mouthful and it's bad manners if you eat too fast and then spend the rest of the time watching your friend eat.
Don't make noise when having soup and chewing, or chew with your mouth open.
Your napkin should be placed on your lap at all times. Don't put it in any other place. If you have to get up, place it neatly on your seat.
When eating, put your fork straight in your mouth. Don't place your fork in the side of your mouth as it increases the chances of dropping your food, which could be very embarrassing. If you get food stuck in your mouth, don't pick it out with your fingers or fork at the table. Excuse yourself and go to the restroom and get it out with a toothpick.
When dining, keep your eyes on your friend at all times and try to smile between mouthfuls. Sometimes, you should make an effort to show some interest and ask questions like, "How do you like the beef?" If she needs, you are the one who is supposed to flag down the waiter by a gentle wave of the hand until someone notices you. | high22952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Asia"
},
"options": [
"Asia",
"Africa",
"Europe",
"South America"
],
"question": "According to recent studies, all modern dogs came from female wolves in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Americans love dogs, all types of dogs: small dogs, big dogs, lapdogs . Each year, people spend billions of dollars on their four-legged pals, making sure the lovable dogs have enough food to eat and lots of toys to play with.
Dogs love people, too. They lick their faces, protect their homes. Where did these four-legged companions come from? Some scientists believe that they have found the answer.
Scientists have long known that dogs evolved from wolves. Exactly when the transformation from wolf to dog actually took place, however, remains a mystery.
Some said dogs evolved as a separate species 135,000 years ago in two parts of the world. One group of dogs developed in Europe and Asia from Asian wolves. The other group evolved in North, Central, and South America from American wolves.
Now researchers say those theories are wrong. New studies suggest that _ dogs first appeared 15,000 years ago in eastern Asia. Scientists also say that every modern dog descended from approximately five female Asian wolves, the mother of all modern dogs.
Scientists suspect dogs first set paws in North America by following settlers across a land bridge that once linked northern Asia and North America. | high1010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because there were new findings."
},
"options": [
"Because Funk was totally wrong.",
"Because few vitamins were amines.",
"Because there were new findings.",
"Because the latter was easy to remember."
],
"questi... | Many jobs must be done with two people. One person takes the lead. The other helps. So it is with the human body. Much of our body depends on the cooperation between substances. When they work together, chemical reactions take place smoothly. Body systems are kept in balance.
Some of the most important helpers in the job of good health are the substances we call vitamins. The word "vitamin" dates back to Polish scientist Casimir Funk in 1912. He was studying a substance in rice. Funk believed the substance belonged to a group of chemicals known as amines . He added the Latin word "vita", meaning life. So he called the substance a "vitamine"--an amine necessary for life.
Other studies found that not all vitamins were amines. So the name was shortened to vitamin. But Funk was correct in recognizing their importance.
Scientists have discovered 14 kinds of vitamins. They say vitamins help to carry out chemicals changes within cells. If we do not get enough of the vitamins, we are at risk of developing a number of diseases. _ brings us back to James Lind of Scotland. In the 1740s, Lind was a doctor for the British Navy. He was investigating a problem that had existed in the Navy for many years.
The problem was the disease scurvy . The sailors were weak from bleeding inside their bodies. Even the smallest wound would not heal. Doctor Lind thought the sailors were getting sick because they failed to eat some kinds of foods when they were at sea for many months.
Doctor Lind separated twelve sailors who had scurvy into two groups. He gave each group different foods to eat. One group got oranges and lemons. The other did not. The men who ate the fruit began to improve within seven days. The other men got weaker.
However, which foods should be eaten to keep us healthy? Let us look at some important vitamins for these answers. | high13557.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "What causes the differences between early risers and night owls."
},
"options": [
"How to turn early risers into night owls.",
"How our habits influence our sleep patterns.",
"What causes the differences between early risers ... | Are you an early riser or a night owl? Researchers from Aachen University in Germany believe that about 10 percent of people can be classified as "morning people", who feel more active and function best in the morning.Around 20 percent are night owls--people who naturally tend to stay up late and are more tired during the day.And the rest of us fall somewhere in between, according to New Scientist.
Previous studies have suggested that early risers are more likely to be happy and healthy while night owls experience worse sleep as well as more depression and anxiety during the day.
For a long time, scientists have been trying to find out what causes the differences between the two.A new study suggests that it isn't just people's habits--early risers and night owls actually have different brain structures.
Led by Jessica Rosenberg at Aachen University, researchers scanned the brains of 16 early risers, 23 night owls and 20 people with intermediate sleeping hours.They found that the brains of night owls had less "white matter"--which speeds up the transmission of nerve signals -- in brain areas associated with depression.
As you know, after people fly in an airplane from one time zone to another, they often suffer from a confused and tired feeling called "jet lag" because their body clocks are out of sync with the new time zone.It usually takes about a week for their bodies to adjust to the new time.But night owls always have difficulty syncing their bodies to the right time due to their brain structure."It's like they suffer from permanent jet lag," said Rosenberg.
The good news is that it is possible for night owls to turn themselves into morning people.According to the researchers, night owls should try to spend as much time in the sunlight as possible and reduce their exposure to artificial light at night to force their body clocks to shift to a more normal rhythm. | high14238.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "They don't think that they will be caught."
},
"options": [
"They don't think that they will be caught.",
"They want their friends to know that they are smart.",
"They think it is a good way to make some extra money.",
... | Downloading music over the Internet is pretty common among high school and college students. However, when students download and share copyrighted music without permission, they are against the law.
A survey of young people's music ownership has found that teenagers and college students have an average of more than 800 illegally copied songs each on their digital music players.Half of those surveyed share all the music on their hard drive , enabling others to copy hundreds of songs at any one time. Some students were found to have randomly linked their personal blogs to music sites, so as to allow free trial listening of copyrighted songs for blog visitors, or adopted some of the songs as the background music for their blogs. Such practices may be easy and free, but there are consequences.
Sandra Dowd, a student of Central Michigan University, was fined US$7,500 for downloading 501 files from LimeWire, a peer-to-peer file sharing program. Sandra claimed that she was unaware that her downloads were illegal until she was contacted by authorities. Similarly, Mike Lewinski paid US$4,000 to settle a lawsuit against him for copyright violation . Mike expressed shock and couldn't believe that this was happening to him. "I just wanted to save some money and I always thought the threat was just a scare tactic ." "You know, everyone does it," added Mike.
The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), the organization that files lawsuits against illegal downloaders, states that suing students was by no means their first choice. Unfortunately, without the threat of consequences, students are just not changing their behavior. Education alone is not enough to stop the extraordinary growth of the illegal downloading practice. | high23494.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Check the time during the exam at a certain time."
},
"options": [
"Check the time during the exam at a certain time.",
"Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.",
"You should study in a dif... | Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack of concentration is their biggest problem. It seriously affects their ability to study, so do their test results. If so, use these tips to help you.
_
You should always study in the same place. You shouldn't sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don't watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside _
Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.
Be realistic and don't try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing beforebeginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
_
All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means: do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts for a few months.
Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food, too.
When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention. | high12891.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By e-mail."
},
"options": [
"By phone.",
"Via a matchmaker.",
"By e-mail.",
"Via a face-to-face meeting."
],
"question": "How do home exchangers normally begin their communication?",
"question_type": "factio... | No budget for your vacation? Try home exchanges ---- swapping houses with strangers. Agree to use each other's cars, and you can save dollars on car rentals , too.
Home exchanges are not new. At least one group, Intervac, has been facilitating such an arrangement since 1953. But trading online is gaining popularity these days, with several sites in operation, including Home Exchanges. Founded in 1992, with some 28,000 listings, this company bills itself as the world's largest home exchange club, reporting that membership has increased 30% this year.
The annual fee is usually less than US$100. Members can access thousands of listings for apartments, villas, suburban homes and farms around the world. Initial contact is made via e-mail, with subsequent communication usually by phone. Before a match is made, potential swappers tend to discuss a lot.
However, the concept may sound risky to some people. What about theft? Damage? These are reasonable causes for concern, but equally unlikely. As one swapper puts it, "Nobody is going to fly across the ocean or drive 600 miles to come steal your TV. Besides, at the same time they're staying in your home, you are staying in their home."
Exchange sites recommend that swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement spelling out who shoulders which responsibilities if a problem arises. It does not matter if the agreement would hold up in court, but it does give the exchangers a little satisfaction.
Generally, the biggest complaint among home exchangers has to do with different standards of cleanliness. Swappers are supposed to make sure their home is in order before they depart, but one person's idea of "clean" may be more forgiving than another's. Some owners say if they come back to a less-than-sparkling kitchen, it may be inconvenient but would not sour them on future exchanges. | high5276.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It benefits ability of socialization and creativity"
},
"options": [
"It's a game about losing and winning",
"It creates everything of life",
"It benefits ability of socialization and creativity",
"It is simply a popula... | Second Life is a three-dimensional , online world in which computer users can crate a new self and live a different life . Second Life is one of the most popular new online games called " massively multiplayer online role playing games ." These games are also called MMOs , for short .
But unlike the other MMOs, Second Life is not about winning or losing . Second Life technically a computer game . But people involved in it do not consider it a game because the players create everything . Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities .
Users of Second Life are called residents . To take part , they must create an _ or an electronic image of themselves . Second Life world , residents live different versions of themselves . They build homes , run businesses , buy and sell things , work , play , and attend school . They even have relationships and get married .
Second Life was created in two thousand three by Linden Lab in San inprefix = st1 /San Francisco,California. Linden Lab controls the Web site where the ever0vhanging world is being created . There are now about one million people around the world who are active in Second Life . The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users .
The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty . However ,. Linden Lab recently created Teen Second Life for younger users . Second Life has its own economy and its own money , calledLindendollars .
Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life Users can enter Second Life free . But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services .
Recently , several major companies have become involved with Second Life . They wanted to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made-up reality . The car makerToyota, music producer Sony BNG , and even Reuters news agency are among businesses now existing within Second Life . | high17731.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "see how honest people are in different situations"
},
"options": [
"give a harmonious atmosphere",
"remind people the drinks were not free",
"prove the actual effect of different pictures",
"see how honest people are in... | Honesty is the best policy, as the English saying goes. Unfortunately, honesty often leaves us when no one is watching, British psychologists reported last week.
Researchers at UK's Newcastle University set up an experiment in their psychology department's coffee room.
They set a kettle, with tea, coffee and milk on the counter and hung up a sign listing the price for drinks. People helping themselves to a cup of tea were supposed to put a few cents in the box nearby.
The scientists hung a poster above the money box, and changed each week between pictures of gazing eyes and pictures of flowers. The researchers found that staff paid 2.76 times more for their drinks when the image of the eyes was hung.
"We were shocked by the size of the effect," said Gilbert Roberts, one of the researchers.
Eyes are known to be a powerful perceptual signal for humans, scientists say.
"Even though the eyes were not real, they still seemed to make people behave more honestly," said Melissa Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study.
Researchers believe the effect throws light on our evolutionary past. It may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed when early humans formed social groups to strengthen their chances of survival. For social groups to work, individuals had to co-operate, rather than act selfishly. "There's an argument that if nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we're being watched we should behave better. So people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us," Bateson said.
The new finding indicates that people have a striking response to eyes. That might be because eyes and faces send a strong biological signal we have evolved to respond to, Bateson said.
The finding could be put to practical use. For example, images of eyes could ensure ticket sales on public transport and improve surveillance systems to deter anti-social behavior. | high11340.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the man found it no use crying over the spilt milk"
},
"options": [
"the man returned from a long journey and regretted what he had done",
"the man didn't enter the deep, dark cave when he was young",
"the man was deserted by... | It was New Year's Night. An aged man was standing at a window. He raised his mournful eyes towards the deep blue sky, where the stars were floating like white lilies on the surface of a clear calm lake. Then he cast them on the earth, where few more hopeless people than himself now moved towards their certain goal --- the tomb. He had already passed sixty of the stages leading to it, and he had brought from his journey nothing but errors and remorse. Now his health was poor, his mind vacant, his heart sorrowful, and his old age short of comforts.
The days of his youth appeared like dreams before him, and he recalled the serious moment when his father placed him at the entrance of the two roads --- one leading to a peaceful, sunny place, covered with flowers, fruits and filled with soft, sweet songs; the other leading to a deep, dark cave, which was endless, where poison flowed instead of water and where devils and poisonous snakes hissed and crawled.
He looked towards the sky and cried painfully, "O youth, return! O my father, place me once more at the entrance to life, and I'll choose the better way!" But both his father and the days of his youth had passed away.
He saw the lights flowing away in the darkness. These were the days of his wasted life; he saw a star fall down from the sky and disappeared, and this was the symbol of himself. His regret, which was like a sharp arrow, struck deeply into his heart. Then he remembered his friends in his childhood, who entered on life together with him. But they had made their way to success and were now honored and happy on this New Year's Night.
The clock in the high church tower struck and the sound made him remember his parents' early love for him. They had taught him and prayed to God for his good. But he chose the wrong way. With shame and grief he dared no longer look towards that heaven where his father lived. His darkened eyes were full of tears, and with a despairing effort, he burst out a cry: "Come back, my early days! Come back!"
And his youth did return, for all this was only a dream which he had on New Year's Night. He was still young though his faults were real; he had not yet entered the deep, dark cave, and he was still free to walk on the road which leads to the peaceful and sunny land.
Those who still wander on the entrance of life, hesitating to choose the bright road, remember that when years are passed and your feet stumble on the dark mountains, you will cry bitterly, but in vain: "O youth, return! Oh give me back my early days!" | high3607.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hesitated at whether she should eat raw foods"
},
"options": [
"hesitated at whether she should eat raw foods",
"never eaten raw foods",
"made up her mind to eat raw foods instead of cooked ones",
"been discouraged by h... | I'm glad to find this comment which has some sort of support in this quest I have to eat raw foods. I'm an unhealthy 49 years old and have come to the conclusion that it's now or never, so I am taking a dive into the raw eating lifestyle.
I have to cook for my family and prepare what they want to eat. I'm trying to plan out this better so I have some of these unusual foods ready for myself.
I've read several books written by Ann Wigmore and like her approach to the living foods.
Last week I attempted fasting and failed. I lasted five days by having carrots, spinach, apples and other vegetarian diets I could get my hands on. I was doing fine until I drank some coffee. I kind of proved it in my mind to have the coffee but it only made me excited and then I couldn't sleep well and felt hungry and weak. So I stopped and went back to the old way of eating with the family.
This week I started to make a drink called rejuvelac made of sprouted wheat . This is fairly new to do for me and the drink smelled sort of musty and tasted kind of like a musty lemon. The kids tasted it and almost threw up but surprisingly it tasted good to me. It is supposed to help in digestion .
I've made some attempts to grow wheat grass. I think I have figured that out as long as I keep it away from birds and our horses. I have two habits to get rid of, drinking coffee and smoking. I quit smoking last month but something happened, so I started up again. I'm very frustrated with the smoking and really have a desire to quit for good. Anyhow I will keep this updated on my progress. | high4168.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was a babysitter."
},
"options": [
"She was a ticket seller.",
"She was a school teacher.",
"She was a babysitter.",
"She was a social worker."
],
"question": "What did the author once do according to the pa... | My daughter Alisa was born blind in her right eye and was bullied pretty severely in school. So I quitted my job as a babysitter and then schooled my daughter heart and soul at home.
A year ago a boy of 14 befriended my daughter on Facebook after reading something Alisa wrote about bullying. Today he messaged her and asked if she would like six tickets to a Colorado Rockies baseball game. They have never met in person but she said, "Sure! That would be great."
Then I received a call from his mother explaining why her son had chosen my daughter. She said he thought my daughter deserved them because of all the good she does in the community. Her son, she explained, had experienced a similar situation and was also home schooled.
What she said is true. Now my daughter Alisa continues to teach groups of girls in trouble in our community how to look within themselves for the positive and how to be their own person.
Everything taken into consideration, we decided to meet the mother and the boy at a local bike shop. After meeting, the boy approached my car and my daughter gave him a hug and thanked him for his generosity. She told him that she had never been to a baseball game and that she was going to take her entire family, including myself, her dad, little sister, her cousin and an aunt who has brain cancer.
We all thanked one another, got in our car, and went our way. As we drove home my daughter opened the envelope. Inside it were the tickets and $100 each to buy hot dogs, pay for parking and not have any worries but a great time.
My daughter has always been the giver and now she and our family are the receivers and I can not tell you how incredibly honored we feel to be on the other end. What an incredible young man to have such a kind idea. | high5506.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Eppes turned the flashlight on"
},
"options": [
"Eppes turned the flashlight on",
"Eppes woke up in the morning",
"Danielle ran to the two boys",
"R.J. was ordered to jump by his father"
],
"question": "The ligh... | Thunder was coming when Reginald Eppes woke up at five in the morning. He checked the weather forecast. A violent storm was coming ,but it sounded like his small town wouldn't be hit too hard. But Eppes, a firefighter, had clearly known the power of these huge storms from experiences. "Do you know where the flashlights are?" he asked his wife. Danielle. Just then, thunder was all-around them. The moment he turned the flashlight on. The house lights went off. A second later, the kitchen windows were broken. Eppes and Danielle ran to their boys who were still sleeping in their bedroom.
"Get up, get up, R.J.! " Eppes shouted, waving his flashlight. The sleepy boy moved to the edge of the bed. Eppes held out his arms and ordered his son to jump. He was too late. The roof was torn down. R.J. was buried ,under the pieces.
"I've lost him," Eppes thought. Quickly, he hurried to Joel to shield him. Glass, wood, and plaster ( ) hit them. Then something huge, heavy-maybe the washing machine-knocked into him. He hurt his arms, but he still held the flashlight in one hand.
After a long period, the wind began to die down. Eppes found himself standing in the ruins of his home. Darkness lay all about him. Then he thought he saw a shape moving straight toward him. It was R.J., guided home by the light of his father's flashlight.
At the hospital later, R.J. described what had happened to him. "I rushed out when the wall started moving I was scared. My mom and dad were gone. Pieces of glass hit my back, and something hit my neck really hard. "
R.J. had been raised up into the air by the wind and dropped back to the ground. Amazingly, R.J. was not hurt badly. Of all his family, Eppes was hurt most seriously. | high18372.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely"
},
"options": [
"he ate a lot to make himself feel less lonely",
"he asked for a lot of food from his classmates",
"he brought his food to his classmates",
"he had a lot of... | Jess really felt very happy.When he arrived at his seat in the classroom that morning,he found an invitation on his desk.It was from several of his classmates asking him to join them on a camping trip.This was the first time he was asked to join in an out-of-school activity.Why were they asking him now? Nobody seemed to like him.In fact,he had been so lonely that he drowned his feeling with food.As a result,he had put on a lot of weight,and this gave the kids something more to make fun of him.
Cindy,who was standing near Jess when he read the invitation,went out quickly to tell the others that the trick had worked.Everyone was pleased that Jess thought that was true.But there was no camping trip.The whole thing was made up.
At first,Cindy thought it was fun.But later,when Jess told her that he was going to buy a sleeping bag with his savings ,Cindy had a second idea.She knew that Jess's family had little money,and she hated to see him spend his savings on something he would never use.Cindy also hated to tell Jess the truth.Her close friends would be angry with her.What could she do now? | high17041.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's an environmentally friendly gas."
},
"options": [
"It's mainly made from rotting plants.",
"It's an environmentally friendly gas.",
"Its production process is too long.",
"It's easily recognized by the customers."
... | A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking.
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn't notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage treatment works plant in Didcot.
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families.
The Didcot project cost PS2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020.
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families. | high11430.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To congratulate the writer on his success."
},
"options": [
"To inform the writer of something important.",
"To share his happiness with the writer.",
"To congratulate the writer on his success.",
"To give him some good... | Change Has Come to America
November, 04, 2008, Barack Obama
Hello, Chicago.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain. Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they've achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best -- the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. | high3177.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "one is born with his color1 preference"
},
"options": [
"one can choose his color1 preference",
"one is born with his color1 preference",
"one's color1 preference is changeable",
"one has to choose his favorite color1 a... | What is your favorite color1? Do you like yellow, orange or red? If you do, you must be an optimist, a leader, and an active person who enjoys life, people and excitement. Do you prefer gray and blue? Then you are probably quiet, shy and you would rather follow than lead. If you love green, you are strong-minded and determined. You wish to succeed and want other people to see you are successful. At least this is what a psychologist tells us, and we are also told that we don't choose our favorite color1 as we grow up. If you happen to love brown, you did so as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
A yellow room makes us feel more cheerful and more comfortable than a dark green one, and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. On the other hand, black is depressing . Light and bright color1s make people not only happier but also more active. It is a fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or dark gray.
Remember, then, that if you feel low, you can always brighten your day or your life with a new shirt or a few color1ful thing. Remember also that you will know your friends and your enemies better when you find out what color1s they like and dislike. And don't forget that anyone can guess a lot about your character when you choose handkerchiefs or a lampshade. | high20835.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's a new kind of food."
},
"options": [
"It's very popular in EU.",
"It's bad for people's health.",
"It's a new kind of food.",
"Its story has been published."
],
"question": "What do we know about the novel ... | Genetically modified ( ) foods have become a focus point of agriculture throughout the news today. This has an effect on many different aspects of the agriculture world. From the seed dealer, to the farmer that buys the seed, to the workers that the farmer sells to; all are affected by the new technologies that are involved in this part of production agriculture.
Genetically modified foods have come under heavy fire lately. There are some countries that are against buying these types of foods. They are being tested for safety by the best scientific experts in Europe, the US and the rest of the world. They are not for sale until they have gone through this complete safety process. Since they are a new product, and any slight problem with them could affect a whole country, these tests are very necessary.
These safety tests are carried out because of the new rules that were made with the Novel Foods Regulation. Begun in May of 1997, the Novel Foods Regulation set up an EU-wide pre-market system for all novel foods. A novel food is described as one that has not been eaten by EU consumers widely in the past. By setting up this program the EU hopes to keep its consumers safe from any possible side effects of any new food products.
There are a variety of ways in which genetic modification has helped food producers. They can improve the nutritional value or the storage conditions of the food. Today there are only two genetically modified foods that have been allowed for use, these are GM soybean and GM maize.
Despite any safety checks, many people are still cautious about eating genetically modified foods. By providing these people with the necessary information, we can allow them to make decisions about these foods. | high8022.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the Greek warriors fought against Troy for their queen stolen away"
},
"options": [
"they have different views and beliefs",
"Prince Paris from Troy wanted to control Greek",
"they were war-like countries",
"the Greek w... | There was a huge battle between the warriors of Greece and the people of Troy. Prince Paris from Troy had stolen away the Greek queen; Helen. The Greek warriors set sail for Troy to fight for their queen.
The battle outside Troy lasted for ten years. The men were fed up and wanted to return to their homes. Athene, goddess of war gave Ulysses the idea for a plan to end the war. They built a big wooden horse which they put in the middle of their encampment . Next they pretended to give up their camp. In reality many soldiers hid inside the wooden horse.
Once they thought the camp had been abandoned the Trojans went out to check. They needed to know if the war was really over. They walked through the abandoned encampment and eventually found the wooden horse. They could not decide what it was. Some wanted to take it into the city, others thought that it was a gift to Zeus and feared touching or moving it in case they upset Zeus.
Some Trojans decided to take it back into the city. They called a large group of troops, attached ropes and pulled it into the city.
A huge celebration started. The city was free from war for the first time in nine years. Everybody feasted, drank and danced until eventually the merriment was over and they all went to sleep.
This was the moment that the wooden horse opened a big flap hidden underneath. Out crept Ulysses and all of his men. They killed the sleeping troops, rescued Queen Helen, met up with the rest of their army and set sail for home.
The story of the return journey is told in The Odyssey, a collection of poems piecing together the bits of the story from the many different places where the story took place. | high7311.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "tolerating them isn't a virtuous act"
},
"options": [
"the writer are fed up with them",
"most people find them hard to tolerate",
"the writer isn't prejudiced against them",
"tolerating them isn't a virtuous act"
]... | The word tolerance is widely used in liberal democracies. It indicates a positive meaning. Politicians urge us to be tolerant towards minorities. Educators teach us to be tolerant towards the other. The press is full of references to the need to display tolerance when faced with individuals or groups espousing a different view or holding a different religious belief. A tolerant society is an objective sought after by anyone who believes in the values of democracy. A tolerant individual is attributed with virtuous qualities.
The question we must ask is whether we have been using the word tolerance fully aware of its meaning and whether we have applied it correctly to reflect what we really wish to convey?
The word tolerance means to bear, or to bear with. If I tolerate something or someone, I basically say that I am ready to bear it or him. I can tolerate a bad smell or a noisy neighbour. The act of toleration forces me to desist from conveying my objection to the existence of a phenomenon, which I find difficult to bear. A bad smell or a noisy neighbour is considered by me to be an objectionable phenomenon. By tolerating either of them, I am not transforming the bad smell or the noisy neighbour into positive phenomena. Let's be honest: I don't have a different taste when it comes to bad smells. I simply dislike it and wish that it disappears. I don't respect the noisy neighbour. I would rather have him stop at once the noise he is making so I can live in peace.
To try to remove the bad smell or take reasonable action in order for the noisy neighbour to stop bothering me would most probably not be considered an intolerant act by most people.
Now, let's try to apply the word tolerance in reference to a person who is law-abiding and holds a legally acceptable different view from my own. I may have a strong view, which is opposed to his. Quite frankly, I may decide to tolerate his view. By so doing, I would be attributing to it a negative characteristic. I would apply the same attitude to his view as to the bad smell or noisy neighbour. Thus, to try to take action in order to make his view disappear would be considered an intolerant act. To tolerate his view the way I would a bad smell or a noisy neighbour, could hardly be considered virtuous.
The subject tolerating is by nature not equal to the object being tolerated. If I tolerate you, I essentially say that I am above you and am prepared, although unwillingly, to bear with your presence or with your practices or opinions. That may be true in the case of an individual who is ready to tolerate the other. However, this attitude by such an individual, though empirically true, is hardly a virtue. Certainly, the fact that an individual, in reality, may merely tolerate the other or his opinion does not justify a government or any official authority promoting tolerance as a virtue. One cannot tolerate an equal being. True equality involves respect, not toleration. To respect the other as a distinctive person is hardly to tolerate him. This is the true meaning of equality: diversity existing in a mutually-respectful socio-legal setting.
The danger with tolerance is that it can lead to the acceptance of individuals or groups bent on destroying the foundations of democratic systems. We have seen such cases with regard to political parties or destructive religious groups that have been treated in a liberal manner under the guise of tolerance.
A tolerant attitude involves the grant of a favour, not a right. The question we should ask ourselves is whether we would ever wish a parliament to make laws according to us, as individuals and as part of a collective entity or a permission to pursue certain actions interpreted as a favour rather than a right? Indeed, would we ever wish anyone to listen to our views and accept us the way we are simply because he is kind enough to tolerate us? | high12139.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A Clever Assistant"
},
"options": [
"A Clever Assistant",
"Buying a Birthday Present",
"How to Choose a Necklace",
"A Brave Young Man"
],
"question": "A good title for this passage is _ .",
"question_type... | The nervous-looking young man had waited for a few moments outside the jeweler's shop before he got enough courage to enter.He was warmly greeted by a young assistant. James felt a rush blood to his face as he explained he would bring in his future wife to choose a birthday present.The assistant listened carefully and told him he'd better buy a necklace. He wasn't used to buying jewelry and was a little worried about overspending. After some discussion as to reasonable price and type , the assistant showed him dozens of necklaces and helped him to choose. At last James chose one and left the shop promising to return at five o'clock. When, half an hour later, James did return to the shop with his future wife, Laura, the assistant acted as if she had never seen him before. When she was asked to show them some necklaces, she first brought out some inexpensive ones for them to choose and then gave them the one she had prepared. A choice was soon made and they went away, satisfied. James would certainly come back to buy what he wanted when he got married. | high1760.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To show us how to make our vacations relaxing."
},
"options": [
"To introduce the relationship between vacations and health.",
"To show us how to make our vacations relaxing.",
"To tell us where we should go for our vacations... | When many of us take a vacation, more than anything, we seek to relax. We spend long, lazy days on a beach chair or in a hammock . But too often, we return home, very very tired.
It doesn't have to be this way. Come home _ after an active trip! And you won't be too tired!
Active vacations are often the most relaxing ones of all. We don't expect you to take up jogging or backpacking. Rather, we ask the sedentary vacationers to spend two to four hours a day doing things, such as walking in city streets, going to a zoo or biking beside the ocean.
These kinds of activities aren't just good for your physical health. They improve your mental health and even your spiritual health. And they make vacations memorable and worthwhile.
Here are some fresh ideas to make your vacations as pleasurable as they are active and healthy.
*A walk at dawn or dusk can make you feel or look young again. Try to make this a daily thing that is done regularly.
*Don't allow yourself to spend all your time sitting in front of the water.
*Many of us spend a large part of our vacations on the road, either getting to and from our destinations, or using the car for sightseeing. But no matter how beautiful the scenery is, great memorable vacations don't happen in a car seat. | high13227.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To receive further education in America."
},
"options": [
"To learn English well.",
"To be admitted to key universities.",
"To receive further education in America.",
"To find good jobs and earn much money."
],
... | A company has just launched what it calls "the world's first free standardized English test" recently. Anyone can take the test for free. The new exam is called the EFSET, which is short for Education First Standardized English Test. The company, Education First, is known by the letters EF.
It is estimated that there are two billion English language learners worldwide. Many of them are interested in attending an American college or university. To do so, foreign students need to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language -- better known as TOEFL. However, many foreigners are not wealthy enough to take the TOEFL. In addition, test-takers often have to travel overnight to reach an official testing site. The World Bank says an average Cambodian worker earns only about $1,000 per year. Approximately the cost of taking the TOEFL is 17.5 percent of the average worker's yearly wage.
It is not just individuals who find the test pricey. Some governments also find it prohibitive. What's more, not everyone needs official results from the TOEFL or IELTS -- the International English Language Testing System. In the future, it's likely that the government may use the EFSET to test millions of employees and students.
Experts believe that the EFSET meets the highest value in language testing. It uses special computer software that makes the questions easier or harder, depending on one's performance. The EFSET measures all the English learners' levels while the IELTS and TOEFL only measure learners' levels from moderate to advanced. The EFSET is unique in the sense that it gives free online access to anyone interested in measuring their English level.
There is a 50-minute and a two-hour version of the test, which its developers are calling the EFSET Plus. Both versions test only reading and listening skills. It's hopeful that speaking and writing skills will be tested in the future. The IELTS and the TOEFL still use humans to rate the speaking and writing sections. It's a huge deal for students who are in areas where they can't get to the TOEFL or the IELTS. However, it is too early to know whether the EFSET results are acceptable for colleges and universities in America. | high14548.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Many secretaries keep paper copies of their bosses' e-mails."
},
"options": [
"People write more memos than they used to.",
"Staff leave messages lying around their offices.",
"Many managers prefer to read their messages on p... | When e-mail first came into general use about twenty years ago, there was a lot of talk about the arrival of the paperless office.However, it seems that e-mail has yet to revolutionize office communication.According to communications analyst Richard Metcalf, some offices have actually seen an increase in paper as a result of e-mail."Information in the form of e-mal messages now floods our computer screens.These messages can be sent so quickly that memos tend to be distributed in the hundreds.For those secretaries whose bosses ask them to print out all their e-mails and leave them in their in-trays, this means using up a great deal of paper every month," Metcalf says.
Metcalf has found that because some e-mails get lost in cyberspace, important documents are increasingly likely to be asked by clients and colleagues to send all important documents both by e-mail and by fax or "snail mail" - through the post.This highlights a further potential problem with e-mail in today's offices - it is taking up time rather than saving it."With e-mail, communication is much easier, but there is also more room for misunderstandings," says psychologist Dr David Lewis.Generally, much less care is taken with e-mails than with letters or faxes and the sender will probably print the document and reread it before putting it in an envelope or sending it by fax.
More worrying is still the increasing misuse of e mail for sending "flame-mail" - abusive or inappropriate e-mail messages, Recent research in several companies suggests that aggressive communications like this are on the increase.E-mail has become the perfect medium for expressing workplace dissatisfaction because it is so instant.
E-mail can also be a problem in other ways.Staffs all too often make the mistake of thinking that the contents fan e-mail, like things said over the phone, are private and not permanent.But it is not only possible for an employer to read all your e-mails, it is also perfectly legal.E-mail messages can be traced back to their origin for a period of at least two years, so you might want to rethink e-mailing your dissatisfaction about your too to your friends.The advice is to keep personal e-mails out of the office.
It goes without saying that e-mail exists to make Jife easier, and if used correctly, it is an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes.But perhaps, for the time being, the fact that in the business world 70 percent offal documents are still in paper form is not such a bad thing after all. | high23482.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Advice on breaking the ice when we communicate with a stranger"
},
"options": [
"How to develop friendship with a stranger",
"Advice on breaking the ice when we communicate with a stranger",
"How to become a successful public... | Whether it's joining a school club, going to a friend's birthday party, or travelling by train, we can meet new people anywhere and anytime in our lives. However, many of us feel awkward when meeting people for the first time, especially when we aren't quite sure what to say. The situation feels cold, even icy.
"Breaking the ice" is a term widely used in the English-speaking countries to describe a small talk technique that can help rescue a conversation from certain failure.
So where do you even begin? Well, a good start is to accept that it is perfectly normal to feel a little nervous when talking to someone for the first time. They might look _ or scary, but they could turn out to be the nicest person you've ever met.
You might think that breaking the ice is difficult. But sometimes just a simple "hello", followed by a three-second smile, can make all the difference.
Complimenting someone on their garment or accessories is also a great, easy way to break the ice. You might say: "I love your jacket. Where did you buy it from?"
Being in an uncomfortable or unpleasant situation with someone new might feel terrible, but it can actually be one of the best icebreakers. By focusing on the situation, you come together to fight the common enemy: the long bathroom queue, for example, or the overcrowded bus.
You can make observations too. "What kind of drink is that?" "That's a lovely name. What does it mean?" "Do you study here too?" There are opportunities all around you to ask questions that don't seem weird, as long as you have some follow-up questions in mind.
If you're feeling extra bold, make a joke. Jokes can be difficult to master but if you get them right, they show the likeable, witty side of your character. "What's your name?" "Well, people usually call me Mike, but you can call me tonight." | high12887.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The experts advised her to give up singing."
},
"options": [
"The experts advised her to give up singing.",
"Dolly Parton told her to leave the stage.",
"The coaches described her as foolish.",
"The professionals consid... | The adolescent girl from Tennessee was standing on the stage of a drama summer camp in New York.But the girl didn't feel joyful.She was not the leggy,attractive Hollywood type.In fact,she described herself as stupid.
This girl was Reese Witherspoon,who had wanted to be a country singer and admired and respected Dolly Patton very much.
That day at the end of the camp her coaches told her to forget about singing.They suggested she think about another career.She took their words to heart.After all,why shouldn't she believe the professionals?
But back at home in Nashville,her mother--a funny,happy,optimistic woman--wouldn't let her feel depressed.Her father,a physician,encouraged her to achieve in schoo1.So she worked hard at everything and was accepted at Stanford University.
And at 1 9,she got a part in a low-budget movie called Freeway, which prepared for her role in the movie Pleasantville.But her big break came with Legally Blonde.
"If you can't sing and you aren't charming,play to your strengths.If you're going to make it in this business,better focus on what you're good at,"she told the interviewer later.
And then came the offer that took her back to her Nashville--playing the wife of a country star Johnny Cash,a singing role.
All of a sudden the old fears learned on that summer stage were back.She was so nervous on the stage.But she didn't give up on the movie or herself.She spent 6 months taking singing lessons again.She learned to play the Autoharp.And the hard work built up her confidence.
Last March,Reese Witherspoon walked up on another stage,the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood,and accepted the Oscar as Best Actress for her heartbreaking,heartwarming singing role as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line. | high6769.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "in different lighting conditions"
},
"options": [
"within one day",
"using the same colors",
"at different places",
"in different lighting conditions"
],
"question": "We can know that Claude Monet painted about ... | Claude Monet is surely one of the most famous French artists of all. Monet was particularly interested in the effect of light and would paint the same scene in different lighting conditions or times of the day. For example, he painted around 20 versions of the Rouen Cathedral from dawn to dusk. His most famous paintings include his Water lilies series.
The paintings of Paul Cezanne had a lot of influence in the development of 20th century art, including Cubism and Fauvism . Cezanne is one of the most famous French artists and is known as a "post-impressionist", which was similar in some ways to impressionism but also broke away from some of its limitations. Famous French paintings include his Bathers and Mont St Victoire series.
Henri Matisse was one of the most important famous French artists of the 20th century. He was considered one of the leaders of the Fauvist movement. He had a long and varied artistic career, painting in different styles ranging from Impressionism to Abstract. In 1941, Matisse was diagnosed with cancer and was forced into a wheelchair. But this didn't stop him completing the amazing Chapel of the Rosary in Vence.
Degas is probably one of the most fascinating of all the famous French artists. He is known as one of the founders of Impressionism, but his paintings were also influenced by classicism, romanticism, and realism. His style is definitely very unique. He was a prolific artist, producing over one thousand works. He is best known for his paintings of ballet dancers. | high13541.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "free time"
},
"options": [
"wealth",
"a successful career",
"marriage",
"free time"
],
"question": "The survey showed that the majority of American people ranked _ as the most important.",
"question_type... | Who says Americans worship the almighty dollar? It's not true. Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new survey.
Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone survey ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority , higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children. "Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social ~ Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey. "So our desire to play unites us."
The survey also showed that people who were educated in university valued career success over wealth, so did middle-aged people. Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly. This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people. The survey also revealed that a disproportionate number of people under the age of 30 and retired people in the group made $ 20,000 or less a year. But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors. "It just diminishes with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said. "But also, as for old people the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life. "
While wealth was not at the top of people's list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important. | high15130.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "She felt uncomfortable with her mother's non-smooth hands."
},
"options": [
"Her mother disturbed her rest by tucking her in.",
"She felt uncomfortable with her mother's non-smooth hands.",
"Her mother leant down and kissed h... | Night after night, she came to tuck me in , even long after my childhood years. Following her longstanding custom, she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me -- her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted at her: "Don't do that anymore -- your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love. Lying awake long afterward, my words rang in my mind. But pride overwhelmed my conscience, and I didn't tell her I was sorry.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead. Sometimes the incident seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it appeared in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. She's been our doctor, reaching for medicine to calm a young girl's stomach or ease the pain of a boy's injured knee. She cooks the best fried chicken in the world...gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could...and still insists on dishing out ice cream at any hour of the day or night.
Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of toil, and most of hers were before automatic washers!
Now, my own children are grown and gone. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was that late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I drifted into sleep in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I recalled the night my surly young voice complained: "Don't do that any more --your hands are too rough!" Catching Mom's hand in hand, I blurted out how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten --and forgiven --long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found. | high8744.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "You have to use a computer to get the details about Great Wall Rock."
},
"options": [
"You have to pay extra money for entering the Great Wall with a ticket.",
"You have to use a computer to get the details about Great Wall Rock.",... | It seems that Great Wall is the place to rock. There will be two parties held on the Great Wall this month.
Great Wall I
The latest Great Wall party is sponsored by the Club and electrobeat and held at Jinshanling. Local DJ Mark ,as well as guest Slab from Australia ,Usami and Bobby from Hong Kong will spin the sounds. All drinks are priced at 20 yuan($2.4).
Tickets:200 yuan($24), including bus ride there and back plus entrance fee to the Great Wall.
T/D: 8 p.m. to 2 a. m., Sept.20.
Pre-sale tickets are available at: Public Space: 6416-0759 Neo Lounge: 6416-1077
Location: Buses leave at 5 p.m. on Saturday ,Sep. 20 from Neo Lounge, 99 Xinfuncun Zhonglu, Sanlitun, Chaoyan District.
For more info: www. elektrobeat.com
Great Wall II
The other party at the end of this month at Jinshanling will be kick-started with live performances by Askar, Brain Failure, Longkuan, Supermarket, Mr.Zhou, Beijing Talking and the Yi band.
Dance till dawn to the groovy sounds of DJs Ben ,Mickey Zhang ,Will, Cheese, Gao Hu and Huang Weiwei.
T/D: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. ,Sept. 27.
Tickets: 350 yuan($42)or 300 yuan($36) for groups of 10 or more, 500 yuan ($60) at the door and VIP tickets 800 yuan($72), transportation included..
Location: Buses depart from the north gate of Workers, Stadium at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., Sept. 27.
For more info: contact Li Zhenhua at lzh@msgp.org or call 133-2119-1731. | high7477.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It can cure the illness of people."
},
"options": [
"It can make people rediscover their children's laugh.",
"It can release good chemical into blood streams.",
"It can make you feel self--confident.",
"It can cure the ... | Weighed down by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life ? Frightened by the possible war ? Well, you're not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world's best medicine-----laughter.
In the past year, more than 15 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages go to release their stress with an hour group laughs. "People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come," said 40--year--old Jocelyne Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.
Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle---aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day. Le Moan takes them through the "Lion Laugh"and the "Laugh Contest", where participants "speak"to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of "meditation", when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.
"I love it. It's an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child's laugh inside me,"Said Romain Jouffroy, 24. "US President George W. Bush should give it a try. He has lost his laugh,"she joked . Like Jouffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not ? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day.
The average adult only a day seven to 15.
The physical benefits of laughter are already well--recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood--stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.
"A full hour is like having your inside go jogging!One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized(. And on top of that , you've had a laugh,"said doctor Alexisd' Estaing.And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident. | high3611.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "report on the findings of a study"
},
"options": [
"show the relationship between parents and children",
"teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table",
"report on the findings of a study",
"give information abo... | As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-worker carried out their study by videotaping the families while they are having ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger,conversation gives way to the parents' efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. "In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children's IQ scores,"Lewis says. " And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is. "
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings . Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. " _ "says Lewis. When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner,chances are for the middle child. "There is, however,one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: "When the TV is on,"Lewis says, "dinner is a non-event ". | high10048.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways"
},
"options": [
"they are not rich enough",
"they are strange people",
"they enjoy spending evenings in their own ways",
"they don't know what to do when there are power c... | friends come to visit us in the evening, they spend their time telling us they are in a hurry and looking at their watches. It isn't that our friends are all very busy, it is just that When we haven't got a television. People think that we are very strange. "But what do you do in the evening?",they are always asking. The answer is very simple. Both my wife and I have hobbies. We certainly don't spend our evenings staring at the walls. My wife enjoys cooking and painting and often attends evening classes in foreign languages. This is particularly useful as we often go abroad for our holidays. I collect stamps and I'm always busy with my collection. Both of us enjoy listening to the music and playing chess together.
Sometimes there are power cuts and we have no electricity in the house. This does not worry us, we just light candles and carry on with what we were doing before. Our friends, however, are lost---no television!---So they don't know what to do. On such evenings our house is very full ---they all come to us. They all have a good time. Instead of sitting in silence in front of the television, everybody talks and plays games. | high5260.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a Chinese student studying"
},
"options": [
"a Chinese visitor to an English family",
"a Chinese teacher working",
"a Chinese student studying",
"a Chinese teacher living"
],
"question": "The writer is_now in En... | Dear Lan Lan,
I'm now writing to you at Hartsop, a village in the Lake District, a place to have most beautiful scenery in English couple here to spend Christmas with them. This was planned for overseas students to know British way of life by living with British families.
We came two days before Christmas and during our stay, we have had everything we expected. Christmas turkey, Christmas cake, Christmas puddings, Christmas parties and Christmas gifts under the Christmas tree. All are exciting and amusing, but above all these, we are deeply touched by the hospitality of the family, Roger and Anne Marie.
Anne Marie was a nurse and all these days, she had been busy cooking meals, washing dishes and showing us around. Roger, who was a doctor, knows a lot about China and still wants to know more. He plays us Chinese music and it seems to me he does better in that than we do. In the evenings, we all sit around the fireplace with Tim, a lovely dog, by our side. Like long-time-no-see friends, we talk about all the things that have happened or we hope to happen in our lives. There is always so much to tell and to know.
After three months away from home, we are again feeling how sweet a home can be. Roger and Anne Marie are not like most of the other people we have met who always make us feel we are foreigners in a foreign country. They show such kindness to us that they bring us a person-to-person feeling, instead of a British-to-Chinese feeling. They make us believe that though there are differences of languages and cultures, one may always expect to find in every corner of the world the feeling of love and being loved.
How I wish Mum and Dad could meet them! How I wish you were here with me! How strange it is that the more I feel at home here, the more I miss my real home and all of you. We always talk about "when we go back home next year..." and soon we will turn this into "when we go back home THIS year..." for the New Year's Day is coming. Miss you.
Love
Cao Wen | high17727.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Ice from clean water ."
},
"options": [
"Ice from ice hotels .",
"Ice from clean water .",
"Ice with lots of bubbles in it .",
"Ice weighing over 100 kilograms ."
],
"question": "What kind of ice is ideal for sc... | Ice sculpting is a difficult process . First , ice must be carefully selected so that it is suitable for sculpting . Its ideal material is pure , clean water with high clarity . It should also have the minimum(=least) number of air bubbles. Perfectly clear ice blocks weighing 140 kg and measuring 100 cmx50 cmx25 cm are available from the Clinebell Company in Colorado . Much larger clear blocks are produced in Europe and Canada or harvested from a frozen river in Sweden . These large ice blocks are used for large ice sculpting events and for building ice hotels.
Another difficulty in the process of ice sculpting is time control . The temperature of the environment affects how quickly the piece must be completed to avoid the effects of melting . If the sculpting does not take place in a cold environment , then the sculptor must work quickly to finish his piece . The tools used for sculpting also affect when the task can be finished . Some sculptures can be completed in as little as ten minutes if power tools are used .
Ice sculptors also use sharp chisels that are specifically designed for cutting ice . The best ice chisels are made in Japan , a country that , along with China , has a long tradition of magnificent ice sculptures . Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines , especially in Asia . When holding a dinner party , some large restaurants or hotels will use an ice sculpture to decorate the table . For example , in a wedding banquet it is common to see a pair of ice-sculpted swans that represent the union of the new couple . | high21281.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "It lives on red sea fans only."
},
"options": [
"It lives on red sea fans only.",
"It swims very quickly.",
"It lives nine feet deep.",
"It usually floats in mid-water."
],
"question": "What do we learn about th... | While I was on a trip to Papua New Guinea to take underwater photographs, I asked a local dive guide to help me find a pygmy sea horse . I wanted to take a picture of it. These sea horses can be red or yellow-and-orange. The red pygmy sea horse lives on only one type of coral, a red sea fan that grows at depths below ninety feet.
This depth made the job even tougher. As the pressure on my body increased, I had to breathe harder, which used my air supply faster. So the deeper I dived, the shorter my time underwater.
I had a lot to do. First, I had to find the pygmy sea horse's special type of fan .Then I had to look over the whole fan with my magnifying glass to see if a sea horse lived on it. If not, I had to find another fan--all the while keeping an eye on my oxygen supply. The second fan rewarded me with a find. The dive guide held the magnifying glass so I could have my first look at the tiny fish.
My next challenge was to focus my camera on such a small subject. The dive guide pointed at the tiny creature. I looked through the viewfinder on my large underwater camera housing , found the guide's finger, and followed it to the sea horse.
It was hard to hold ourselves steady because both of us were floating in mid-water, but our system worked. I could hardly contain my excitement as I focused on the eyes of the cutest sea horse imaginable. | high3605.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "be getting colder"
},
"options": [
"be getting colder",
"be getting warmer",
"remain the same in the past ten years",
"have good effects on the world's population"
],
"question": "According to the text, the clim... | There is a definite possibility that the climate of the world may be changing. Some scientists imagine that this could even mean the beginning of another ice age. The effects of such a change in climate on the human population of the world would be amazing.
Recent research suggests that the general warming trend of the past hundred years or so may be coming to an end. During the past ten years, meteorologists tell us the average temperature of the earth has dropped about one degree Fahrenheit. This does not seem like much, but it could have effects on wind and rain patterns which influence the overall weather picture. If these patterns change a lot, it could mean that certain regions of the world may continue to have long droughts while others will possibly suffer from widespread flooding.
What regulates the climate is not exactly known. Meteorologists believe that clouds may be an important factor in regulating the amount of solar heat held by the earth, which in turn determines the temperature of the planet. Another possibility is that man's industrial and agricultural methods may be affecting the natural weather patterns. However, the weather is not understood well enough for scientists to say for certain what is happening to the climate and what side effects this will actually have on the world's population. | high18400.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sea Water quality is improved"
},
"options": [
"The species of fish in the oceans is reducing .",
"Sea water is polluted",
"Sea Water quality is improved",
"Less productivity of ecosystems"
],
"question": "Which... | Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia ,prefix = st1 /Canada, led the international team that did the study . Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at increasing speed . At this rate , he says , all seafood species could collapse could collapse by 2048 .
Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments . But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty in fifty tears . Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems , but others are doing a good job of protecting fish populations . Government officals in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research .
The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine .
The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems . These complex systems help control water quality . The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appeared to increase the f fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth .
The scientist examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas . They also looked at records of catches worldwide . They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization from nineteen fifty to two thousand three . And they examined archeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas . That research back over a thousand years .
Boris Worm says the findings were , in his words , " beyond anything we suspected . " But he also said the situation is not too late to correct . He said that with good fisheries management , some species could completely recover in three to ten years . | high17733.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Asian and Southeast Asian countries have a great impact on the modem Australian food."
},
"options": [
"fewer and fewer immigrants enter Australia every year",
"Subway is a chain restaurant and it is from the South America",
... | Throughout history, people are now aware that Australian cuisine was based on the old British cooking which was handed down by the first settlers. Modern Australian cuisine, however, has been heavily influenced by Australia's Asian and Southeast Asian neighbors. The trend, motivated by the government health programs, is towards low-fat healthy cookery including low-fat meat and lightly cooked colorful, steamed or fried vegetables. Besides, like many English families, in many Australian homes, a widespread tradition of having roast turkey, chicken, and ham for Christmas lunch or dinner still remains.
Basically speaking, breakfast is comparatively light for most Australians. But in the colder regions porridge or meals similar to the full English breakfast may be consumed. In recent years, however, most Australian people prefer light breakfast in order to control their weight. The light breakfast commonly consists of cereals, toast and fruit. A heavier breakfast will frequently include fried bacon, eggs, mushrooms, etc. Drinks consumed at breakfast include tea, coffee, milk or juice.
The meal in the evening is the main meal of the day for most Australians. When consumed at home, it is often eaten with members of _ The dishes served will vary widely according to the tastes and background of the family. A typical Australian restaurant might offer sandwiches, chicken or other meat-based dishes and cakes.
In recent years, take-away food is becoming popular in Australia. American style chain restaurants are common including Subway, KFC, and Mcdonald's.
With the high portion of immigration from the Middle East,South and Southeast Asia,Korea,China and other countries from all over the world to Australia,any authentic and high-quality restaurants are run by first and second generation immigrants from these areas. | high12893.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "through e-mail"
},
"options": [
"at the box office",
"by telephone",
"through e-mail",
"on the website"
],
"question": "You can buy tickets for performances at the Boston Opera House in all the following ways EX... | The Boston Opera House
In Person
* The Boston Opera House Box Office is open Monday - Friday from 10 am - pm. We provide a direct and customer-friendly service that allows our customers to choose their seats and purchase their tickets at face value without service charges or delivery fees. The savings and confidence associated with an in-person purchase at our box office can make the trip very worthwhile. While you're in the neighborhood, check out our dining and parking choices when you attend your favorite shows.
* The Boston Ballet Box Office operates year-round at their 19 Clarendon Street headquarters in Boston's South End. Boston Ballet sells tickets at the Boston Opera House box office during Boston Ballet performance weeks.
Online
* Tickets for all Broadway in Boston shows and other concerts and cultural presentations are sold online at www.ticketmaster.com.
* Tickets for all Boston Ballet performances are sold online at www.bostoneballet.org.
By Phone
* Tickets for all Broadway in Boston shows and other concerts and cultural presentations can be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at 1. 800. 982. 2787.
* Tickets for all Boston Ballet performances can be purchased by calling 617. 695. 6955.
Refund Policy
No refunds or exchanges.
The Boston Opera House Policies
* Some shows may not be appropriate for children of all ages. Please enquire at 617. 259. 3400.
* Regardless of age, everyone must have a ticket. No "babies in arms" will be allowed.
* Parents may be asked to remove restless children from the auditorium . The parent and child will be able to wait in a comfortable lounge while the rest of the family enjoys the show. We appreciate your cooperation.
Tips for Theatergoers:
* Leave yourself enough time for traffic.
* Check the date and time of the performance on tickets purchased.
* If you arrive late to your performance you may have to wait to be seated at appropriate breaks in the performance. Please arrive on time, no less than 15 minutes before curtain. | high8988.txt |
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