questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "outdoor"
},
"options": [
"indoor",
"outdoor",
"ball",
"difficult"
],
"question": "Street dancing is a kind of _ sport for young people.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | In America, street dancing is a great outdoor sport for young people to do with a group of friends. Many people bring their radios out onto the streets, and then wait for others to join in.
Step 1
Wear comfortable clothes. Also wear comfortable running shoes that allow you to jump easily. Dancing needs a lot of _ so it is smart to take care of your feet.
Step 2
Get some music that you can dance to and bring a radio or a CD player.
Step 3
Invite some friends to street dance. Put some music on and start dancing to it. Use your feet as much as possible and make quick movements.
Step4
Put your arms up to the right, and then move them quickly to the left while turning your body. This will make others start street dancing.
Step5
Try different movements if possible. Street dancing is all about free-style dancing. You can enjoy yourself while getting exercise by street dancing. | middle1420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She felt bad about her appearance."
},
"options": [
"She felt bad about her appearance.",
"She found it hard to act as a monster.",
"Kids refused to play games with her.",
"People always asked her embarrassing questions... | I was 15 months old, a happy and _ kid, until the day I fell. It was a bad fall. I landed on a piece of glass that cut my eye badly. from then on, my injured, sightless, cloudy gray eye lived on with me. Sometimes people asked me embarrassing questions. Whenever kids played games, I was the "monster". I was always imagining that everyone looked down on me.
Yet mum would say to me, "Hold your head up high and face the world." I began to depend on that saying.
As a child, I thought mun meant, "Be careful, or you will fall down or bump into something because you are not looking." As a teenager, I usually looked down to hide my shame. But I found that when I held my head up high, People liked me.
In high school I even became the class president, but on the inside I still felt like a monster. All I really wanted was to look like everyone else. When things got really bad, I would cry to my mun and she would look at me with loving eyes and say, "Hold your head up high and face the world. Let them see the beauty that is inside instead of your appearance ."
My mum's love was the sunshine that made me bright. I had faced hard times, and learned not only to be confident but also to have deep compassion for others.
"Hold your head up high" has been heard many times in my home. I say it to my children. The gift my mum gave me will live on. | middle5646.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "runs with its tail moving up and down"
},
"options": [
"runs into its hole",
"stops to move its tail",
"runs with its tail moving up and down",
"stops moving its tail up and down as it runs"
],
"question": "When... | A rabbit is running into its hole. You may ask, "What happened?"
Well, when a rabbit sees something dangerous, it runs away. Its tail moves up and down as it runs. When other rabbits see this tail moving up and down, they run too. They know that there is danger. The rabbit has told them something without making a sound. It has given them a signal.
Many other animals use this kind of language. When a bee found some food, it goes back to his home. It cannot tell the other bees where the food is by speaking to them, but it does a little dance in the air. This tells the bees where the food is.
Some animals say things by making sounds. A dog barks, for example, when a stranger
comes near. A cat purrs when pleased. Some birds make several different sounds, each with its own meaning.
But human beings have something that no animals have --- a large number of words about things, actions, feelings or ideas. We are able to give each other information, to tell or inform other people what is in our mind or how we feel. By writing words down we can remind ourselves of the things what have happened, or send messages to people far away. No animals can do this. No animals has the wonderful power of language.
No one knows how man learned to make words. Somehow he learned to make them. As centuries went by, he made more and more new words. This is what we mean by language. People living in different countries made different kinds of words. Today there are about fifteen hundred different languages in the world. A very large English dictionary, for example, contains four or five hundred thousand words. But we do not know all these. The words we know are called vocabulary. We should try to make our vocabulary larger. Read as many books as possible. When we meet a new word, look it up in the dictionary. A dictionary is the Most useful book. | middle3237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "danced"
},
"options": [
"sang",
"danced",
"cried",
"laughed"
],
"question": "Bae Seul-Ki _ in the MV of the song according to the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | "I planted a seed. Finally grow fruits. Today is a great day. Pick off the star for you. Pick off the moon for you. Let it rise for you every day. Become candles burning myself. Just light you up, hey!... You are my little little apple. How much I love you, still no enough."
This words are from the popular song You Are My Little Dear Apple. Bae Seul-Ki acted as the leading dancer in the MV of the song. She loves dancing. She became crazy about hip-hop when she was a school girl.
Bai Seul-Ki was born on September 27, 1986. She is a South Korean singer and dancer. She is 168cm tall. She loves cooking. Her favourite food is spicy and salty. She like pink and red most. There are five members in her family---father, mother, two younger brothers and herself. She isn't married.
After her father and mother broke up, she lived with her mother and new daddy. She enjoys being alone. | middle4558.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "friends"
},
"options": [
"brothers",
"sisters",
"friends",
"parents"
],
"question": "Many teenagers think that _ will understand them better.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they will go to their friends for some ideas.
It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking to them on the phone. This communication is very important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss special things. These things are difficult to say to their family members.
However, parents often try to choose friends for their children. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?
Who choose your friends?
Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?
Have you got a good friend your parents don't like?
Your answers are welcome? | middle5652.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "18"
},
"options": [
"15.",
"18",
"20",
"10"
],
"question": "Mrs. White dropped out of school when she was about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | When Susan White went back to high school a couple of years ago, she never had any thought about actually getting a high school diploma.
"I just wanted to learn more," she said. But when she found out that many of her classmates were planning to graduate, Mrs. White recalled , "I said my young friends can graduate from high school, so can I."
She seems to have been right. As soon as she finishes a history course, Mrs. White will graduate next month. And when she does, she will enter the record books as the oldest person ever to graduate from high school in the United States.
Mrs. White is 98 years old and nobody has finished high school at an older age.
Mrs. White dropped out of school in the 10thgrade, but her ability to learn has clearly not been reduced after she left school for 80 years. Since going back to her studies, she has kept up a straight record that is the highest possible.
Now that she is about to get a diploma, Mrs. White has become a strong believer in getting a good education.
"I don't like anyone dropping out of school," she said. "It makes me mad when a person decides to leave school, because future generations will have to know even more than we do in order to survive ".Mrs. White sets a good example of lifelong study! | middle3223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People made fewer phone calls."
},
"options": [
"Using a telephone was expensive.",
"Phone calls were much shorter.",
"People made fewer phone calls.",
"People relied on notes a lot."
],
"question": "What's the ... | Once upon a time if we wanted to make a phone call or wait for someone to contact us, we had to sit at home or at our desks. There were public phones in the street of course, _ . And of course you had to bring a lot of coins to pay for the calls.
So people didn't phone their friends as often. Mobile phones, these small pieces of electronic equipment which allow us to talk with friends and family while we are on the move, have greatly changed the way we live. Before the age of the mobile phone, our loved ones would sit around worried sick if we were late coming home. There were no quick calls to tell mum that there would be additional guests coming for dinner. We would have to depend on notes left on fridges or desks to communicate messages.
But mobile phones have also had a negative effect and what people don't seem to realize is that we've lost something very valuable: our privacy. Now our friends and family can contact us wherever and whenever they want to. We can never get away from them. The way people communicate with each other is totally different now. It's difficult to have a conversation face-to-face with a friend without being disturbed every couple of minutes by the ring of their phones, ,most people don't see anything wrong in having a long conversation on their mobile phone while forgetting all about the person sitting opposite. It seems the art of real conversation may be dying.
Of course, people could leave their mobile phones at home or even switch them off but no one ever does that. Why not? Because the worrying thing is we can't live without our phones. We've become communication addicts, unable to spend even a few minutes out of contact, in case we miss something 'important'. | middle7045.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the development of medical technology"
},
"options": [
"the development of medical technology",
"big hospitals",
"good doctors",
"both B and C"
],
"question": "In recent years, people can live longer than in the... | In recent years advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and instruments are being developed every day to extend life. However,some people,including some doctors, are not in favour of these life extending measures,and they argue that people should have the right to die when they want. They say that the quality of life is as important as life itself,and that people should not be forced to go on living when conditions of life have become unbearable(. They say that people should be allowed to die with dignity and to decide when they want to die. Others argue that life under any conditions is better. | middle1434.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it seemed a good way to start a stamp collection"
},
"options": [
"it seemed a good way to start a stamp collection",
"she wanted to give them to her father",
"she need them to mail some letters",
"she thought they were... | One day Trudy saw an advertisement in a magazine. It offered a packet of 100 mixed stamps for $10. Trudy wanted to start a stamp collection so she ordered the packet. One hundred mixed stamps seemed a good way to begin a collection. She sent a postal order to the stamp company with her order, and waited excitedly for the stamps arrived. Trudy checked the mail every day for four weeks but the stamps didn't arrive. So Trudy decided to write to the company. "Dear Sir/Madam," she wrote, "a month ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. They haven't arrived. Please send them by return of mail." another month passed. The stamps still didn't arrive and she didn't receive any replay to her letter. She asked her father for advice. Her father said, "You must write a stronger letter. Make the stamp company worry that you will report them to the authorities." "Dear Sir/Madam," she wrote in her second letter. "I am writing to complain about your poor service. Two months ago I sent you a postal order for $10 as payment for 100 mixed stamps. I didn't receive the stamps. A month ago I wrote to inform you of this. I still haven't received the stamps, and you haven't replied to my letter. If I do not receive the stamps within seven days. I shall report this matter to the authorities." Two days later Trudy received the stamps in the mail. | middle1352.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "China"
},
"options": [
"Canada",
"China",
"Japan",
"America"
],
"question": "Wendy's family lives in _ now.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"an... | Please come to meet a family from Canada. The girl's name is Wendy. Her family are in China now. Her father and mother work in Shanghai.
Wendy's father is an office worker and her mother teaches English in a school. Wendy has two brothers but no sisters. They are all students but they are in different school. She is in Grade Eight and her brothers are in Grade Six. They love their schools.
Wendy usually goes to school with her brothers _ . Sometimes their father takes them in his car. In the afternoon, they have lunch at school.They like to play with their classmates. And they often help each other. | middle7723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "helped him pick up the things"
},
"options": [
"didn't notice that",
"went away quickly",
"helped him pick up the things",
"carried all the things for him"
],
"question": "When Bill fell down on his way home, Ma... | Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed a boy ahead of him. He had tripped and dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with some clothes, a baseball bat and a glove.
Mark knelt down and helped the boy pick up the things. Since they were going the same way, he offered to carry some things for the boy.
As they walked, Mark discovered the boy's name was Bill. He loved video games, baseball and history, but he was having trouble with some of his subjects.
They arrived at Bill's home first. Mark was invited in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed pleasantly with some laughs and talk. Then Mark went home.
They continued to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, then both graduated from junior school.
Three days before graduation, Bill asked Mark if they could talk.
Bill reminded Mark of the day years ago when they had first met. "Did you ever wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill.
"You see, I took away all my things from school. I had stored away some of my mother's sleeping pills . I was going home to kill myself. But after we spent some time talking and laughing, I realized that if I had died, I would have missed so many good time. So you see, Mark, when you picked up those books that day, you did a lot more. " | middle2883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The Wheel on the Wall"
},
"options": [
"The Wheel on the Wall",
"An Excellent Buy",
"Old or New - Who Knows",
"the Family's Past"
],
"question": "Which ofthe following can be the best title ofthe story?",
"q... | "Well, just take a look at that wheel !" Earl Cooper said to Candy, his wife. "It must be older than anything we have back home."
Earl was looking at the wall outside the pub . The pub's name, The Old Swan, was on the wall. Next to the name was a wooden ship's wheel and in the middle of the wheel was the name of a ship, HMS Swan. The wheel was old, Earl could tell.
The next morning, Earl asked to see Tony Thatcher. The Old Swan was Tony's pub. He took Earl to his office while Candy had a coffee outside by the river. Earl said he could give Tony a lot of money for the ship's wheel. He told Tony that Benjamin Cooper, his grandfather, went to America on the ship HMS Swan. But Tony said no at first. After all, the wheel was very old and it was part of the pub's past.
"You can think of the past, Mr. Thatcher - can I call you Tony? - or you can think of today. And with the money, Tony, you can buy a good car. Maybe a new Jaguar? And, as I've told you, the wheel is part of my family's past too. So you could say it's going back home, in a way. So, what do you say?"
A month later, Earl and Candy were smiling as they looked at the wall of their house in Houston, Texas. Earl thought to himself that, at last, he had a piece of his family's past. He was happy.
In Portsmouth, Tony Thatcher was happy, too. He was putting his new Jaguar into his large garage . He was careful not to drive into any of the six ship's wheels in the garage. A friend of his made the wheels for him. They were just like the one that Earl bought. And there was another wheel on the outside wall of The Old Swan now. Old or new - Tony thought there was no way that a tourist could ever know which was which. Never in a hundred years. | middle5134.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "soccer"
},
"options": [
"baseball",
"soccer",
"tennis",
"volleyball"
],
"question": "Little James likes playing _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Little James likes sports, so he is tall and strong in his middle school. He likes playing soccer very much, he thinks it's interesting. His grandma lives in a village . One day, she comes to school and sees him.
Grandma doesn't find the boy in the classroom, so she goes to look for him in the school. She finds James and some boys play with only one ball. Grandma says to him:"Don't play with them, I can buy a ball for you." | middle4202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Britain"
},
"options": [
"China",
"Canada",
"America",
"Britain"
],
"question": "The writer comes from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answ... | I have worked in Shenyang for two months. I seldom meet Westerners in the street. But on TV, I see many foreigners in Shenyang. I am a little lonely and I really hope to make friends with English speakers. Although I study Chinese hard, my Chinese is poor and I can't communicate in Chinese very well.
However, Chinese people usually smile and wave to me on the bus and at any other places. In the street, the most common conversation goes like this: A Chinese person, "Hello."
I, "Hello."
The Chinese,"Where are you from?"
"England."
"Oh, I see!" and then if his vocabulary is exhausted , "Bye-bye". This can happen five or six times on any trip around town. How I hope to see a Westerner at that time. | middle2673.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Emma made a new route for the sea travel."
},
"options": [
"Emma sailed alone around the world.",
"Emma made a new route for the sea travel.",
"Emma is the youngest person to finish the race.",
"Emma is the first woman ... | London, May 5, 2003 Emma Richards of Britain has become the first woman and the youngest person to finish the Around Alone, which is a round-the-world sailing race. The journey started in New York last September and went east around South Africa to New Zealand. It crossed the Pacific Ocean and went around South America, ending up yesterday in Rhode Island, the smallest state in America. In the end, the trip covered over 46,000 kilometres. The same sea route was taken in the past by many famous travelers who wanted to learn about the world.
Emma, a 1996 graduate of the University of Glasgow, finished the race at the age of twenty-eight. The race requires competitors to sail alone. Emma said that actually it was very difficult to be all by herself for such a long time even though she's really into sailing. Her worst moment was when she had to climb the high mast in a bad storm to fix some broken parts. She sailed hundreds of kilometres away from land and the wind was blowing very hard. Only her strong willpower kept her going to make it all the way. These days, Emma is happy to be home with her parents and sleep in a bed that stays still. | middle2115.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A policeman."
},
"options": [
"A bank clerk.",
"A policeman.",
"A thief.",
"A teacher"
],
"question": "What does Mr. Smith do?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Mr. Smith is telling two funny stories of his police work.
Story A
I remember catching a "thief" in a clothes shop once. It was strange. The man was hiding a yellow sweater inside his coat. I thought he had stolen it, so I caught him. We found later that his wife gave him the sweater for his birthday, but he hated it. He just wanted to return it to the shop for money, but he didn't want his wife to see him! We soon let him go.
Story B
Another day, a man called Bob went into a bank on Sixth Street. He wrote on the back of an envelope, "Give me the money! Or I'll kill you." and gave it to the bank clerk. She gave him $100,000 and the man ran away. Then we received a phone call from the bank clerk. She told us to go to the man's house in Candy Town and get him. We caught him as soon as he got out of the elevator. He couldn't believe that we found him so quickly. We told him that the front of the envelope he used his name and address on it! | middle4564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a little girl and ducks"
},
"options": [
"eating chicken",
"sitting by the pond",
"living on a farm",
"a little girl and ducks"
],
"question": "The story is mainly about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | Once there was a little girl in a village. She spent summers on her grandfather's farm. The year she was four, she knew some ducks. The ducks were white with orange feet. They lived in a little wooden house near the road. The little girl liked these ducks very much.
Every day they walked down the road to the pond . The ducks went into the water. The little girl sat on the bank and saw them swimming in the pond. The little girl talked to the ducks and they _ back to her.
Then one day the ducks were gone. No one would say anything about them. The little girl was afraid to ask where they were. One night everyone sat down for dinner. The food looked a little like chicken. The girl didn't want to eat. Can you guess why?
,,2B. | middle1408.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "She was punishing her doll."
},
"options": [
"She was dressing up her doll.",
"She was playing the doll with her friend Suzie.",
"She was talking to her mother.",
"She was punishing her doll."
],
"question": "Wh... | I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone, in the other a toy broom. I listened as she was speaking to her imaginary friend and I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was pretend .
She said, "Suzie's in the corner because she's not been very good. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should." In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace and pink. It was obvious she'd been put there to sit alone and think.
My daughter continued her "conversation," as I sat down on the floor. She said, "I'm all fed up, I just don't know what to do with her anymore. She cries whenever I have to work and wants to play games, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do.
She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot reach and she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the energy to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play. Don't you know what I mean?"
And that day I thought a lot about making some changes in my life, as I listened to her innocent words that cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough attention to what I hold most dear.
But now my attitude has changed, because, in my heart, I realize I've seen the world in a different light through my little darling's eyes. So, let the cobwebs have the corners and the dust bunny rabbit rule the floor, I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them anymore .
I'm going to fill the house with memories of a child and her mother, for we have only one childhood, and we will never get another. | middle6367.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "playing ball games"
},
"options": [
"reading books",
"riding bikes",
"watching TV",
"playing ball games"
],
"question": "The boys like _ best after school.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Now children can do many nice things after school. They can read books, ride bikes, watch TV and play games. But boys like playing ball games best.
The children near my door often play football in the garden, and sometimes they break my windows. One Saturday afternoon I stay at home and read a book. After a few minutes, I close my eyes and go to sleep. Suddenly a sound at the door wakes me up. Soon a little boy comes in.
" Not one of my windows again?"
" Oh, no!" answers the boy. " Your window is open this time and our ball is in your bedroom. May I get it, please?" | middle2101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "baby clothes and food"
},
"options": [
"school things",
"tea sets and table ware",
"baby clothes and food",
"birthday cards"
],
"question": "If your friend Lisa has a new baby, you may sent _ .",
"question... | People give gifts on many occasions. At weddings ,people give gifts such as tea sets and tableware . When someone has a baby, people express their wishes by giving gifts of baby clothes and food.
In western countries, food and drinks are the most traditional gifts for friends. For example, a bottle of champagne is perfect for Christmas. In some Asian countries like China and Japan, tea and wine are common gifts. Greeting cards are excellent gifts for friends and family around the world.
Here are some popular gifts for Christmas and New Year. Let's have a look.
A message in a bottle--If you want to send a birthday message or a thank- you note, why not write on a piece of paper and put it inside a glass bottle? The person who receives this special gift will remember the words forever.
A Christmas stocking--People will look forward to seeing it each Christmas. It is a very traditional and useful Christmas gift. Many people hang the stocking up in their rooms as a decoration.
A necklace with a name--This is a special and popular gift among mothers and young people. For example, a mother can put her child's name on the necklace. It seems that the necklace can bring her child close to her heart. | middle4216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they couldn't make enough money"
},
"options": [
"they were lazy",
"they were too weak to work",
"they couldn't make enough money",
"they weren't able enough"
],
"question": "The Hunts were poor because _ .",... | Mr. Hunt came from a poor family. He had three brothers and two sisters. His father worked hard but wasn't paid much. And his mother did all the housework at home. They were both able but they couldn't get enough money for their family.
Mr. Hunt was in school for only three years and he had to stop to help his parents though he was good at his lessons. When he was sixteen, he came to the city and began to work in a small factory. He learned from an old worker and became a skilled worker. The old worker liked him and married his daughter to him. The young man did not have his own house and had to live with his parents-in-law. His mother-in-law always thought he was poor and often chattered. So the young man tried to save everything and hoped to have his own house.
It was one fine Sunday. The old woman wanted to have a picnic on the top of the hill. She told Mr. Hunt to drive her car. But sometimes she told him to turn left and sometimes to turn right. The young man had to listen to her. At a crossing the lights were red but she made him turn left. The policeman stopped them and told the young man to give his license to him.
"If I did wrong, sir," said Mr. Hunt, "It was my mother-in-law's fault . She was driving the car though she sat behind me!" | middle3579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the new movie tomorrow"
},
"options": [
"the new movie this evening",
"a concert this evening",
"the new movie tomorrow",
"have lunch at the cinema"
],
"question": "Paul and Nick are going to _ .",
"quest... | A: Hello!
B: Hi, is that Paul? This is Nick, your new classmate.
A: Hi, Nick! Where are you?
B: At home. There's a new movie at the Capital Cinema . Do you Know?
A: Yes, I do. Do you like going to movies?
B: Yes, very much. I usually go to movies with my parents on Sunday.
A: What kind of movies do you like?
B: Action movies. How about you?
A: I don't often go to movies. I like watching TV or VCD at home.
B: That's different from seeing the movie at the cinema . Let's go to the movie this evening, OK?
A: Sorry, I'm going to a concert with my mother this evening. What about tomorrow afternoon?
B: OK. See you after lunch tomorrow.
A: Bye-bye. | middle2667.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "watch TV while doing their homework"
},
"options": [
"be allowed to watch TV",
"watch TV while doing their homework",
"watch Harry Potter on TV",
"be allowed to read a newspaper"
],
"question": "According to the... | On school nights, lots of kids have to do their reading before they are allowed to watch TV. Pretty soon, you might get to do both at the same time, in true Harry Potter style.
Several companies are racing to produce electronic paper and ink, complete with colors and moving imagines . One idea would be to create a newspaper like The Daily Project in the Harry Potter books. Its pages would hold video clips of baseball games instead of just black-and-white photos.
Electronic paper is not a new idea. A company in Massachusetts called E ink, for example, has been working for years on such a technology. Little electricity determines whether each microsphere looks black or white at any given time. Together, microspheres make up words and imagines. The techniques seems promising for creating still imagines that can be changed when needed, but the process is too slow for good videos.
Scientists in the Netherlands now report a new type of e-paper technology. By using layers of oil, the requirements. They can also make images which change fast enough to meet standard video requirements. They can also make brilliant colors,. So far, however, each image is smaller than the fingernail.
For now, reading and watching TV will have to return two separate activities. Keep your eyes open, though, in the future, TV watching and reading might be part of the same work. | middle5108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He's in the bus."
},
"options": [
"He's near the bus.",
"He is at home.",
"He's in the bus.",
"He is in the car."
],
"question": "Where is the man?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer... | A bus stops at a small bus stop. A man is hungry and he wants to buy some cakes. It's raining hard, he doesn't want to go out in the rain. He sees a boy. "Come here, boy!" he cries. "Do you know how much the cakes are?" The boy says yes. The man gives the boy four dollars and asks him to buy two cakes. "One is for you and one is for me." Three minutes later, the boy comes back. He's eating a cake. He gives the man two dollars and says: "Sorry, there is only one cake left." | middle62.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Eighty"
},
"options": [
"Eight",
"Eighteen",
"Eighty",
"Eighties"
],
"question": "How old was the wife?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_... | An eighty-year-old couple were having trouble with their memories . One day, they decided to see a doctor. The doctor told him that there was nothing serious, but he suggested that they should start writing things down to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left.
Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asked, "Where are you going?" "To the kitchen."he said.
"Will you get me an ice-cream?" asked the wife.
"Sure."
Then his wife asked him to write it down.
"No, I can remember that," replied the husband.
"Well, I also want some strawberries and cream on top. You'd better write it down, or you will forget that," said the wife.
"No, I can remember that," the husband got a little unhappy and went into the kitchen.
After about 20 minutes, the husband returned with a plate of fish. The wife laughed, "Haha! Your bad memory! I wanted some bread with cream." | middle6401.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Snowy"
},
"options": [
"Rainy",
"Snowy",
"Windy",
"Warm"
],
"question": "What was the weather like that night?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"... | It was late on a snowing night. Doctor Van was driving fast to the hospital to do an operation on a badly hurt person. Minutes later he came to a red traffic light and had to stop to wait. A man suddenly opened the door of the car and got in.
"Drive on, " shouted the man, "Just do what I've told you to. " The man was strong and tall while Doctor Van was not.
"But I'm a doctor, " Van tried to tell him what he was going to do. "I'm on my way to the hospital to save..." "Stop talking and drive faster, as fast as you can!" the man stopped Van and Van had to do so.
Only a few minutes had passed when the man made Van stop his car again and drove him off, and he himself drove away very quickly.
Van stood in the snow for a moment and then walked around to look for a taxi.
Another half an hour had passed when Van got out of the taxi and ran into the hospital. But it was too late and nothing could be done.
The man who had taken Van's car was standing by the person all the time. He was so sad! Only then did Van know that the man was the father of that badly hurt person! | middle1385.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Bob Watson."
},
"options": [
"Mr. King.",
"Bob Watson.",
"Regent Brand.",
"Mrs. Watson."
],
"question": "According to the passage, who often buy things in the supermarket?",
"question_type": null
}
] | Dear Mr. King,
Your supermarket chain is excellent in many ways. I enjoy the things you sell, such as the selection of produce and fresh bakery items. I have been a long time supermarket shopper and hope to continue for many years. I have found, however, that I must make a separate shopping trip to one of your competitors because there are many items your store does not carry. This becomes inconvenient for me, as my time is valuable, and I do not like to make two trips. Your low prices and excellent customer service keep me coming back to your supermarket, but I would be a more satisfied customer if I could find all the items I need in one place.
To tell the truth, I have never been able to purchase nacho cheese soup at your store. I can find other flavors of soup, but your store does not carry nacho cheese soup, a common ingredient in many of my recipes. In addition, I can only find large wonton wrappers , while many other stores carry both large and small and offer a more varied selection for their customers. Another example is Regent Brand Chili Seasoning. Though it is not a leading brand, it is still common on the shelves of other grocery stores in this area and is superior in flavor to its competitors.
I sincerely hope to continue a relationship with your store, and I hope that you will consider the possibility of expanding your goods to be more competitive.
Yours truly,
Bob Watson | middle2854.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to have a discussion with her about health problems"
},
"options": [
"to find out if she cared for children's health",
"to learn how to make health food",
"to get her to help the children with health problems",
"to have... | Several weeks ago, more than 70 American students discussed with American First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House about health problems.
The students asked lots of questions that day and Mrs Obama answered them one by one patiently. Then Mrs Obama explained the importance of making healthy choices . _
She told the students that she didn't always feel good about the choices her family was making. Some years ago, when she was working and living with her family in Chicago, Mrs Obama realized she had to make changes in her family's lifestyle.
"We were eating out too much, buying a lot of things, and drinking a lot of sugary drinks," she said. So Mrs Obama started talking to her kids about eating healthily and exercising more. Soon they were cooking more, eating fewer desserts, and spending less time watching TV. Mrs Obama realized that making little changes can have a big effect .
Mrs Obama said that young people should take care of their own health and their own futures. "Exercise isn't always about sports. It's just about moving," she said. | middle3592.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "talking to people"
},
"options": [
"talking to people",
"playing computer games",
"reading newspapers",
"watching TV"
],
"question": "Mr. Green doesn't like _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Mr. Green is quiet and doesn't like talking with people. He likes reading newspapers and playing computer games. He never exercises. Sometimes he watches soccer or basketball games on TV. He likes milk very much and drinks it three times a day.
Mrs. Green is a bank clerk .It's a busy but boring job. She works with people and money every day. So she is always tired after work. She likes to take a good rest and goes to bed early after dinner. Usually she goes to bed at 8:30 in the evening and gets up at 6:30 in the morning. Mr. Green is very happy with that. But Mrs. Green isn't, because Mr. Green always talks in her sleep.
One morning, Mr. Green sat at table and had breakfast. Mrs. Green asked him,"Why do you always talk in your sleep?"Mr. Green said,"Because I have few chances to talk in the daytime "
The next morning after their children all went to school, Mrs. Green asked Mr. Green angrily,"Why did you scold me in your sleep last night?""Because I'm afraid to do it when I'm awake ." | middle5685.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because his son always made him feel proud."
},
"options": [
"Because his son joined many team sports.",
"Because his son was a good student.",
"Because his son always made him feel proud.",
"Because his son loved him v... | As a father, I always do my best to help my son, Peter. I like to help him with his study. I encourage him to join team sports. I send him to the summer camp if he wants to go. I also teach him to be both a good student and a useful man.
He used to make me feel proud. I often thought he was the best son and I was the best father in the world.
However, things changed two years ago. It was Peter's 12th birthday. My wife and I bought him a computer as a present. We thought it was necessary for him to learn how to use a computer in the modern world. We knew that some children were addicted to computer games and that they didn't study or work at all. Someone said that computers and the Internet were bad for children, but I didn't worry about it. I trusted my son. I believed that he could control himself. Peter did very well at first. He played computer games, but for only two hours every week. Most of the time he studied or wrote articles on the computer. We felt very happy to see that.
When we finally learned that Peter was also addicted to computer games, it was too late. He didn't like studying at all. He no longer joined team sports. Sometimes we even couldn't find him at night. He spent several days and nights at the Internet cafe. We tried everything to help him, but nothing worked. What should we do? | middle177.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A shopping center."
},
"options": [
"A garden.",
"A shopping center.",
"A cinema.",
"A hospital."
],
"question": "Where did Jenny go today?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Dear Died,
Today I was at the shopping centre and I spent a lot of time reading the Father's Day cards. But as I chose add read, and chose add read again, it seemed that not a single card said what I really wanted to you.
You'll soon be 84 years old, Dad,and you and I will have had 56 Father's Days together. I didn't think that you were too old. But the sad thing happened last week. I watched as you turned at the corner in your car. I didn't realize at once that it was you because _ who was driving looked so elderly.
Fifty years ago this spring, we planted carrots together in a garden in Charles City, Iowa. This week, we'll plant carrots together again, perhaps for the last time but I hope not. I don't understand why planting carrots with you is so important to me. Well, I don't quite know how to tell you this, dad ... I don't like carrots.... but I like planting them with you.
I guess what am trying to say, Dad, is what every son and daughter wants to say to their dad today. Praising a father on Father's Day is about more than a dad who brings home, money or shares a dinner. It's more about a dad deeply loving children who know everything and won't listen to anyone. It's about sharing. It's about loving someone more than words can say, and I wish that it would never end.
Lover,
Jenny | middle7092.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Business"
},
"options": [
"Sports",
"News",
"Culture",
"Business"
],
"question": "In which part of a newspaper would you most probably read this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | 1The Dream It is everyone's dream to work at home or not work at all. You can plan your own hours and work when you want to. There is no more rush hour and no hours that people waste when they get to and from a job every day.
2The Fact The fact is that this dream can be _ . You can stay at home,work when you want to and make money when you need to. There are plenty of opportunities for you to make money at home,just by using your computer and the Internet.
3Start Today! Educate yourself, look closely into all the opportunities and decide on what works best for you. It will not happen during one night, but you can make the decision today and start to make it happen today.
4How Could You Do It? Do you have a blog or a personal website like millions of other people? Are you using it to make money? Most of these blogs and website owners are not. But you can do that!
5 _ When you have your computer and the Internet working for you, your businesses will be working for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will make money while you sleep, travel or do whatever you want to do all day long.
6Get Going! There are many ways you can make money with your computer. And you can begin your stay - at - home businesses with just a little money. What are you waiting for ? | middle7086.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In1954."
},
"options": [
"In1954.",
"In 1964.",
"In 1974.",
"It was not mentioned ."
],
"question": "When was the writer's father born?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | I have just invented a time machine. It can take people to the past or the future for five hours.
I got into my time machine and keyed the words, "1964,11 Niven Road, Singapore", then pressed the button . In a moment, I was in front of a house, 11 Niven Road. I thought that it would be fun to see what my father was like when he was 10 years old.
I saw four children looking for a lost dog. They were my father, my uncle Kelvin, my aunt Peek and aunt Janet. I introduced myself as an old friend and agreed to help them look for their dog, Blackie.
We wanted to climb a hill and looked into the houses below. When we reached the top, we heard a dog barking. "Blackie !" my father shouted. We looked down and saw Blackie in the house.
We knocked on the door of the house and asked the man to return Blackie to us. The man asked us to prove the black dog was Blackie. My father called out Blackie's name and the dog barked. The man had to give Blackie back to us.
We went back to 11 Niven Road and I said goodbye to them. My five hours were almost up. I ran to the machine and soon I was back in my time. What an adventure ! | middle5849.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "chocolates are bad for John's teeth"
},
"options": [
"John's teeth are bad",
"chocolates are good for her teeth",
"chocolates are bad for John's teeth",
"John likes cakes"
],
"question": "John's mother thinks _... | John likes chocolates very much, but his mother doesn't give him. They are bad for his teeth, she thinks. But John has a very nice grandfather. The old man loves his grandson very much. And sometimes he buys John some chocolates. Then his mother lets him eat them, because she wants to make the old man happy.
On Sunday evening, it is John's seventh birthday. He says, "Please, God , make them give me a big box of chocolates for my birthday,"His mother says, " God can't hear you. Don't shout ." " I know, "says the clever boy with a smile . " But my grandfather is in the next room, and he can!" | middle2698.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "creativity"
},
"options": [
"talent",
"gift",
"creativity",
"ability"
],
"question": "Everyone has _ according to the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | Are you a creative person? You may answer, 'No, but I really want to be.' In fact, everyone has creativity. Some realize it, but others don't.
Creative people never follow others blindly. They are good at watching and thinking. They have sharp eyes like a hunter. Moreover, creative people can get useful information from others' findings.
Besides, creative people should have _ like a camel. On their long way to success, they have to say goodbye to leisure ( ). They must overcome difficulties and persist without complaint.
Creative people are adventurers and explorers. They use their creativity to make miracles one after another.
Of course, you are creative boys and girls. You have unlimited creativity. Believe in yourselves. You can also create miracles. | middle3586.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "read and write"
},
"options": [
"read and write",
"sing and dance",
"draw and sing",
"play and learn"
],
"question": "The writer's grandmother taught him to _ when he was young.",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | I was quite close to my grandmother, Julia. We lived with her and then she lived with us. She was a very nice person, both kind and patient. She taught me to read and write when I was young and helped me to be interested in stories and poems.
In my mind, my grandmother was a great tailor. She made clothes or toys better than anything you can buy in a shop today. She always made clothes for family and friends.
My grandmother was also a hard worker both at home and at work. I can still remember the difficult time when we were very poor. At that time, my grandmother was already sixty years old but she worked in a hospital for a long time every day--not in the office but doing the cleaning outside and taking care of me at the same time while my mom was at work!
My brother and sisters also love her. We will never forget our grandmother. She is really important in our lives and is always there for all of us in one way or another. I am proud to be her grandson. | middle605.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "13."
},
"options": [
"9",
"4.",
"11.",
"13."
],
"question": "How many balls does Barry have?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "T... | Barry and Kim are twin brother and sister. But they like different sports. Barry likes soccer. He is in the school soccer club, and he plays soccer every day. He has 9 soccer balls in his bookcase. He also likes volleyball. He has 2 white volleyballs and 2 blue volleyballs. But Kim doesn't like soccer or volleyball. She likes tennis. Tennis is interesting. She is in the school tennis club and she plays tennis every day. She has 7 tennis balls and 2 tennis rackets in her room. She also likes baseballs. She has 5 baseballs: 2 green baseballs and 3 yellow baseballs.
,. | middle1391.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "religion"
},
"options": [
"his teacher",
"God",
"religion",
"himself"
],
"question": "Adam got the very first lesson from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | Our "Timeline of Education" shows highlights of learning and education (especially related to Western education), going back to the very first education:
In the beginning: Adam got the very first lesson, from God: break the law and you pay the price.
3000 B.C. :Priests teach religion, writing, sciences.
0 B.C./A.D.: Jesus teaches in Jerusalem.
105 A.D.: Paper is invented in China.
1150-1250 : "Modern" universities founded.
1620s: Slide rule is invented, math is made easier.
1918 : All U.S. states require free education
Early 1980s: Television in the classroom. The availability of cheap VCRs makes video learning common.
Late 1990s: The Internet changes everything. E-learning courses develop.
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-timeline/education-timeline.htm#3000BC | middle7938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To introduce how UK schools punish students with their discipline."
},
"options": [
"To list common bad behavior in UK schools.",
"To show how UK schools deal with students' parents.",
"To find out why more and more pupils br... | Does your school have any problems with discipline ? What happens when students _ ?
Here are some examples of bad behaviour:
* Playing truant (missing school without permission from parents).
* Stealing, smoking, hitting, swearing, running, kissing.
* Cheating on exams.
* Calling a teacher or another pupil a bad name.
* Not doing homework.
* Not listening or not paying attention in lessons.
* Wearing unsuitable clothes.
Here are some of the ways that UK school children can be punished:
* Exclusion : a pupil is asked to leave the school and not come back. The pupil has to find a new school or a different method of education.
* Suspension : a pupil cannot enter the building or attend lessons until the school has a meeting about their situation. Suspension can last from one to 45 days. The pupil is usually given work to do at home with a special teacher.
* Detention : a pupil is asked to stay after school and work for 30-60 minutes before they can leave.
* Lines: a pupil has to write a sentence many times (e.g. 100 or more) on a sheet of paper, e.g. "I must not shout in class."
Freya MacDonald, a 15-year-old pupil from Scotland, _ when she refused to accept her school's punishment. Her family says that she was given 11 detentions for trivial things such as having fizzy drinks in class and coming into school through a fire door.
Freya says that repeated detentions ruined her right to an education under Scottish law and made it difficult for her to learn. So she refused to return until the school respected her civil rights. She wants the headmaster and her teachers to sign a letter to promise this. Hundreds of schools in Scotland were told not to use detention as a punishment because of her legal action.
Many UK schools now give parents a home&school contract(,), explaining their discipline and rules. Parents must sign this document to agree that they accept the school's rules and discipline and that they are responsible for their child's behaviour. | middle2868.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Staying at home."
},
"options": [
"Sitting outside.",
"Cutting off the electricity.",
"Staying at home.",
"Starting fires."
],
"question": "What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?",
... | A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale , the strongest for five years.
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day. | middle7910.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Yes, it does."
},
"options": [
"Yes, it does.",
"No, it doesn't.",
"Yes, it doesn't.",
"No, it does."
],
"question": "Does the fresh water come from rivers, lakes and underground?",
"question_type": "factiod... | The world is not only hungry, it will also be thirsty for water. About 97% of water on the earth is sea water, or salty water. Man can only drink or use the other 3% of the fresh water which comes from rivers, lakes and underground.
The sea is very big. Look at the map of the world, there is more sea than land. It covers quarters of the earth, it looks very beautiful when the sun is shinning on it. But it can be terrible when there is a strong wind. Some parts of the sea are very deep. There is one place near Japan. It's nearly 11 kilometers high. If we put that mountain into the sea at that place, there would be 2 kilometers of water above it!
The sea is salty. There is one "sea" called the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is not a sea. It's a big lake in the Jordan Valley. It's the saltiest. It's near the city of Jericho. It's about 80.kilometres long, between 4.8 and 17.7 kilometers wide. The river Jordan runs into the Dead Sea. The sun is not there and the water is salty. Fish can't live in the Dead Sea and plants can't grow near it. People can't swim well in the Dead Sea, but they can float on the water. The water is very blue and the air is clean. In winter, people come to the Dead Sea to enjoy the sunshine. | middle5875.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "we don't have enough fresh water"
},
"options": [
"we don't have enough fresh water",
"a lot of water goes into sewer systems",
"only 70% of the earth's surface is water",
"sea water is widely used rather than fresh wat... | The world is not only hungry but also thirsty for water. This may seem strange to you, since nearly 70% of the earth's surface is covered with water. But about 97% of that is sea water or salt water. Man can only drink and use the other 3% of fresh water from rivers, lakes, underground and so on. And we can not even use all of that because some of it has been made dirty.
Earth Day is April 22. But on all other days, we must also remember how important water is. The water that we use is the most important natural resource on the earth. Today we face serious water problems. One of them is water pollution. All kinds of things from cars, factories, farms and homes make our rivers, lakes and oceans dirty. Polluted water is very bad for people to drink. And dirty water is bad for fish, too.
How do cars and factories make our water dirty? First they pollute the air. Then when it rains, the rain water makes our drinking water dirty. Dirty rain, called acid rain is also bad for plants, animals and buildings. Scientists say that in 30 years, more than half of the people in the world won't have enough clean water. We have to learn how to stop wasting water. One of the first steps is to develop ways of reusing it. Today in most large cities, water is used only once and then sent out into a sewer system . From there it returns to the sea or goes underground.
But even though every large city reused its water, we would still not have enough. So we should make use of sea water by removing the salt in it. If we can take these steps, fresh water won't be used up. | middle7904.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "post office"
},
"options": [
"library",
"bank",
"post office",
"supermarket"
],
"question": "Mrs Black's son works in a _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Mrs. Black wants to visit her son. Her son works in a post office in the city ,but she doesn't know where it is , She begins to look for it , but she can't find it. She asks an old man, "Excuse me , how can I get to the post office?"
"We have about forty post offices in the city," says the old man. "Which one do you want to go to ?" She gives her son's letter to him and the old man says , Walk along this street to the first crossroads and then turn left. You will see it on your left," She thanks the old man and soon finds her son . They are very happy. | middle639.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the Amazon"
},
"options": [
"the Amazon",
"the Nile",
"the Mekong",
"the Mississippi"
],
"question": "The greatest river for navigation is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Rivers are one of our most important natural resources . Many of the world's great cities are located on rivers, and almost every country has at least one river running through it that plays an important role in the lives of its people.
Since the beginning of the history, people have used rivers for transportation . The longest one in the United States is the Mississippi. The lifeline of Egypt is the Nile. To the people of India, the Gangs is great, but it is also important for transportation; Ships can travel along it for a thousand miles. Other great rivers are the Congo in Africa and the Mekong in southeast Asia. The greatest of all for navigation , however, is the Amazon in Brazil. It is so wide and so deep that large ships can go about two thousand miles upon it.
Besides transportation, rivers give food, water to drink, water for crops , and chances for fun and entertainment for the people who live along their banks. In order to increase the supply of crops, engineers sometimes build a dam across a river and let a lake from behind the dam. Then people can use the water not only to irrigate their fields but also to make electricity for their homes and industries.
However, large cities and industries that are located upon rivers often make problems. As the cities grow in size and industries increase in number, the water in the rivers becomes polluted with chemicals and other materials. People are learning the importance, however, of doing more to keep their rivers clean if they want to enjoy the benefits of this natural resource. | middle3035.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "difficult"
},
"options": [
"fun",
"boring",
"easy",
"difficult"
],
"question": "For the students in the small village, it is _ to get to school.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | How do you go to school? Do you take a bus or ride a bike? For many students, it is easy to get to school. But for some children in one small village in Hunan, it is very difficult. There is no road between the village and the school. The children have to climb down ladders to get to school.
Yu Xinxin is an 8-year-old girl. She climbs the ladders every day. "My parents are good at it and _ tell me how to do it, and now I don't think too much about how _ it is," she says.
It is hard for the villagers to get in and out of the village, too. Their dream is to have a road.
. | middle4982.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The strange appearance of the teen."
},
"options": [
"The skateboard under the teen's arm.",
"The terrible taste of the chocolate cake.",
"The strange appearance of the teen.",
"The rude action of the teen."
],
... | My 6-year-old granddaughter Caitlin and I stopped at a shop for a chocolate cake. As we were going out of the door, a young teenage boy was coming in. The boy had no hair on the sides of his head and some blue hair on top. He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other.
Caitlin, who was walking in front of me, stopped when she saw the teen. I thought she'd be scared of him. I was WRONG. She backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go. I walked to the other side and let the boy pass. He said: "Thank you very much."
On our way to the car, I talked with Caitlin about holding open the door for the boy. I wanted to make sure whether she was troubled by his appearance. But the only thing Caitlin noticed about the teen was the fact that his arms were full. "He would have had a hard time to open the door."
I saw the shaved head and the blue hair. She saw a person carrying something under each arm and walking toward a closed door.
In the future, I hope to get on her level and raise my sights. | middle5444.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "teacher"
},
"options": [
"farmer",
"teacher",
"worker",
"lawyer"
],
"question": "Dolores became a _ after she left college.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | Dolores Huerta has worked hard most of her life to help other people. She has helped change things so that farm workers can have a better life.
Dolores grew up in California. She was a good student and liked school. After she finished high school, she went to college and studied to be a teacher. After she became a teacher, Dolores noticed that many of her students were not getting enough food to eat. Some of them wore very old clothes. Dolores wondered how she could help them.
Dolores decided to stop teaching so that she could spend more time helping the farm workers and their families. One thing she wanted to do was to get more pay for farm workers so they could buy their children the things they needed.
Dolores knew that many farm workers moved often from one place to another to help pick different kinds of fruits and vegetables. She began talking and writing about these workers. Even people who lived far from California read what Dolores wrote.
Getting higher pay for the farm workers was not easy. Dolores worked hard to make sure that farm workers got good pay for their work. She knew that nothing would change unless people made new laws to help the workers. Through all her hard work, new laws were made that gave farm workers good pay.
Dolores Huerta has worked for more than 30 years in many different ways to make life better for working people. She has shown how much one person can change things. | middle1622.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "when she was a child"
},
"options": [
"after Mother died",
"when she was a child",
"before she became a writer",
"when mother gave it to her"
],
"question": "The writer began to love her mother's desk _ .",
... | I've loved my mother's desk since I was just tall enough to sit above the top of it when mother sat writing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens, and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. "But the desk," she said again " is for Elizabeth."[:Zxxk.Com]
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it action. But as a young girl. I wanted to have heart-to heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a _ opened between us. I was " too emotional ". But she lived "on the surface".
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace-it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn't be sure that the letter had even got to mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
But the present of her desk told me, as she'd never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside-a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded and refolded many times. It was my letter. " In any way you choose, mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words" | middle7535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "5"
},
"options": [
"3",
"4",
"5",
"6"
],
"question": "There were _ planes in Flight 19.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a hundre... | In 1945,six planes and 17 men disappeared without a sign,all in one day.This was Flight 19.Flight 19's captain was Lieutenant Charles Taylor.Flight 19 was a usual flight.It took off at about 2:10 p.m.from Miami.The weather was very normal on that December 5th of 1945.It was never spoken directly to after its going down.A message was received at 4:00 p.m.that told about _ Taylor not knowing the way to go because his compass was running around and around.
After that,it was never heard from again.While searching for it,a search plane was also lost.The search for the both continued until December 10th of that same year.None of the things from Flight 19's planes,or from the search plane,was ever found.It is one of the most infamous disappearances.Searching for Flight 19 lasted five days,and covered 380,000 square miles.Dr.Kripke suggests a vortex may have been involved in the disappearance of Flight 19. | middle5322.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "taking a walk in the country"
},
"options": [
"stopping a man walking",
"talking in town",
"taking a walk in the country",
"watching a man walking"
],
"question": "One day Aesop was _ .",
"question_type":... | Once upon a time in Greece there lived a clever man. His name was Aesop.
One day, when Aesop was taking a walk in the country, a man on the road stopped him. He said, "Kind sir, can you tell me how soon I can get to town?" "Go," Aesop answered.
"Of course I know I must go," said the man," But I want to know how soon I can get to town." "Go," Aesop shouted to him again.
The man got angry. "He must be mad," he thought. And he walked away. Suddenly he heard Aesop shouting to him, "You will get to town in two hours."The man was in great surprise. He turned back and asked, "Why didn't you tell me that before?"
"How could I tell you that before?" answered Aesop. "I didn't know how fast you could walk." | middle5336.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because he was sick."
},
"options": [
"Because he was too excited that day.",
"Because his roommates were watching football games on TV.",
"Because one of his roommates was sick and groaning.",
"Because he was sick."
... | I was sleeping soundly last night when I was awakened by someone's groans .I listened , and heard it was from Sam,a student from Africa. I really wanted to go on sleeping, as I had insomnia and had just fallen asleep, but I couldn't because Sam groaned louder and louder,showing he was seriously ill.
At that time , Robbie,a student from China , also got up to help. We found some pills,got some water , and helped him sit up to take them, hoping this would make his pain go down a little and get over the difficult time. If only daytime would come soon, everything would become easier.
Things went contrary)to our wishes. Sam's condition developed from bad to worse. We telephoned the emergency service , and in no time an ambulance stopped in front of our gate. We helped the medical workers carry Sam to the vehicle,and then both Robbie and I got in and took Sam to the hospital.
We helped him go through many medical examinations. After all kinds of tests,we were told that the final diagnosis was appendicitis . Luckily , Sam didn't need an operation because we brought him to the hospital in time. He got timely treatment.
After Sam felt much better , we rushed back to prepare ourselves for the class. We were a little tired , but we had certainly done something good,something right. | middle2459.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a film"
},
"options": [
"a TV play",
"a film",
"a club",
"a book"
],
"question": "Young Voices for the Planet made by Lynne is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | Earth Day is on April 22nd. People say thanks to the Earth and learn ways to keep the Earth safe and clean. But saving the Earth is not just for grow-ups. Kids are also taking an active part in it.
The American writer and filmmaker Lynne made a film called Young Voices for the Planet. It lists a lot of stories about different kids who help to keep our environment clean.
Team Marine, US A group of students at Santa Monica High School started an organization called Team Marine. They tell people why plastic bags are bad for sea animals and environment. In 2011, they successfully made lawmakers in their city stop people using plastic bags.
Felix, 15 Germany In 2007, a 9-year-old boy, Felix, started a club. Plant for the Planet . It encourages children around the world to plant trees in their own countries. Felix helped plant 25 million trees in Germany and 120 million trees worldwide.
Alec, 17, us When he was 12, Alec set up Kids VS Global Warming. It teaches kids about weather change and ways to stop the world getting warmer and warmer. Alec travels widely to encourage people to help stop global warming. He has given more than 70 talks across the country.
Olivia, 13, US When Olivia was 11, she heard about the 2010 oil spill in gulf of Mexico. She painted 500 pictures of birds to raise money for the clean-up. She raised more than $200,000 to protect birds and other wild animals. | middle3747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Eight."
},
"options": [
"Six.",
"Seven.",
"Eight.",
"Nine."
],
"question": "How many names of fast food restaurants can you find from the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | When we say the way of life. it means culture. It is the way people do things, for example, culture of eating. Festivals and holidays are also part of culture. Let's have a look at the American way of life.
Fast food
Fast food is so popular in America. Every street in America has a fast food restaurant. You can find McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut, Dominoes, 1Hop, Dennys and so on. McDonald's is the most popular place to go to.
Greetings
Americans shake hands with each other when they are first introduced or when they meet again. Social kissing with a hug is also common between men and women who know each other well and among women. American men hardly hug or kiss each other.
Family
A family here _ a pet. Most families have a dog. It is a good friend in the house and it is part of the family. For some, it is even considered as one of their children.
Sports
Americans love sports. Soccer, baseball and basketball are the most famous sports here. Most of them like wrestling too, if you would consider that a sport. | middle4028.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "England"
},
"options": [
"Canada",
"America",
"England",
"Australia"
],
"question": "Where are Sam and Sue from?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Mr. and Mrs. Smith come from London, England. They work in China now. They teach English in a middle school. They like their work very much. They have two children, Sam and Sue. They are both in Shanghai with their parents. Mr. Smith can't speak Chinese, but his wife can speak it very well.
Mr. Smith likes swimming and reading, and Mrs. Smith likes swimming and reading, too. They often go swimming in the afternoon and read in the evening. Sam and Sue like playing games with Chinese boys and girls.
Sam's uncle works on a farm near London. He likes swimming, too. He wants to work in Shanghai, but he can' t speak Chinese. So he is still there and goes to Chinese classes every day. | middle7521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "more than three"
},
"options": [
"one",
"five",
"three",
"more than three"
],
"question": "I have learned English for _ years.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_... | It's over three years since I began to learn English. I'm glad that I am getting on well with it.
I find English quite difficult, but very interesting. When I first started, I thought I had only to remember the new words and learn some grammar I knew little about English idioms .I thought each English word had the same meaning in Chinese. When I learn to say"I see a book on the desk," I thought the English word "see " was just like the Chinese word " kan ",So one day when my teacher asked me," what are you doing?", I answered, "I'm seeing a book." "That's wrong ." the teacher said, "you don't see a book, You read a book. You can't use English word like a Chinese one.. Be sure not to make the same mistake again."
After that I began to pay more attention to the differences between Chinese and English. For example, in English we say a" high mountain", but a" tall man. " In Chinese we use the same word "gao " for both.. Again in English we say" take part in the sports meeting ", " attend the meeting " and" join the army," while in Chinese we can use "can jia " for all three. Interesting ,isn't?
So to study English doesn't only mean hard wok, it can be great fun, too! We not only have to pay attention to pronunciation, grammar spelling and handwriting, we also have to understand English idioms. We can learn English well only in the way!
But all this is only a beginning and I still have a long way to go. I'll try my best and work even harder than before. I must speak and listen to English more both in and out of class. I must learn English well so that I can work well when I grow up. | middle1150.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "8: 50"
},
"options": [
"8: 00",
"8: 30",
"8: 50",
"9: 10"
],
"question": "Alan's class starts at _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_tex... | Hi, my name's Alan. I'm fourteen years old. I go to Canyon Middle School in America. I go to school on weekdays, but not on Saturday or Sunday. I usually have breakfast at eight o'clock. I enjoy some bread and milk for breakfast. My class starts at ten to nine. My friend Lisa sits in front of me, and my friend Peter sits next to me. We have three lessons in the morning, and we usually have English, maths in the morning. In the afternoon, we usually have a PE lesson and we often play basketball. That's my favourite. I don't like history or geography because they are difficult. After school, I usually go back home at once. In the evening, I enjoy watching TV. | middle6159.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "curly"
},
"options": [
"red",
"black",
"straight",
"curly"
],
"question": "Sally's hair is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "B... | I am a middle school student. I like fashionable clothes. I like wearing a scarf . I like red shirts and I have curly hair. They all look cool. My parents and teachers sometimes ask me not to do so, but I don't mind. These are my own( )things. Don't you think so?
---------Sally
My uncle is 40 years old He works for a magazine . He writes articles for children. He visits many places and talks with many children. He thinks children should not watch TV too much and some TV shows are not good for them.
--------Barry
I study in a middle school. I have many rules at school. I can't be late for school,l have to wear a school uniform at school. I can't eat or sing in the classroom. Miss Yang,our English teacher,is very strict with us.
---------- Mona
,. | middle1636.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "look after children for a family"
},
"options": [
"teach part-time lessons",
"look after children for a family",
"help children with their schoolwork",
"look after children at a kindergarten"
],
"question": "The... | I really love this job because I enjoy working with small children. I also think my work is very important. But there was a time when I thought I would never have a job like this.
I wasn't the best student because I didn't do much schoolwork. Just before I left school, I started thinking what I might do and found that there's not much I could do. I thought I wasn't that kind of person to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls for a family. It wasn't difficult at first. But problems began when I agreed to live in, so that my boss could go out to work in the evenings. I got very tired because I had too many late nights and early mornings with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Mary who used to go to school with me. I told her about my job. She said that I should get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. And it would help me learn more skills to look after children better without feeling too tired. _ . I decided to take part-time lessons. In that way, I had to leave the family. But all the lessons I took helped me look after children better and helped me get a job at a kindergarten .
Now I have a job as a professional teacher at a kindergarten. I should be thankful to Mary. I would never have a career if it wasn't for her. | middle7247.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "1887"
},
"options": [
"2014",
"1973",
"1887",
"1900"
],
"question": "Sherlock was created in _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text... | The world's greatest detective, Sherlock Holmes, is back on our screens.
The new BBC TV series of Sherlock was broadcast in the UK on Jan 1. But the history of Sherlock dates back 127 years.
Since the creation of Holmes in 1887, he has been taking us on adventures one after another.
The Sherlock series is a playful drama, covered in crimes and mystery. It gives us a modern Sherlock for a new generation, who solves cases with the help of the Internet, cell phones and GPS.
People look to Sherlock for both adventure and inspiration . Each case sends us on a mysterious journey with Holmes. The stories give life and color to our imagination: as he checks the crime scene, we join him and become detectives too, looking out for hidden clues.
Yet Holmes is no Superman. He cannot fly, or turn invisible . But his powers are within all of us: reason, logical thinking and paying attention to detail. While an artist's painting is his art, Sherlock's art is his intelligence . He is human, and this is what makes Holmes a true hero for all of us.
In the new series of Sherlock, most people thought Holmes was dead. But he returns after two years of hiding in the shadows. Now the whole city of London is in danger. What can Holmes possibly do? Uncover the mystery yourself by watching the new series! | middle8174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He had some extra work to do."
},
"options": [
"He had to read a magazine.",
"He had some extra work to do.",
"He had to learn something about a map.",
"He had to stay at his office for extra work."
],
"question... | There was a man who had a little son. He loved him very much. Every day after work the man would come home and play with the little boy.
When the man came home from work one night, he found that he had some extra work to do. And he wasn't able to play with his little son. He wanted to give the boy something to keep him busy. So, looking around his study, he saw a magazine with a large map of the world on the cover. He got an idea. He patiently tore the map up into pieces. Then he led his son into the dining room and spread the pieces on the table. He explained to the boy that it was a map of the world. He told the boy to put it back together and they could play together when he finished. Surely this could keep the child busy for hours, he thought.
After about thirty minutes, the boy came to the man and said, "Okay, it's finished, Dad. Can we play now?"
The man was surprised, saying, "That's amazing! How did you do that?" The boy said, "It was easy. On the back of the page was a picture of a man. When I put the man together, the whole world appeared completely." | middle3021.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "drawing"
},
"options": [
"buying",
"selling",
"drawing",
"teaching how to draw"
],
"question": "Dick's grandmother likes _ pictures.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Dick's grandmother is very rich . She has many shops. The old woman begins to learn drawing when she is sixty years old. And she loves it very much. She draws a lot of pictures for twelve years.
One day, the old woman is ill. She stays in hospital. Before she dies, she says to Dick," I want to give my picture to a school. Then the students will remember me forever . But I don't know which school I'll give them to. Can you help me?"
"Well" says Dick," You can give them to a blind school!" | middle4996.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "not the real Olympic Games"
},
"options": [
"a festival",
"not the real Olympic Games",
"from Thanksgiving to Super Bowl Sunday",
"a game for kids exercising"
],
"question": "\"Olympics for Eating\" is _ .",
... | If there is an "Olympics for Eating", the days from Halloween in October to Super Bowl Sunday in January are it. Kids always get at least 7 pounds heavier over these holidays.
Well, what do we have in the "Olympic for eating"? The first activity is the Halloween Candy. You can try any way to collect candies.
Next is the Thanksgiving food. You have dinner around a turkey with family and friends on Thanksgiving Day. Eat the delicious food as much as you can. About one month later there is Christmas and then the New Year's celebration. Go on eating delicious porridge and peas. You are so lucky to have so many holidays and get so close to each other. At last, the game ends with Super Bowl Sunday. On this day, you don't have dinner. You have mountains of snacks!
Who wins the game? Those who don't get heavier! Start practising now! You must be more careful about what you can eat! | middle6171.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they are interested in it"
},
"options": [
"they are interested in it",
"they can learn better in this way",
"they always get real friends in this way",
"their parents worry about them"
],
"question": "Many stud... | These days many students like to make friends online. Most of them think it's interesting to know an unknown person through the Internet. So, many students like to use computers to talk with those friends. And they spend too much time on it. Some of them can not do well in their school work. Their parents often don't think the children are as good as before. So many teachers and parents are worried about their children.
In fact, only very few of them can get real good friends in this way. Most of them were _ by those unseen friends. And some of the students did wrong things online. It's terrible for students to use too much time to make friends and talk online.
So we should be careful of making friends online and should not spend too much time on it. We'd better pay more attention to study. We will be really happy when we do well in school and at home. | middle4766.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "three"
},
"options": [
"two",
"three",
"four",
"five"
],
"question": "There are _ different learning types according to the passage.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | Why are you study habits different from those of your friends? Why do you seem to learn faster in some classes while more slowly in others? One reason you may not know is that people have different types. Scientists say there are three different learning types: Visual ,Auditory ,and Kinesthetic .
Visual learners learn best by seeing. If you seem to easily remember information from pictures, graphs ,and videos, you are probably a visual learner. You're not good at copying down what the teacher says in class. Never mind. You can draw graphs or pictures instead, if you find that works better for you.
Auditory learners learn best by hearing. If you seem to easily remember things by hearing them, then you are probably an auditory learner. You must listen carefully while the teacher is speaking because it's the easiest way for you to learn . Sometimes you may find that taking notes tops you from listening carefully. After class, you can write down what you remember or borrow your friend's notes to copy.
Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. If you seem to learn best by working with your hands, you are probably a kinesthetic learner. Taking notes by writing can make you pay close attention to information as you receive it. Of course, you can learn best by making full use of labs or other class activities.
Hope you learn better by knowing what your personal learning type is. | middle3009.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "10"
},
"options": [
"5",
"10",
"15",
"20"
],
"question": "According to the survey,in a middle school if a class has 40 students, about _ smoke.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | Students Begin to Smoke at a Younger Age
SHANGHAI---- Almost one in four students aged between 12 and 14 have tried smoking, according to the results of a survey from the CATC .
" Quite a number of boy students in my class smoke outside the school yard during lunch break," said Li Xiaolan, an English teacher from a high school in Shanghai.
The survey also found that 39 percent of students took their first cigarette from their classmates.
" It was quite common to smoke with my classmates at school,"said Zhou Guangrong,a 22- year-old university student from Guiyang, Guizhou province,who started smoking at the age of 12.
Most of the student smokers buy cigarettes themselves." My middle and high schools were surrounded by cigarette shops when I was a student," said Liu Minghui who used to smoke two cigarettes per day in primary school and two packs per week in middle and high school.
" We're keen to show that more teenagers are starting smoking much younger than before,and that we need to minimize the number of young smokers," said Duan Jiali, an officer in CATC. He added that teachers and parents should set a good example for teenagers by not smoking in front of them at school or at home, which is the best way of stopping teenagers from smoking. | middle2317.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "in England"
},
"options": [
"in England",
"in America",
"in a bank",
"in a police station"
],
"question": "The story happened _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | The big red American car was much too wide for an English country road. When Jack saw it running towards him, he stopped his own car at the side of the road to make room for it to pass. The American car went slowly past, so close that he could see the driver's face clearly.
"Where have I seen that face before?" he though. "Wait a minute! I remember now. It was in the newspaper!" He took all the newspapers from his bag and turned quickly to the middle page. There was a picture of the face in it. Yes, it had a large mouth and small eyes, and his eyes were behind dark glasses.
"Wanted by the police," read by Jack. "The city Bank will give a lot of money to anyone who helps the police to catch this man."
"Call the police at once," he said to himself. But a few minutes later, he was sad. "This man was caught this morning," answered the police. | middle5478.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "something is burning"
},
"options": [
"you have to get up",
"water is running to the floor",
"something is burning",
"someone breaks your window"
],
"question": "When a smoke alarm rings at home, it means _ .... | We all know the dangers of fires. It's good and necessary for a family to learn how to prepare for a fire. Here are some suggestions.
Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off. The alarm makes a loud sound. The sound tells everyone to leave the house at once.
Make escape plans. We should know all the ways out of the house. If there is a fire, everyone follows the plan to get out. Part of the plan is to check all the windows to make sure they can be opened easily.
Buy fire extinguishers in the house. Everyone in the family should know how to use them.
Practise for a fire. We do fire practice because we teach children about fire safety. Everyone in the family should know the following fire rules:
Don't open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.
Stay close to the floor! Smoke can be more dangerous than fire. The best air is near the floor because smoke rises.
What will you do if your hair or clothes start to burn? First, stop! Don't run! The fire burns faster because of more air. Drop! Fall to the floor. Then roll! Turning over and over will make the fire go out. Put a blanket around you to keep air away from the fire that may still be on you.
There are many possible causes for fires. A wise family is ready all the time. If there is a fire, don't forget to call 119 for help.
,. | middle2471.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "workmates"
},
"options": [
"friends",
"workmates",
"classmates",
"brothers"
],
"question": "John and Bobby were _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,... | Difference
John and Bobby joined a company at the same time . They both worked very hard . After several years , Bobby became the manager , but John thought it was unfair , so he gave his resignation to the boss .
When the boss found out the reason why John wanted to leave , he said , "I hope you will do one more thing for our company before you leave . "
John agreed . The boss asked him to find out if anyone was selling watermelons at the market . John went and soon returned . He said he had found a man selling watermelons . The boss asked him how much they were . John shook his head and went back to the market . When he returned , he told the boss they were $ 1.2 per kg .
Then the boss asked Bobby to find a watermelon seller at the market . Bobby went , returned and said , "Only one person is selling watermelons . $ 1.2 per kg , 340 melons in all , and each melon weighs about 2 kg . They are fresh . "
John realized the difference between himself and Bobby . He decided not to leave but to learn from Bobby. | middle7509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Grade Two."
},
"options": [
"Grade One.",
"Grade Two.",
"Grade Three.",
"Grade Four."
],
"question": "What grade is Cindy in?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_ind... | It is April 10. It is Tuesday. Cindy gets up at 6:30 in the morning. She is in her blue skirt. She really likes that skirt. Then she goes into the kitchen. She loves eggs and apples in the morning.
Cindy's mother is a teacher at her school. Cindy is in the second grade , and her mother teaches the fourth grade. Cindy is excited about going to school today because her class has a test . Cindy loves school and she likes to get good grades . Cindy eats her breakfast and then she and her mother go to school. Cindy goes to her classroom and her history teacher, Ms. Brown is there. It is fun to be in Ms. Brown's class. She is a great teacher. Now Cindy's classmates are all in the classroom, and they start the test. Cindy remembers everything, so she can do everything right. After the test, Cindy and her classmates play for a long time. Then they eat lunch. After lunch, they watch a funny movie . Then they draw pictures. It is really a great day! | middle1178.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "American"
},
"options": [
"English",
"Chinese",
"American",
"Japanese"
],
"question": "Christina is a (an) _ girl.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Christina is an American girl. She is a good student. Every morning she gets up at 6:00. She has her breakfast at home. Then she wears her uniform and goes to school. She studies hard every day. She eats in the dining room when she is in school. After school, she does her homework first, then she cleans the room and helps her mother with the dinner. Before she goes to bed, she usually reads some books. Then at 10:00 p. m. she goes to bed. She thinks she is happy every day. What do you think of her? | middle6617.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hit them on the bottom"
},
"options": [
"hit them on the bottom",
"try to help them do the right thing",
"teach them what to do",
"take them to count"
],
"question": "According to the passage, when children do s... | Sometimes children do not do what their parents tell them to do. When this happens, a parent tries to help the child to do the right thing. When this does not work, the parent usually punishes the child.
There are many things that a parent can do. One thing that people have done is to spank the child. When a parent spanks a child, they will use their hand or a hard object to hit them on their bottom. This is meant to show the child that they have done something wrong.
One parent remembers being spanked when he was a child. His parents used a stick. When he spanked his own children with his hand, he saw that he put a red mark on his child's leg. He never did that again.
One problem with spanking is that it teaches the child to hit someone when they do not like what the other person is doing. Another problem with spanking is that the parent is usually angry and can hit the child too hard. Sometimes parents will use spanking for everything and not try other ways to get the child to do the right thing.
Many parents are not sure of what to do instead of spanking. Some people think that their religion tells them that spanking is okay. Some think that the law lets them do it. The courts say that parents have the right to teach their children how to do things right.
Other things should be tried before a parent decides to spank a child. Telling the child clearly what is wanted from them can be one thing. Giving a child more than one choice is another thing that can be tried. Getting down to the child's level and trying a more child- friendly way can help as well. | middle6603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "that he had to stop for a rest"
},
"options": [
"that he wanted some food",
"that he wanted to sell his caps in the forest",
"that he had to stop for a rest",
"that he wanted to return home"
],
"question": "The ... | Long ago there was a man with the name Smith. He made a living by making caps. One day he went to sell his caps. He went through a forest. There were many monkeys in it. It was very hot. The man is very tired and wanted to have a rest. He came up to a large tree, put his caps on the ground, took one of them and put it on his head. Then he lay down and soon fell asleep.
"Where are my caps?" Smith cried when he woke up.He looked up and saw many monkeys in the tree and each monkey had a cap on its head.
"Give me back my caps!" the man shouted at the monkeys.But the monkeys didn't understand him.They only laughed.The man got angry,took off his own cap,threw it on the ground and cried,"If you want all my caps,you may take this one,too!"
And what do you think happened?The little animals did the same. Each monkey took off its cap and threw it on the ground. The man was very glad. He quickly collected all his caps and went on his way. | middle2465.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "nap and dream"
},
"options": [
"dream",
"nap",
"nap and dream",
"nap without dream"
],
"question": "Scientists say _ could help improve your memory.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | Napping after learning something new could help improve your memory...as long as you dream, scientists say.
They found people who dream about a new task do it better on waking than those who do not sleep or do not dream.
Volunteers were asked to learn the layout of a 3D computer maze so they could find their way several hours later. Those allowed to take a nap and who also remembered dreaming of the task, found their way to a landmark quicker.
The researchers think the dreams are a sign that unconscious parts of the brain are working hard to process information about the task.
Dr. Robert Stickgold of Harvard Medical School, said dreams may be a marker that the brain is working on the same problem at many levels.
Study tips
Co-author Dr. Erin Wamsley said the study suggests our non-conscious brain works on the things that it deem are the most important.
"Every day we are gathering lots of information and new experiences," she said. "It would seem that our dreams are asking the question, "How do I use this information to inform my life?"
The scientists say there may be ways to use this phenomenon for improving learning and memory. For example, students might be better studying hard before bedtime, or taking a nap after a period of afternoon study. | middle4014.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he didn't want to be in other people's way."
},
"options": [
"Because he was in a hurry.",
"Because he didn't want to be in other people's way.",
"Because the escalator was very crowded.",
"Because he was as hea... | I was on the escalator in a market. There was an old man who was about five or six people in the front of me. People behind him were all in a hurry and saw him as a rock. The old man knew these clearly and tried hard to step aside.
I remember...Sometimes when walking or driving behind an older person, I've gotten impatient and upset.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive me!" said the old man, "I don't mean to hold you up." He then tried his best to get off the escalator.
I suddenly saw this in a whole new light. I felt sick to my stomach. The old man was apologizing to everyone, when we should have helped him to calm his fears.
One by one, people went around him quickly. By the time I got to him, I asked, "Sir, can I help you?"
The man thought for a while, then said, "Well, yes, thank you!"
I placed my hand under his left arm and walked away from the rush of people quickly.
"So what are you shopping for, sir?"
"Oh, today is Mother's Day. I want to buy something for my neighbor. She's a single mother and she is always so nice to me." he said, stopping suddenly as he searched his pocket.
"Oh, it's here! I always carry them with me," he said. Then he took out some business cards and handed me one which read:
"John Smith.
Friend to all...enemy to no one!
I said a prayer today and you were the answer.
Thank you!"
"That's for you," he said. "Thanks for stopping to help an old man."
"My friend, you helped me. I discovered why I was unhappy with the world. Now I know how to solve the problem. No more with me!" | middle4772.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In a store."
},
"options": [
"At school.",
"In the classroom.",
"In a store.",
"At a party."
],
"question": "Where does Rick work?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
}
] | Rick is a good man. He makes birthday cakes in a store. His cakes are great and have very good prices, so many people buy his cakes. He makes friends with lots of his customers . They all like him very much. One evening, he wants to go home, but many of his old customers come in. Rick smiles to them, "I am sorry. It is late today. If you need cakes, please come tomorrow." One of them takes out a nice cake and says to him, "You make so many great cakes for us. This birthday cake is for you. Happy birthday, Rick." | middle2303.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "stay where you are and give signals three times"
},
"options": [
"stay where you are and give signals three times",
"walk around the forest and shout so that your friends could hear you",
"try to find your friends as soon as ... | If you get into the forest with your friends, stay with them always. If you don't, you may get lost. If you really get lost, this is what you should do. Sit down and stay where you are. Don't try to find your friends--let them find you by staying in one place.
There is another way to help your friends or other nearby people to find you. Give them a signal by shouting or whistling three times. Any signal given three times is a call for help. Keep up shouting or whistling always three times together. When people hear you, they will know that you are not just making noise for fun. They will let you know that they have heard your signal. They give you two shouts, two whistles, or two gunshots . When someone gives you a signal, it is an answer to a call for help.
If you don't think that you will get help before night comes, try to make a little house--cover up the holes with branches with lots of leaves. Make yourself a soft bed with leaves and grass.
What should you do if you get hungry or need drinking water? You would have to leave your little house to look for a river. Don't just walk away. Pick off small branches and drop them as you walk so that you can find your way back. The most important thing to do when you are lost is to stay in one place. | middle6165.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Fine"
},
"options": [
"How are you?",
"Hello",
"I don't know",
"Fine"
],
"question": "When a person in America asks \"How are you?\" he or she wants to hear \" _ \".",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | "How are you?" is a nice question. It's a friendly way that people in the USA greet each other. But "How are you" is also a very unusual question. It's a question that often doesn't need an answer. The person who asks "How are you?" hopes to hear the answer " Fine", even if the person's friend isn't fine. The reason is that "How are you?" isn't really a question and "Fine" isn't really an answer. They are simply other ways of saying "Hello" or "Hi".
Sometimes, people also don't say exactly what they mean. For example, when someone asks "Do you agree?" the other person might think, "No, I disagree. I think you're wrong..." But it isn't very polite to disagree so strongly, so the other person might say "I'm not sure." It's a nicer way to say that you don't agree with someone.
People also don't say exactly what they are thinking when they finish talking with other people. For example, may talks over the phone finish when one person says "I've to go now." Often, the person who wants to hang up gives an excuse "Someone's at the door." "Something is burning on the stove." The excuses might be real, or not. _ The excuse is more polite, and it doesn't hurt the other person.
Whether they are greeting each other, talking about an idea, or finishing a talk, people don't say exactly that they are thinking. It's an important way that people try to be nice to each other, and it's part of the rule of the game of language. | middle7290.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they don't want people to hurt snakes"
},
"options": [
"they want to kill the snakes",
"they like trying to catch snakes",
"they don't want people to hurt snakes",
"they like eating snakes"
],
"question": "The S... | What would you do if you found a snake in your house? Many people might be afraid or try to kill it. However, if you live in North Carolina in the USA, one thing you can do is to call the Snake Catchers.
The Snake Catchers are four men who love snakes, even poisonous ones. Their newspaper advertisement says, "Snake Catchers: free snake removal Please do not kill them -- Call us. "
The Snake Catchers, who started their service in 1998, don't charge anything for helping people. "We do this as a hobby," explained Fred Johnson, one of the Snake Catchers.
Because of their love of snakes, the Snake Catchers try to keep them alive. "One man asked us to kill a python , so he could make a pair of boots from the skin. We refused, because we like snakes, and we don't want to see them killed, " said Fred.
Some of the snakes that they catch are kept as pets; some are given to the North Carolina State University. Most, including the poisonous snakes, are set free in the wild, usually in a national park.
Fred suggests that people should treat snakes with care. "Actually snakes are very shy and gentle creatures. They only attack if they are frightened. However, you have to know how to treat a snake properly!"
According to one happy family, the Snake Catchers are good. One day, the Greenwood family found a snake skin in the kitchen. They looked very carefully and saw a snake sleeping behind a cupboard. They thought about what to do. Then Steve Greenwood remembered the advertisement for the Snake Catchers. He called them.
"The Snake Catchers arrived within an hour and they finished the job quickly too," said Steve Greenwood. "One of them went into the kitchen, found the snake and took it out alive. The Snake Catchers did a very good job."
Last year, the Snake Catchers removed more than seventy snakes from houses in North Carolina. | middle375.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Nicotine."
},
"options": [
"The cigarette.",
"Nicotine.",
"Tar.",
"Blood."
],
"question": "According to the passage, what gets people into the habit of smoking?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer":... | Why do people smoke? One reason is that people become addicted to cigarettes. The addictive substance in cigarettes is nicotine . When people smoke, the nicotine goes right into the blood stream and makes people feel comfortable. A smoker's body gets used to the nicotine, and if he stops smoking, he feels nervous. Many smokers try to stop smoking but because of the addiction to nicotine they feel so uncomfortable that they often find it too difficult _ .
Another reason is that people simply enjoy smoking. Having a cigarette for many people means taking a break. For some people smoking becomes part of certain social rituals , for example, sending the cigarette after dinner. Many people enjoy smoking because it gives them something to do with their hands. Reaching for a cigarette, lighting it and flicking the ashes are special comfort in a situation where they feel nervous.
Many people also like the taste of tar in cigarettes. However, it is the tar that causes cancer. While governments and health experts have tried to get people to give up smoking completely, cigarette manufacturers have tried to keep selling them by producing cigarettes with less tar. Many people in western countries have welcomed these cigarettes since they found it hard to stop smoking and wanted to reduce the danger to their health. | middle4941.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Good music."
},
"options": [
"Sad music.",
"Bad music",
"Soft music",
"Good music."
],
"question": "What music can make people happy and full of energy?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"a... | One billion teenagers and young adults around the world are in the face of losing their hearing by listening to loud music. This is according to the World Health Organization.
Few things can make people happy and full of energy like good music. Many people believe louder is better if you are listening to rock and roll. But if you really listen to the music loudly, even really good music, it can hurt your hearing badly.
If a person takes a subway to go from one place to the other for half an hour in the morning and a half an hour in the evening, and every day has to _ on his audio device because there is so much of noise of the train and everything around, and is listening to for one hour every day, his hearing is going to be hurt seriously in a few years, in a couple of years time, for sure.
There can be many kinds of unsafe levels of sound. It depends on how loud the sound is and how long you listen to it. Unsafe can mean noise levels of 85 decibels for eight hours a day or 100 decibels for just 15 minutes.
There are simple ways to protect people from unsafe sound levels. Young people who wear earplugs during concerts can enjoy music at 90 decibels as much as they can at 110 decibels. But earplugs may not look very cool. The fact that earplugs may look un-cool may be true today, but if there is nothing wrong with your hearing in the future may be true and wearing earplugs may actually be cool.
Another common suggestion is to turn down the volume on your personal audio devices. The World Health Organization also advises young people to limit their use of such devices to less than one hour a day.
Besides, the World Health Organization reminds people to use technology, such as smart audio devices keep listening levels safe. | middle5487.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Anyone who wants to learn English well."
},
"options": [
"Anyone who likes maths.",
"Anyone who wants to learn English well.",
"English teachers.",
"Anyone who wants to learn Chinese well."
],
"question": "Who m... | If you want to study English well, you need to do the following things.
Joining an English club is a good idea and joining an international club (where English is in use at least some of the time) is, for many people, even better.
In order to learn English well, you should keep practicing it as much as possible. There are several good ways to help you with the English study.
First, you may take notes of any mistakes made by you, so as to get familiar with the correct usage of the English language.
Second, it's important to improve your ability, especially the ability of reading comprehension . By reading more English articles, you will build your sense of English.
Third, try to form a reciting habit. Well-written paragraphs are worth reciting. By memorizing them, you will find that writing English articles is not so difficult.
Last but not the least, you should always use a dictionary with both Chinese and English explanations. It will tell you the differences between these two beautiful languages. | middle3790.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The old man sells"
},
"options": [
"The young man sells",
"The old man sells",
"The two men sell",
"The old man buys"
],
"question": "_ the elephant.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answe... | One day an old man is selling a big elephant . A young man comes to the elephant and begins to look at it slowly. The old man goes up to him and says in his ear, "Don't say anything about the elephant before I sell it. Then I will give you twenty dollars." "All right," says the young man. After the old man sells the elephant, he gives the young man twenty dollars and says, "Now, can you tell me how you found the elephant's bad ears ?""I didn't find the bad ears," says the young man. "Then why are you looking at the elephant slowly?" asks the old man. The young man answers, "Because I didn't see an elephant before, and I want to know what it looks like." | middle3948.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It's fun and easy."
},
"options": [
"It helps you improve yourself.",
"It's the best way to learn.",
"It's fun and easy.",
"It's an important goal."
],
"question": "Why is lifelong learning important?",
"que... | When you finish high school or university, is learning done? The answer is "no". In many countries, people continue learning all their lives. Why is lifelong learning important? How can it help you? Let's look at one example of lifelong learning in Japan.
Why is lifelong learning important?
You go to school and learn. You take tests. But learning doesn't only happen in school. And learning doesn't stop when you graduate from high school or college. You are learning all the time. For example, learning can happen when you go to a museum. It can also happen when you get a job. You learn when you play a sport or when you take a trip. Learning is life! We never stop learning. Every day, you can improve yourself by learning something new.
Lifelong learning in Japan
In Japan, life learning is very important. People in Japan like to try new learning activities. Except music calligraphy, flower arranging, and foreign languages are some of their favorite classes. The Japanese take classes to improve their skills and learn new things.
Conclusion
When we graduate from school, we can continue to learn. Make lifelong learning one of your goals! | middle413.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "half of the world's population"
},
"options": [
"2.5 billion",
"half of the world's population",
"1.3 billion",
"6 billion"
],
"question": "The population of Asia is about _ .",
"question_type": "... | Asia is home to more than half of the world's population and three of the four most crowded countries are in Asia. China, India, and Indonesia alone have more than 2.5 billion people.
Until recently, most Asian nations fell behind the western countries in many fields. Government reform , however, has led to important progress in each of these Asian countries. Across the area, education systems have been improved and economies have been growing. Most Asian countries now have a system of compulsory education. Many countries have recently allowed private universities to be built, which was not allowed before. There are more chances for students to go to university now.
However, in Asia, there are still not enough chances for students to get higher education and many people prefer to go abroad for further study. As a result, India, China, South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries send thousands of students to study in the United States and Europe each year.
Part of the people in Asian countries can speak English, and English has become the most important language for business across the area. The percentage is the largest in Japan, Singapore, the Philippines, SriLanka and South Korea. Many people in China, India and Malaysia can also speak English. Some countries have made English part of the primary and secondary education program. In some countries, children begin to study English even at the age of 4 or 5. | middle407.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "fly high out to sea"
},
"options": [
"sit in trees",
"stay on shore",
"fly high out to sea",
"fly to the trees"
],
"question": "On a nice day, seabirds _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | What will the weather be like? Some people say they can know the weather from animals.
Some people look at seabirds. When they see seabirds fly high out to sea, they say it will be a nice day. When the weather is bad, the seabirds will stay on the shore . They don't like to fly and they sit in trees when rain is on the way.
Other people look at different animals on a farm. Chickens make a big noise and run here and there when rain is on the way. Frogs can tell the weather, too. When rain is coming, they stay in water and make a lot of noise. But on a nice day they are quiet and will jump out of water. | middle6824.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Many readers won't buy the newspaper any more."
},
"options": [
"The reporter will probably have a lot of trouble.",
"The newspaper would attract more readers.",
"Many readers won't buy the newspaper any more.",
"The re... | To write a great news story, you have to make sure it is correct, relevant and fresh.
For a start, all the information in a story must be correct. Not only the spelling and grammar, but also the facts.
Any mistakes that show up in a story can get a newspaper into big trouble.
For example, if a newspaper said that Yang Liwei was the first man to go into space, it would be wrong. He wasn't the first. The newspaper would probably lose lots of readers because of that mistake.
A news story does not only have to be correct, but it must also be relevant to its readers. People are mostly interested in news that happens near to them. That's why you care more about what happens at your school than at schools in America. It's also why newspapers in Beijing don't talk much about news in Shanghai or Hong Kong.
Make sure it's fresh.
Finally, news must always be fresh. When you pick up your evening newspaper, you want to read about news that happened that day. You don't want to read about news from last week!
So, now you know what makes a good news story. Have a look at our paper and see if it's full of good news! You can try writing a news story for our paper like a real reporter. | middle4955.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "on a cold evening"
},
"options": [
"only to Sam",
"on a cold evening",
"the next morning",
"on the way to work"
],
"question": "The car accident happened _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Two good friends, Sam and Jason, met with a car accident on their way home one snowy night. The next morning, Sam woke up blind. His legs were broken. The doctor, Mr Lee, was standing by his bed, looking at him worriedly. When he saw Sam awake, he asked, "How are you feeling, Sam?" Sam smiled and said, "Not bad, Doctor. Thank you very much for doing the special operation ." Mr Lee was moved by Sam. When he was leaving, Sam said, "Please don't tell Jason about it." "Well...Well...OK," Mr Lee replied.
Months later when Jason's wounds healed , Sam was still very sick. He couldn't see or walk. He could do nothing but stay in his wheelchair all day long. At first, Jason stayed with him for a few days. But days later, Jason thought it boring to spend time with a disabled man like Sam. So he went to see Sam less and less. He made new friends. From then on, he didn't go to visit Sam any more. Sam didn't have any family or friends except Jason. He felt very sad.
Things went from bad to worse. Sam died a year later. When Jason came, Mr Lee gave him a letter from Sam. In the letter Sam said, "Dear Jason, I am disabled. But I want you to be a healthy man. So I gave my eyes to you so that you can enjoy life as a healthy man. Now you have new friends. I'm glad to see that you are as healthy and happy as usual. I'm glad you live a happy life. You are always my best friend... Sam". When he finished reading the letter, Mr Lee said, "I have promised that I will keep this a secret until Sam is gone. Now you know it."
Jason stood there like a stone. Tears ran down his face. | middle1805.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "People in the countryside have nothing to eat."
},
"options": [
"The countryside is much poorer than me city.",
"People in the countryside have nothing to eat.",
"People in the countryside don't have much work to do there.",
... | In China, many people are leaving the countryside to find jobs in the cities, because the countryside is much poorer than the city, and often there isn't much work there. Services such as hospital and transport are usually much better in the city than in the countryside. They hope that their lives will improve when they move to the city.
But in the big cities of Europe like London or Pads, people are moving out of the city. These rich families want to live a quieter life. They are tired of the noise and the dirt of the city, and they are tired of the crowded streets, crowded trains and buses. They don't want to live in the cities any more. They want a house with a garden in the countryside, and breathe the fresh air there.
So they move out of the cities. Some don't go very far, just a little way out of the city, to the towns near the cities, other people move to the real countryside with sheep, cows and green fields. There, they start new lives and try to make new friends.
Not all those who move from the city to the countryside are happy. After two or three years, many people who have done this feel that it was a big mistake. They don't make so much money and there isn't much work to do. People in the countryside are very different and aren't always very friendly.
As a result, quite a lot of people who have moved to the countryside move back to the city. " _ ." they say. | middle349.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Gary Richmond"
},
"options": [
"Gary Richmond",
"Charles Darwin",
"Irving Stone",
"Vincent van Gogh"
],
"question": "A View from the Zoo is a book written by _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | A baby giraffe is born 10 feet high and usually lands on its back. Bringing a giraffe into the world is _ . In his book, A View from the Zoo, Gary Richmond describes how a new-born giraffe learns its first lesson.
The mother giraffe lowers her head long enough to take a quick look. Then she puts herself directly over her child. She waits for about a minute, and then she does the most unreasonable thing. She throws her long leg and kicks her baby, so that it's sent sprawling .
When it doesn't get up, what the mother has done is repeated again and again. The struggle to rise is important. As the baby giraffe grows tired, the mother kicks it again. Finally, it stands for the first time. Then the mother giraffe kicks it off again. Why? She wants it to remember how it can get up. In the wild, a baby giraffe must be able to get up as quickly as possible to stay with its group, where there's safety.
Another writer named Irving Stone understood this. He spent a lifetime studying great people, writing stories about such men as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin.
Stone was once asked if he had found something unusual about these great people. He said, "I write about people who sometime in their life have a dream of something. They're beaten over the head, knocked down and for years they get nowhere. But every time they stand up again. And at the end of their lives they've realized some small parts of what they set out to do." | middle3974.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the writer was not very glad to buy the bookshelf for his wife"
},
"options": [
"the writer was poor and didn't buy the bookshelf for his wife",
"the writer's wife didn't like the bookshelf at all",
"the writer was always wil... | We spent a day in the country and picked a lot of flowers. Our car was full of flowers inside! On the way home we had to stop at traffic lights, and there my wife saw the bookshelf.
It stood outside a furniture shop." Buy it," she said at once."We'll carry it home on the roof-rack . I've always wanted one like that." What should I do?Ten minutes later I was twenty dollars poorer,and the bookshelf was tied onto the roof-rack. It was tall and narrow, quite heavy too.As it was getting darker, I drove slowly.Other drivers seemed more polite than usual that evening. The police evenstopped teaffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.
After some time my wife said,"There's a long line of cars behind. Why don't they overtake " Just at that time a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously when they went past.But then, with a kind smile they asked us to follow their car through the busy traffic. The police car stopped at our village church .One of the officers came to me.
"Right, sir!"he said,"Do you need any more help now?" I didn't quite understand. "Thanks, officer," I said. "You've been very kind. I live just down the road."
He was looking at our things, first at the flowers, then at the bookshelf. "Well, well," he said and laughed. "It's a bookshelf you've got there! We thought it was... er ..., something else." My wife began to laugh. Suddenly i understood why the police drove here. I smiled at the officer. "Yes, it's a bookshelf, but thanks again." I drove home as fast as i could. | middle3960.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Japan"
},
"options": [
"China",
"Japan",
"Japanese",
"the USA"
],
"question": "John is from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": ... | There are some new students in my class this term. John is from Tokyo. He speaks Japanese very well. Mike comes from New York. He is twelve years old. Kathy's hometown is Paris. David lives in Toronto. He is now in our city with his parents. And the tallest girl, Vicky is from Brazil. She likes soccer very much. The other forty students are all Chinese. They get on well with each other. | middle6818.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they were happy with the grade the teacher would give them"
},
"options": [
"they were happy with the grade the teacher would give them",
"they were allowed to take another easier exam later on",
"they knew the teacher didn't... | The teacher stood before his class of 30 students and was going to hand out the final exam papers. "I know how hard you have all worked to get ready for this test. " he said. "And because I know you are all able to understand these questions. I am ready to offer a B to anyone who would prefer not to take the test. ''
A number of students jumped up to thank the teacher and left the classroom. The teacher looked at the rest students and said. "Does anyone else want to get a B? This is your last chance. "Two more students decided to go. Seven students stayed. The teacher then handed out the papers. There were only three sentences on the paper: Congratulations! You have received an A in this class. Keep believing in yourself.
I never had a teacher who gave a test like that. but I think that it is a test that any teacher could and should give. Students who do not have confidence in what they have learned are B students at most.
The same is true for students in real life. The A students are those who believe in what they are doing because they have learned from both successes and failures. They have learned life's lessons. whether from school education or from events in their lives,and have become better people. Scientists say that by the age of eight,80% of what we believe about ourselves has already been formed. You are a big kid now and you realize that you have some limits . However,there is nothing you can't do or leant to be. Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to reach the top of Mount Qomolangma said,"We do not _ the mountain, but ourselves. " | middle1811.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The way of their communication."
},
"options": [
"The age.",
"The way of their communication.",
"The weight.",
"The number of babies they produce."
],
"question": "Which of the following may NOT be included in t... | North American black bears are shy animals. They are fearful by nature, and will usuallyrun away if they see or hear people. Because of this, it can be difficult for scientists to learnabout these animals.
In order to study black bears, researchers from New Jersey, USA, catch bears and usedrugs
to help them go to sleep. Researchers then work out the size and the weight of the bear,take blood to test for diseases, _ a tooth and take it to the lab to find out its age. Fromthese studies, researchers want to find out how many bears live in New Jersey, how long theylive, and how many babies they produce.
But in Minnesota, USA, researchers study bears that are completely awake. The bears knowthe researchers' voices and they are not afraid of die research team. With the help of a few grapes
to keep the bears busy, researchers can touch them to check their hearts, look at their teeth, and do other jobs.Researchers can also walk or sit with bears for hours and make videos to learn about their everyday lives.
In both places, the main purpose is the same--to make sure there is a healthy population of black bears. But theresearch methods and the kinds of information that researchers, are able to collect are quite different. | middle4969.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are doing some shopping"
},
"options": [
"are at home",
"are walking in a street",
"are in a clothing shop",
"are doing some shopping"
],
"question": "It is Sunday. Ann and her mother _ .",
"question_type... | It is Sunday today. Ann is shopping with her mother. She wants her mother to buy a new sweater for her. In a clothing shop, she finds an orange one. She tries it on. It's too small. She wants a bigger one, but the bigger ones are not orange. Ann doesn't like other colours. Her mother asks, "Shall we go to another shop to have a look?" So they go out of the shop and go into another one.
The second shop is bigger than the first, and in it there are many kinds of sweaters of different sizes and colours. Ann tries on an orange one. It's too big. She tries a smaller one. It's OK.
"How much is it?" Ann's mother asks the woman who sells clothes. Then they find it too dear, and they don't have so much money with them. "Would you like a cheaper one?" the woman asks.
"No, we shall take this one. My daughter likes it. We shall come back to buy it tomorrow," Ann's mother answers. | middle6819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Some Portuguese settled in Macao and made their homes nearly a century ago."
},
"options": [
"Portuguese were the first to go to Macao.",
"Some Portuguese settled in Macao and made their homes nearly a century ago.",
"The cit... | Macao is only forty miles from Hong Kong and it is easy to reach. You can get there by sea. It is an interesting place and it has a long history. Macao is a part of China and most people living there are Chinese.
The first Europeans to go to Macao came from Portugal. More than four hundred years ago the Portuguese went there to trade with China. Some settled and made their homes there. They built strong forts to guard the city and the harbor . They also built churches, schools, hospitals and other places. Slowly the city grew. People from many countries came to live and work in Macao.
Today many people visit Macao. Some only go there to watch dog-racing or motor-racing or to " _ with their money, whether they lose or win. But Macao is a quiet and peaceful place. It is pleasant just to walk around and look at the old buildings and forts. You feel you are back in the old days. Of course, some of the buildings are now in ruins . The Church of St. Paul has only the front wall with many steps leading up to it. But it is still interesting to see.
When you are hot and tired, there are small cool gardens to rest in. When you are hungry, there are good restaurants with many kinds of food. Nearby are some islands, which are also nice to visit and are easy to get to. There is certainly a lot to see and to do in Macao. | middle4968.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the connection between personality and blood type"
},
"options": [
"the difference between the two blood types",
"the relationship between the two blood types",
"the influence of blood type on one's behavior",
"the conn... | In the West, some people believe that personality can be predicted according to the time of the year the person was bor. From China comes the belief that the year of birth influences one's personality. In the past century, a new belief ahs arisen: the idea that personality is related to one's ABO blood type. People with blood type A, for example, are considered more likely to be serious, hard-working, and quiet, while people with blood type O are likely to be popular and outgoing, yet often unable to finish what they start. Though this belief continues to be strong, some people question whether it is true.
The blood-type personality theory started in Japan in 1927 when Furukawa Takehi noticed personality similarities and differences among his workers. This idea soon went out of fashion, but was brought back by a Japanese television host named Toshitaka Nomi in the 1970s. The belief is still strong in Japan and is increasingly popular in neighboring countries. _ A recent study showed 76 percent of Koreans aged between13 and 64 believing in the blood-type personality connection. Though most Asians might believe in the blood-type theory, for many it seems harmless and not something to be taken too seriously.
Is the belief true? The scientists in Asia largely think the belief as a modern-day superstition . Most studies have failed to find any strong connection between blood and personality. Generally, scientists are against making predictions or important decisions based on this questionable theory. | middle1810.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "his dance moves"
},
"options": [
"his young age",
"his dance moves",
"his television shows",
"his strong body"
],
"question": "Xiao Bao has been famous for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Michael Jackson's sudden death really astonished his fans, but soon they are glad to find another younger "King of Pop" has appeared.
Wang Yiming, who is known as Xiao Bao, has already been popular across the world with his wonderful dance moves. He once appeared on U.S. television show "Ellen" and performed successfully at the World Expo 2010. About seven years ago, Xiao Bao was born prematurely , which made his mother really worried. He was so weak. What could he do? Doctors suggested that moving his body to music would help make him strong, but soon his parents were surprised by how quickly Xiao Bao fell in love with music!
"When he was young, we just started playing music to him and he started moving around like this. But we didn't think that he had such a strong feeling for music. When he was just several months old, we would let him listen to music and he would stop crying and calm down at once," the proud mother once said.
So far, Xiao Bao has learned the moonwalk and other Jackson's moves well. His fans are crazy about his wonderful shows. He has drawn more people's attention. He is fast becoming internationally popular.
There are lots of problems waiting for him, but Xiao Bao will never give up. He is serious about his dancing career . Where there is a will, there is a way. We are sure that Xiao Bao's dream will come true one day. | middle1804.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "was kind and friendly to everyone"
},
"options": [
"gave her best friends presents",
"often made presents for her friends",
"was kind and friendly to everyone",
"invited some of her class to her birthday party"
],
... | Fiona Famous was a very popular girl at school. She was clever and fun, and got on well with everyone. It was no accident that Fiona was so popular. From an early age she had tried hard to be kind and friendly to everyone. She invited the whole class to her birthday party, and from time to time she would give presents to everybody. She was such a busy girl, with so many friends. However, she felt very lucky, no other girl had so many friends at school and in the neighborhood.
But everything changed on National Friendship Day. On that day, at school, everyone was having a great time, drawing, painting, giving gifts. They had to make three presents to give to their three best friends.
However, when all the presents had been made and shared out among classmates, Fiona was the only one who had not received a present! She felt terrible, and spent hours crying. How could it be possible? So much she had done to make so many friends, and in the end no one saw her as their best friend? Everyone came and tried to comfort her for a while. But each one only stayed for a short time before leaving.
When she got home that night and asked her mother where she could find true friends.
"Fiona, my dear," answered her mother, "you cannot buy friends with a smile or a few good words. If you really want true friends, you will have to give them real time and affection . For a true friend you must always be there for them, in good times and bad".
"But I want to be everybody's friend! I need to share my time among everyone!" Fiona argued.
"My dear, you're a lovely girl," said her mother, "but you can't be a close friend to everybody. There just isn't enough time for everyone, so it's only possible to have a few true friends. The others won't be close friends".
Hearing this, Fiona decided to change her ways so that she could finally have some true friends. That night, in bed, she thought about what she could do to get them. _ Her mother was always ready to help her. She could stand all of Fiona's dislikes and problems. She always encouraged her. She loved her a great deal...
That was what makes friends!
And Fiona smiled happily, realizing that she already had the best friend anyone could ever want. | middle3975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "prints layer by layer"
},
"options": [
"is a common machine",
"prints layer by layer",
"can make clothes and people",
"is widely used in Shenzhen"
],
"question": "A 3D printer _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | 3D printing technology may not be a new thing in some foreign countries. But in May this year, at Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center. Many visitors were attracted by a 3D printer.
The machine looks similar to an ordinary printer and can print a "statue" in about 90 minutes after scanning anything, including a person.
The printer prints layer by layer. For example, if we want to print a 30-cm-tall statue, the computer will calculate* the layers and print 460 layers in total*. It can also print people and clothes. You can stand for scanning for just about three minutes, and a statue will be finished about two hours. The cost for a statue of a man is about 1000yuan. The printer, which costs about 500,000yuan, is from the USA.
"We want to introduce this technology to people, and find more chances here." said an engineer, "There is a company in USA that offers 3D printing services to people. Many people come to design their own thing. It is very cool. We hope that the printer will encourage more Chinese people to be more creative." | middle3785.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It's too small"
},
"options": [
"It's too high.",
"It's too small",
"It's too dirty.",
"It's too poor."
],
"question": "What does Mr Brown think of his house at first?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"a... | Mr Brown and Mr Green are in the garden. They are neighbours. Mr Green asks, "What's the matter?". Mr Brown says, "My house is too small! I want a big house!".
Mr Green is very clever. He has a good idea. "Buy a dog!" says Mr Green. "A dog?" says Mr Brown. "That's a funny idea! Well, OK."
So Mr Brown buys a dog. He puts it in the bedroom. "This dog is very big!" says Mr Brown. "And my bedroom is very small."
The next day, Mr Brown is still sad. "My house is too small," says Mr Brown. "Buy a horse!" says Mr Green. So Mr Brown buys a horse. He puts it in the bathroom. Mr Brown says, "This horse is very big. And my bathroom is very small."
Mr Brown is not happy. He says to the dog and horse, "Now go away!" After that, Mr Brown is very happy. "My house is not too small! My house is wonderful!" | middle6825.txt |
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