questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the child has great imagination"
},
"options": [
"the child is longing for friendship",
"the child has no one to play with in life",
"the child has great imagination",
"there is something wrong with the child's mind"
... | Children, especially at young ages, are very creative. And creativity can be a glorious thing. Look at all the amazing artists and architects that have created glorious pieces of history. Look at all the authors with the award winning books. Now I am not saying everyone is going to end up this way but creativity is an important part of growing up and becoming who you are. This should be encouraged in young children as well as the older children.
Young children grow up playing with make-believe. And so many people try to make their young child see that their invisible friend isn't real or that talking when someone is not in the room is _ . To adults it is, but for small children it is them being creative. May it be them playing house, or chef, or playing with stuffed animals, it is their creative part coming out. Some kids can have fun playing with rocks and sticks and it's because of their creativeness that they can do this. The invisible friend part is another part of being imaginative, and is not a bad thing since they will grow out of that phase. So encourage this and play along with them, play house or stuffed animals or whatever they want to play. Help keep their imagination running. You can even make up games, like treasure hunts, dinosaurs, or super heroes; there is just so much you can choose from.
For older children, talk to them. Help them see things through others' eyes, or help them see things from a different point of view. Helping children see things from other views helps them keep their minds open for new ideas and new things.
All this can help your children's minds stay creative. The arts and music, even thoughts are an important part of life and important in our society. If we didn't have and encourage creative thinking, we wouldn't have had inventors, or philosophers, or as I said before, artists. | high1012.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "making money"
},
"options": [
"finding a job",
"finding a girl friend",
"making money",
"preparing for his wedding"
],
"question": "A young man of 24 may be busy _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | Most Americans believe that someone isn't grown-up until the age of 26 and they should complete their education, have a full-time job, have a family to support and be financially independent. They also believe that becoming a real grown-up is a process which begins at about the age of 20 and takes about five years, according to the report from the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center.
The findings are based on a representative sample of 1,398 people over the age of 18 who were surveyed in person. The survey found that people expect the transitions to grown-up _ to be completed at the following ages: age 20.9 self-supporting; age 21.1 no longer living with parents; age 21.2 having a full-time job; age 22.3 education completed; age 24.5 being able to support a family financially; age 25.7 getting married; and age 26.2 having a child.
"There is a large degree of agreement across social groups on the relative importance of the seven transitions," said Tom Smith, director of the survey. The only obvious pattern of differences is on views about supporting a family, having children and getting married. Older adults consider these more important than younger adults do. This probably shows in large part a change in values across generations away from traditional family values. The most valued step toward reaching adulthood, the survey found, is completing education, followed by full-time employment, supporting a family, financial independence, living independently, and marriage. | high586.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To attract readers to surf a tourist website."
},
"options": [
"To give people tips on family vacations.",
"To offer travelers featured destinations.",
"To attract readers to surf a tourist website.",
"To introduce hidd... | Every day we are adding more and more vacation ideas, destinations, tours, and articles. As you explore our website,you will find there is an ever-growing collection of things that will help make your vacation easier and more affordable.
We change our featured destinations very frequently so be sure to keep coming back to see what new ideas we have for your family vacation.We feature a different state,park, and city destination on the front page of the website.These change frequently, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you can be sure to keep up with all the new information.
Another great feature we are offering is Guest Articles.These may come from a travel professional,author, parent or child about their travel ideas or offers.These informative articles are great to read and are perfect for discovering valuable tips and tricks for the travel less stressful.Plus,in many articles you will discover some hidden gems that you probably miss if you did not know about them.
One of the best things about our website is our ability to get you discounted Tours and Attraction Passes to the places you want to go most.This is a fantastic way to plan ahead and have your tours and passes paid for and pick them up before you leave your home.Now that is a helpful way to go.These programs can save you over 50%of what you could expect to pay when you arrive.And,we are adding new tours and programs every week.Be sure to check it out.
You can be sure we are working hard for you so that you can relax on your vacation. Let us do all the leg work for you so you can simply enjoy your family vacation! | high13555.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "93 years old."
},
"options": [
"93 years old.",
"98 years old.",
"86 years old.",
"88 years old."
],
"question": "How old was Lena Horne when she died?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"an... | STEVE EMBER: And I'm Steve Ember with People In America in VOA Special English. Today we remember the singer and actress Lena Horne. During her sixty-year career performing, Lena Horne entertained people with her beauty and rich, emotional voice. She used her fame to fight social injustices toward African-Americans.
Lena Horne was born in New York. At sixteen, Lena became a dancer at the famous club in New York City in 1933. After taking voice lessons, she soon became a singer. In 1940, Lena Horne became the first African-American to perform with an all-white jazz hand. After performing at a club in Hollywood, California, she caught the attention of filmmakers. She soon began making movies. Her films became very popular. In the 1940s, Lena Horne was the first African-American in Hollywood to sing a long -term contract with a major movie studio. Her deal with MGM stated that she would never play the role of a servant. She refused to play roles that represented African-Americans disrespectfully.
Lena Horne once said that World War II helped make her a star. She was popular with both black and white soldiers. She sang on army radio programs and traveled to perform for the troops. These experiences led to Lena Horne's work in the civil rights movement.
Lena Horne sang at rights gatherings. She took part in the march on Washington protest in 1963. It was during this event that Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech. She protested racial separation at the hotels where she performed. She took action so that she and her musicians would be allowed to stay in those hotels. B1ack musicians at the time generally stayed in black neighborhoods.
At the age of eighty, she said she did not have to act like a white woman that Hollywood hoped she would become. She said: "I'm me, and I'm like nobody else."
Lena Horne died in New York in 2010. | high8750.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It attracts more visitors."
},
"options": [
"Fewer people visit it.",
"Less money is made.",
"It attracts more visitors.",
"Its sales have reached $4.2 billion."
],
"question": "According to the passage, what ha... | Sony and Toyota are struggling. But one brand name is booming in Japan during the economic slowdown--Mickey Mouse.
According to the company that runs Tokyo Disneyland, Japan's busiest theme park will be more packed than ever over Christmas and New Year's Day. Despite the bad economy, it's already been a record year for an escape which is cheaper than the average night out in pricey Tokyo.
"Here, economic depression seems a world away," visitor Namie Katsunuma said. "This is the only place where I can totally forget the economic worries and hardships of my life."
The single mother's salary at an auto factory was cut in November but, with her $500 yearly pass in hand, she makes the 95-km journey from her home to Tokyo Disneyland every couple of months.
The park's operator, Oriental Land Co, estimates a record 26.5 million people will visit Tokyo Disneyland and its nearby sister park, Disneysea, during the financial year ending in March. The company is forecasting sales of a record $4.2 billion, up almost 10 percent.
"In a way, the economy works well for Tokyo Disneyland," said Hiroshi Watanabe, an economist at the Tokyo-based Daiwa Research Institute. "Because of the economic depression, people have stopped buying cars and houses or going to Hawaii, and Tokyo Disneyland offers an affordable and pleasant _ ."
Around the world, Disney's theme parks have been a bright spot for the brand this year as people seem to look for an escape from bad times. | high15124.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It focuses on how he worked as a politician."
},
"options": [
"It is based on a book called \"Team of Rivals\".",
"It mainly shows how cunning Lincoln was.",
"It focuses on how he worked as a politician.",
"It describes... | Steven Spielberg's new movie Lincolnpaints a vivid and breath-taking picture of the 16th U.S. president and his determination to end slavery. Spielberg based his film on parts ofTeam of Rivals, a book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. He makes Abraham Lincoln relevant today by presenting a cunning political mind trying to overcome Washington's all too familiar political divisions.
In previous movies, Lincoln was shown as a simple yet almost perfect man. But Spielberg's Lincolnis different. "I was determined to make a movie about a working president dealing with real problems. Not some angel," Spielberg said.
We watch the president first ending slavery and then the war.
The film's adviser, historian Eric Martin, explains how Lincoln's thinking evolved.
"His main objective when the war began was not the freeing of the slaves but to keep the country united. Lincoln realizes that in order to keep the country together, the question of slavery will have to be addressed," Martin said.
The film focuses on the last four months of his presidency.
In the movie, the arguments among political enemies seem very similar to the problems we see in Washington today. The disagreements were bitter.
The film turns to Lincoln's relationships with his wife and kids, his beliefs and constant self-examination. Daniel Day-Lewis, the actor who plays Lincoln, offers an Oscar-worthy performance as the 16th President. Not only is his physical similarity to the president incredible, he is able to capture many of Lincoln's mannerisms and his high-pitched, almost lady-like voice.
"I found it very easy to play the role of Lincoln because the real man himself was so open. When I was researching his history to prepare for the part, one of the most surprising things I found was just how accessible he was. Even in war-time, when he was in great danger, he was always willing to meet with others and share his ideas," Day-Lewis said.
Spielberg's Lincolnwill head to the Oscars. But more important it will make history. | high22788.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the proper intake of sugar for different people"
},
"options": [
"the benefits and harm of taking in sugar",
"the process of refining the sugar cane",
"the causes of different types of diabetes",
"the proper intake of s... | Almost every person _ . Even if you love sugar really much it is now time to learn a very important but also very little known truth regarding sugar. Sugar really has no benefits for your health and the only actual benefits from it are that it sweetens your taste buds and satisfies your sweet tooth. Sugar is not a natural substance and is produced through a special industrial process called refining the sugar cane. Sugar cane has a lot of health benefits but in the refining process it loses all its vitamins, proteins, minerals and other nutrients which are essential. Therefore, you end up consuming empty calories only. Moreover, your body gets all the sugar it needs from the consumption of regular food such as bread, vegetables, fruits and so on. No added sugar is really needed. However, most people love sugar and simply feel like they need to eat food high in sugar.
The latest researches show that the recommended intake of sugar which is healthy for your body on daily bases for children, men and women is as follows:
*children-- 12 grams, which equals 3 teaspoons;
*men-- 36 grams, which equals 9 teaspoons;
*women-- 20 grams, which equals 5 teaspoons.
The sugar intake when it comes to diabetics is a lot different based on the type of diabetes. It is best to consult your doctor in order to find out about your personal requirements for the intake of sugar before you follow the guidelines mentioned earlier.
When we speak about the recommended daily intake of sugar, it does not mean only simple sugars that we consume in the form of desserts and sodas but also sugars that come from complex carbohydrates and also fruit. You should not exclude all of the sugar from your diet but you should make up for all the extra sugar you eat by exercising. It is not really simple to calculate your sugar intake but you can still control it if you try and you can also get a bigger amount of exercise in order to regulate the sugar amount that is being taken in and then digested by your body. | high8036.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "of the clerk's unfriendliness and lack of concern"
},
"options": [
"of the clerk's unfriendliness and lack of concern",
"of her misfortune",
"she failed to purchase what she intended",
"a dark-complexion young man laugh... | It is love that makes the world go round. And it is also love that has such power to overcome all difficulties. So we say: "Love will find a way." As smile is a facial expression showing pleasure, affection, and friendliness, it is the commonest way to show our good will perfectly without saying anything. A Chinese saying runs: "never hit a person who is smiling at you." It is a time-proven fact that the smile is a language all its own-- a universal language--understood by the people of every nation in the world. We may not speak the same tongue as our foreign neighbors, but we smile in the same tongue. We need no interpreter for thus expressing love, happiness, or good will.
One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk whose personality contradicted mine. He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase. I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store. My anger toward that grew with each step. Outside, standing at the corner, was a dark-complexion young man in his early twenties. His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, dazzling smile covered his face. I gave in immediately. The magnetic power of that shining smile drove away all bitterness within me, and I found the muscles in my own face happily responding. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, in passing. Then, suddenly something inside me sent me turning back. "I really owe you a debt of gratitude," I said softly. His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer. A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby. The woman stepped forward and eyed me inquiringly. "Carlos, he no speak English," she volunteered. "You want I should tell him something?" In that moment I felt transformed. Carlos' smile had made a big person of me. My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stood ten feet tall. "Yes," my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, "tell him I said 'Thank you!'" "Thank you?" The woman seemed slightly puzzled. I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave. "Just tell him that," I insisted. "He'll understand. I am sure!" Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning.
From that day on, I became smile - conscious, and I practice that diligently, anywhere and everywhere, with everybody. When I got excited in traffic, taking the right-of-way from the other car with my stupid mistake, I'd smile and shrug my shoulders apologetically. This action on my part would always draw a good-natured smile in return. If the other fellow was at fault - and if I could remember my resolution in time! - he'd get a broad smile of understanding. This took a bit of doing at first. I'll admit it wasn't always easy, but it was fun. The results were sometimes amazing. Many times, a broad, friendly smile would completely turn aside ill-feeling and tension. I'm wondering now how many tragic accidents could be avoided on our overcrowded highways, if every driver remembered to smile! | high7305.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Forced laughter works as well as real laughter."
},
"options": [
"People are often forced to laugh.",
"Forced laughter works as well as real laughter.",
"Forced laughter is more interesting than real laughter.",
"People... | Laughter Yoga is one form of yoga. Madan Kataria, a doctor in Mumbai, India invented it. He believed that people had forgotten how to really laugh. Through his research he made an interesting discovery. The human mind does not know the difference between forced laughter and real laughter. Forced laughter can also lead to a feeling of happiness.
And then Kataria had the idea for a group of people who would laugh together. He gathered a few of his friends together. They met in a public park in Mumbai. That small group grew and grew! And this is how people began to do Laughter Yoga. People doing Laughter Yoga usually meet together in a Laughter Club. Kataria's friends formed the first Laughter Club in 1995.
Today, there're over 5,000 Laughter Clubs in 53 countries. But what exactly do people do in a Laughter Club? People in Laughter Yoga meetings usually do a series of exercises. The exercises include body movement, correct breathing, and of course, laughter! At the beginning of the meeting, people may have to force themselves to laugh. But by the end, everyone is usually laughing in a real way! Each meeting is a little different. But there are common exercises groups may do.
Experts say that the exercises help blood move around the body faster. They also say that Laughter Yoga helps people deal with the bad things in their lives. They say that a person may go into a Laughter Club meeting feeling sad, angry, or worried. But then, people act happy. After a time, forced laughter becomes real laughter. This is one reason why people may enjoy laughter Yoga so much | high13233.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "communicating between students and teachers"
},
"options": [
"playing computer games",
"storing class documents",
"communicating between students and teachers",
"reducing the teachers' time to run the website"
],
... | A well-developed class website can save teachers a lot of time in the long run, improving both student-teacher and parent-teacher communication while providing a repository of all classroom documents for future use. Although some extra time during the school year is required, once the site is up it needs just minor adjustments each new year. Have a question? Get an answer from online technology support now.
Decide which type of software you will use to create a class website. Microsoft has many applications that can be used to create websites, such as Publisher, Word and Expression Web. Some web hosting sites also have simple editing tools you can use instead of a formal program.
Find a place to host your class website. Your Internet provider often provides about some small space for a personal website for free, and many other free website hosting companies are on the Internet.
Consider using a template for your first attempt at website design. Most templates also come with a selection of color and graphics already in place so you can concentrate on content instead of design. It will contain basic sections with your specific class information.
Add content to your website. You need to have announcement sections for both parents and students, a syllabus or class rules area, homework assignments or a calendar, and maybe a links section for learning more about in-class topics and playing educational games.
Decorate your website with graphics, clip art, background, cool fonts and other decorative items. It's best to find a theme you like, such as ducks or fire hydrants, and make your design elements all stick with your theme. If you think that is too attractive, go for an abstract look. Remember to keep it simple since too much color and graphics make a site look busy and detract from its usability. | high9328.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "counselors are trying to reach more kids in need of help"
},
"options": [
"counselors don't wait for kids to come to ask for help now",
"counselors are trying to help people with economic problems",
"counselors have made coll... | In tough economic times, school counselors don't just wait for students to come to their offices in search of college brochures, health pamphlets or other help. These days, they are looking for at-risk kids to prevent personal or academic troubles before they arise. Nowadays, students and families need the guidance more than ever.
Counselors play a steadying role in schools as the economy weighs on families, college admission becomes even more competitive, immigration continues to reshape the population and state-testing pressures many students. They use computers to search through attendance data, grades and standardized test scores for kids who might need extra help.
Schlatter, director of guidance and counseling at Prince William County's Woodbridge Senior High School, has checked attendance records against grades and test results to start peer groups for students who are failing classes but not skipping them. She said group counseling is another way to reach more students though it can be difficult. "Kids really do start helping and sharing with each other."
At Fairfax High School, counselors found through surveys that students who transferred to the school after ninth grade enjoyed school significantly less than those who had been there all four years. The counseling staff set up a special program and group for new arrivals in response, said Marcy Miller, the school's director of student services. Counseling staff members also have started small study groups for students to prepare for state Standards of Learning exams, which Miller said have helped raise test scores. She said that some of the newest counselors have had some of the freshest ideas. | high18366.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "In the bathroom."
},
"options": [
"In the kitchen.",
"In Vinod's house.",
"In the bedroom.",
"In the bathroom."
],
"question": "Where was Meera when her mother went to her bedroom?",
"question_type": "factio... | The entire house was lit with lights. It was Meera's wedding the next day. Seema walked to her daughter's bedroom. Meera was not there, so she left the envelope on Meera's bed and went away. When Meera came out of the bathroom, her eyes fell on the envelope. She picked it up and opened it. Sitting on the bed, she started to read it:
My darling daughter, I am so happy for you. My darling is getting married! To such a good man! At the same time, I am a little worried, too. The reason? You are going to a new house where everything is going to be new: the people, relationships and surroundings. Yes, you are smart and Vinod will be there with you to help, but I have a few things to say:
Accept Vinod's parents as your parents. Remember that your mother-in-law will have her own understanding about you. So it is up to you to give her a good impression.
Earn respect from family members. If that means changing yourself a little bit and adapting to their customs, just do it. It will help you to settle into your new home.
Never compare your mother's home and their home. It may not be appreciated.
The kitchen is one place where small fights can appear. It is your mother-in-law's king- dom, so ask her permission if you want to cook something. If she offers help, accept it. This will help in building trust between you. Similarly, offer her your help when she is busy cooking. Thus, a new relationship will be born: one of respect and understanding.
Finally, respect your husband, as he is your life partner. Remember that a marriage requires trust, love and compromise .
I could have sat with you and told you, but I felt that writing all this down would make you understand better and I am sure you will give your whole heart to this relationship. Remember that both Papa and I are here for you always.
Love, Ma | high17055.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "remain unaffected by others' opinions"
},
"options": [
"enlarge friend circle",
"speak highly of others",
"remain unaffected by others' opinions",
"develop the ability to make wise decisions"
],
"question": "The... | How to stick to your own opinion in socializing ?
When it comes to your life , the opinion of others should matter very little . I am not talking about your friends and family , but others who have no importance in your reality - like your social peers and others like them . They are unimportant to your life , and yet you secretly struggle for approval at the cost of your own . Remember , your opinion is king .
Start by being your true self . Allowing your true self to appear and connect with people on a more real level helps them in turn do the same with you . There is openness and honesty in the interaction . At the end of the day this is what we all want - the joy of true and meaningful connections .
Next , evaluate your decisions . Are they representing who you are or are they the result of other people's opinion ? Practice your ability not to be affected by pressure and learn to take nothing personally . When we are bothered by outer criticisms , it influences and changes our behavior . Don't look to others for guidance on how to behave . Don't look for approval . If you don't need approval , you won't have a reason to try to impress people or be impressed by them .
And finally , be real in EVERY situation . As you express your real self , others will think highly of you and the few who don't - don't matter anyway . Be willing to be judged , and then not take it to heart . If all this is a bit scary , then start small . Rather than not caring at all what others think , start by just caring a little less . No one outside your inner circle should get a vote or pass judgment or have influence on how you live your life . | high11424.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "with little or no human effort"
},
"options": [
"by a robot maid",
"by one major appliance in the house",
"with little or no human effort",
"in a shorter time"
],
"question": "In the near future, all housework w... | In the near future, all housework will be done without having a robot maid. Smart home technology will allow all sorts of electronics and appliances to be able to communicate with each other and perform various tasks. Whenever someone wants to have a snack, but does not feel like making something, why not have the refrigerator suggest something based on what it has inside of it. Not only that, it would communicate with the microwave to prepare the cooking power and time for that particular dish.
Nearly all major appliances in the future will take advantage of this technology through home networks and the Internet. Smart home technology is a way for ordinary electronics and appliances to communicate with each other, consumers, and even manufacturers. Many consider a smart home to be one that is networked. Others feel it is a home that has appliances that will allow the consumer to do little or no work, but a smart home really is all of that combined, and more. Not only will all consumer products be networked, but they will also make life easier and more entertaining. Smart home technology is currently being developed and carried out for all rooms in the house, in particular the kitchen and the living room.
Many of today's products are becoming "smart." Kitchen refrigerators, microwaves, and stoves are using this technology. Even washers and dryers have the technology today to be more automated to fit people's needs. Products in the bathroom will even start to use smart home technology. Electric razors, toilets, and showers will have some sort of automation built in. Smart home technology is still in its early stages but will soon make a great effect on everyone's lives. | high20821.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because in the 17thcentury , the Dutch often fought with the British ."
},
"options": [
"Because in the 17thcentury , the Dutch were timid",
"Because in the 17thcentury , the Dutch often drank a lot of alcohol.",
"Because in ... | "Dutch" expressions heard in American English were first used in prefix = st1 /Englandin the 17thcentury. That was a time of fierce competition betweenEnglandandHolland. At that time, the British used "Dutch" as a word for something bad, or false.
A Dutch agreement was one made between men who had drunk too much alcohol. Dutch leave was what a soldier took when he left his base without permission.
Some of these old expressions are still used today with a little different meaning. Long ago, a Dutch treat was a dinner at which the invited guests were expected to pay for their own share of food and drink. Now, Dutch treat means that when friends go out to have fun, each person pays his own share.
Another common expression heard a few years ago was "In Dutch". If someone told you that you were in Dutch, they mean that you were in trouble.
Some of the Dutch expressions heard in American English have nothing to do with the Dutch people at all. In the seventeen hundreds, Germans who moved to theUnited Statesoften were called Dutch. During the American Civil War, supporters of the northern side in the central state ofMissouriwere called Dutch, because many of them were German settlers. President Theodore Roosevelt once noted that anything foreign and non-English was called Dutch. | high19078.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "more and more people begin to care about women's life"
},
"options": [
"experts encourage women to take paying jobs.",
"men encourage women to take paying jobs",
"government encourage women to take paying jobs.",
"more ... | It is not only experts in China who are arguing over whether women should work after marriage or not. Worldwide this question is being discussed as an interestingly large number of married women enter the workplace. Take the United States for example. Since 1960, the percentage of married women in the work force has jumped from 31.9 per cent to 59.4 per cent.
American women first moved into the paid labour force during the World War II, when men left their jobs to fight. In the last fifty years, more and more women have worked outside the home. And over these years of developing, Americans have changed their social values as a result. In 1975, women aged 35 and above made up half of all working women. And by 1980, 60 per cent were women at the age of 45 and above.
Now in Japan, women's work group is M-shaped with middle-aged women and those aged 20-25 at the two peaks. According to statistics , 37.7 per cent of Japanese women at childbearing age(25-29) still engaged themselves in work in 1980. and the number reached 50 per cent the next year.
Being a housewife has always been regarded as a "graceful occupation" in Japan. Some young Japanese women believe it is good to be a " professional housewife". However, old attitudes have been changing everywhere, and sometimes just out of economic necessary. In recent years, a great number of city housewives have poured out of homes to take part time jobs. Even the UN has given its support.. The 34thCongress of the United Nations in 1979 put forward the decision for formal agreement on the getting rid of discrimination against women.
So far, most UN members have agreed on it, but some still haven't, including the United States. | high1984.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To reduce the trade in blood minerals."
},
"options": [
"To look for more gemstones.",
"To encourage violent civil wars.",
"To reduce the trade in blood minerals.",
"To develop the economy."
],
"question": "Why ... | Most people know precious gemstones by their appearances. An emerald flashes deep green, a ruby seems to hold a red fire inside, and a diamond shines like a star. It's more difficult to tell where the gem was mined, since a diamond from Australia or Arkansas may appear the same to one from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. However, recently, a team of scientists has found a way to identify a gemstone's origin.
Beneath the surface of a gemstone, on the tiny level of atoms and molecules , lie clues to its origin. At this year's meeting of the Geological Society of America in Minneapolis, Catherine McManus reported on a technique that uses lasers to clarify these clues and identify a stone's homeland. McManus directs scientific research at Materialytics, in Killeen, Texas. The company is developing the technique. "With enough data, we could identify which country, which mining place, even the individual mine a gemstone comes from," McManus told Science News.
Some gemstones, including many diamonds, come from war-torn countries. Sales of those "blood minerals" may encourage violent civil wars where innocent people are injured or killed. In an effort to reduce the trade in blood minerals, the U.S. government passed law in July 2010 that requires companies that sell gemstones to determine the origins of their stones.
To figure out where gemstones come from, McManus and her team focus a powerful laser on a small sample of the gemstone. The technique is called laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Just as heat can turn ice into water or water into steam, energy from the laser changes the state of matter of the stone. The laser changes a miniscule part of the gemstone into plasma, a gas state of matter in which tiny particles called electrons separate from atoms.
The plasma, which is superhot, produces a light pattern. (The science of analyzing this kind of light pattern is called spectroscopy.) Different elements produce different patterns, but McManus and her team say that gemstones from the same area produce similar patterns. Materialytics has already collected patterns from thousands of gemstones, including more than 200 from diamonds. They can compare the light pattern from an unknown gemstone to patterns they do know and look for a match. The light pattern acts like a signature, telling the researchers the origin of the gemstone.
In a small test, the laser technique correctly identified the origins of 95 out of every 100 diamonds. For gemstones like emeralds and rubies, the technique proved successful for 98 out of every 100 stones. The scientists need to collect and analyze more samples, including those from war-torn countries, before the tool is ready for commercial use.
Scientists like Barbara Dutrow, a mineralogist from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, find the technique exciting. "This is a basic new tool that could provide a better fingerprint of a material from a particular locality," she told Science News. | high6033.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "encourage more women to buy computer games"
},
"options": [
"increase sales in the male market",
"help women learn how to play computer games",
"encourage more women to buy computer games",
"increase the number of male ... | Computer games have been criticised for quite some time over a whole range of issues. Some people say they are overly violent and encourage violent behaviour particularly in children. Others say that they make children unsociable and are bad for their eyes. Some have even attributed falling standards of literacy and a lack of interest in reading on them. Now, however, it seems that computer games have also become a feminist issue.
Game manufacturers have, for some time, been looking to increase the number of female game players. The vast majority of computer games still sell to a mainly male market. Perhaps this is because the violent nature of many of the games appeals more to males or perhaps because many of the main characters in the games are male. Manufacturers' attempts to produce more female characters increase their share of the female gaming market which has met with serious criticism from many women's groups.
While heroines such as Lara Croft of the Tomb Raider game are seen as providing positive role models of strong women, many believe that the character's unrealistic Barbies are subconsciously setting unattainable standards in the minds of young women. Perhaps a stronger criticism is that although many games now include female characters, their role is often secondary and they support the main, male, action characters within the games. Of course the nature of many of the games remains violent and destructive and this in itself could well continue to put off female gamers.
There are now, however, a number of web sites springing up on the World Wide Web to help women deal with this issue. Sites such as Game Girlz, Women Gamers and Game Gal offer game reviews, articles, discussion forums and even employment opportunities for women interested in becoming part of the rapidly expanding games industry. The games are reviewed by women from a very female perspective. Some rate the games from one to ten across a range of criteria which include the appearance of the female characters, the degree of intelligence attributed to them in the game and even the marketing attitude adopted by the company. The sites are obviously looking for games that move away from the very male dominated and violent nature of the majority of computer games. Many of them review games that are more constructive and developmental. Although the common fantasy themes of knights, witches and goblins still exist within these games, the aims are often very different. Instead of destroying opposing armies,the aim of the game can be to make peace with them.
With this increased degree of awareness and involvement from women in the games industry many positive changes could be made that could encourage more women and young girls to become enthusiastic about technology. Perhaps we may even find more male gamers moving away from the traditional violent and destructive games towards the more positive values promoted by these more feminine role models, after all Tomb Raider is still one of the most popular computer games on the market, but perhaps that's too much to ask. | high9300.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To secure people from flood."
},
"options": [
"To prevent flood happening.",
"To draw the public's attention",
"To secure people from flood.",
"To attract more tourists."
],
"question": "What's the purpose of de... | The rising sea waters caused by global warming have inspired a Russian architect to design a hotel that could be built on water as well as land.The eco-friendly "Ark" could be constructed in just a few months anywhere in the world, the designer says.
It's called "The Ark",but looks more like a ship sitting upside down on the water.A new design by Russian architect A1exander Remizov challenges the tradition of land-based hotel and would provide a shelter in the future--should the world face a modern-day flood as described in the Bible.
The building of the hotel could be fast and simple."Prefabricated section could be put together in three to four months," Remizov said. The versatile structure could be constructed in most corners of the earth, even in earthquake-prone areas.Constructing "The Ark"--which would include 14 000 square meters of living space---would cost roughly the same as building an energy-efficient house. The self-supporting structure would be built around a central post, connecting wind generators and heat pumps on its roof with the basement,where solar,wind,and thermal energy could be stored and turned into electricity. Remizov has designed the building without glass,choosing instead the lasting and self-cleaning foil that could defend itself against rough weather conditions.That foil would be fastened to metals,which would also collect rainwater.The building would also feature an indoor jungle, creating its microclimate. | high2255.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "four of the top ten universities in 2014 are from Mainland"
},
"options": [
"Tsinghua University in Beijing ranked the second place in 2013",
"Taiwan has more universities listed in the top 10 than Hong Kong",
"four of the to... | The 2014 Ranking of Top Universities in Greater China (RTUGC) is released today by the Center for World-Class Universities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. RTUGC was the first attempt to compare top research universities in four regions of Great China, namely Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.
Tsinghua University in Beijing remains No. 1 in the ranking. National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan overtakes National Taiwan University as the second. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology climbs to 4th from 7th in 2013. Peking University remains in 5th place as it was in last year. Other Top 10 universities are: The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Science and Technology of China, National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan and Zhejiang University. The highest ranked university in Macau is University of Macau (54th).
RTUGC provides insight into the features and relative advantages of top universities in each region. Hong Kong and Macau universities show a higher degree of internationalization. The ranking highlights the fact that Mainland universities are stronger in gross performance while Hong Kong and Taiwan universities are in the lead in per capita performance. Tsinghua University in Beijing tops the list of annual research income, and The University of Hong Kong and City University of Hong Kong take the first place on research income per academic staff. | high10712.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "singer and actor"
},
"options": [
"policeman and actor",
"gangster and singer",
"policeman and gangster",
"singer and actor"
],
"question": "Andy Lau is a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | One day he is a famous policeman. The next day he is a gangster from Temple street. His songs are heard on radios all over Hong Kong. This is Andy Lau Tak Wah, the superstar that everyone sees, hears and loves. He is one of the most famous actors and singers in Hong Kong.
However, there is another side to Andy Lau. There is an important part of his life that only a few people know about. Andy Lau helps 15 children from poor countries all over the world. These boys and girls live in 11 different countries. Most of the children have not met him and none of them know that he is one of the biggest stars in Asia.
Andy Lau's interest in children started when he did some work with World Vision. This is a charity that helps poor children to lead better lives. For $200 a month, a _ helps with the food and education of one child.
The child does not receive the money in cash. Instead the money pays for the child's school fees, food, medical care and clothing. Each child knows the name of the sponsor who is giving the money. The sponsor receives a report each year on the child's progress. They can write to each other, but usually the children do not speak Cantonese or English.
When Andy Lau heard about these children, he wanted to help them. "It was not anything special," he said. "Until I had the chance to go to Indonesia and meet the little girl I am sponsoring, I didn't know anything about the type of life she had."
He said the meeting with Nina in Indonesia was very emotional. "When I met her, I felt very, very happy," he said. "I saw that the money was used for a very good purpose. It brought me closer to the child in a way that simply giving money cannot."
By sponsoring these children through a charitable organization, Andy Lau is giving them hope and at the same time caring for them. "I want to do whatever I can. I will continue to help these children in need," he said. | high20809.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "changeable"
},
"options": [
"changeable",
"positive",
"forgettable",
"active"
],
"question": "According to the writer, which is the most important?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer... | It does not have to be January 1st to give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day -- and your life. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, heal yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you a chance to reinvent yourself, to fine-tune who you are, and build on lessons of what you have learned. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life and switch gears, instead of thinking in the same old ways, hoping for a different outcome.
Be intelligent, be flexible, and keep and open mind to start each day anew! Flexibility is the key!
Ask yourself: How do you wake up each day? Do you start your day going already feeling pressured and rushed? Do you go through the morning routine without much thought at all, doing what you "have to do" to start your day?
How about starting each new day with a moment to stop, breathe and think of a positive intention for the day.
Think not just what you want to DO, but how you want to BE today?
Each day is a new beginning and a blank slate. How would you like to create your day? Think of it as a blank canvas -- what would you like to paint on it. What can you create? If you wake up in a negative mindset, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your canvas will not reflect hope, happiness and joy.
If you take each day to think positively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life be different? What positive outcome can reflect your positive intention?
What can daily positive intentions do for you? Every day you will give yourself the gift of an "attitude of gratitude."
Visualizing how you would like your day will help release positive energy from within you and you will attract more positive energy from those around you. Instead of spinning your wheels in an old way of thinking, each day is a chance to reframe and re-look at things in a different way.
You can experience each day an awe in the beauty and creation of the world -- and the beauty of you who is in it!
You find yourself shifting from an "I can't mindset" to an "I can" mindset.
With a focus on positive intentions, you feel more empowered and more like a "victor" than a "victim."
You are more mindful of the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don't want to live there!
So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day? Each morning, write it down and reflect each evening on how you did!
Here are examples of Positive Intentions:
"Today I would like to replace my feelings of annoyance towards my co-worker to feelings of acceptance."
"I am looking forward today to focusing on what I am grateful for in my life, rather than what is missing, and express gratefulness to others."
"Today I want to slow my life down and take time to savor the moment, especially with my children"..
Using each day to recommit yourself to positive thinking and intention will help you create the life you want and that you deserve! | high16363.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "bring up the topic of responsibility of parenting"
},
"options": [
"complain about his husband's irresponsibility",
"show the difference between men and women",
"bring up the topic of responsibility of parenting",
"desc... | Once I complained to my husband that he wasn't helping enough with our daughter, and I gave him a long list of the parenting chores I was shouldering on my own. "But you like doing all that stuff," he said. I thought about that while reading a new study about the responsibilities of parenting. Researchers asked 191 college professors, both men and women, who had children 2 or younger, the pleasure they experienced from childcare.
On 16 out of 25 childcare tasks--like taking a child to the doctor or buying clothes for a child--women reported statistically higher levels of enjoyment than men. The only parenting issue that gave women less pleasure than it gave men was having to manage who does what for the child. On the whole, women's scores were 10 percent higher than men's.
Women are also far more likely to take advantage of family-leave benefits to care for children. In the study, all the universities offered paid family leave, and 69 percent of the women took it, while only 12 percent of the men did. In Sweden, where family leave for both parents is particularly generous, men use about 20 percent of the 480-day benefit. Women use nearly all of it.
It's difficult to know how cultural and economic pressures or biological functions influence parenting. Plenty of men change diapers , and studies show that mothers and fathers alike spend more time with children than they used to. Men have more than doubled the time they spend on childcare since 1985. Yet women still spend twice as much time with the kids as men, says the University of Maryland sociologist John Robinson.
Notably in the study, the parenting activity that gave men the most pleasure (and women, too) was playing and talking with their kids. But when men were asked to rate how often they actually did those things, their scores were about 10 and 40 percent lower than women's. In the end, perhaps the issue is not that mothers are doing too many childcare tasks--my husband was right when he said I liked being a mother--but that men, for all their progress as fathers, are still missing out. | high19050.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He didn't undergo risk in the rescue."
},
"options": [
"His behavior didn't matter in the rescue.",
"He didn't undergo risk in the rescue.",
"He didn't want to make himself public.",
"His travel to Prague was simply for... | Sir Nicholas Winton, rescuer of children, died on July 1st,2015,aged 106.
When the letters and the honor came knocking on the door of his house in Maidenhead, and the filmmakers came calling, Nicholas Winton always protested that he was no hero. Heroes faced danger; he never had. They put their lives on the line; he had just worked at home in Hampstead, after a day being a stockbroker in the City. They avoided bullets and the secret police; he wrote letters, made telephone calls,and composed lists.
The fact that he had rescued 669 children from Czechoslovakia just as the Nazis invaded did not, in his mind, constitute heroism. He hadn't gone out there in 1938 with any burning urge to do good; just for a holiday, in fact. Nor had he gone looking for children to rescue. Instead they and their parents had come to him, as soon as word got round that he might be able to help them leave Prague and get to the West. From 6.00 a.m. the knocks would come at the door of his room in the Europa Hotel, and he would open it to find some shivering, starving, desperate figure.
When faced with a problem, his instinct was to solve it. So he made lists of the children, took their photographs, got them Home Office entry permits, found them foster families and organised their departure on trains, via the Netherlands, to Liverpool Street. After just three weeks in Prague, he went back to Britain and carried on the work from there.
The British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia gave him almost no help, so he took sole charge himself. The Home Office was slow with entry permits, so he copied some illegally. In search of foster-parents for the children he put their photos in Picture Post; in the hope of farther havens for them he wrote to governors and senators in America and even to President Roosevelt, to no avail. He could have rescued at least 2,000 more, he said later, if America had been willing to take any.
A hero might have got involved in the stress and distress of individual cases. He avoided that by treating them like a commercial transaction: like the world he knew, in fact. A market was created, takers were sought and any likely bidder would do. Siblings were separated, if necessary. Jewish children they were almost all Jewish were often placed with Gentile families. Mr Winton did not care and he just had to get the children out alive and fast. When they arrived, exhausted, at Liverpool Street he seldom greeted them himself, preferring to stay calmly at a distance. Only one event traumatised him: the disappearance of 250 children on the last transport of September 1st 1939,as war was declared. But this awful thing too he stored at the back of his mind, realising that he had done all he could and his part was over. The scrapbook of lists, photographs and begging letters went up to the attic; he said nothing about it, and moved on.
He liked it that way. The silent background suited him very well. For 50 years he sat on the Czech story, not supposing anyone would want to know, until in 1988 the scrapbook came to light and, with it, a blaze of publicity, culminating in an evening on Esther Rantzen's "That's Life" TV show when the whole audience suddenly stood up round him, applauding him,and every one was a child he had saved. It was " ly awftil",he thought; and wept with long-suppressed joy.
He was still no hero, though, in his own book. He had had no desire to improve the world: indeed, not even much idea which job he was best suited for. At his father's suggestion he had tried banking first, having left Stowe with nothing much to show for it. After the war he dabbled in business,but it didn't take. In later years he worked for a mental-health charity and helped to set up homes for the elderly; and wondered why saving the Czech children was deemed more heroic than those things. He had simply done what needed doing at that time, in that place. Surely any decent person would have done the same? | high19736.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Three"
},
"options": [
"One",
"Two",
"Three",
"Four"
],
"question": "How many kinds of faculty members are there in Princeton University?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Princeton University
Location
The University is in Princeton, New Jersey. It is an hour's train ride south of New York City and an hour's train ride north of Philadelphia.
Students
There are 4,600 undergraduates . There are also 1,900 graduate students, but Princeton is unusual among universities in having a student body made up largely of undergraduates.
Faculty
Princeton has about 700 full-time faculty members . There are another 300 or so part-time and visiting faculty. All faculty members at Princeton are expected to teach and research.
Degrees
Princeton offers two undergraduate degrees:the bachelor of arts (A. B. ) degree and the bachelor of science in engineering (B. S. E.) degree.
Academic Year
An academic year runs from September to late May and lasts two terms (fall and spring). A normal course load is four or five courses per term, although many students take extra courses.
Residences
Princeton provides housing for all undergraduate students. Freshmen and second-year students are required to spend their first two years in one of five colleges. Each college has its own dining hall, common rooms and computer centers.
Fees and Expenses (Academic Year 2011-2012)
Tuition : $29,910
Room and board: $ 8,387
Other expenses (books, telephone, etc.): $ 3,083
Total: $ 41,380 | high2533.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Cleaners mistake modern art for rubbish"
},
"options": [
"Cleaners mistake modern art for rubbish",
"Modern art shouldn't be cleaned",
"What makes a great work of art",
"Cleaners don't always throw things away"
],
... | Some people like modern art, while others say that is rubbish. But a cleaner who works in the Tate Gallery in London isn't able to tell the difference. The woman, whose name isn't known, mistook a work of art by the German painter Gustav Metzger for a bag of rubbish, and threw it out with other bags. The plastic bad, which contained pieces of paper and cardboard, was later recovered outside the gallery, but the artist thought that it was too damaged to be put on show again. 78-year-old Mr Metzger explained that the exhibit, which he said was a copy of a similar work he had created in 1960, was meant to show that all art is temporary and "finite" .
Embarrassed officials at the museum said that they had had to call a meeting with cleaners to explain which things should not be touched. They would not say whether Mr Metzger would be paid any compensation for the incident. However, to make absolutely sure the same thing would not happen again, they decided to cover Mr Metzger's work every evening with a colored cloth. In this way the cleaners arriving after the gallery had closed to the general public would realize they should not touch it.
This is not the first time that museum cleaners have had trouble distinguishing exhibits from rubbish. In 2001, in another London gallery, a cleaner threw away a work by the well-known British artist Damien Hirst. It was an arrangement of empty beer bottles, coffee cups, and overflowing ashtrays, which were meant to indicate the chaos in the life of an artist.
However, cleaners don't always throw things away--sometimes they clean them! This was the case with a dirty asking what the bath was doing in the gallery, the cleaners simply scrubbed it clean. | high10074.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "astonished"
},
"options": [
"excited",
"astonished",
"frightened",
"disappointed"
],
"question": "Mrs. Aldie Mackay probably felt _ when she reported seeing something unusual in the lake.",
"question_typ... | It is 80 years since the Loch Ness monster was spotted for the first time. Mrs. Aldie Mackay, a local hotel manageress, might have thought that her eyes had deceived her when she reported seeing a "whale-like fish" in the waters of the Scottish lake.
Or was it made up by people? Dr. Charles Paxton, a researcher from St Andrew's University, noted that many of the 1,000 eye-witness accounts of the elusive "monster" he has been analyzing come from hotel owners. This raises suspicion of an intention to increase tourism.
Mrs. Mackay is widely regarded as the first "modern sighting" of the monster in the lake. And it has opened the floodgates. Police inspectors, lorry drivers, clergymen and fishermen were among the people who claimed to have seen the monster. It became so famous that it got a nickname: Nessie.
Tourists and 'Nessie hunters' poured to the area. There were traffic jams around the lake. Certainly, there was much to be gained from the legend. According to Visit Scotland, Nessie tourism brings in more than PS1,000,000 to the area per year.
Marine biologist Adrian Shine, who interviewed Mrs. Mackay years later, believes she was sincere. But there are plenty of people who have made a living from Nessie, including Mr. Shine himself. He now runs the Loch Ness Centre and Exhibition out of Mrs. Mackay's old hotel.
Dr. Paxton says, analyzing the eye-witness accounts may tell us more about ourselves than whether or not the monster exists. He is due to publish the results of his study later this year. As a scientist, he casts a disbelieving eye on all the evidence linked to Nessie. Highly respected British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed he photographed the beast in 1934. It was later proved to be a toy submarine with a sea-serpent head.
Dr. Paxton says: "I suppose it is possible that people have an agenda . But I believe the vast majority of people are reporting the truth. They believe they have seen something strange."
Some say you see what you expect. If this is true, in the land famous for whisky and Nessie, the beast will live long and prosper. | high18428.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "international students"
},
"options": [
"junior high graduates",
"international students",
"job seekers",
"language trainers"
],
"question": "The text is probably written for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | As a leading Chinese language school and a cultural exchange institute in China, Global Exchange Education Center has been providing Mandarin (or Putonghua) language courses and cultural exchange programs for over a decade.
How to apply for our programs
#In order to apply for all of our programs, you must be
at least 18 years old.
in good health,
a senior high school graduate.
#Application Procedure for Chinese Language Programs
Step 1. Send us a completed application form by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 60 application fee after receiving our email confirmation.
Step 3. Arrange the payment transfer.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
#Application Procedure for Chinese Business Internship Program
Step 1. Send us a completed application form with your CV and personal statement for the program by email or fax.
Step 2. Send us $ 310, including $60 application fee and $ 250 internship placement deposit, after receiving our letter of acceptance for the program.
Step 3. Arrange final payment transfer after receiving our second confirmation.
Step 4. Plan the trip to Beijing.
#Personal Statement for applicants for Chinese Business Internship Program
You should state why you want to take this program and what your expectations of the program are. How you will make use of this program in your future career.
# APPLICATION DEADLINES
The applications for most programs are reviewed on a rolling basis. You are encouraged to submit your application ahead of the application deadlines.
#Confirmation
Having received your application, Global Exchange Education Center usually sends out an email confirmation for the booking within 2-5 working days. | high6755.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "graduation"
},
"options": [
"Homecoming",
"the football game",
"graduation",
"winning the game"
],
"question": "The most important event of the year in high schools and colleges is _ .",
"question_type": ... | In American schools there is something called Homecoming. Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a Homecoming game. This can be the most important event of the year except graduation or commencement day. Students plan Homecoming for many weeks in advance.
Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school. There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates. Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation.
The members of school clubs build booths and sell lemonade, apples and sandwiches. Some clubs help to welcome visitors. During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago. Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school.
Everyone soon comes to watch the football game. When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs. Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears. All the students _ a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King. It is a great honor to be chosen.
Homecoming is a happy day, but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game. Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming. Some stay at the school to dance, and others go to a party. For everyone it is a day worth remembering. | high9466.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To make money from horns."
},
"options": [
"To get more keratin.",
"To protect the farmland.",
"To use them for decoration.",
"To make money from horns."
],
"question": "What is the main reason for people to hun... | The poaching ,or illegal killing,of rhinos in South Africa is growing worse each year.The government recently reported that a record number of rhinos were poached in 2015,a year which had more rhino killings in South Africa than ever before.
The World Wildlife Fund,or WWF,says about 20, 000 rhinos live in South Africa. That is more than 80 percent of the rhinos in the world. Edna Molewa, South Africa's Environment Minister,says, "During 2015,we are sad to say this,1, 215 rhinos were killed.This is a rise in the number of poached rhinos from 1,004 in 2014 and indeed very worrying."
The animals are hunted for their horns .Many people in Asia believe the horn has curing power, which drives poachers, at all costs, mad for more horns. But there is no scientific evidence for this belief.The horn is made of keratin .That is the same thing as human hair,fingernails and toenails.
Ms.Molewa said 386 suspected poachers were arrested last year,an increase from the year before.But rhino protection workers say poachers often go unpunished after arrest. South Africa's legal system is ineffective. Ms. Mo1ewa said more needs to be done and South Africa is taking strong measures to protect rhinos.The efforts include moving some of the animals to secret places in neighboring countries. "Now approximately 100 rhinos have been moved to neighboring states in the SADC region during 2015 and 200 more rhinos will be moved this year," Molewa said.
Jo Shaw,the rhino program manager at the WWF,said,"We're talking about a loss of a hundred rhinos a month,or more than three a day.We really need to see effective action not just at a national level but internationally." She says officials should find the criminal groups responsible for the poaching and punish them. Government officials are to meet in Botswana in March at the Inter-governmental Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade. | high14212.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "computer"
},
"options": [
"robot",
"video",
"computer",
"letter"
],
"question": "We can use a _ to send e-mail.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
... | Are you able to send a letter with pictures and sounds to someone somewhere in the world without a stamp on it? Using a computer you can send e-mails quickly and easily. The post is much slower than e-mail. E-mail can send its message to the other side of the world in seconds. E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. The differences in time in different parts of the world do not matter when sending e-mail. It's twenty-four-hour service that you can send e-mail at any time of the day or night. No one has to be there to get e-mail. It does not matter if your friends are in beds when you send e-mail to them, or you are seeing a movie at the movie theater when they send e-mail back. | high22978.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was built for filming airplane scenes in movies"
},
"options": [
"can help people to learn how to fly an airplane",
"was built for filming airplane scenes in movies",
"can't provide the feel of an airplane in flight",
"... | Air travel makes some people very nervous. The crowds, the noise and flying itself can cause unease. But there are classes that people can take to help them defeat the fear of flying. And now we are going to talk about similar training for service dogs that suffer from the same problem.
Service dogs almost never leave the side of the people they care for. You will see them working on buses, trains and other public transport systems. But the busy environment in an airport can trouble even the best trained working dog.
People with disabilities depend on their dogs. They also need the dogs to remain calmly on duty on the airplane, even when the flight is not smooth. This takes special training. The Air Hollywood K9 Flight School is one place where such help can be found.
The school has a piece of equipment that provides the sights, sounds and even the feel of an airplane in flight. It is called a flight simulator . The simulator was built for filming airplane scenes in movies.
Sandy Alexander lives in Newport Beach, California. He has a disability that requires his two-year-old dog, Doc, to be always at his side. Mr. Alexander took the dog to the flight school to get him ready for plane trips. He says Doc did not like the bumpy part of the flight simulation. "When that started he was pretty _ and looked up at me and wasn't sure what was gong on."
"Dogs need to be exposed gradually and repetitively to stimulation, to the environment, to loud noises, to sounds and other dogs so that when this experience happens to them on a daily basis, they are able to act in a way that they are used to acting and don't get excitable," days dog trainer, Mary Segall.
Dog owners who have attended the training say they now feel much more at ease about future flights. Their dogs also seem ready for take-off. | high8778.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To find the opportunity of staying with Gladys."
},
"options": [
"To learn Mr. Hungertong's standards of exchange.",
"To hear Mr. Hungerton's views upon bimetallism.",
"To find the opportunity of staying with Gladys.",
... | Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was absolutely centered upon his own silly self. If anything could have driven me from Gladys, it would have been the thought of such a father-in-law. I am convinced that he really believed in his heart that I came round to the Chestnuts three days a week for the pleasure of his company, and very especially to hear his views upon bimetallism .
For an hour or more that evening I listened to his tiring talk about bad money driving out good, and the true standards of exchange.
"Suppose," he cried, "that all the debts in the world were called up at once, and immediate payment insisted upon,--what under our present conditions would happen then?"
I gave the self-evident answer that I should be a ruined man, upon which he jumped from his chair, scolding me for my thoughtless quickness, which made it impossible for him to discuss any reasonable subject in my presence.
At last I was alone with Gladys, and the moment of Fate had come! She sat with that proud, delicate figure of hers outlined against the red curtain. How beautiful she was! Gladys was full of every womanly quality.
I was about to break the long and uneasy silence, when two critical, dark eyes looked round at me, and the proud head was shaken disapprovingly. "I have a feeling that you are going to propose, Ned. I do wish you wouldn't; for things are so much nicer as they are."
I drew my chair a little nearer. "Now, how did you know that I was going to propose?" I asked in wonder.
"Don't women always know? Do you suppose any woman in the world was ever taken unawares? But--oh, Ned, our friendship has been so good and so pleasant! What a pity to spoil it! Don't you feel how splendid it is that a young man and a young woman should be able to talk face to face as we have talked?"
She had sprung from her chair, as she saw signs that I proposed to announce some of my wants. "You've spoiled everything, Ned," she said. "It's all so beautiful and natural until this kind of thing comes in! It is such a pity! Why can't you control yourself?"
"But why can't you love me, Gladys? Is it my appearance, or what?"
"No, it isn't that."
"My character?"
She nodded severely.
"What can I do to mend it?"
She looked at me with a wondering distrust which was much more to my mind than her whole-hearted confidence.
"Now tell me what's amiss with me?"
"I'm in love with somebody else," said she.
It was my turn to jump out of my chair.
"It's nobody in particular," she explained, laughing at the expression of my face: "only an ideal. I've never met the kind of man I mean."
"Tell me about him. What does he look like?"
"Oh, he might look very much like you."
"How dear of you to say that! Well, what is it that he does that I don't do? I'll have a try at it, Gladys, if you will only give me an idea what would please you."
"Well, it is never a man that I should love, but always the glories he had won; for they would be reflected upon me. Think of Richard Burton! When I read his wife's life of him I could so understand her love! And Lady Stanley! Did you ever read the wonderful last chapter of that book about her husband? These are the sort of men that a woman could worship with all her soul, and yet be the greater, not the less, on account of her love, honored by all the world as the inspirer of noble deeds."
"And if I do----"
Her dear hand rested upon my lips. "Not another word, Sir! You should have been at the office for evening duty half an hour ago; only I hadn't the heart to remind you. Some day, perhaps, when you have won your place in the world, we shall talk it over again." | high6741.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "slammed as a means of communication"
},
"options": [
"found its family with his help",
"suffered a lot in the cold waters",
"lost contact with its family for days",
"slammed as a means of communication"
],
"ques... | Every small child knows the panic of losing sight of its mother in the supermarket, and as these delightful pictures show, small whales obviously feel the same way.
Taken by a British diver who was following the sperm whale calf, _ show the minute the baby - who had lost track of its mum - found her again in the sea off the Azores.
Soaring 30ft across the waves, the newborn slammed its body onto the water with joy after becoming separated from its family group in the chilly waters.
But the whale calf was doing more than just jumping for joy.
British biologist and dive guide Justin Hart, 44, who took the pictures, says that young whales communicate with older ones in the ocean by creating a slamming sound which travels through the water to the ears of the adults deep below.
By leaping out of the water and slamming its 12ft long body onto the surface of the sea up to 30 times, the baby whale is telling its relatives where it is so they can regroup.
He said: "We had been following the sperm whale calf for most of the day. Sperm whales, of all the whales and dolphins, are the species that dive the deepest and for the longest time."
"The calves have to follow what's going on below them from the surface as best they can probably listening to the echo location clicks of the adults."
"However, sometimes the adults re-surface far out of sight of the calf, and in this situation the whales often leap out of the water causing a large bang as their bodies hit the surface. In this way, the whale family could regroup."
He added: "When I took the photo, two adults' females had just resurfaced and the calf quite literally began jumping for joy."
Mr. Hart captured the rare image four miles from the port of Lajes do Pico while he was working as a crewman on an underwater documentary with special license to film sperm whales in the area.
Sperm whales live in nearly all the world's oceans in groups of about 15 to 20 animals and they practice communal childcare. The calves do not have to follow their mother too closely as sperm whales can take milk from any milk-producing female in its social group. | high14206.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "El Paso."
},
"options": [
"El Paso.",
"Amsterdam.",
"Singapore.",
"Los Angeles."
],
"question": "According to the passage, in which airport can you buy an interesting painting?",
"question_type": null
},
... | Many people are upset when their flight is delayed. Not only do they have to change their schedule but, even worse, they have to wait in an airport! There's no need to be upset, though. Airports are much better places these days than most people think. Look at the following realities, and you may change your mind.
Belief 1 : Airport food is bad--as bad as airplane food.
Reality : Airports have fine international food and you can buy something to have for later--for example, cheese and seafood in Paris.
Belief 2 : _ Reality : In Amsterdam,you can buy anything. In El Paso,Texas, you can buy old-fashioned knives or special art. The art is so interesting that some people fly to El Paso just to visit the airport gallery . And Singapore's airports are known for some of the best shopping in the world.
Belief 3 : Airports make people uncomfortable and tense.
Reality : The airport at Honolulu has peaceful gardens. Pittsburgh has a meditation room : when you walk in, you can hear relaxing music and see pictures of clouds painted on the walls. If you prefer exercise, hotels at the airports in Los Angeles, Dallas,and many other cities have fitness centers that anyone can use.
So, the next time you're waiting in an airport, have some fun! | high9472.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "By posting images."
},
"options": [
"By buying pictures.",
"By posting images.",
"By making up stories.",
"By risking their lives."
],
"question": "How do some people make their lives appear more exciting?",
... | Your friends' lives may look more exciting than yours on Facebook,but new research shows that is because they are faking it.
A recent survey has found around twothirds of people on social media post images to their personal information to make their lives seem more adventurous.And more than three quarters of those asked said they judged their peers based on what they saw on their Instagram,Snapchat or Facebook pages.
The British survey,by smartphone maker HTC,found that,in order to make our own pages and lives appear more exciting,six percent also said they had borrowed items to include in the images in order to pass them off as their own. More than half of those surveyed said they posted images of items and places purely to show off,causing _ among friends and family.
Behavioural psychologist Hemmings said the trend was unsurprising due to the rise of social media."We're living in a world of instant communication."she said."Fashion and style used to live and die in magazines;now people are in search of authentic ,peertopeer recommendations as well,making social media an equal power house to magazines and newspapers."
"With images being shared in an instant we desire to know what our friends are wearing,or what super stars are buying, as soon as they have got them." Such is the influence of social media sites like Instagram,76 percent of those asked also said seeing items on social media influences them to buy them,with men more likely to take style advice and buy what they see. | high13569.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "doctor"
},
"options": [
"teacher",
"doctor",
"educator",
"musician"
],
"question": "Initially Andrea Peterson planned to work as a(n) _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Growing up the daughter of an outstanding educator,Andrea Peterson knew at a young age that she wanted to serve others.It was with this mindset that she started to pursue a degree in medicine.However,while visiting her brothers who were away at college studying music education,she realized that she was drawn to teach music,too.
In her ten years at Granite Falls,she has revitalized the music programs at both the elementary and high school levels,to the extent that an additional music faculty member was hired by the district to assist with the workload.The growth of the music program in Granite Falls School District has encouraged students to participate in country,state and national music competitions,and won numerous prizes for the district.
Teaching music is only a part of Peterson's instruction-it serves as a vehicle to other areas."Music is an amazing tool to unlock students' potential.The most visible benefit from their success in music is their increased confidence and selfesteem," Peterson said."However,I don't believe it is the only benefit,nor the most powerful.It is truly exciting to see how my music teaching can transfer to other classrooms." With this philosophy,Peterson introduced a crosscurriculum program,wherein she takes lessons taught in other classes,such as English and math,and expands upon them in an eightweek unit.
One of the most popular projects in Peterson's classes is the creation and performance of a musical,and whereby students create a play from one of the books they have read in another class.Students work together to choose the music that best fits with the overall feel of the play and then perform it for the greater community."Through Andrea's efforts these kids have helped to put Granite Falls,Washington,on the map for musical talents.Parents,staff and community members continue to be in awe of what she is able to bring forth from the children,"said Debra Rose Howell,a colleague of Peterson's at Monte Crisco Elementary School. | high6999.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They help art students to improve their skills."
},
"options": [
"They organize meetings for teachers every two years.",
"They provide exhibition changes for teachers.",
"They help art students to improve their skills.",
... | The Airport Art Program is proud to have three Youth Art Galleries at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Georgia students, from kindergarten to twelfth grade, are given the chances to have their artwork exhibited to an ever-changing audience in the millions. In return these talented youths provide new artwork every three months to enrich the airport.
The first gallery opened in the summer of 1997. In December of 1998 a second gallery opened. Both of these galleries are organized by the Airport Art Program and Georgia Art Education Association(GAEA). The GAEA aims to improve the conditions of teaching art across Georgia. They organize meetings for art students to improve their skills and provide exhibition chances for them to show their artwork. They also hold meetings twice a year for teachers.
The third Youth Art Gallery is organized by the Airport Art Program and the Youth Art Connection(YAC)of Atlanta. YAC is a part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. YAC uses the arts as a way to connect with children and teens who don't get enough help or services. They also work with the community to provide cultural enrichment programs for young people.
To join in or get information about the first and second Youth Art Galleries, please visit the Georgia Art Education Association's website at _ or click _ for a brochure .
For information about the third Youth art Gallery and the Youth Art Connection, please visit _ .
To buy artwork from any of the three Youth Art Galleries, please call(404) 382-2455. | high12677.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "they think maths has nothing to do with their future"
},
"options": [
"maths is useless to most people",
"they have no interest in maths",
"they think maths has nothing to do with their future",
"they don't do well in m... | American middle school students don't seem to care that they're worse at maths than their counterparts in China's Hong Kong and Finland. "I don't need it," my student says, "I'm going to be a basketball star." Or a car mechanic, or a singer.
Middle school students' maths skills were tested by the International Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The United States ranked 28th out of 41 countries tested. After all, when was the last time you used algebra ?
But maths isn't just about training Americans to become scientists. It has its own value. It helps you see patterns and develops your logic skills, and it teaches you to concentrate and to separate truth from falsehood. Maths helps you make wise financial decisions, so you can avoid false claims from advertisers, politicians and others. It helps you determine risk. For example, after an airplane crash, studies show that people are more likely to drive than to take a plane in spite of the fact that they are much more likely to be killed or injured while driving. Planes are not like criminals who repeat the same crime over and over. One plane is not more likely to crash just because another plane recently did. In fact, the most dangerous time to drive is probably right after a plane crash because so many people are on the road.
It is not possible to really understand science and the scientific method without understanding maths. A rainbow is even more beautiful and amazing when we understand it.
The precision of maths helps us think in a very special way. How do we bring the learning of maths back to life? I don't have the big answer. I try my best to help pupils find answers to some maths problems. When I can get one to say, "Wow, that's great," I feel the joy of a small victory. | high15118.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Intelligent but severe."
},
"options": [
"Friendly but irresponsible.",
"Intelligent but severe.",
"Cold and aggressive.",
"Caring and communicative."
],
"question": "What was the author's impression of her fath... | Growing up, I remember my father as a silent, serious man--not the sort of person around whom one could laugh. As a teenager arriving in America, knowing nothing, I wanted a father who could explain the human journey. In college, when friends called home for advice, I would sink into deep depression for what I did not have.
Today, at twenty-seven, I have come to rediscover them in ways that my teenage mind would not allow--as adults and as friends with their own faults and weaknesses.
One night after my move back home, I overheard my father on the telephone. There was some trouble. Later, Dad shared the problem with me. Apparently my legal training had earned me some privileges in his eyes. I talked through the problem with Dad, analyzing the purposes of the people involved and offering several negotiation strategies .He listened patiently before finally admitting, "I can't think like that. I am a simple man."
Dad is a brilliant scientist who can deconstruct the building blocks of nature. Yet human nature is a mystery to him. That night I realized that he was simply not skilled at dealing with people, much less the trouble of a conflicted teenager. It's not in his nature to understand human desires.
And so, there it was--it was no one's fault that my father held no interest in human lives while I placed great importance in them. We are at times born more sensitive, wide-eyed, and dreamy than our parents and become more curious and idealistic than them. Dad perhaps never expected me for a child. And I, who knew Dad as an intelligent man, had never understood that his intelligence did not cover all of my feelings.
It has saved me years of questioning and confusion. I now see my parents as people who have other relationships than just Father and Mother. I now overlook their many faults and weaknesses, which once annoyed me.
I now know my parents as friends: people who ask me for advice; people who need my support and understanding. And I have come to see my past clearer. | high16411.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "zero"
},
"options": [
"zero",
"two",
"29",
"10"
],
"question": "How many points did Yao Ming win in his first game in the NBA?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_in... | "Some day, there'll be no Americans left in the NBA," said 12-year-old Xing Tao, who joined his school team two weeks ago after watching Yao Ming in a televised NBA game, "The players will all be Chinese, like Yao."
To China, Yao is a home-grown superstar who helped make the world's first basketball league closer to Chinese players. To the NBA, the 2.23-meter center offers an opening of a different sort into the world's largest new market. Yao's NBA first appearance against the Indiana Pacers in October reached 287 million families in the US. That game might have been a bit of a _ to Yao's fans: He played just 11 of the 48 minutes, had two rebounds and got no points. Comparing that with his performance on December 19, also against Indiana, Yao won 29 points and 10 rebounds. "This was one of the most exciting games I've had," Yao said after Houston's 95-83 victory. The NBA has to be excited about his on-count success. In all his games, he's averaging 12.7 points and 7.7 rebounds, quite good for a new star. "Yao Ming has brought the NBA closer to the Chinese," said NBA spokeswoman Cheong Sau Ching, "That makes the dream seem practical for other people in China and proud to be Chinese."
The 22-year-old Yao is not the country's first player in the NBA: Wang Zhizhi broke down the Dallas Mavericks in November 2003. But Yao's combination of modesty and skills make him a favorite back home. | high4156.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A teenager was named the fastest texter in the US."
},
"options": [
"A teenager receiver $50,000.",
"Teenagers in the US make money by texting.",
"A teenager was named the fastest texter in the US.",
"The LG US National... | Who says constant texting is just a bad habit? The teenager with the fastest thumbs in the country was crowned on Wednesday at the LG US National Texting Championship in New York City, winning $50,000 after a series of fierce texting battles.
16-year-old Austin Wiershke comes from Rhinelander, Wisconsin of the United States. He took home the top prize at the fifth annual texting event, beating 11 other competitors in the final, including last year's champion Brianna Hendrickson from Brooklyn, New York.
Wiershke, who was wearing a gray shirt and having Justin Bieber's hairstyle, sailed through each level of the competition by typing passages of text on a QWERTY keyboard rapidly without any mistaken. One special round even included being blindfolded on the state to make up phrases by memory.
"I'm extremely nervous," Wiershke said while waiting for the results after the final round. "I'm getting ready to hear Brianna's name. When I heard my name was announced, I really couldn't believe my ears." After the announcement was made, confetti dropped from the ceiling and Wiershke was met on the stage by the singer who said that she liked texting very much. She was Ashley Tisdale, a famous and beautiful singer, who awarded him his check.
In August, a film on Music Television called "Thumbs" took a behind-the -scenes look at the teenager's life. It shows how he practiced texting to be the fastest. The film followed a series of young texting competitors, including Brianna Hendrickson, in the weeks leading up to this year's LG US National Texting Championship. Besides showing the always -connected lifestyle of these teenagers nationwide, the mover also shows the studies, sports , dreams and friendships among these competitors. | high3639.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "are registered dietitians and work for ADA"
},
"options": [
"think highly of the latest popular diet book",
"like going to the gym often",
"think trying to lose weight isn't good for a person's body",
"are registered di... | Lots of folks don't think about what they eat over the holiday season until January, when they stare sadly at the number on the scale and then hurry off to hit the gym, join Weight Watchers or pick up the latest diet book.
It doesn't have to be that way. Health experts say you can still enjoy the holidays.
"It's OK to indulge , but it doesn't mean you have to gain weight," said Karen Ansel, a New York-based registered dietitian and a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). Jessica Crandall, a registered dietitian from Denver who's also an ADA spokeswoman, added that gaining weight during the holidays and then working hard to lose it again is not good for a person's body.
For starters, people interested in maintaining their weight during the holidays should keep eating on a regular schedule, the two dietitians said. Research has shown that people who skip meals -- particularly breakfast -- end up eating more throughout the day. "Try and stick to consistent meal times so you can avoid being overly hungry," Crandall said. "When you're overly hungry, you can make some bad decisions regarding what you eat. Don't starve yourself during the day waiting for that party at night -- because you'll eat too much or overeat."
Ansel suggests that you think now about the foods you really enjoy and plan to focus on those while eating less of more common fare.
Be careful, too, about alcohol intake, for a couple of reasons. Alcoholic drinks, particularly the fancy ones handed out at holiday time, tend to come loaded with calories. "It's usually what you're adding to a drink that contains the calories," Crandall said. Also, if you're drunk, you might forget to watch what you're eating. "It totally lowers your inhibitions ," Ansel said.
Other holiday eating tips, suggested by Crandall and Ansel, include:
*Eat lots of vegetables, and eat them first before moving on to the other items on your plate.
*Recognize that many holiday extras, like cheese or cranberry sauce, come loaded with calories. "If those aren't your favorite foods, don't put them on your plate," Crandall said.
*If your favorite food has a lot of calories, be sure to minimize your portion. "Two bites cure the craving," Crandall said. "After that, you're just really feeding your old habits.
*After a big holiday meal, don't sink into a chair or couch. Go for a walk outdoors or participate in some other activities that help burn off some of the calories you've just eaten. | high2527.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He helped improve their writing skills."
},
"options": [
"He reported them to the headmaster.",
"He lectured them hard on honesty.",
"He had them take notes before lunch.",
"He helped improve their writing skills."
... | I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.
I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I'd be busy 24 hours a day.
The _ excuse notes made a large pile , with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."
Isn't it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard to put 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant.
So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, "They're supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?" The students looked at me nervously.
"Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note--the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You're so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worth studying."
Everyone smiled as I went on, "You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam to God' or 'An Excuse Note from Eve to God'. " Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.
The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, "I'd like you to see me in my office."
When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you." | high5248.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To have a chat with the couple."
},
"options": [
"To learn about a risky sport.",
"To show concern for the boy.",
"To have a chat with the couple.",
"To give the instructor a hand."
],
"question": "Why did Sue c... | One day in Australia I decided to try hang gliding . I went up with an instructor, floated and flew above the waves for about 20 minutes, then landed on the sand. His wife was there to meet us so she could drive us back. Their son, about 8 years old, was with her. As the four of us were standing there a woman named Sue came up with a big smile. She gave a warm hello to the couple, and then asked the boy, "How's school, mate ?"With a troubled look on his young face, the boy quietly said, "Not good." In response Sue exclaimed ,sounding surprised , "Not good ?I bet it is fun."
Then she turned her attention back to the boy's parents. They started talking about some of their friends, smiling and laughing . Meanwhile, all three of them completely ignored the boy . But I watched his head drop.I watched him turn away from the group, take a few steps ,and just stand there ,alone.
I still find it hard to believe that anyone could miss a child's reaction that completely. I wondered how the three adults could stand there and laugh while that boy stood there alone, troubled not only about school but also that no one was interested in his troubles.
Maybe his father tried to distract his son with risky sports. As long as you are active, you can't feel your emotional pain. But what if his son is not interested in sports?
These were what most people would say are "good parents" . But I say that what they did was child abuse. It was total emotional neglect at that moment . And that is why I am writing this story. To remind everyone that it is little interactions with children that make a difference in their lives and in society. | high17069.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "war movie"
},
"options": [
"war movie",
"comedy",
"action movie",
"love film"
],
"question": "Black Hawk Down is a(n) _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index":... | This is a true story. Tristin Saghin enjoyed the movie Black Hawk Down very much,which is about the conflict in Somalia.The battle scenes and the exciting rescues of people who are dying,interested him greatly.
There was just one problem:Tristin was only 9 years old,and it was thought that movie was not for children. When his parents caught him watching it on TV,they made him turn it off,though he had finished his homework and it was not late. Then one day,Tristin and his family were visiting his grandmother in Mesa,Arizona. Tristin's 2yearold sister got out of the house and fell in the backyard pool. Realizing the little girl was missing,the family ran outside,only to find the girl had fallen into the water.
Pulled from the pool and placed on the ground,the child wasn't breathing. The family called the ambulance ,but no one knew how to do first aid. No one,that is,except for Tristin. A scene in Black Hawk Down describes a doctor giving first aid. Tristin remembered it. Then the 9yearold gave first aid to his sister at once and saved her life.
His parents don't stop him seeing the movies he likes any more. Tristin taught himself how to do first aid but he had never thought he could use it to save his little sister's life. Any skill can be used in time,so you should always learn. | high2241.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "fourth and first"
},
"options": [
"fourth and tenth",
"fourth and first",
"third and tenth",
"third and first"
],
"question": "\"You look lovely\" and \"Sorry, I had no signal\" ranked _ on the popular-lie l... | Britain's most popular lie has been disclosed, with one in four people admitting using "sorry I had no signal" when returning a missed mobile phone call, a survey found.
Researchers found the average Briton tells on average four lies every day or almost 1500 every year. Almost one in six men admitted they were most likely to lie to their wife or girlfriend, on average at least twice a day. The most popular lie was saying you had no mobile phone signal, with one in four people admitting regularly using the little white lie. It usually came after they hit the "ignore" button when their mobile rang.
Three quarters of people think women are better liars. The research found 46 per cent of girls have been caught lying, compared to 58 of men.
The second most common _ is "I haven't got any cash on me" when asked for money by beggars and Big Issue sellers. "Nothing's wrong - I'm fine" came third followed by "You look lovely" and "Nice to see you".
Modern technology turned out to have contributed to many lies with "I didn't get your text" in 18th, "Our server was down" in 20th and "My battery died" in 26th place. Other lies to make the top ten included "I'll give you a ring", "We're just good friends" and "We'll have to meet up soon". "I'm on my way" and "No, your bum doesn't look big in that" completed the top ten.
In many cases perhaps it is better to delight someone with a fib than destroy someone with the truth, according to a spokesman for OnePoll, which carried out the research of 4,300 adults. He added: 'As a nation we just like trying to be nice and not upsetting people. Often little white lies can cover what we actually want to say. Most of these were considered completely harmless. ' | high10706.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "existed"
},
"options": [
"performed",
"occurred",
"existed",
"arrived"
],
"question": "The phrase \"come on the scene\" in Para. 4 is closest in meaning to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | Researchers Jose Cordova and Erich Astudillo have discovered a new molecule that kills the bacteria Streptococcus Mutans, long known to be responsible for breaking down sugars in food in the mouth, which damages tooth leading to decay . The new molecule they call "Keep 32" has been found to kill the bacteria.
The two have applied for a patent on their discovery and have also begun a marketing strategy aimed at both oral care products and food products. They say either product, if left in the mouth for just 60 seconds ,will kill all the harmful bacteria in the mouth and keep _ at bay for several hours. If the new molecule passes health and safety tests, the two believe products using their new molecule should be on the market in as little as a year and a half. They expect the market for such a product to reach $300 million in just the first year.
The two have been working together since 2005 using money from the Founder Institute and say the aim is to approve the process for creating the molecule they've discovered for big companies like Procter & Gamble, Colgate even candy companies such as Hershey's. In interviews, Astudillo has suggested that the two researchers are already heavily into discussion with several companies, some of which are interested in buying the patent once it is approved.
Over the years many products have _ with announcement of reducing tooth decay and even the loss of teeth, but other than the introduction of fluoride into drinking water, not much progress has been made. If the announcement made by this new team proves true however, it could foresee a mark in saving the world of tooth decay as well as helping to improve the health for millions of people as tooth decay has been linked to many other health problems throughout the body including heart attacks. | high11418.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Charity for beggars."
},
"options": [
"Charity party",
"Charity post",
"Charity TV program",
"Charity for beggars."
],
"question": "Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the story as a way of fundraising ... | No doubt that you know about Charities. Here it is another chance for you to know more. Difficult times often bring out the best in people. And this was the case for basketball star Yao Ming, who hosted a television show in Shanghai that raised US$300,000 to help researchers find a cure for SARS. Fundraising, or charity, is an act of goodwill towards others. Charities in the West have more flexible ways. Look at a typical day for Ruth, a wealthy woman in the UK, for example. Ruth wakes up in the morning and collects her post. There's a letter addressed to her with a picture of a half-dead, beaten horse. It's from a charity asking Ruth to donate money to save the animals. The door bell rings and there, on Ruth's doorstep, is an old woman asking for money to help the aged. She turns on the television, hears sad music and sees a picture of a wide-eyed child dying of hunger in Africa with an appeal for money to help the child. Ruth then goes shopping for a dress to wear to that evening's large party for the rich and famous. The ticket cost her a small fortune, but she doesn't mind because most of the money is going to a charity that fights AIDS. She feels good about going because she's helping the sick. Within five minutes of walking down the street, Ruth has passed a charity shop. She doesn't stop because she doesn't think she'd find a suitable dress there--it's full of old, secondhand clothes. But, many other people enter and but all sorts of bargains. Edna, a little old lady, looks after the shop. Any profit it has made goes to a cancer charity. Now that she has retired, she has plenty of spare time to offer her services for free.
For people like Yao Ming, Ruth and Edna, charity is a virtue that holds the same importance in life as faith and hope. "
" said Scottish author Henry Drummond. | high16377.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a long but not very deep cut often doesn't need professional attention"
},
"options": [
"a finger cut without treatment can lead to permanent damage",
"the length of a cut on a finger is more important than the depth",
"a lon... | Hospital emergency rooms treat injured fingers all the time. Without treatment, a bad cut can lead to permanent damage. But how should a person know when a bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention? We asked Dr Martin Brown, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Virginia.
First, the medical term for a cut or tear in the skin is a laceration(,). Dr Brown says the length is usually not as important as the depth. He says a long cut on a finger can likely be treated without a visit to a doctor if the wound is not very deep. "If you have a short but deep laceration where there's been a structure underneath that's been damaged - a tendon, a nerve, a blood vessel," says Martin, "it may, in fact, need professional attention."
Some injuries - like a fingertip that gets cut off - might even require surgery to repair. That requires a specialist to either file down the bone or _ the fingertip. More often, filing down the bone is what is done because reattaching a fingertip is often not successful.
How a wound bleeds can be a sign of how serious it is. Minor cuts usually produce what is known as venous bleeding. This means the blood flows steadily from the injury. The bleeding will often stop when pressure is put on the wound. Dr Brown says in most cases holding direct pressure with clean gauze or a cloth for four to five minutes should stop the bleeding. With a cut finger, holding the hand above the heart can reduce the loss of blood. But if a cut appears to be pumping blood out with some force, this may be a sign of arterial bleeding. This kind of injury should be treated by a medical professional as soon as possible.
Even a cut that does not require medical attention must be kept clean to prevent infection. Small cuts should be cleaned gently with clean water. Use a washcloth to clean the area if the wound is dirty. Dr Brown says cuts should be covered with a clean, dry bandage. | high4630.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Right to Die"
},
"options": [
"The Right to Live",
"The Right to Die",
"The Doctor's Duty",
"Life Is Better Than Death"
],
"question": "The best title for this passage is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | In recent years, advances in medical technology have made it possible for people to live longer than in the past. New medicines and machines are being developed every day to extend life. However, some people, including some doctors, are not in favor 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 saw 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 than death and that the duty of doctors is always to extend life as long as possible. And so the battle goes on and on without a definite answer. | high19044.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Carnegie Mellon University."
},
"options": [
"Robotics Trends.",
"Pittsburgh City Council.",
"Carnegie Mellon University.",
"Federal Emergency Management Agency."
],
"question": "Which institution is responsible... | PITTSBURGH - For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening. But Howie Choset sees in their delicate movements a way to save lives.
The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies.
Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass.-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows. He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn't know of one that could climb pipes.
The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick . They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists in model airplanes.
Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller. They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added.
Sam Stover, a search term manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility than equipment currently available, such as cameras attached to extendable roles.
"It just allows us to do something we've not been able to do before," Stover said, "We needed them yesterday."
He said snifter dogs are still the best search tool for rescue workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access to damaged building.
Stover, among the rescue workers who handled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster.
Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding. | high7339.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "they are picked when they are fully grown"
},
"options": [
"they are picked when they are fully grown",
"they are not polluted by chemical fertilizer",
"they can be harvested at any time",
"they are sent to the market a... | The Horn of Plenty is one of the largest natural health food stores within the Greater Hamilton area. We are big supporters of buying locally and we are here to tell you why it is so important for your family, the community and the environment.
The concept of buying locally is simple: buy food produced, grown, or raised as close to your home as possible. Not only will your food be fresher and tastier, but you are helping protect the environment and are supporting businesses within your community and reducing pollution.
Better for the environment
Sustainability and global warming are such hot topics at the moment, and many people want to do their bit to help support a healthier environment. Small action carried out by many people can make a big difference. Most materials in an average North American meal have traveled about 1,500 miles to get from farm to plate. To cut out a big part of this travel would greatly reduce not only pollution from transportation and refrigeration but also customers' expenses as well.
Taste and nutritional content
Locally-grown fruits and vegetables are usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested. Because they are picked at the height of ripeness and travel only a short distance to the market, their freshness, nutrition, and flavor are kept. Produce trucked in from far away may lose both taste and nutritional content.
Community and home values
When you buy direct from a farmer or buy locally-grown foods, you are engaged in a time-honored tradition between a grower and an eater. You also help keep dollars within your community. | high12111.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man"
},
"options": [
"The Importance of Geographical Environment",
"The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man",
"Generalization of Types of People",
"Geographical Envi... | A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are.
It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats.
Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous.
But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows?
We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies. | high1748.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a chapter"
},
"options": [
"the beginning",
"the introduction",
"a summary",
"a chapter"
],
"question": "This passage is most probably _ of a love story .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | A month went by in this manner , but a month was all I could bear .
The memory of Marguerite accompanied me wherever I went . I had loved that woman --- still loved her --- too much for her suddenly to mean nothing to me . Whatever feelings I might have for her now , I had to see her again . At once .
...
I knew Marguerite . Meeting me so unexpectedly must have thrown her into a state of great confusion . Probably , she had heard of my departure which had set her mind at rest as to the consequences of our sudden parting . But , seeing me back and coming face to face with me , pale as I was , she had sensed that my return had a purpose , and must have wondered what was going to happen .
If , when I saw her again , Marguerite had been unhappy ; if , in taking my revenge , there had also been some way of helping her , then I might well have forgiven her , and would certainly never have dreamed of doing her any harm . But when I saw her again , she was happy , at least on the surface . Another man had ensured her the luxury in which I had been unable to keep her . She brought shame both to my pride and my love ; she was going to have to pay for what I had suffered .
I could not remain indifferent to what she did now . It followed that the thing that would hurt her most would be exactly for me to show indifference . Indifference , therefore , was the feeling which I now needed to pretend , not only in her presence but in the eyes of others .
I tried to put a smile on my face , and I went to call on Prudence with whom Marguerite was staying .
Prudence saw me to the door , and I returned to my apartment with tears of anger in my eyes and thirst for revenge in my heart and thought only of finding a way to make the poor creature suffer . | high6027.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Upgrading its system regularly."
},
"options": [
"Replying to most questions every day.",
"Upgrading its system regularly.",
"Giving writers special software to install.",
"Choosing different topics for readers"
],
... | Blogit is the first online subscription network connecting individual readers and writers.As Blogit grows, amazing things are happening.A friendly, active community has formed: readers are finding writers they enjoy; strangers are becoming friends; old classmates are running into one another; even romances are blossoming.And popular writers have already earned more than $1,000 on Blogit each month.
Want to try? First of all, Blogit lets writers easily realize their dreams to write.Writers get their own writing space, where they are free to write on any topic, whenever they want: from opinion and observation to novel and poetry.Secondly, writers experience the excitement of knowing they are read, and enjoy gradually gaining a loyal following.It' s simple for writers to find readers on Blogit, since there is a various, worldwide audience of people, waiting to read and comment ----right now.
You never know whom you might meet on Blogit.Whether writers are looking for a quiet readership or are hungry for a spirited discussion, they will find it on Blogit. Many writers even have readers who have become new friends. Blogit member introduction appear on many of the top Internet search engines, which allows writers to publicize their identity and helps increase their number of readers.
Thanks to modern technology, writers get everything they need to begin.They can even make additional choices, to add pictures and select different styles, for example.There is nothing to install , and no special software is needed.As Blogit grows, we are upgrading our systems and adding new features requested by members.We do our best to help members, replying to most questions within one business day.
I invite you to try Blogit today.Here' s my promise: if you find that you aren't being read on Blogit, simply cancel your subscription and you will not be charged again.It' s quick and easy to sign up.If you sign up now, you'll get all of Blogit's benefits for only $12.95 per month.You can start to be read and begin earning money directly! | high14560.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Beijing, Hunan and Heilongjiang"
},
"options": [
"Beijing, Hunan and Heilongjiang",
"Hunan, Heilongjiang and Tibet",
"Yunnan, Ningxia and Hong Kong",
"Yunnan, Shandong and Gansu"
],
"question": "Five celebrity f... | Recently, the TV show Where Are We Going, Dad? has become one of China's most popular TV shows, attracting more than 600 million viewers each week.
In this program, five celebrity fathers traveled to six countryside locations across China, including some villages in Beijing, Yunnan, Shandong, Hunan, Heilongjiang and a desert in Ningxia. They took care of their kids without the help of the kid's mothers. At the same time, they also took part in different kinds of activities with their kids together, such as cooking, fishing and selling goods.
Why is the show so popular? "It reflects social reality. In big cities, fathers are always busy earning money and making achievements in their career. They don't spare more time with their kids." said Xie Dikui, general director of the show. As the father of a 3-year-old daughter, Xie said that he found his own heart being touched as he made it. "Although these fathers are busy, they are able to spare time for their kids. We can do better than them."
_ also happens in some rural areas in China. More and more men from rural areas are now working in big cities, leaving their kids at home under the Grandparents' care.
"I have a son and a daughter in my hometown." said Xu Canyong, a 33-year-old man working in Shantou, Guangdong Province. "They come to live with me only during summer and winter vacations. I miss them very much. I want to have them live with us in Shantou, but the cost of living here is too high." said Xu. | high9314.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "How Hillary and Norgay conquered Qomolangma."
},
"options": [
"The climbing history of Qomolangma.",
"The life and achievements of Edmund Hillary.",
"How Hillary and Norgay conquered Qomolangma.",
"How the Hillary Step ... | In 1953, the New Zealander Edmund Hillary, then 33, joined a British Qomolangma expedition led by Colonel John Hunt. Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans were the first team to attempt the summit . Despite a violent storm, they reached the South Summit -- at 28,700 feet (8,748 meters) -- by 1 p.m. on May 26. But both men knew they would run out of oxygen if they went on. They agreed to turn back.
Two days later, Hillary and Norgay, set out from Camp IX at 25,900 feet to make the next attempt. At 27,900 feet they made a temporary camp on a six foot wide rock to spend the night. At 6:30 the next morning, cheered by clearing skies, the team moved out. Roped together, cutting steps with their ice axes, they inched up a steep, knife-edged ridge southeast of the summit. They reached the South Summit by 9:00 a.m.
Farther up, they met a 40-foot icy rock face, which was later named the Hillary Step. "...looking up at the rock step at 29,000 feet, it really did look extremely difficult to overcome," said Hillary. But they found a narrow crack on the surface of the rock, just large enough to move inside on hands and knees, and managed to climb it by supporting feet against one side and backs against the other. Hillary said, "That was really the first moment during the whole of the expedition that I was confident that we were going to get to the top."
The last few yards to the summit were relatively easy. "Then I realized that the ridge, instead of rising ahead, now dropped sharply away," Hillary said. "I looked upward to see a narrow ridge running up to a sharp point. ...and we stood on the summit." It was 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953. | high237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "young men could get married if they had severed in the army for a number of years."
},
"options": [
"no young men could get married unless they were old enough.",
"young men could get married if they had severed in the army for a n... | Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine's day. One legend dates as far back as the days of Roman Empire. According to the story , Claudius , the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join the army; therefore, he made a rule that no young men could marry until he had served in the army for a number of years.
A priest named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great number of young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine's day--- which is time for people to send one another their greetings of many kinds.
February 14, Valentine's Day, is sweetheart's day, on which people in love with each other express their tender emotions.
People sometimes put their love message in a heartshaped box of chocolate or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons. Words of letters may be written on the flower-covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be , the message is almost the same: "will you be my Valentine?" | high23327.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the situation of mistaking identities"
},
"options": [
"a kind of disease difficult to cure",
"the situation of mistaking identities",
"the tricks that children like to play",
"the way to separate two similar things"
... | It's certain:for twins,life really does imitate art.My twin brother,Kirk,and I grew up being constantly mistaken for each other.Classmates,friends,teachers,even relatives couldn't tell us apart. As a result,we were often unfairly punished or rewarded.
Eventually,we learned how to use the Mistaken Identity Syndrome (MIS) to our advantage.For example,we would play tricks on our friends and classmates,pretending to be the other twin.Nor were teachers immune to our tricks.On at least one occasion,when Kirk was sick,I covered for him by taking his tests.We also tried our little game out on Mom,but she always knew who was who.Once we grew up,we even covered for each other at work.We didn't mean any harm;we simply started this as an experiment to see whether our bosses and co-workers could tell the difference.
As a bank manager, I meet with dozens of clients on a daily basis, while my brother manages a staffing service for local employers. As a result, Kirk is constantly approached by people who want to discuss their various money accounts, while I'm frequently thanked on the street as a department store customer service representative.
However, the MIS took a truly embarrassing turn when Kirk and I found ourselves unable to tell each other apart. Once, my brother and I were traveling in a car with several friends. My brother's hair must always be in place. Kirk was driving when he noticed in the rearview mirror that his hair was a bit messy.
He lifted his right hand to brush his hair back into place and was disturbed when his hand didn't appear in the mirror. Several times he repeated this action. Finally, he started laughing. | high10935.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "their wish to improve their appearance"
},
"options": [
"the multi-functional use of high heels",
"their attempt to show off their status",
"the rich variety of high heel styles",
"their wish to improve their appearance... | In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, patterns, materials, and color1s. But they are eventually the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels -- a woman's worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or stylish for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in creating short as well as long term troubles. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.
For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating lawns . Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babiesgets rid of all the need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy blocks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defending against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion items.
Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one's physical health. Talk to any podiatrist , and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as misshapen feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a narrow sidewalk gap and being thrown to the ground--possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her aching feet. | high17082.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "pre-school children"
},
"options": [
"would-be parents",
"teenagers",
"child experts",
"pre-school children"
],
"question": "The Future Stars is intended for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
... | The Future Stars
General introduction
The Future Stars was set up in 1988 as a non-profit service center for child development devoted to providing quality childcare in a loving and educational environment for children 6 weeks to 6 years of age. Our funds mainly come from public donations.
A healthy curiosity about learning is the most important quality for early childhood development. We aim at offering high quality developmentally age-appropriate activities for early childhood, the most Important time of child development, so that they can do better after they start formal schooling.
Hours of operation
Childcare will be provided for the child from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm Monday through Friday except for holidays. Children may not arrive before 7:00 am or remain after 6:00 pm. Should an emergency arise, the parent should immediately make us know in consideration of our work arrangements. A late charge of $ 1.00 per minute will be assessed if the child is not picked up by 6:05 pm. Charges for these services are to be paid directly to the staff person that has been looking after your child until your arrival, not to the center. Failure to pay late charges may affect continued services with the center.
Tuition
When it has been confirmed that a position is available for your child, you must pay a registration fee of $200 per child.
The weekly tuition fee is $ 98.00. You can make payments either by credit card or in cash on Monday every week. If your payment is not made by Tuesday at 9:00 am, you will be charged a $ 25.00 late fee.
For more information, please call 434-293-6110 or visit www.childdevelopmentcenter.com. | high4803.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they didn't defrost the chickens before firing them"
},
"options": [
"the trains' speed was too high",
"the train windshields were not hard enough",
"the testing methods were not suitable for the train",
"they didn't de... | Engineers at a major aerospace company were instructed Io test the effects of bird-strikes on the windshield of airliners and military jets. To simulate(D the effect of a goose _ an aircraft traveling at a high speed, the test engineers built a powerful gun, with which they fired dead chickens at the windshields. The simulations using the gun and the dead chickens worked extremely effectively, happily proving the suitability of the windshields, and several articles about the project appeared in the testing industry press.
It so happened that another test laboratory in a different part of the world was involved in assessing bird-strikes--in this case on the windshields and the drivers' cabs of new high-speed trains. The train test engineers had read about the pioneering test developed by the aerospace team, and so they approached them to ask for specifications of the gun and the testing methods. The aerospace engineers gave them details, and the train engineers set about building their own simulation.
The simulated bird-strike tests on the train windshields and cabs produced shocking results. The supposed high-speed train windshields offered little resistance to tile high-speed chickens; in fact every single windshield that was submitted for testing was struck to pieces, along with a number of train cabs and much of the test-lab itself.
The frightened train engineers were concerned that the new high-speed trains required a safety technology that was beyond their experience, so they contacted the aerospace team for advice and suggestions, sending them an extensive report of the tests and failures.
The brief reply came back from the aero-engineers: "You need to defrost the chickens... " | high20148.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "restaurant where you can ask for some special kinds of food"
},
"options": [
"place in which you can see many mobile homes",
"mountain where you can get a good view of the valley",
"town which happens to be near the Banff Nat... | While in Banff, make time for a walk around town. A special treat is to go up the mountainside on the Banff Gondola for a surprising view of the valley below. Here is The Pines, whose cook has developed a special way of mixing foreign food such as caribou, wild boar, and reindeer with surprising sauces.
Best time to visit is during the off-season, from early May to mid-June, or in October. This way you can avoid sharing the highway with mobile homes which can be pulled by cars. But whatever the season, take some lunch with you from Banff, because there are only a few food stops on the road.
Forty minutes north of Banff, side by side with the Banff National Park, sits world-famous Lake Louise. This surprisingly small body of water is attractive with towering mountains around it. Glaciers, huge masses of ice, moving very slowly against rocks, produce what is called glacier rock flour, making its water dark to see. It is worth taking a walk around the grounds of the Chateau Lake Louise, another beauty, proud of its early 20th century history.
Back on the road, and it's time to continue north past the astonishing Columbia Icefield, then turn off the highway and take the short road to the base of the Athabaska Glacier. You can rent ice cleats and do some climbing or do a more pleasant snowmobile tour. Either way, you can enjoy endless beautiful sights.
Finally you'll reach Jasper, the usual turning around the place for the Banff-Jasper loop . It's worth riding the Jasper Skytram, and be sure to visit the wonderful Jasper Park Lodge, also dating back to the 1920s. If you can have lunch there, do it. The restaurant has an adventurous menu and their wine list would put a smile on any visitor's face. | high11395.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "By downloading from websites which have converted music libraries into MP3."
},
"options": [
"By turning your home PC into a tape recorder",
"By taking your own music or songs with you",
"By copying songs to a PC through the ... | Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time. Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC (personal computer) if they're in the MP3 format.
What is it?
MP3 compresses music into small computer friendly files. You access MP3 music several ways : Music can be downloaded from websites that have converted vast music libraries into MP3. Or you can prerecord CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3. Once MP3 music is on your PC's hard drive, you can play it through your computer's speakers, " _ " it onto blank CDs or exchange MP3 files with friends using E-mail.
How much?
Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free. It comes preinstalled on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3. com. Some MP3 sites are free. Just type "MP3 sites" into any search engine. The popular MP3 players start at around $50and can hold hundreds of songs. A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar.
Advantages
MP3 turns your home PC into a tape recorder. Tiny MP3 players are the size of a card, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you.
Disadvantages
You may find that music at many sites is limited. And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings. Others let you download music that then can't be copied to MP3 players. And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer. | high6972.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "show concerns over food insecurity in the developing world"
},
"options": [
"hold a ceremony to mark World Food Day.",
"provide food for developing nations",
"show concerns over food insecurity in the developing world",
... | Sabina Castelfrancol Rome October 16, 2011---The U.N. World Food program says there are growing concerns over food insecurity in the developing world. Some of those concerns are discussed in a report to agree with the anniversary Sunday of World Food Day.
The theme for World Food Day 2011 is "Food prices-From Crisis to Stability". A ceremony to mark World Food Day will be held Monday at the headquarters of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome.
Rising food prices, weather emergencies and political instability are deepening the struggle of families trying to provide for their households in many developing nations.
This year's "State of Food In security in the World" report, published last week, focuses on the impact of food price _ confirming that high, unpredictable prices are likely to continue.
The report highlighted how poor consumers, small farmers and countries dependent on imports, especially in Africa, have been deeply affected by the food and economic crises.
Gregory Barrow is with the World Food Program in Rome.
"if you look at the places where World Food program works particularly in developing countries, you see populations of people who might be spending 60,70,80percent of their salaries on purchasing food for their families".
Barrow added that if prices become changeful and generally start rising, even by a small amount, it means that many of these people are going to struggle to put nutritious food on their tables.
The report also showed that even short-term fluctuations in prices can have a long-term effect on development, and that cutting back on nutritious food in the first 1.000 days of a child's life can affect mental and physical development and finally, future earning capacity .
The United Nations has programs in place aimed at reducing the number of hungry people by one-half by 2015.But most observers agree this target is unlikely to be reached. | high23441.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The sugar pine."
},
"options": [
"The Mexican pine.",
"The bristlecone pine.",
"The sugar pine.",
"The jack pine."
],
"question": "Which of the following pines is often used as a building material?",
"questi... | There are 115 distinct species of pine trees with 35 native to North America. Pines are defined as evergreens with long, needle-like leaves and are only native to the northern hemisphere. Pine trees are an adaptable and tough species that can survive in many conditions where other plants cannot. The average pine is 45 to 60 feet tall, but some are nearly twice as high.
Western White Pine
The western white pine grows the tallest of any pine tree, reaching up to 110 feet in height. They have blue-green needles arranged in bundles of five and produce a long cone .
Bristlecone Pine
The bristlecone pine grows slowly, reading about 20 feet tall. It is one of the oldest species of pine.
Mexican Pine
The Mexican pine can grow to 50 feet tall, with long, slender needles that drape off it like a weeping willow . Often nicknamed the "willow pine", it is native to Mexico. Its leaves can droop up to 12 inches long.
Sugar Pine
The sugar pine is another of the large pine species, such as the bull pine, but it also has the largest cones of any pine species, at 10 to 20 inches long. It grows from Oregon to California and is often used for construction.
Jack Pine
The jack pine is one of the smallest species of pine with rare leaves. Compared with the pines mentioned above, it doesn't seem to belong to the family. It is considered a member of the scrub-pine family; it prefers sandy soil. | high9499.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They constantly worry about losing their jobs."
},
"options": [
"They have to do more work since then.",
"They have no chance to find better jobs.",
"They have to work with inexperienced workers.",
"They constantly worr... | It is a familiar scene these days: employees taking newly laid-off co-workers out for a drink for comfort. But which side deserves sympathy more, the jobless or the still employed? On March 6, researchers at a conference at the University of Cambridge heard data suggesting it's the latter.
Brendan Burchell, a Cambridge sociologist, presented his analysis based on various surveys conducted across Europe. The data suggest that employed people who feel insecure in their jobs show similar levels of anxiety and depression as those who are unemployed. Although a newly jobless person's mental health may"bottom out" after about six months, and then even begin to improve, the mental state of people who are continuously worried about losing their job "just continues to get worse and worse", Burchell says.
Evolutionary psychologists support this theory by arguing that human beings feel more stress during times of insecurity because they sense an immediate but invisible threat. Patients have been known to experience higher levels of anxiety,for example, while waiting for examination results than knowing what they are suffering from-even if the result is cancer. It's better to get the bad news and start doing something about it rather than wait with anxiety. When the uncertainty continues, people stay in a nonstop "fight or flight" response, which leads to damaging stress.
But not every employee in insecure industries has such a discouraging view,Burchell says. In general, women get on better. While reporting higher levels of anxiety than men when directly questioned, women scored lower in stress on the GHQ 12, even when they had a job they felt insecure about losing. As Burchell explains, "For women, most studies show that any job-it doesn't matter
whether it is secure or insecure-gives psychological improvement over unemployment. " Burchell supposes that the difference in men is that they tend to feel pressure not only to be employed, but also to be the primary breadwinner, and that more of a man's self-worth depends on his job. | high12844.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not so large as China"
},
"options": [
"the largest country in the world",
"larger than China",
"as large as Shanghai",
"not so large as China"
],
"question": "Australia is _ w",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | Australia is the largest island in the world. It is a little smaller than China. It is in the south of the earth. Australia is big, but its population is small. The population of it is nearly as large as that of Shanghai. We cannot believe it is such a big country with so small population!
Enough laws have been made to fight against pollution. The cities in Australia have little air or water pollution. The sky is blue and the water is clean. You can clearly see fish swimming in the rivers. Plants grow very well.
Last month we visited Perth, the biggest city in Western Australia, and went to a wild flowers. Exhibition In spring every year Perth has the wild flower exhibition. After visting Perth, we spent a day in the countryside. We sat down and had a rest near a path at the foot of the hill. But what we saw made us pick up all our things and run back to the car as quickly as we could--there were about three hundred sheep coming towards us down the path!
Australia is famous for its sheep and kangaroos. After a short drive from any town, you will find yourself in the middle of white sheep. Sheep ,sheep, everwhere are sheep. | high22987.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "on a web page"
},
"options": [
"in a travel guide",
"on a web page",
"on a road sign",
"in a newspaper"
],
"question": "You may read this advertisement most probably _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_question... | Traffic TV
Avoid the jams -- see where tailbacks are before you set off and while on the move. Traffic TV is free to use on your personal computer and only PS4 per month (see below for other network charges) on your mobile.
How does it work?
Over 7,500 Trafficmaster cameras monitor traffic flow on over 8,000 miles of motorways and roads across the UK keeping you up to date 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Traffic TV on your mobile
This downloadable application lets you see where jams are building up, the speed of vehicles at hotspots, and live pictures from thousands of roadside cameras.
Traffic TV is PS4 a month for Orange mobile customers, after a 30 day free trial. On other networks Traffic TV is PS5 a month, after a 7 day free trial.
Listen to live traffic news
Don't want the download? Then simply dial the numbers below from your mobile to hear the latest traffic updates.
*Orange mobile users call 177 (calls cost up to 55p a minute)
*Other mobile users call 1740 (calls cost up to 59p a minute)
Help friends avoid jams
Simply enter your friend's email address to send them a link to this service. | high551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It is entirely built from ice."
},
"options": [
"It needs more rooms.",
"It is entirely built from ice.",
"It follows old traditions",
"It can be easily decorated."
],
"question": "Why is Sweden's Icehotel rebui... | All hotels redecorate regularly. However, very few do it as frequently as Sweden's Icehotel. As the name indicates,the hotel that is located in the remote village of Jukkasjarvi, is built entirely from ice and,therefore,has to be rebuilt annually! The 26th version of Icehotel, which welcomed its first visitors on December 11th,features 69 rooms. To make them affordable for everyone, they range from expensive luxury suites to basic accommodations.
Among this year's unique suite offerings is the"Elephant in the Room",which features a massive 3-m tall sculpted African elephant overlooking an ice--framed bed. The"Counting Sheep"suite features frozen sheep that may help those who don't sleep well get a good night's rest. Though the atmosphere between the luxury suites and the budget rooms may differ,they are all subject to the bone-chilling-5degCtemperatures. To get a good night's rest guests have to lie inside sleeping bags and keep their gloves and hats on. Though that seems a little uncomfortable,visitors say it is an experience like none other.
The hotel also features a beautifully crafted ice church where over 100 couples will get married this year and an Ice Bar that will serve drinks in ice glasses. Though dining options are limited to the hotel's only restaurant,guests will have little to complain about with Michelin--trained chef Alexander Meier. To keep customers entertained,the hotel offers a variety of fun activities like snowshoeing,moose or snowmobile safaris,dog sledding,and even overnight wilderness camping.
The 26-year-*old tradition began accidentally in 1989 when locals organized an art exhibition to draw winter visitors to the remote village that lies 200 km north of the Arctic Circle. Among the many tourists was an adventurous group and they announced their intention of spending the night in the place where the exhibition was being held. That's when the idea of building the icy accommodations dawned on the locals. | high13582.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "was once a teacher"
},
"options": [
"was once a teacher",
"is a basketball coach",
"works in the university",
"has been a coach for 40 years"
],
"question": "According to the passage, we learn that Barta _ .",... | Right in the heart of America -- in Smith Center, Kansas, to be exact -- high school football coach Roger Barta glanced at his notes as he stood among the sea of players gathered before him.
It was 6:30 a.m. on August 18, 2008, the first day of practice for this edition of the Redmen and the 31st opening day of the season for Barta, longtime coach and former math teacher at Smith Center High School. Barta wore a red T-shirt covering a ball-shaped belly .
Barta began with basic instructions: Drink lots of water. Fine advice. But what Coach Barta laid out next was the essential game plan -- life lessons that many people consider his greatest strength. "Someone here is the best, and someone is the worst," he said. "It's time to forget about that. Let's respect each other. Thus, we'll like each other and then love each other. That's when, together, we'll become champions."
He paused for a moment. When he continued, he spoke with even more fervor to the 56 young men sitting before him. "One more thing, guys. We don't talk about winning and losing. We talk about getting a little better every day, about being the best we can be, about being a team. And when we do that, winning and losing take care of themselves."
Over the next four months, the Redman went on to beat each competitor, winning another perfect season. As their coach, Barta has created a 289-58 record, eight Kansas state championships, and 67 victories. In high school football, it's the longest win in the nation. Through it all, Coach Barta kept his word: Not once did he ever say that a game was do-or-die.
"None of this is really about football," he had explained to me back in 2007, convincingly enough to force me to move to Smith Center from New York City with my wife, Mary, and three-year-old son, Jack, so I could write about him for a year. "What I hope we're doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something." | high12688.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "learn to decide how to use money"
},
"options": [
"be accepted as a popular guy",
"learn to decide how to use money",
"overspend money without care",
"have school supplies of his own"
],
"question": "A child of ... | "Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him,and let him know that you trust him." These words are from the black American educator,Booker Washington. He was saying that,"If you want people to grow up,you have to stop treating them like children."
In America,families are close but children are encouraged to be independent,to make their own decisions,even at a very early age. It's not unusual for a child of seven to be given an allowance every week. The child is encouraged to save some of the money but he or she can spend it on whatever they choose,for example,buying clothes,school supplies or CDs. Some teenagers even have their own credit cards! That's a big responsibility since even adults are tempted to overspend when they have credit cards.
From an early age,American children are asked for their opinions and they are included in family decision making. At the dinner table,teenagers will be listened to on any topic,from politics to buying a new family car or where the family will go on vacation. In this way, teenagers are getting practice in becoming individuals:they are learning how to stand on their own two feet.
Many Chinese young people are becoming almost as interested as American teens in searching for independence. They want to express those qualities that make them unique human beings. You can see this in the way they dress, the music they listen to and the friends they choose. "Super Girl" Li Yuchun caught the imagination of Chinese teenagers on the "Super Girl" television contest. She was not the traditional "nice,young Chinese girl". With her short,spiky hair and boy-like clothes, she was telling everyone that she was different. She had the courage to be her own person and to stand on her own two feet...and she won!
There is an old saying,"Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him and then choose that way with all his strength." If you do this, step by step, over a period of time, you may find that you have become the person you always wanted to be. | high6966.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A new cellphonebased tracking device--Partout."
},
"options": [
"Japanese workers are caught playing outside.",
"Most Japanese families can't afford Partout.",
"A new cellphonebased tracking device--Partout.",
"A new mo... | Japanese workers who run secretly out of the office and spend their afternoons hanging around coffee shops may soon be caught out by their bosses. A new cellphonebased tracking device from Hitachi can show, on an employer's computer screen, not only the whereabouts of their workers but also whether they are standing, walking, running--or have fallen over.
The system, called Partout, was originally developed as a monitoring device for the families of people with dementia, who may wander off and need to be located. "It's estimated that the number of elderly people with symptoms of dementia will reach 1.5 million in Japan next year," says Hitachi's Keisaku Shibatani. But the high cost of the system--early prices are around PS27,000--has put it out of reach of most families. Indeed, companies with large sales forces and police departments who want to track officers on dangerous patrol duties are interested in the system.
Partout uses a multifunction location sensing unit that tracks users through global positioning satellites. The user's body motion is determined by an accelerometer inside the sensing unit: no movement means the subject has stopped, slow movement means they are walking, fast movement means they are running, and strong and unexpectedly sudden movement means the user may have fallen. The date is relayed through the user's cell phone to computer, which displays their position on a map. Graphics record the motion or position of the subject's body. | high23455.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "you can speak a foreign language when opening a guidebook"
},
"options": [
"you can speak a foreign language when opening a guidebook",
"you can easily find a nice place to stay in a strange city",
"it provides lots of useful... | You can love them or hate them, but no matter which tourist destination you visit, chances are you'll see someone with their head buried in a Lonely Planet guidebook.
Lonely Planet is one of the world's largest travel guide brands, publishing more than 500 different guides in eight languages.The popular brand also produces television shows, websites and podcasts all devoted to travel.
Some people praise Lonely Planet books because they make traveling easy and affordable.They also save time and make sure you don't miss the best things.
They also provide the reviews of hostels, hotels, restaurants and ticket information about your destination.
This can be great if you're a nervous traveler, or if you haven't traveled by yourself before.If you're in a country where you don't speak the language, sometimes there's nothing better than getting into a taxi and opening up a guidebook.You simply point to a map that directs the taxi driver to a hostel that's cheap and clean, with friendly staff and cold beer.
But others criticize Lonely Planet and other travel guide publishers like them.They say guidebooks take the fun and spontaneity out of traveling, and that part of the enjoyment of travel comes from the fact that anything can happen.They also regret that if you follow a guidebook, you'll end up doing the same thing and having the same experience as everyone else.You might end up seeing the same group of people over and over, because everyone is reading the same book and following the same route.
Another criticism of travel guides is that they have a large impact on local communities.For example, some locals devote their lives to behaving in ways that attract tourists.They pretend to live a traditional lifestyle, wear traditional clothes and live in traditional houses in order to attract the tourist dollar. | high12850.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Denny was her professor"
},
"options": [
"Denny was her professor",
"Arnold did well at school.",
"Denny interviewed some students",
"Arnold helped Denny in the research"
],
"question": "According to the article... | URBANA, ILL. (AP)--Mike dropped out of college to support his pregnant girlfriend and now works as a manager of a trucking company, Lynn graduated with honors from Harvard University and was hired as a lawyer with a top law firm in a major city. What do these two people have in common? Ten years ago they were both high school valedictorians .
A University of Illinois study follows the lives of 81 valedictorians and salutatorians who graduated a decade ago from public and private high schools in the state.
Tales of Success and Failure
The study found tales of success and failure. The research on 46 women and 35 men found that some were doctors and scientists, one was a drug addict, another was a waitress with emotional problems.
"There is a popular idea about people who do well in school doing well in life," said Terry Denny, professor of education. Denny conducted the study with Karen Arnold, a former graduate student of Denny' s who is now a professor at Boston College. Denny and Arnold contacted the 81 students before graduation, and then followed up with interviews nearly every other year. They also sent them questionnaires in the mail.
Varied Careers
One-third of the students are lawyers, or have a doctorate. Nineteen are in business and 15 are engineers or computer scientists. Others include a farmer, a stock broker, and an aerobics instructor.
Arnold says many of the students have only average positions in the work world and that "most are not headed for greatness in their careers." Denny, however, says that it is too early to make such predictions. "Who expects someone to be on the Supreme Court at the age of 28 or to be the discoverer of an important scientific invention right after college?" he said. "These students are just getting started in life. They are just beginning to find out what life is all about." | high545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the author was very kind-hearted."
},
"options": [
"the author liked going down streets on rainy days.",
"the author liked walking in her father's shoes.",
"nobody wanted to help the poor girl.",
"the author was very ki... | It was a rainy day and I was walking down the street feeling comfortable and happy. I wanted to do something kind for someone else without any reason and purpose, almost as if I was just trying to spread the abundance of love I was receiving.
It was then that I saw a teenage girl dressed in _ clothes, getting soaked . She wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. The rain wet her skin through the holes in her clothes and she was making her way through the garbage, trying to find something that would be of use to her.
I walked towards her and told her to wait for me there while I ran home to get her something. On getting home, I took off my shoes, which I really loved, wrapped them up in a plastic cover and ran to give them to the teenage girl on the street.
The girl looked surprised as if she was not used to this kind of kindness. She thanked me in a trembling voice.
A famous musician who lives down the street corner stopped his car and smiled when he saw what happened. The two watchmen who saw me do this talked and gave me friendly looks.
Although I had to wear my dad's shoes, I was satisfied even if they were a bit large for my feet, because I knew the girl would walk comfortably wearing the shoes. That day I learned that letting go of the little things we own can be a big help to others. | high22993.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a great number of languages became extinct."
},
"options": [
"there're many languages in Arica.",
"a great number of languages became extinct.",
"Africa believes in encouraging cultural diversity.",
"Africans are trying... | Long live language. That's the message Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and city councilor Amarjeet Sohi voiced when they declared Feb. 21 to be International Mother Language Day (IMLD) in Edmonton, the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta.
The pair were on hand for the International and Heriage Languages Association's (IHLA) 12th annual Mother Language Day celebrations in an effort to save endangered languages.
"Keeping languages alive is important for me richness of our culture and the diversity that strengthens Edmonton," said Iveson.
There are nearly 7,000 unique languages spoken worldwide, but according to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) half of those languages are at risk of going extinct in just a few generations.
For example, there are currently over 3,000 languages spoken throughout Africa. This sounds impressive until you realize that there were over 10,000 languages spoken on the continent before colonization during the 19th century.
"People who lose their language experience suffering," said Olenka Bilash, professor of second language education at the University of Alberta. Bilash likened the loss of language to the loss of cultural identity.
"As a multicultural society, it is very important to continue to preserve and pass on to future generations the language, culture, traditions and customs that we bring to Canada, " said IHLA president Olga Prokhorova.
While the City of Edmonton's citizen and new arrival centre in city hall provides services in 150 languages, Bilash said research shows that "most people are still uncomfortable speaking their own language in public spaces."
Bliash hopes the official announcement of International Mother Language Day in Edmonton----which _ International Mother Language Day declared by UNESCO in 1999 ---- will be a step toward encouraging more language diversity in order to preserve the cultures tied to them.
"Our words define us; our expressions and vocabulary define who we are as people," said Marueen Kubinec, Alberta's minister of culture and tourism. "Our words are living examples, perhaps the best that there are, of human creativity." | high13596.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Anna started to ask her parents to remove 500 photos at 11."
},
"options": [
"Anna started to ask her parents to remove 500 photos at 11.",
"Around 700 of her parents' Facebook friends shared the pictures.",
"Alma's parents f... | An 18-year-old girl Anna Meier from Austria is taking her parents to court for posting over 500 photos of her on Facebook since 2009,without her permission.
Anna has apparently become fed up with her parents' refusal to take down the embarrassing photos of her at an early age,and is now seeking justice in court.She told the magazine that even though she was 11 years old when her parents started sharing her photos with several hundreds of Facebook friends,they went as far as to post pictures of her as a baby,without ever asking if it was alright with her."They knew no shame and no limit--and didn't care whether it was a picture of me sitting on the toilet or lying naked in my bed--every stage was photographed and then made public,"the girl said.
The girl added that she was only able to see the photos posted on Facebook by her parents when she was 14,after setting up her own account on it.Again and again,Anna asked her parents to remove the photos of her immediately,but they refused.Angry and upset,she felt that she had no other way but to take them to court,which she did as soon as she turned 18 this year."I'm tired of not being taken seriously by my parents,"she said.
Anna's lawyer claims they have a good chance of winning the case in court,if it can be proven that the images have violated her rights to a personal life.But,based on similar cases and according to Austrian privacy laws,if the parents lose,they may be forced to pay their daughter a fine of EUR 3,000 to EUR10,000.
But Anna's parents,however,see nothing wrong with posting baby photos of her."I consider it my right to publish these photos,"her father said. "We have posted no more photos of our daughter since she stopped allowing us to photograph her.We also have baby photos of her that can only be seen by a limited group of 700 Facebook friends."
It's reported that Anna has moved out of her parents' home and is living with some girls in a rented apartment. | high19905.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Friday Harbor"
},
"options": [
"Seattle",
"Leavenworth",
"Friday Harbor",
"Federal Way"
],
"question": "If you want to attend a Lighted Boat Parade , you should go to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questio... | Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
Seattle
December1--December 23, 2010
The Argosy Christmas Ship Festival is a ship -to -shore holiday celebration that has become a local Northwest tradition . Aboard the Christmas Ship , some of the finest Northwest choirs sing holiday greetings . These performances are broadcast via speakers to bonfire sites and to other boats participating in the parade.
Holiday Island Lights Festival
Friday Harbour , Sand Juan Island
December 1--December 31,2010
An island-wide holiday tradition that includes local businesses decorating contest , a tree lighting ceremony on Dec . 4 with shops staying open until 7:00 pm. On Dec. 11 a Lighted Boat Parade starts the evening , to be followed by the Santa ship coming into Friday Harbor for the children , shops staying open until 7:00 pm . Dec 18-19 Roche Harbor's Christmas Festival begins at 3:00 pm and will include artists booths , Victorian carol singing , story telling , theater and dining.
Christmas Lighting Festival
Leavenworth
December4--December 19,2010
This old -fashioned Lighted Farm Implement parade , which expressed its admiration for the Yakima Valley's agricultural heritage , including entries with up to 35,000 lights decorating the tractor , plow or thresher of your choice ! Pre-parade activities include a Christmas Tree Ceremony and other special entertainment before the parade . Join us and you're sure to enjoy the carolers dressed in traditional clothing as they wander through out the Downtown area .
Holiday with Lights
Federal Way
December 10,2010--January 1, 2011
With over a million twinkling lights displayed throughout the park , your heart will be filled with cheer and the spirit of the season! Holiday light displays, festive music and strolling caroler, visit with Santa , enchanted village rides , and much more.
67Which of the following festivals lasts the longest ?
A. Argosy Christmas Ship Festival
B. Holiday Island Lights Festival
C. Christmas Lighting Festival
D. Holiday with Lights | high21242.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "His carbon footprints are more than the annual footprints of a Toronto resident."
},
"options": [
"His carbon footprints are more than the annual footprints of a Toronto resident.",
"His personal life footprints are more than the a... | Scientists studying the impact of climate change on the Arctic need to consider ways to reduce their own carbon footprints , says Ryan Brook, a researcher who regularly flies north to study the health of caribous .He calls on scientists to show leadership by examining and sharing ways to reduce the impact of working in polar regions.
"The importance of the research is not at question here. It is important to our understanding of and adapting to climate change. But we need to think about better approaches," says Brook.
"This is an issue for all scientists, though polar researchers often travel particularly long distances using commercial air travel. We also rely extensively on small aircraft, icebreakers, and snowmobiles, all of which produce large amounts of carbon."
Brook studies the health of caribou herds in Nunavut and Northwest Territories. He works with northern wildlife managers. This work typically takes him north five or six times per year and when he calculated his own carbon footprint, he was not happy with the result.
"My research footprints are about the same as the annual footprints of an average Toronto resident. Basically, I have two footprints -- my own personal life, which is moderate, and my research footprint."
Climate scientists can rightly argue that Arctic research is a specialized field and the community of scientists who travel north is relatively small. Even if all scientists working in the north reduced their carbon emissions, it would not make a big impact on the global scale. For Brook, it's the option that matters.
There are ways researchers can reduce the amount of carbon they use. Some helicopters use less fuel than others. Solar and wind power are alternatives to gas-fired generators. And while carbon offsets don't reduce the amount of carbon emitted, they are an easy first step.
"There aren't necessarily any easy answers, but we need to start talking about it," says Brook. "This is particularly important for the next generation of scientists being trained and I hope to see them become leaders in this issue." | high11381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because the outside walls of houses had no windows."
},
"options": [
"Because there were usually more walls than houses.",
"Because the outside walls of houses had no windows.",
"Because the word \"city\" means \"wall\".",
... | Walls and wall building have played a very important role in Chinese culture. In ancient times, not only towns and villages, but also the houses and the temples within them were surrounded with walls. Also, the houses had no windows overlooking the street. Thus, walking in a city would give the feeling of wandering around a huge maze . The word "city" in Chinese also means "wall". The god of walls and mounts, whose duty was, and still is, to protect and be responsible for the welfare of the residents in these cities, villages, houses and temples. So a great and extremely hard task such as constructing a wall, which was supposed to run the length of the country, might not sound absurd .
However, it is indeed a common mistake to think of the Great Wall as a single building structure, and it would also be a mistake to assume that it was built during a single dynasty. Actually, several dynasties somehow contributed to the construction of the Great Wall, the foundations of which had been laid many centuries ago. It was during the fourth and third centuries BC that warring states started building walls to protect their kingdoms, both against one another and against the northern nomads .
The Great Wall played an important role in the growth of Chinese economy in history. Many settlements were established along the new border. Armies were instructed to reclaim wasteland and to plant crops there. Also, roads and canals were built. All of the work greatly helped increase the country's trade and cultural exchanges with many remote areas and also with the southern, central and western parts of Asia. | high17928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "something unfair"
},
"options": [
"something unfair",
"small hottasting peppers",
"the person who is very angry",
"popular music like Dixieland jazz"
],
"question": "Americans use \"red hot\" to describe the fol... | Many everyday American expressions are based on colors.
Red is a hot colour. Americans may say they are red hot about something unfair. They are red hot when they are very angry about something. The small hottasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hot for their colour and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pink when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It comes from the fact that many babies are born with nice pink skin that shows that they are in good health.
The colour black is often used in expressions. People describe a day on which everything goes wrong as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations.
The colour green is natural for trees and grass. But it is,an unnatural colour for humans. A person who has a sick feeling in his stomach may say he feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because green is the colour of the back side of the paper money. | high16388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "travel by Jalan Hisamuddin"
},
"options": [
"return home",
"stay at home in Jalan Hisamuddin",
"move to higher ground",
"travel by Jalan Hisamuddin"
],
"question": "Motorists to the south were advised to _ ."... | Ternang, Mon, more than 10, 000 people were made homeless in Ternang after six days of continuous heavy rain. The wooden bridge across the river has been swept away, . The town is cut by flood waters. At the fifth mile Jalan Tengku, the water is not two metres deep. It is closed to all traffic. Motorists going south are advised to use Jalan Hisamuddin. Flooding first appeared at mid - afternoon yesterday along the river banks. People moving to higher ground were just in time to escape from the flood. Most of the people had to leave their possessions behind. Helped by the army, police, Red Cross Society, the whole town was moved out of danger. They are new houses near the town ofprefix = st1 /Tulang. "Everything possible is being done to help the unfortunate people, " a government official said, " In fact, money, food and clothing have begun to come in from organizations and people. "
According to the latest reports it is still raining heavily at Ternang. The whole town is expected to be totally covered. So far nobody has been reported dead. | high17096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Touched by the moon"
},
"options": [
"The pleasures of modern life",
"Touched by the moon",
"A bottomless well of silence",
"Break away from modern life"
],
"question": "The best title for the passage would be ... | Driving to a friend's house on a recent evening, I was attracted by the sight of the full moon rising just above my friend's rooftops. I stopped to watch it for a few moments, thinking about what a pity it was that most city people, myself included, usually miss sights like this because we spend most of our lives indoors.
My friend had also seen it. He grew up living in a forest in Europe, and the moon meant a lot to him then. It had touched much of his life.
I know the feeling. Last December I took my seven-year-old daughter to the mountainous jungle of northern India with some friends. We stayed in a forest rest-house with no electricity or running hot water. Our group had campfires outside every night, and indoors when it was too cold outside. The moon grew to its fullest during our trip. Between me and the high mountains lay three or four valleys. Not a light shone in them and not a sound could be heard. It was one of the quietest places I have ever known, a bottomless well of silence. And above me was the full moon, which struck me deeply.
Today our lives are filled with glass, metal, plastic and fibre-glass. We have televisions, cell phones, pagers, electricity, heaters and ovens and air-conditioners, cars, computers.
Struggling through traffic that evening at the end of a tiring day, most of it spent indoors, I thought: before long, I would like to live in a small cottage. There I will grow vegetables and read books and walk in the mountains And perhaps write, but not in anger. I may become an old man there, and wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled and measure out my life in coffee spoons. But I will be able to walk outside on a cold silent night and touch the moon. | high223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "put on his clothes quickly and rushed there"
},
"options": [
"went to his front window and stood watching",
"put on his clothes quickly and rushed there",
"searched for Mary's crying in her room",
"put away his clothes ... | Neighbors rescued a woman from her burning home early Monday morning,and three firefighters were hurt putting out the flames in Green Bay.
The fire was discovered around 4 o'clock at a three-story home in the South Quincy Street on the city's east side. Investigators say 68-year-old Mary Taylor lives there with her two dogs.
"I got out of bed and went to the front window and could hear somebody was yelling ,'Fire!'" Curt Dworak said.When he realized what was happening, he threw on some clothes and ran to help. "I was just hoping Mary wasn't in there,
,so I just reacted," he said, "I just broke the glass and then went in through the window."
Dworak yelled for Mary but got no response. As he searched,the fire grew and debris started falling around him. I didn't know what to do. I yelled for her a couple more times,and then I heard her. Disoriented and unable to move, Mary was sprawling on the floor in the back of her house,so Dworak picked her up and carried her to safety.
Dworak, who has been
as a hero by Green Bay Fire Department but shrugged of the praise,said,"They would have done the same thing. Mary is a nice lady,and how could you live with yourself if you didn't do something like that?"
Mary was up and talking before she was taken to the hospital to be checked out. Dworak escaped without a thin cut. | high15859.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "looking without a clear target"
},
"options": [
"having as many interviews as possible",
"looking without a clear target",
"applying for the same position a second time",
"changing his goal set previously"
],
"q... | If you're finding it tough to land a job, try expanding your job-hunting plan to include the following:
Set your target.
While you should always keep your options open to changing your mind , you should also be sure to target exactly what you want in a job. A job-hunt with a clear target will surely help you achieve better results than an aimless one.
Schedule plenty of interviews.
Use every possible method to get interviews-answering ads, using search firms , getting in touch with companies directly , surfing the Web, and networking( ). Even if a job is not perfect for you, every interview can become one of your positive experiences.
Follow up
Even if someone does not hire you ,write them a thank -you note for the interview. Then, some weeks later, send another brief letter to explain that you still have not found the perfect position and that you will be available to interview again if the original position you applied for--or any other position , for that matter -is open. Do this with every position you interview for, and you may just catch a break!
Make it your full-time job
You can't find a job by looking sporadically( ) . You have to make time for it. If you're unemployed and looking , devote as much time as you would to a full -time job. If you have a job while you're looking, figure out an organized schedule to maximize your searching time.
Network vertically( )
In the search stage of your job hunt , talk to people who are on a level above you in your desired industry. They'll have an accurate and deep understanding that people at your level won't have , and will be in a good position to hire you or recommend you to be hired .
Keep your spirits up
Looking for a job is one of the toughest things you will ever have to do, keep up your confidence , continue your efforts, and think positively, and eventually you will get a job you want. | high15681.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Looking after children at a kindergarten."
},
"options": [
"Working parttime in a college.",
"Helping children with their schoolwork.",
"Looking after children at a kindergarten.",
"Taking care of children for a family.... | Chances
I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career .
I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.
I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early morning with the children.
One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a parttime course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.
Now I've got a fulltime job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school. | high3188.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "A science magazine."
},
"options": [
"A travelling diary.",
"A story book.",
"A science magazine.",
"An English dictionary."
],
"question": "Where is the passage probably taken from?",
"question_type": null
... | One of the best things you can do for your health is to drop a few pounds. Or maybe morethan a few pounds.
Being overweight increases your danger of heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer,,the list seems almost endless. You'd better find several simple things you can do on a daily basis such as making rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activities.
After breakfast, make water your primary drink. At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That's nearly 90,000 calories a year -- or 25 pounds! And research shows that neither the calories nor sugary drinks give you a sense of fullness the way that food does.
People take only 2,000 to 3, 000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you keep your present weight and stop gaining weight. Adding more than that will help you lose weight.
Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals. A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 20 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast. | high19093.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "have existed since ancient times"
},
"options": [
"have existed since ancient times",
"can be easily described",
"have little influence on a person's success",
"are based upon strict criteria"
],
"question": "Pe... | The Enigma of Beauty
The search for beauty spans centuries and continents.Paintings of Egyptians dating back over 4,000 years show both men and women painting their nails and wearing makeup.In 18th-century France,wealthy noblemen wore large wigs of long,white hair to make themselves attractive.Today,people continue to devote a lot of time and money to their appearance.
There is at least one good reason for the desire to be attractive: beauty is power.Studies suggest that good-looking people make more money,get called on more often in class,and are regarded as friendlier.
But what exactly is beauty? It's difficult to describe it clearly,and yet we know it when we see it.And our awareness of it may start at a very early age.In one set of studies,six-month-old babies were shown a series of photographs.The faces on the pictures had been rated for attractiveness by a group of college students.In the studies,the babies spent more time looking at the attractive faces than the unattractive ones.
The idea that even babies can judge appearance makes perfect sense to many researchers.In studies by psychologists,men consistently showed a preference for women with larger eyes,fuller lips,and a smaller nose and chin while women prefer men with large shoulders and a narrow waist.According to scientists,the mind unconsciously tells men and women that these traits--the full lips,clear skin,strong shoulders--equal health and genetic well-being.
Not everyone thinks the same way,however."Our hardwiredness can be changed by all sorts of expectations--mostly cultural," says C.Loring Brace,an anthropologist at the University of Michigan.What is considered attractive in one culture might not be in another.Look at most Western fashion magazines: the women on the pages are thin.But is this "perfect" body type for women worldwide? Scientists' answer is no; what is considered beautiful is subjective and varies around the world.They found native peoples in southeast Peru preferred shapes regarded overweight in Western cultures.
For better or worse,beauty plays a role in our lives.But it is extremely difficult to describe exactly what makes one person attractive to another.Although there do seem to be certain physical traits considered universally appealing,it is also true that beauty does not always keep to a single,uniform standard.Beauty really is,as the saying goes,in the eye of the beholder. | high10909.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "too poor to buy McDonald's"
},
"options": [
"too happy to stand at the corner",
"too eager to ask for more food",
"too poor to buy McDonald's",
"too busy to care for her daughter"
],
"question": "According to th... | The day was Thankful Thursday. It's a weekly tradition that my two little girls and I began years ago. Thursday has become our day to go out and make a positive contribution. On this particular Thursday, we had no idea exactly what we were going to do. At noon, I drove to a McDonald's with my daughters because they kept complaining that they hadn't had enough to eat at breakfast. There we saw some homeless people in the street and we bought lunch for them.
We were about to complete when we found a small woman standing at the corner, asking for change. We handed her some food, and then started to head home. Suddenly from the mirror of the car, I saw the woman waving at us, so I had to turn around and stopped where the small woman stood. She walked to our car, and said, "Thank you, lady! No one has ever done anything like this for me before." I replied, "Well, I'm glad that we were the first." Feeling uneasy, and wanting to move the conversation along, I asked, "So, when do you think you'll eat your lunch?"
She just looked at me with her huge, tired brown eyes and said, "Oh honey, I'm not going to eat this lunch." I was confused, but before I could say anything, she continued. "You see, I have a little girl of my own at home and she just loves McDonald's, but I can never buy it for her because I just don't have the money. But you know what...tonight she is going to have McDonald's!"
I don't know if the kids noticed the tears in my eyes. So many times I had questioned whether our Acts of Kindness were too small to have effect on those poor people. Yet at that moment, I realized the truth of Mother Teresa's words: "We cannot do great things -- only small things with great love." | high15871.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "$18"
},
"options": [
"$29",
"$22",
"$20",
"$18"
],
"question": "If your grandparents take you and your sister aged 5 to the arts show after school, you should pay _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | East Hampton Fine Arts Festival
Date: July 4-6, 2010
Time: 10:00 am-6:00 pm
East Hampton Fine Arts Festival features (...)America's top artists and is one of the highest quality juried show on Long Island. Learn about their inspiration and skills. The Festival offers a full range of arts, including painting, photography, glass, and more.
$9.00 Adults / $7.00 Seniors / $4.00 Students / Free for museum members and children under six
Where: Montauk Highway (Rt.27), Amagansett, NY 631-421-1590
Winzy Instant Winner Sweepstakes
Winzy is a search engine where you can win free prizes -- every search on Winzy is a chance to win immediately! Just use Winzy to search the Web and you will be reminded if you have won an instant prize.
Prize: Prizes vary each month -- For example, current prizes include: Apple iPod Nano, Apple iPod Shuffle, $25 Gift Certificate for Amazon.com, $10 Gift Certificate for Amazon.com
Female Babysitter Wanted
Location: Johannesburg
Female babysitter wanted for one child aged 11 years for the following position:
Mon-Fri: Fetch child from school (Benmore, Sandton) at 3:30 pm, drop off at my work or drop off at home (Florida Hills) and wait for me to come home at about 5 pm;
Babysit for 3-6 hours every alternative week / weekend (Florida Hills)--must be flexible.
Must have a driver's license.
Coastlife Adventures
Learn to surf on soft surfboards on the NSW South Coast. Surf lessons from beginners to advanced with qualified surf instructors and lifesavers. A variety of surf packages are available to suit everyone. Coastlife is famous for its new instructional method and high quality equipment. Surf classes operate daily on beaches between Tathra, Pambula and Merimbula. The beaches we teach on are rated as the safest in the area by Surf Lifesaving Australia.
Tel: 02-6494-1122 | high22005.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Flying through the shadow of the moon."
},
"options": [
"The moon filling their window.",
"Seeing the shape of the moon",
"Flying through the shadow of the moon.",
"The five--day flight to the moon."
],
"questio... | Apollo 11, carrying Neil Armstrong, Edwin Aldrin and Michael Collins, was launched on 16 July, 1969. Five days later they stepped down onto the moon.
Neil Armstrong
On the way there: Of all the wonderful views we had, the most impressive to me was on the way to the Moon when we flew through its shadow. We were still thousands of miles away, but close enough so that the Moon almost filled our window. The moon appeared blue-grey. It seemed almost as if it were showing us its roundness, its similarity in shape to our Earth, in a sort of welcome. I was sure it would be a hospitable host. It had been waiting for its first visitors for a long time.
After touch down: The sky is black, you know. It's a very dark sky, but it still seemed more like daylight than darkness as we looked out the window. It's a very strange thing but the surface looked very warm and inviting. It seemed to be tan . It's hard to explain that, because later when I held the material in my hand, it wasn't tan at all. It was black, grey and so on.
Edwin Aldrin
On the Moon: The blue color of my boots has completely disappeared now into this soil--still don't know what color to describe this other than grayish cocoa.
Back on board: The moon was a very natural and pleasant environment in which to work. On the Moon, in one-sixth gravity, you have a strong feeling of being somewhere. As we did our experiments, some objects we threw away would go in a slow, lazy manner. | high1947.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Sweet Yuanxiao are usually made in southern China."
},
"options": [
"The custom of eating Yuanxiao dates back to the fourth century.",
"Sugar, rose petals and minced meat are all fillings of Yuanxiao.",
"Sweet Yuanxiao are us... | Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the Lantern Festival, or Yuanxiao Festival is eating small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour. We call these balls Yuanxiao or Tangyuan. Obviously, they get the name from the festival itself. It is said that the custom of eating Yuanxiao originated during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the fourth century, then became popular during the Tang and Song periods.
The fillings inside the dumplings or Yuansiao are either sweet or salty. Sweet fillings are made of sugar, Walnuts, sesame , osmanthus flowers , rose petals, sweetened tangerine peel, bean paste, or jujube paste . A single ingredient or any combination can be used as the filling . The salty variety is filled with minced meat , vegetables or a mixture.
The way to make Yuanxiao also varies between northern and southern China. The usual method followed in southern provinces is to shape the dough of rice flour into balls, make a hole, insert the filling, then close the hole and smooth out the dumpling by rolling it between your hands. In North China, sweet or nutmeat stuffing is the usual ingredient. The fillings are pressed into hardened cores, dipped lightly in water and rolled in a flat basket containing dry glutinous rice flour. A layer of the flour sticks to the filling, which is then again dipped in water and rolled a second time in the rice flour. And so it goes, like rolling a snowball, until the dumpling is the desired size.
The custom of eating Yuanxiao dumplings remains. This tradition encourages both old and new stores to promote their Yuanxiao products. They all try their best to improve the taste and quality of the dumplings to attract more customers. | high7488.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "ask for higher salaries"
},
"options": [
"prove their importance",
"threaten the government",
"ask for higher salaries",
"appeal to the public not to litter"
],
"question": "Rio's street cleaners go on strike to... | There's something rotten in Rio and the smell is coming from the huge stacks of rubbish pried up on sidewalks all over the city. Rio's street sweepers chose the carnival holiday to demand better salaries. Their wages start at roughly $400 a month.
There could hardly be a better time for them to prove their importance. The streets were left a mess after hundreds of carnival parades and now, rubbish pries up in both poor and uptown neighbourhoods and in tourist areas like Ipanema or Copacabana beach.
The president of Rio's rubbish collecting company has even appealed to the population to store rubbish at home whenever possible. He says 30% of the city's sweepers have gone on strike. Some of those who have been working have been threatened by the strike movement so now the police has been deployed alongside rubbish collectors to keep them sage as they go about their business.
The strike has divided opinions in Rio. On social media, many support the sweepers' demands for better salaries. Others say they are opportunists and the situation is a big embarrassment to the city.
But Brazil's culture of littering the streets doesn't help. A video that went viral online shows that even authorities have a problem with that. Rio's mayor, Eduardo Paes, is seen throwing what seemed to be the rest of an apple on the sidewalk--and now promised to impose himself a fine for his wrongdoing. His government recently created a programme to keep Rio's residents from littering the streets. | high6796.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "improve the quality of China's university education"
},
"options": [
"improve the quality of China's university education",
"prove that NYU is the best university in the United States",
"send more Chinese students to foreign ... | New York University (NYU) is one of the best universities in the United States and it has just opened a school in Shanghai in partnership with East China Normal University(ECNU). The arrival of the American university on China mainland is an example of what is being called the "globalization" of education and it is hoped that this trend will influence the quality of education in all of China's universities by raising the standard of teaching.
NYU Shanghai's class of 2017(students will graduate in 2017) is made up of 295 students from China, America and other countries. The students will study liberal arts courses for two years before choosing a major and when they graduate, they will receive a degree from NYU and a degree from ECNU. All the classes will be taught in English, using the teaching methods in American universities. Students will be pushed to take risks in the classroom, pushed to speak up and pushed to say things that are not completely correct, which can make them understand that it's OK for them to make mistakes in class.
This style of learning will be challenging for many Chinese students, because they will be mixed with the foreign students both in the classroom and in the dormitory. Living and studying with foreigners day to day will provide Chinese students with a cultural as well as academic education and it's hoped that this cross-cultural experience will benefit them when they seek jobs in the competitive global market.
China's interest in partnering with foreign universities comes at a time when western universities are trying to expand. They realize that information, technology and business are now borderless; they also realize education should be borderless too. This trend will have a deep effect on bringing the world closer together and the students at NYU Shanghai should be excited to be on the leading edge of this trend. | high12878.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers"
},
"options": [
"to test whether smoking has a positive effect on the mental capacity of smokers",
"to show how smoking damages people's mental capaci... | Psychologist George Spilich and colleagues at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland, decided to find out whether, as many smokers say, smoking helps them to "think and concentrate." Spilich put young non-smokers, active smokers and smokers deprived of cigarettes through a series of tests.
In the first test, each subject sat before a computer screen and pressed a key as soon as he or she recognized a target letter among a grouping of 96. In this simple test, smokers, deprived smokers and nonsmokers performed equally well.
The next test was more complex, requiring all to scan sequences of 20 identical letters and respond the instant one of the letters transformed into a different one. Non-smokers were faster, but under the stimulation of nicotine , active smokers were faster than deprived smokers.
In the third test of short-term memory, non-smokers made the fewest errors, but deprived smokers committed fewer errors than active smokers.
The fourth test required people to read a passage, then answer questions about it. Non-smokers remembered 19 percent more of the most important information than active smokers, and deprived smokers bested those who had smoked a cigarette just before testing. Active smokers tended not only to have poorer memories but also had trouble separating important information from insignificant details.
"As our tests became more complex." Sums up Spilich, "non-smokers performed better than smokers by wider and wider margins" He predicts, "smokers might perform adequately at many jobs until they got complicated. A smoking airline pilot could fly adequately if no problems arose, but if something went wrong, smoking might damage his mental capacity." | high8963.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "caterpillars"
},
"options": [
"caterpillars",
"bees",
"mice",
"plovers"
],
"question": "The author mentions all of the following are aware of quantities in some way EXCEPT _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | Certain animals know without analysis the difference between a number of objects and a smaller number. In his book The Natural History of Selbourne (1786), the naturalist Gilbert White tells how he _ removed one egg a day from a kind of bird Plover's nest, and how the mother laid another egg each day to make up for the missing one. He notes that other kinds of birds ignore the loss of a single egg, but if more than one egg has been removed, they will give up their nests. It has also been noted that a certain type of bees always provides five--never four, never six--caterpillars for each of their eggs so that their young have something to eat when the eggs have hatched out. Research has also shown that both mice and pigeons can be taught to distinguish between odd and even numbers of food pieces.
These have led some people to think that creatures can actually count. They also point to dogs that have been taught to respond to questions about numbers with the correct number of barks.
Animals respond to quantities only when they are connected to survive as in the case of the eggs, or survive as in the case of food. They can "count" only when the objects are present and only when the numbers involved are small--no more than seven or eight. In lab experiments, animals which are trained to count one kind of objects were unable to count any other type. What interests them are the objects, not the numbers. Animals' achievements simply are not equal to evidence of counting. They only show the results of clever, careful training. | high3836.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "iPads, E-Readers, Notebook Computers top wish lists"
},
"options": [
"How to choose a suitable gift for Christmas",
"iPads, E-Readers, Notebook Computers top wish lists",
"What we should buy for our kids this holiday season",... | A report by the Consumer Electronics Association says electronics are among the most popular gifts being bought this holiday season.
Jim Barry is a spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the CEA study found that electronics represent three of the top five things on its "holiday gift wish list" this year.
JIM BARRY: "Notebook computers are at the top, followed by iPads and then e-readers. IPad is a touch-screen tablet computer and that's really the big player in that category."
The computer company Apple began selling its small, touch-screen computers in April. People use the touch-screen computers to surf the Web, write e-mails, watch movies and read books. Since the iPad's release earlier this year, several other companies have come out with their own tablet computers just in time for Christmas.
A report from the e-Marketer research group predicts that worldwide, tablet sales will reach more than eighty-one million in two thousand twelve. Still, Jim Barry says these devices are facing tough competition this year from another Christmas favorite.
JIM BARRY: "Another hot category right behind that are the e-readers. So you can read on an iPad or a touch-screen tablet, but the e-book readers are less expensive. The Kindle is the market leader there, from Amazon. But you also have the Nook from Barnes and Noble and the e-reader from Sony. And you have more and more of those e-readers coming into the market as well."
The Consumer Electronics Association report found that iPod music players are also in high demand this holiday season.
But not all of the things on the holiday gift wish list involved electronics. Clothes, cars and motorcycles also made the list. So did family togetherness and good health. And the one thing that people wanted most?
JIM BARRY: "At the top of the list was peace and happiness."
That is also our wish for you this holiday season. | high20174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "pay attention to it"
},
"options": [
"think of money",
"look at each other",
"pay attention to it",
"stop crossing the street"
],
"question": "The sound of a coin dropping makes people _",
"question_type": ... | After lunch,I walked back home. I was just to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn't much but,as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.
The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on pavement is an attention-getter.It Can be nothing more than a penny.Whatever the coin is,no one ignores the sound of it.It got me thinking about sounds again.We are surrounded by so many sounds that attract the most attention.
People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine,a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.When I'm in New York,I'm a New Yorker.I don't turn either.Like the natives,I hardly hear a siren there.
However,at home in my little town in Connecticut,it's different.The distant sound of a police car, all emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I'm seated and brings me to the window if I'm in bed.It's the quietest sounds that have most effect on us.not the loudest.In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away thigh three closed doors.I've been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imaginnation turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house.How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?
I'm quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what the bad sounds are,I've turned against whistling,for instance:I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I've been associating the whistler with a nervous person making unconscious noises.The tapping,tapping,tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me.I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it. | high4181.txt |
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