questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "A Sick Baker"
},
"options": [
"A Sick Baker",
"A Brick-oven Bread Baker",
"An Old-fashioned Baker",
"How to Overcome Allergy"
],
"question": "A good title for this passage would be _ .",
"question_type": "... | When Dean Arnold got his first job, he was miserable , Each time he went to work, he coughed and he couldn't breathe. Working in a bakery when you are allergic to (...) flour can be painful.
But Arnold stayed with the National Biscuit Company for ten years. He was a businessman and he helped them improve production. At last his health problems became too serious. He left and formed his own company.
With his wife and mother, he founded Arnold Bakery. They tried new recipes changing the kind and amount of flour used. This enabled Arnold to work there without too much pain. The bread, made with unbleached flour , was baked in a brick oven .
They began by baking two dozen loaves. The bread was sold door to door for fifteen cents a loaf. Winning customers to his unusual, old-fashioned bread took time. But Arnold, struggling against his allergy, built his bakery into one of the largest in the United States. | high7885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Protecting one, ruining the other"
},
"options": [
"Two different sons",
"Santa secret given away",
"Protecting one, ruining the other",
"Making a mistake worse"
],
"question": "What's the best title for the pas... | I have two sons. They are as different as night and day. My youngest is sweet, loveable, easy-going, and finds joy in everything. My oldest we've nicknamed the "Evil Genius" is ambitious, self-confident, and suffers no fools.
Whenever we mentioned Santa my husband and I were rewarded with major eye rolling and deep sighs from my oldest. At first we both tried to ignore it.
We both knew that our eldest had figured out the big secret. But I'd be damned if he was going to ruin it for his six-year-old brother who had plenty of Santa-loving years ahead of him. I looked at my husband in the eye and said, "I'll handle this." to which he responded "Okay just be careful because I'm not sure he knows - he might just be acting like it." But I knew. And I had it in my mind that he was about to break his younger brothers spirit and break the news to him. I was afraid he was going to take the Christmas spirit away from my sweet innocent youngest and stamp all over it. I had to protect him. I needed to control this now before it got out of control. I rushed into the play room where my oldest was playing alone. I looked him dead in the eyes and said: "Well you know Santa isn't real, right?" And as I stared at my eight-year-old son for what seemed like a long time of silence, his eyes started to fill with tears. And a tear dropped down his cheek when he screamed out, "He's not?"
"Um well it's not that he's not real (shut up you idiot - stop saying he's not real), but he doesn't really make and deliver all the toys. Dad and I get some of them for you. So he's real. He's just got a little help from us."
_ . He just sat there looking at me with an expression of doubt.
You know when you make a terrible mistake but you can't stop yourself from making it worse? That was me because I just had to know. I had to know why he had seemed to be over Santa. So I asked him why he rolled his eyes and sighed every time his father and I mentioned Santa. To which he replied that kids at school had been saying Santa wasn't real but that he still thought he was. | high9670.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "telephone calls made by tourists"
},
"options": [
"transport between the airport and the hotel",
"double rooms for every two tourists",
"the service of guides to tourists",
"telephone calls made by tourists"
],
... | Eight days for justY=12,000
Departs:May--October 2007
Includes:
* Return flights from 6 China's airports to Naples
* Return airport to hotel transport
* Seven nights'accommodation at the 3-star Hotel Nice
* Breakfast
* The service of guides
* Government taxes
Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of the Europe's most wonderful-Naples in Italy if you want to have a nice time in a beautiful small quiet place.The ancient Romans called the city"happy land"with attractive coastline,colorful towns,splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea.Your best choice for a truly memorable holiday!
Choose between the peaceful villages of Sant' Agata,set on a hillside six miles away from Sorrento,or the more lively and well-known international resort town of Sorrento,with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples.
Breathtaking scenery,famous sights and European restaurants everywhere.From the mysterious Isle of Capri to the hunting ruins of Pompeii,and from the unforgettable"Amalfi Drive"to the delightful resorts of Positano,Sorrento and Ravello,the area is a feast for the eyes! Join us,and you won't be disappointed!
Price based on two tourists sharing a double room at the Hotel Nice.A single room,anotherY=2,000.A group of ten college students,Y=10,000 for each.
Like to know more ? Telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd on:0845-226-7788(All calls charged at local rates). | high6543.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it was very hot"
},
"options": [
"it was in the hole",
"it was very hot",
"it was orange",
"it was harmful"
],
"question": "Mr Brown said that we had to take a fast look at the fire because _ .",
"question... | Mr. Brown first went to look at the underground-fire when he was seven. "Through the hole in the earth you could see the orange fire, but you had to look fast because it was so hot," said Mr. Brown. In 1898,he saw the fire once more.
Now, we can only see the smoke. The fire Mr. Brown saw is not the underground-fire. In fact ,there are 260 coal fires in the world. They are harmful and dangerous. Then how to put them out?
Scientists have tried to set fire to underground coal to speed up the fires. In this way, the burning of underground coal would be soon finished. | high753.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The most important things"
},
"options": [
"The most difficult things",
"The most important things",
"The things that weren't done yesterday",
"The things that take the least time"
],
"question": "Which of the f... | There are only 24 hours in a day,but people can use the time wisely. In other words,effective time management is important if you want to succeed.
Knowing the importance of daily matters is the first step towards good time management. Write down the things that you want to do and organize them according to their level of importance. The important thing should be done first. If there are too many things that have to be done in one day, then you have to give up doing something that is less important on your list.
Besides this,you need to spend a specific amount of time doing all the activities you have written down and make sure you finish them on time. People often slow down in their work even though they know that time will never wait for them. Make sure you keep to your plan and finish the tasks one by one. Do not try to do too many things at once.
Also,you can group similar activities together and do them one by one. For example, you can group all the tasks you need to do in the office together and do them while you're in office. Do all the tasks that have to be done in one place first, and then move to the next place to do the other tasks.
"The bad news is that time flies. The good news is that you're the pilot, "said Michael Althsuler. Your future is in your hands,so remember to invest your time wisely from today on. | high8585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Carnivals around the world."
},
"options": [
"Carnivals around the world.",
"History of carnival.",
"Customs of carnival.",
"Carnival parades."
],
"question": "What's the best title of the passage?",
"questi... | Carnival does not take place only in Louisiana. There are many celebrations around the world.
In Brazil, the celebration is supposed to go on from the Saturday before Mardi Gras to Mardi Gras Day, but in some Brazilian cities the celebration can last seven or eight days. Just like New Orleans, not many important things are decided in Brazil from New Year's Day to Mardi Gras Day because everyone is preparing for or celebrating carnival. Most Brazilian parades have a subject, which could be political and historical. The parades had to have a subject related to Brazil until 1996. Some cities in Brazil do not have a street carnival but they might have an indoor ball.
Bolivia has carnival parades for children and then more parades for adults. The children dress up in costumes and march in the streets. The adults make traditional dance groups and dance in the streets. But the main part of Bolivia's carnival is getting wet. Almost everyone gets wet from water balloons and water buckets. In Oruru, Bolivia, their carnival is held in the last ten days of the carnival season. People there participate in crafts and dancing, but their main carnival event is a ceremonial parade that lasts for twenty hours and parades for four kilometers. Over 20,000 dancers are involved as well as 10,000 musicians. This parade attracts at least 400,000 people.
The carnival in Venice, Italy is often regarded as the most carefully prepared carnival and lasts the ten days before Lent . Many events are held in the canals including shows, concerts, dances, and water processions . The official ending to the celebration is the ball held in St. Mark's Square. | high9843.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the life of the Hadza tribe in Tanzania"
},
"options": [
"one of the author's travel experiences",
"the life of the Hadza tribe in Tanzania",
"Barbara's walking safari in Tanzania",
"the efforts of the Hadza to keep the... | Barbara and Barry Zucker - Pinchoff, both doctors from New York City, took their three daughters on a walking safari last year in Tanzania. Barbara told about their experience in Kinbero, "It is the most remote place we have ever been to," camping with a few other Americans, two Tanzanian guides, and several Hadza who had time to sit and chat because they had just killed a giraffe.
About 400 members of the Eastern Hadza tribe live in Tanzania today, the only hunter-gatherers who remain in Africa. The Hadza hunt game, gather edible plants and honey, and move from place to place whenever the weather changers. Every two weeks or so, they move to a new campsite.
At the Pinchoffs' campsite, three Hadza men stopped by to visit and ended up staying three days. One of the guides gave the men a cigarette. They took out the tobacco, put it in a pipe, and lit the pipe with fire they started.
It takes less than two hours for Hadza women to build a new camp. They make huts by bending branches into round structures about six feet high, and then covering them with long, golden grass. If the weather is very wet, the women may choose a dry cave to set up a camp. Some rock caves have been used over thousands of years and are decorated with ancient rock paintings. Whether they sleep in huts, caves or in the open, the Hadza cover themselves only with thin cloths and depend on fire to keep them warm.
The Hadza refuse to be "settled" into villages or to have the life of farmers. By 1979, almost all of them had returned to their old ways. They Hadza may be the only tribe in Africa the has never paid taxes. | high11197.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He has a positive attitude to this disease."
},
"options": [
"He needs to go to the doctor every day.",
"He studies the leading cause of diabetes",
"He has a positive attitude to this disease.",
"He encourages diabetics... | Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes , Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance. After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar , and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones--a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki"s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone." Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people--225 to date--who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000--in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now." | high2916.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The key to having enough time is to improve work quality."
},
"options": [
"In fact, everyone has as much time as the president.",
"The key to having enough time is to improve work quality.",
"Reading and writing matter a lot... | My students often tell me that they do not have "enough time" to do all their homework. My response often is "You have as much time as the president." I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that "not enough time" is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.
Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to my professor that I was working hard. His answer was "That's irrelevant .What's important is the quality of your work." That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work, which is perhaps best explained in a sign: "Don't work harder. Work smarter."
If you can't get more time, as few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of your work. That means improving ways to get more out of the same time. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits, which for students should be read as "study habits".
Then as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you can, it will pay off in all your subjects.
As to improving reading, one suggestion is to take a quick nap when you feel reading puts you to sleep, which later helps you read better. The second solution is to speed up.
But there are other issues. First, you need to find a place where you can work without unnecessary disturbances. Second, you need to take control. Success depends on realizing that you have to take active control over what you are doing. Third, you might as well get hold of a good book on reading and master the reading skills that pay off in all your classes.
Talking about advice on good writing habits, you simply have to master the writing skills. Increasing your efficiency in both reading and writing will pay off immediately in terms of the quality of your work and in terms of the time spent doing it. Then you will be able to do better work in less time. And maybe you will find time to play golf with the president. | high21054.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"4",
"3",
"2",
"5"
],
"question": "If you want to know some activities of The Appleton Club, there are at least _ ways.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | The Appleton Club is the focal point of undergraduate ministry in The Memorial Church. The Appleton Club provides a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for undergraduates to grow and develop as faithful Christians as they grow and develop as intellectuals and professionals. We focus on building community through worship, study, and service, as well as through social gatherings and outings. All are welcome!
For details on all the activities of The Appleton Club, or to be added to our e-mail list, contact _ or 617-496-1426. You can also visit us on Facebook at _
Our life together is centered around three weekly gatherings:
Sunday Night Student Service
9:00 p.m., Appleton Chapel
Every Sunday night we gather for a "come as you are" worship service that includes the celebration of Holy Communion. The service is designed to provide a peaceful and contemplative space to find peace and encounter the divine at the start of the week. Following the service, we gather downstairs in the Buttrick Room for food and some social time together.
Wednesday Night Discussion Group
9:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Throughout the academic year we will come together during the middle of the week to read and discuss the works of the late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes. This spring we will continue discussing his best-selling book The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart as an entry point to conversations about what scripture is, what it isn't, and what it means for our lives as faithful contemporary Christians of the 21st century. Food will be provided.
Friday Afternoon Social Gatherings
4:00 p.m., Sparks House, 21 Kirkland Street, Cambridge
Every Friday afternoon we gather as a community to check in and wind down from the busy week. This is our time to plan special events, service trips, and retreats, as well as a safe place to ask those burning questions about faith, theology, and scripture that you've always wanted to know about but have been afraid to ask. | high10289.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "found out that color1 affect sales"
},
"options": [
"discovered the relationship between color1 and psychology",
"tried out color1s on blind people",
"found out that color1 affect sales",
"developed a special subject of... | The fact that blind people can see things using other parts of their bodies apart from their eyes may help us understand our feeling about color1. If they sense color1 differences, then perhaps we, too, are affected by color1 without knowing it.
Salesmen have discovered by experience over a long period of time that sugar sells badly in greenwrappings , that blue foods are considered not agreeable to the taste, and that cosmetics should never be packed in brown. Their discoveries have grown into a whole subject of color1 psychology . Some of our preferences for color1s are clearly psychological. Dark blue is the color1 of the night sky and therefore connected with calm, while yellow is a day color1 connected with energy and encouragement. Experiments have shown that color1s, partly because they are connected with psychology, also have a direct effect on people's mind. People in bright red surroundings show an increase in breathing speed, heartbeat and blood pressure; red is exciting. Pure blue has exactly the opposite effect; it is a calming color1. Being exciting, red was chosen as the signal for danger, but a close study shows that a bright yellow can produce a more basic state of alarm, so fire engines in some advanced areas are now rushing around in bright yellow color1s that stop buses, trucks and cars. | high17280.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it could be better to make sure that they do a lot of exercise"
},
"options": [
"it is worse to ensure that they do plenty of exercise",
"you can have their brain scanned",
"it could be better to make sure that they do a lot ... | If you want to improve your child's results at school, you could do a lot worse than ensuring that they do plenty of exercise. Scientists have already shown that physical activity can make you brainier. But a team in America has used scans to show that an important part of the brain actually grows in children who are fit. These youngsters tend to be more intelligent and have better memories than those who are inactive.
Scientists also found that one of the most important parts of their brains was 12 percent larger than those of unfit children. They believe that encouraging children to take exercise from a very young age could help them do better at school later. Researchers from the University of Illinois, in the U.S., studied the brains of 49 children aged nine and ten using a magnetic resonance imaging scan , a technique which provides very detailed pictures of organs and tissues in the body.
They also tested the fitness levels of the children by making them run on a treadmill . The scientists found that the hippocampus, a part of the brain responsible for memory and learning, was around 12 percent larger in the fitter children.
Professor Art Kramer, who led the study published in the journal Brain Research, said the findings had important implications for encouraging individuals to take part in sport from a young age. "We knew that experience and environmental factors and socioeconomic status all impact brain development," he said. "If you get some terrible genes from your parents, you can't really fix that, and it's not easy to do something about your economic status. But here's something that we can do something about." | high11829.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it is possible to learn to live together in peace."
},
"options": [
"we should all go to Hawaii.",
"it is possible to learn to live together in peace.",
"it is not possible to live together in peace.",
"Hawaii is the on... | There are some special traditions in Hawaii. People are very friendly and always welcome visitors. They give visitors a lei, a long necklace of beautiful fresh flowers. Men wear bright flowered shirt and women often wear long flowered dresses. There are traditional Chinese, Japanese and Filipino holidays and all the holidays from the United States. They call Hawaii the Aloha State. Aloha means both hello and goodbye. It also means " I love you".
Usually when people from different countries, races and traditions live together, there are serious problems. There are so many people living in Hawaii, but in general, people have learned to live together in peace.
Hawaiians get most of their money from visitors, and most of the visitors come from the mainland and from Japan. There are so many people living in Hawaii now that there are residential areas ( ) where there used to be farms. Some of the big sugar and pineapple companies have moved to the Philippines, where they do not have to pay workers as much money. The families of the first people who came from the U.S mainland own the important banks and companies .Japanese are also buying or starting business here. | high21732.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It can help us reduce the harm of air pollution."
},
"options": [
"It can help protect the environment.",
"It can help us reduce the harm of air pollution.",
"It can solve the air pollution problem.",
"It can make the d... | Air pollution, such as haze, has become a serious problem around the world. Besides wearing a mask, what else can we do to protect ourselves from the dirty air?
Scientists have developed a new inhaler that can reduce the effect air pollution has on people. It could help millions of people who are suffering from air pollution,the Guardianreports.
This inhaler is developed by German company Bitop and contains a molecule named Ectoine. The molecule creates a layer that protects lungs from polluted air. It's reported that the inhaler will be affordable to most people when it comes to the market.
Air pollution kills more than three million people a year worldwide and leads to health problems like lung and heart disease and strokes, according to a 2016 research project in the journalNature. It is also linked to brain disease, mental illness and diabetes .
Andreas Bilstein at Bitop believed that the inhaler could be useful around the world, because air pollution is not just a European problem: "Especially in Asia - China in particular - the demand for such a product is even higher."
Many Chinese cities have been suffering from haze. According to World Health Organization, two of the 10 most polluted cities in the world in 2015 were in China. About 800,000 deaths that are linked to air pollution take place in the country every year.
However, such inhalers should never be an excuse for not trying to stop air pollution, said Professor Jean Krutmann at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine. "The best thing is that we have clean air and we don't need any prophylactic treatment," he said. | high14951.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Women's right to education."
},
"options": [
"Peace for all people.",
"Research into crises.",
"Women's right to education.",
"Equality of men and women."
],
"question": "What does Malala call for in her country... | One of the candidates TIME's editors are choosing as the Person of the Year 2012 is a beautiful, little, dark-haired girl from remote, rural Pakistan who simply wanted to go to school.
On October 9, 2012, 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in Pakistan.She survived the attack and was sent by helicopter to have a bullet removed from her head in a hospital 6,000 miles away in Birmingham, England.
Malala has now become the most famous teenager on earth, a symbol of women's rights and has even been nominated for next year's Nobel Peace Prize.
However, Malala is no shallow, empty-headed, media-created idol -she is a real flesh-and-blood young woman who has already challenged the fearsome Taliban militants .Reportedly, she wants to return to Pakistan, where her life would be in constant danger.Such courage would be rare for such a young girl.
Malala began writing an anonymous blog for BBC when she was only 11 years old, criticizing the Taliban for their activities in her hometown and advocating for women's education in Pakistan.
"I have a new dream," she once said."I must be a politician to save this country.There are so many crises in our country.I want to remove these crises."
How many little girls have uttered something so mature, selfless and elegant as that She also possesses extraordinary courage ?years ago, militants had been threatening her life.In response to these threats, Malala calmly responded: "I think of it often and imagine the scene clearly.Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong.
Education is our basic right." | high23125.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Do sea sports."
},
"options": [
"Enjoy plays.",
"Go to museums.",
"Do sea sports.",
"Visit fishing villages."
],
"question": "What can visitors do in Bournemouth?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
... | Are you planning to visit Britain? Here are a few suggestions for a beautiful weekend away.
Bournemouth
This famous tourist town has 11 km of beautiful beaches. Last year, 10,000 tourists visited this beautiful town. It's the perfect place to go swimming or sailing. There are lots of lovely parks and gardens to visit and it's a great place to eat out. You can also go to a classical concert or go dancing in one of the nightclubs.
Stratford-upon-Avon
This was William Shakespeare's hometown. He spent most of his life in this town and wrote his plays here. You can visit his house or see his plays at one of the Royal Shakespeare Company's theatres. There are some interesting museums and lots of beautiful 500-year-old house. You can also go on boat trips and visit traditional English villages.
Alford
Deep in the Lincolnshire countryside is the pleasant market town of Alford. It is known for its five-sailed windmill . Have a walk round this lovely old place and you'll see many pleasant houses from as far back as the 17thcentury. Captain James Smith, who was one of the founders of James town in Virginia, USA, was educated in Alford.
Bath
Most people come here to see the 2,000-year-old Roman Baths. But this city is also famous for its beautiful 18thcentury buildings and was the home of the writer Jane Austen. You can learn about her life at the Jane Austen Centre near Queen's Square. In the past, Bath was also popular with the royal family and Queen Elizabeth I spent one or two weeks every year here. | high14945.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Scientists have developed cancer- fighting tomato."
},
"options": [
"what can prevent people from having cancer.",
"Scientists have developed cancer- fighting tomato.",
"ways to live much longer have been found by scientists.... | A purple tomato genetically engineered to contain nutrients more commonly seen in dark berries helped cancer in mice, British researchers said on Sunday. The finding, published in the journal Nature Biotechnology,
the idea that plants can be genetically modified(changed) to make people healthier.
Cancer-prone mice fed the modified fruit lived significantly longer than animals fed a standard diet with and without regular tomatoes, Cathie Martin and colleagues at
the government-funded John Innes Center in Britain reported. "The effect was much bigger than we had expected." said Martin, a plant biologist.
The study focused on anthocyanins,a type of antioxidant found in berries such as blackberries and blackcurrants that have been shown to lower risk of cancer, heart diseases and some neurological diseases. While an easy way to improve health, many people don't eat enough of these fruits, the researchers said. Using genes from the snapdragon flower, the researchers discovered they could get the tomatoes to make anthocyanins---- turning the tomato purple in the process.
Mice genetically engineered to develop cancer lived an average of 182 days when they were fed the purple tomatoes, compared to 142 days for animals on the standard diet. "It is greatly encouraging to believe that by changing diet, or specific components in the diet. You can improve health in animals and possibly humans." Martin said in a telephone interview.
The researchers warned that trials in humans are a long way off and the next step is to investigate( look into) how the antioxidants actually affect the tumors to promote better health. But the findings do support the formal research suggesting that people can significantly improve their health by making simple changes to the daily diet, other researchers said.
"It's exciting to see new techniques that could potentially make healthy foods even better for us." said Doctor Lara Bennett, science information office at Cancer Research UK. " But it is too early to say whether anthocyanins obtained through diet could help to reduce the risk of cancer." | high15483.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Teen dies trying to save cats from fire"
},
"options": [
"Teen dies trying to save cats from fire",
"Teen saved his aunt.",
"A fire destroyed the building",
"The boy hailed as a hero."
],
"question": "Choose the... | Seth A. DeShane, 14, pronounced dead late Thursday at the family home, which was destroyed in the fire.
"He really saved his aunt," said the Rev. Kris Dietzen, pastor at Cambridge Lutheran church. "He woke his aunt up and told her the Christmas tree was on fire."
"He got her out of the house. She thought he (Seth) was behind her, but he went back inside."
Dietzen said that when Seth's aunt realized the boy had gone back inside, she tried to get back in herself, but by then the smoke was so thick and the fire so intense, she had to leave the house.
"She ran to a neighbor's farm, and they proceeded to call 911," Dietzen said.
The fire is being blamed on malfunctioning lights on the Christmas tree on the first floor, Chief Edward Bole of the Cambridge Fire Department, said. The front half of the two - story home was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived. | high17294.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "four or five children died when they were five"
},
"options": [
"few children died before they were five",
"seven or eight children lived to be more than five",
"the youngest child would be fifteen",
"four or five child... | During the twentieth century there has been a great change in the lives of women. A woman marrying at the end of the nineteenth century would probably have been in her middle twenties, and would be likely to have seven or eight children, of whom four or five lived until they were five years old. By the time the youngest was fifteen, the mother would have been in her early fifties and would expect to live a further twenty years, during which chance and health made it unusual for her to get paid work. Today women marry younger and have fewer children. Usually a woman's youngest child will be fifteen when she is forty-five and can be expected to live another thirty-five years and she is likely to take paid work until sixty.
This important change in women's life has only recently begun to have its full effect on women's economic position. Even a few years ago most girls left school and took a full-time job. However, when they married, they usually left work at once and never returned to it. Today the school-leaving age is sixteen; many girls stay at school after that age, and though women marry younger, more married women stay at work at least until shortly before their first child is born. Many more afterwards return to full-time or part-time work. Such changes have produced a new relationship in marriage, with the husband accepting a greater share of the duties and satisfactions of family life. | high20438.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "it provides a safe and trusted environment to communicate online"
},
"options": [
"it is set up by Zuckerberg in a dorm room",
"it has changed the way people view the world",
"it makes people communicate with each other onlin... | Face book, the world's biggest social networking site, is celebrating its sixth birthday. The site's founder, Mark Zuckergerg, states that Face book will continue to work as hard as it has worked in the last six years in order to stay the web's number one communication site.
The company started in a dorm room in 2004. Today it has 150 million active users, more than the 130 million of its competitor MySpace.
Face book set itself apart from other social networking sites because you can communicate with people you really know and trust. Before, most people didn't want to share their real identities online. Face book has given people a safe and trusted environment for people to interact online. It has changed the way people view the world. A friend from any country is only a few clicks away.
It was back in February 2004 when Zuckerberg started "the Face book" from a Harvard student's room. The aim was to help students get in touch with each other over the Internet. Within 24 hours over a thousand students had signed up and soon after that the network spread out to other universities.
By 2005 a research study showed that about 85% of the students in the network had a Face book account. Another survey showed that Face book was almost as important as an iPod. At the end of 2005 Face book came to the UK. And up to today the site has been translated into 35 languages.
Six years after its start, Face book has escaped the universities and colleges. More than half of its users are not at college any more and the fastest growing group are the 30 to 40-year-olds. Every day 15 million users update their profiles to tell their friends and the world what's happening to them. They also share photos, upload videos, chat, make friends, join groups and simply have fun. | high21726.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "setting the ball drop"
},
"options": [
"sharing the time with their lovers",
"getting together with their families",
"enjoying drinks with their friends",
"setting the ball drop"
],
"question": "When New Year's ... | How do you celebrate New Year's Day? If I had to take a guess, you probably celebrate New Year's Day surrounded by family and friends, enjoying drinks of your choice (probably wine and champagne) and watching the ball drop. If you're particularly lucky, perhaps you share a kiss with that special someone when the clock hits 00:00am. Have you ever imagined how New Year's Day would look in another country? Listed below are five of the top ten "Unique New Year Traditions from Around the World."
1. Breaking Dishes on Neighbor's Door----Denmark
A strange and weird Danish New Year tradition, depending on how you look at it, is throwing dishes at neighbor's door. Strangely, this makes them happy instead of annoying them. The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses, cups and other crockery is considered to be the luckiest person because it symbolizes their large amount of loyal friends.
2. Talking to Spirits----Mexico
Talking to spirits is a part of Mexican belief. Mexicans strongly believe that they can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. New Year's Eve is considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits to convey a message or ask for guidance. And this is not done at home on an individual basis but is a legal Mexican practice. Taos Inn, in New Mexico for example, offers 15 minutes session of spiritualism and meditation for $15. Not a bad price for some helpful guidance!
3. Wearing Polka Dots ----Philippines
Imagine streets full of people wearing polka dots and dining room tables full of round shaped food and fruits on one single day of the year. This all actually happens in the Philippines on New Year's Eve every year. Philippines believe that this will bring them prosperity by associating the round dots to coins and wealth.
4. Burning Scarecrow Dummy----Ecuador
Ecuador has a unique custom of crafting scarecrows and then burning them at midnight. They adorn them and fill the scarecrows with newspapers and pieces of wood. As midnight approaches, everyone gathers outside their home and each family burns their own scarecrow. The tradition says that this destroys all the bad things that took place in the past 12 months. The scarecrow also scares away bad luck, which in turn, fills their new year with luck and happiness.
5. Mistletoe Leaves Are Placed Under Pillow to Find Husband----Ireland
The single women of Ireland wait desperately for New Year's Eve because it is the night that can bring them the love of their lives. They place mistletoe leaves under their pillow hoping to catch their future husband. It is also believed in the Irish culture that this act will help them get rid of bad luck.
The world is a large and very different place. Yes, people of all nations may celebrate New Year's much differently around the world, with different traditions, but there are a lot of general themes to be seen. We all want to start a new, fresh year with renewed enthusiasm and hope no matter what happened during the past year. We all want to be happier, find love, renew friendships increase our wealth and also hope for a little extra luck in the coming New Year. | high11183.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "November 7th."
},
"options": [
"November 7th.",
"March 6th.",
"February 6th.",
"December 5th."
],
"question": "When is the talk on James Brindley?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer"... | Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum
Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don't need to book. They end around 21:00.
November 7th
The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of canal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early "civil engineers".
December 5th
Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London's ice trade grew.
February 6th
An Update on the Cotswold Canals, by Liz Payne. The Stroudwater Canal is moving towards reopening. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.
March 6th
Eyots and Aits-Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.
Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book
More info:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson
London Canal Museum
12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi
Tel:020 7713 0836 | high18819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the experiment"
},
"options": [
"the magazine",
"their invention",
"the experiment",
"their experience"
],
"question": "George and his team drew the conclusion from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"... | London--coffee protects mice from radiation and could get the same way in humans, according to Indian scientists.
Scientist at India's Bhabha Atomic Research Center discovered that mice injected with caffeine remained alive after high doses of normally _ radiation.
Although the study was limited to animals, Kachadillilli George, head of the research team, believes the findings could have implications (something suggested ) for humans .
"It does suggest that coffee might have some beneficial effects in protecting against radiation," he told New Scientist magazine late last month.
George and his team injected 471 mice with caffeine and left them uncovered to 7.5 grays of gamma radiation ,enough to kill most mice. But 25 days later 70 percent of the mice that had received 80 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight were still alive.
On the contrary all 196 mice that had been left uncovered to the same radiation but had not been given any caffeine died. | high2902.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Gift-giving may reveal the giver's personality in some way,"
},
"options": [
"Gift-giving may reveal the giver's personality in some way,",
"Most gift-giving shows the spirit of love and friendship.",
"Homemade gifts are mo... | Most gift-giving shows nothing more than the spirit of love and friendship.But it is possible to form some associations between the kinds of things bought and the people who buy them.
Clothing The clothes you wear tell something about your personality.They tell the world not only how you want to be seen but how you see yourself as well. When someone gives you something to wear that corresponds to your self-image,they're saying,"I agree with you.I like you the way you are."Such a gift should be taken as a form of compliment.On the other hand,a gift of clothing that does not match your personality could be an insult to your character .
Expensive gifts Naturally, some gifts like jewelry will be more expensive than others.But some people give higher priced gifts than necessary for the situation.Someone who gives an expensive gift often feels that he should receive more praise than if he had given a less expensive gift.Therefore he is giving himself a gift,too status.
Homemade gifts Making something by hand has become the exception in many countries today--so much so that giving a homemade gift is sometimes considered extraordinary.If you receive a homemade gift,you're lucky.It may no.t be made perfectly, but it will show a certain quality of love.No matter what the results of the homemade gift look like,remember it's the thought that counts.
Books People who gives books as gifts either like reading or would like everyone to think they do.A good way to know this is to find out whether or not the giver bought the book according to how large it is.If you happen to receive a large heavy book, its giver may be much more interested in the way things appear than in the way they actually are. Anyhow, giving a book can be a way of sharing a feeling or a newly learned meaning.The giver is probably trying to say to you what the books aid to him. | high16834.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "want to enjoy a very quiet holiday"
},
"options": [
"want to go hiking in a mountain",
"are interested in exciting nightlife",
"want to enjoy a very quiet holiday",
"want to visit a city with a long history"
],
... | Here are two places that you may want to pay a visit to.
Sark, Channel Islands
This is one of the few places in the world where tradition still stands and the traditional ways are fully respected. The roads here remain not cemented , and are not even paved, and they are completely dark at night as there are no street lights. The residents of Sark are not allowed to drive cars, and if they do, they have to keep them outside Sark. The transportation you can use in Sark includes your legs, bicycles or a horse-drawn carriage. There are no motor vehicles here.
There are many activities you can enjoy here during the day, but when the night comes, the only thing you can do outside is look at the sky, which is really great. Because of the lack of artificial lights, the stars are very clearly visible.
Hyderabad, India
This southeastern city of India was the city where one of the wealthiest people in the world lived, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Now this city is the place where many global IT brands hold their head offices. But it hasn't lost its historic looks, as it remains surrounded by ancient boulders , and the modern houses recently built are surrounded by traditional gardens and lakes. From the great hotel Taj Falaknuma Palace you can see the Old City where the old Indian tradition is well preserved.
The best time to travel to Hyderabad depends on whether you are going for the city itself, or you wish to go to some of the festivals that take place here. The Hyderabad Literary Festival takes place from the 23rdto the 26thof January, while a festival celebrating various cultures, the Deccan Festival, happens from February 25 to March I. | high13794.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a private business"
},
"options": [
"a nationalized corporation",
"a state-run business",
"the world's largest store",
"a private business"
],
"question": "Bronner's Christmas Wonderland is probably _ .",
... | There is a place where Christmas lives all year long. It is called Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth, Michigan. The family-owned business calls itself the world's largest Christmas store. The late Wally Bronner started the business in 1945.
Wayne Bronner, Wally's son, is president and CEO of what is now a multi-million dollar corporation. He learned the business from an early age. Some of his best memories are traveling to other countries with his father to find new products for the store.
Bronner's sells more than 50,000 holiday products from 70 nations. Half of the products cost less than ten dollars. Wayne Bronner says the demand for small objects to hang on Christmas trees has expanded over the years. People spend more time, effort and money into decorating their homes with these ornaments, lights and religious scenes. Bronner's is famous for its nativity scenes which show the birth of Jesus Christ.
Michigan has the nation's highest unemployment rate. Bronner's has been affected by the recession, too. But not in reduced sales.
Wayne Bronner said: "Even though people are spending less, we're having more people visit here. And as a result we've actually had a sales increase." Bronner's success is also linked to community cooperation and investment. Frankenmuth is a town of 5,000 people in eastern Michigan's farm country. The town was settled by Bavarian Germans in the 1800s. It has kept its traditions alive in buildings and restaurants.
Bavarian cultural themes and Bronner's huge store bring 3,000,000 visitors a year. The town is the most popular place for tourists in the state. Bronner's business is aimed at a single day of the year. But that is not too different from other businesses.
"About half of our business is done in the last quarter of the year, in the last three months. And actually when you compare that with most retailers, that follows the same pattern." Wayne Bronner says the family's long-term planning and willingness to reinvest profits has developed the company into what it is today. Still, it does not hurt to build a business on a holiday which is celebrated worldwide. Currently, about only two percent of sales are overseas. But Wayne Bronner sees room for growth, especially through the Internet. | high24138.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To explain the role of sport"
},
"options": [
"To explain the role of sport",
"To compare Scotland with Argentina",
"To show that Argentina is better than all others.",
"To prove that football is the world's most import... | Some people argue that the pressures on international sportsmen and sportswomen kill the essence of sport-seeking for personal excellence. Children kick a football around for fun. When they get older and play for local school teams, they become competitive but they still enjoy playing. A single person's representing his country cannot afford to think about enjoying himself; he has to think only about winning. He is responsible for an entire nation's hopes, dreams and fame.
A good example is the football World Cup. Football is the world's most important sport. It is even more important now that the United States is seriously taking it up. Winning the World Cup is perhaps the greatest of international sporting success. Mention "Argentina" to someone and the chances are that he'll think of football. In a sense, winning the World Cup "put Argentina on the map".
Sports fans and supporters get quite irrational about the World Cup. People in England felt that their country was somehow important after they won in 1996. Last year thousands of Scots sold their cars, and even their houses and spent all their money traveling to Argentina where the finals were played.
So am I arguing that international competition kills the idea of sports? Certainly not! Do the Argentineans really believe that because eleven of their men proved that most skillful at football, their nation is in every way better than all others? Not really. But it's known that you won, and that in one way at least your country is best. | high747.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinations"
},
"options": [
"the track did not take the direct route from one city to the next",
"passengers and freight had to transfer to ... | Before the mid 1860's, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point thetrains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stage coaching, and steam boating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new "end of track" became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870's and 1880's and into the 1890's. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860's, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of "premature enterprise", where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. | high23657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a blanket over her head"
},
"options": [
"glasses",
"a blanket over her head",
"a coat",
"a basket"
],
"question": "An old lady had _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | An old lady in a plane had a blanket over her head and she did not want to take it off. The air hostess spoke to her, but the old lady said, "I have never been in a plane before, and I am frightened. I am going to keep this blanket over my head until we are back on the ground again!"
Then the captain came. He said, "Madam, I am the captain of this plane. The weather is fine, there are no clouds in the sky, and everything is going very well."But she continued to hide.
So the captain turned and started to go back. Then the old lady looked out from under the blanket with one eye and said, "I am sorry, young man, but I don't like planes and I am never going to fly again.
But I'll say one thing," She continued kindly, "You and your wife keep your plane very clean!" | high8591.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They may have evolved from caterpillars' legs."
},
"options": [
"They have the same function as hair.",
"They are found in caterpillars' heads.",
"They are used to kill strangers.",
"They may have evolved from caterpill... | Some caterpillars' warning signals may have evolved from walking.
A team, writing in the journal Nature Communications, reported that the hair-like structures the creatures use to make sounds evolved from legs.
The team studied caterpillars which use these structures to communicate their ownership of leaves. This means the caterpillars are able to "tell" strangers to go away without risking injury in conflicts. "These are really interesting caterpillars," said Dr. Jayne Yack from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, who led the research. "They make signals using hair-like structures which are on their back ends."
The caterpillars drag these structures across the leaf to make scraping sounds when strangers enter their "leaf shelters". "When they make this signal, the strangers leave," explained Dr. Yack. "It's like saying 'I'm here, get out of here --I already own this leaf'."
The scientists looked at other species within the same group of caterpillars and created a "family tree" of the creatures. They used chemical markers to work out the relationship between the animals, showing which in the group were the more ancient species and which species evolved more recently. "Those more ancient species actually don't have these sound-producing structures. They have legs that they use to walk towards strangers," said Dr. Yack. These more ancient species, she explained, walk towards strangers and try to attack them. "They can kill each other in the conflicts," Dr. Yack added. She said that the evolution of the scraping show had allowed the caterpillars to solve their conflicts without fighting. "So our idea is that these signals actually avoid damage to both sides --they solve conflicts in a more 'friendly' way."
The study also provides a map of an evolutionary path that many other biologists are exploring. | high22549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They don't think writing can be learned."
},
"options": [
"They have no time to practice writing.",
"They believe few people can write well.",
"They have no good teachers to help them.",
"They don't think writing can be... | A sure way to destroy your chances of learning how to write skillfully is to believe that writing is a "natural gift" rather than a learned skill. People with such an attitude think that they are the only ones for whom writing is unbearably difficult. They feel that everyone else finds writing easy or at least tolerable. Such people often say, "I'm not any good at writing" or "English was not one of my good subjects." They imply that they simply do not have a talent for writing while others do. The result of this attitude is that these people try to avoid writing, and when they do write, they don't try their best. Their writing fails chiefly because they believe that they don't have the "natural talent" needed to write. Unless their attitude changes, they probably will not learn how to write effectively.
A realistic attitude about writing must build on the idea that writing is a skill. It is a skill like driving, typing, or cooking; and, like any skill, it can be learned. If you have the determination to learn, you will develop your writing skills by practicing extensively.
Many people find it difficult to do the active thinking that clear writing demands. It is frustrating to discover how much of a challenge it is to transfer thoughts and feelings from one's head onto a sheet of paper. But writing is not an automatic process: We will not get something for nothing -- and we should not expect to. For almost everyone, skillful writing comes from hard work -- from determination and sweat. The good news is that the skill of writing can be mastered, and if you are ready to work, you will learn what you need to know. | high9857.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "UCP1."
},
"options": [
"Fatty acids.",
"Triglyceride.",
"UCP1.",
"ATP."
],
"question": "Which is the unique factor of brown fat producing heat?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {... | Everyone is familiar with white fat, which serves as an energy warehouse. Many mammals also have brown fat, which has the unique ability to produce heat.
Brown fat is sometimes mistaken for a type of gland , which it resembles more than white fat. It varies in color1 from dark red to tan. When the animal is exposed to a cold environment, the color1 darkens. In contrast to white fat, brown fat has numerous nerves which provide sympathetic stimulation to the fat cells.
Brown fat is most noticeable in newborn animals, wrapped round the central organs to keep them warm. In human infants it occupies up to 5% of body weight, then declines gradually. Certain quantities of brown fat can be discovered in adult humans, especially when they are exposed to cold temperatures. Most of brown fat in adults is located in the lower neck.
Exposure to cold leads to sympathetic stimulation of brown fat cell. As in white fat, sympathetic stimulation promotes hydrolysis of triglyceride , with release of fatty acids. In contrast to other cells, including white fat cells, brown fat cells express UCP1, which gives the cell's mitochondria an ability to produce heat rather than ATP. Within brown fat cells, most fatty acids are immediately combined with oxygen in mitochondria and a large amount of heat is produced.
There is only about 50g of brown fat in the neck region and it switches on and off throughout the day as it's exposed to different temperatures or if you exercise or eat. But this capacity is much greater in young children compared with adolescents and adults.
The challenge is now to use the knowledge to find out what might switch on brown fat. If it is switched on, we can benefit from it. Brown fat produces lots of heat by burning calories. Unlike white fat, brown fat does not expand our ageing waistlines. And that's why the race is on to find out more about brown fat, and how humans could use it to our advantage, though we would waste energy unnecessarily, and we would sweat a lot and forever be opening windows. | high18831.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "August 11."
},
"options": [
"August 11.",
"August 12",
"August 13.",
"August 14"
],
"question": "When did Bolt regain the men's 100 meters final?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer":... | Sports News of the Week
Bolt regains 100m title in Moscow
Last updated: Mon, Aug-12-2013, 08:54
USAIN BOLT of Jamaica won the men's 100 meters final during the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow on Sunday.
Usain Bolt was made to look human by a combination of a Russian rainstorm and a fired-up Justin Gatlin on Sunday but the Jamaican superstar was still good enough to regain his world 100 meters title in a surging 9.77 seconds.
With former world and Olympic champion and twice-banned doper Gatlin leading at halfway, Bolt was forced to race a rival, rather than the clock.
Jason Dufner wins PGA Championship
Last Updated: Monday, August 12, 2013, 10:38
Jason Dufner won his first major title at the 95th PGA Championship, the top U.S. golf competition, seizing an early lead on Sunday at Oak Hill, Texas and holding on for victory despite a bogey-bogey finish.
The 36-year-old American, who squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play in losing the 2011 PGA Championship, fired a final-round two-under par 68 to finish on 10-under par 270 for 72 holes.
Isinbaeva leads harvest day for host Russia at Moscow worlds
Last updated: WeD.August 14, 2013, 10:35
Russia's "pole vault queen" Elena Isinbaeva ignited the Luzhniki stadium as she claimed her third world title on the fourth day of the 2013 IAAF World Championships here on Tuesday, which saw host Russia harvested two gold and one silver medals in seven finals,
Ireland's Heffernan wins world walk title at 35
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 14,2013,15:15
Ireland's Robert Heffernan won the world championship 50km walk title on Wednesday as the 35-year-old finally tasted glory after 13 years of heartbreak and near-misses.
Heffernan, fourth in the 2012 Olympic 50km and fourth in both walks at last year's European championships, broke clear of Mikhail Ryzhov after 35km to deny Russia a clean sweep of the walks after they took gold in both 20km events earlier in the week. | high4383.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate is safe for Moose"
},
"options": [
"chocolate's danger to dogs depends on its quantity and quality",
"people buy lots of chocolate around Valentine's Day",
"an ounce of unsweetened bak... | A small dog should be _ after eating a handful M&M's, at least according to conventional wisdom. But watching "Moose", a friend's five-pound Chihuahua, race around a living room after his sweet snack makes one wonder: Is chocolate truly poisonous to dogs?
Dogs and humans have similar tastes. But unlike humans, our companions experience dangerous effects from eating chocolate --it can poison them and in some cases is fatal. Chocolate's danger to dogs depends on its quality.
Chocolate is processed from the bitter seeds of the cocoa tree, which contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines . This class of substances includes caffeine and the related chemical theobromine . Chocolate contains a significant amount of theobromine and smaller amounts of caffeine. These chemicals can cause a dog's heart to race up to twice its normal rate, and some dogs may run around as if "they drank a gallon of espresso ," according to Hackett.
Dogs are capable of handling some chocolate, but it depends on the animal's weight and the type of chocolate it eats. Unsweetened baking chocolate contains more than six times as much theobromine as milk chocolate, although amounts vary between cocoa beans as well as different brands of chocolate. Less than four ounces of milk chocolate is potentially fatal for Moose and other small dogs.
Around every confection-centered holiday -- Valentine's Day, Easter and Christmas -- at least three or four dogs are hospitalized overnight in the animal medical center at Colorado State. But in 16 years, Hackett has seen just one dog die from chocolate poisoning, and he suspects it may have had an underlying disease that made it more exposed to chocolate's heart -racing effect. | high20376.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "advertisements in a newspaper intended for college students to read"
},
"options": [
"advertisements on the Internet intended for the general public to read",
"advertisements in a newspaper intended for large companies to read",
... | Live the 'American Dream'
What is it: Work & Travel prefix = st1 /USA
Who are qualified: Full-time college students, above 18 years old.
About the program: Application for the 2009 Work & Travel USA program has just started. It's an 8-16 week summer program for college students to work and travel in the US. Employers include Boeing, Hilton Hotel and 7-Eleven. For next summer, about 3,500 positions are open to Chinese Students. Applicants must pass a language test and sometimes an interview, and pay a registration fee to join the program.
(source: www. cultureexchange.org)
Hundreds needed by Volkswagen
What is it: ShanghaiVolkswagen jobs.
Who are qualified: College students graduating in 2009
About it: ShanghaiVW offers over 300 positions from engineering to marketing to college students graduating in 2009. Applicants should have an excellent academic record, CET-6 or the same level language certificate in German, and good computer skills. Campus talks will take place in Shanghai, Changchun, Harbin, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanjing, Beijing andXi'anfrom October.
(source: campus.chinahr.com/2009/pages/csvw)
Xiaonei looking for graduates
What is it: Oak Pacific Interactive (OPI) internships
What are qualified: College juniors and first-year post graduate students
About it: OPI is now offering internship positions for test-engineer, development-engineer and assistant to the director of corporate culture. For engineering positions, candidates should major in computer science or a related field, have communication ability and be familiar with various development language. For assistant to the director positions, candidates should be adept in document writing, activities organizing and office software.
(source: campus.xiaonei.com) | high24110.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Four cities."
},
"options": [
"Four cities.",
"five cities.",
"Six cities.",
"Seven cities."
],
"question": "How many cities are mentioned in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | In the early hours of March 8, a Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its destination was Beijing. But for unknown reasons, it never arrived there.
There were 239 people on the Malaysia Airlines flight, including 154 Chinese. As of March 13, 12 different countries, including Malaysia, China, Vietnam and the US, were searching for the plane.
The disappearance is an "aviation mystery", Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the head of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority, said on March 10.There was no clear sign of a crash by March 13.
Between 1-2 hours after takeoff, the plane suddenly lost contact with people on the ground. The weather was clear, and the pilots didn't make any calls . No evidence was found in the area where the flight last made contact. People are also talking about a possible hijacking .
International police agency Interpol confirmed on March 9 that at least two passengers on the flight had used stolen passports to get on board. "We are looking at all possibilities," said Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein. The incident is now being called simply a "plane disappearance".
So, what are some possible causes of a plane disappearance? An AP story provided a summary.
1. A failure of the plane's body or its engines. However, even if both engines stopped working, the plane could still glide for up to 20 minutes, giving pilots time to make an emergency call.
2. Bad weather. Planes are designed to fly through most severe storms. However, in June 2009, an Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed during a bad storm over the Atlantic Ocean.
3. A bomb. Throughout history, several planes have been brought down by bombs.
4. An accidental shoot-down by some country's military. In July 1988, the US Navy accidentally shot down an Iran Air flight. In September 1983, a Korean Air Lines flight was shot down by a Russian fighter jet.
No matter how unlikely a situation, it's too early to determine what really happened to MH370. It could take months, if not years, to _ any possibilities, say experts.. | high6594.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Many gestures either have different meanings or no meanings at all."
},
"options": [
"People all over the world only communicate by words.",
"Many gestures either have different meanings or no meanings at all.",
"Gestures are... | It is important to know another language and how to communicate without words when you are in another country. Before saying anything, people communicate with each other by using gestures . However, many gestures have different meanings, or no meaning at all, in different parts of the world.
In the United States, nodding your head up and down means "yes", while in some pats of Greece and Turkey, it means "no". In the southeast of Asia, it is a polite way of saying "I heard you".
Today in the USA, when someone puts his thumb up, it means "Everything is all right." However, in Greece it is bad. Also putting your clasped hands up above your head means "I am the winner." It is the sign which players often make. In Russia it is the sign of friendship.
In the USA, holding your hand up with the thumb and index finger , and the other three straight means "Everything is OK." In France, it means "You are worth nothing."
It is also important to make eye communication. If you look down when talking to an American, he or she may feel that you are shy, or you are trying to hide something.
Besides these, you should also know there are some topics that can not be talked about, such as age, weight and marriage. You can talk about the weather, work, sports, food, where one lives and news of the day. | high22561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "His life experiences."
},
"options": [
"His life experiences.",
"His achievements in literature.",
"His popularity in London.",
"His contributions to Stratford."
],
"question": "What made people regard Shakespea... | The world shares him and London claims him, but Stratford-on-Avon intends to spend 2016 celebrating Shakespeare as their man: the bard of Avon, who was born there in 1564, and died there 400 years ago.
Stratford remained hugely important throughout Shakespeare's life, argues Paul Edmondson, the head of learning and research at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. "People have seen Shakespeare as a Dick Whittington figure, who turns his back on Stratford and his family, goes to London to earn his fortune and only comes back to die," he said. "But Stratford is where he bought land and property, where he kept his library, where he lived and read and thought. We are going to spend the year re-emphasizing the importance of Shakespeare, the man of Stratford."
The anniversary of the death of the most famous and the most performed playwright in the world will be marked across Britain and the globe. Macbeth is about to open in Singapore, Romeo and Juliet in Brussels. Shakespeare's Globe is completing the first world tour, in which it has taken Hamlet to almost every country. North Korea is still holding out, though.
The Globe director recently jokily claimed Shakespeare as a true Londoner. Stratford, however, will be insisting that the town made and educated Shakespeare. "His old school room in Stratford-on-Avon where Shakespeare learned 'small Latin and less Greek' --as kindly laughed at by his friend Ben Johnson--will open its doors, scarred by centuries of naughty schoolboys, to mark 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death," said Paul Edmondson.
Shakespeare bought the splendid New Place, the second best house in the town, when he had made his fortune on the London stage. "You don't buy a house like New Place and not live there," Paul said. He believes that after Shakespeare bought it, all his thinking time was spent there, and that the late plays, including The Tempest, were at least planned in his library and probably written there. | high13964.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Jane Eyre was published in 1847"
},
"options": [
"Jane Eyre was published in 1847",
"Charlotte Bronte wrote 22 books in all",
"the Bronte sisters received good education",
"Patrick Bronte helped his daughters with their... | Yorkshire, England was the setting for two great novels of the 19th century. These were Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The youngest sister, Anne, was also a gifted novelist, and her books have the same extraordinary quality as her sisters'.
Their father was Patrick Bronte, born in Ireland. He moved with his wife, Maria Bronte, and their six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children died, leaving the father to care of the remaining three girls and a boy.
Charlotte was born in 1816. Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Their brother Branwell was born in 1817. Left to themselves, the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills. They grew up largely self-educated. Branwell showed a great interest in drawing. The girls were determined to earn money for his art education. They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes.
As children they had all written many stories. Charlotte, as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books, each with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting. Therefore, they turned to writing for income. By 1847, Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily, Wuthering Heights; and Anne, Agnes Grey. After much difficulty Anne and Emily found a publisher , but there was no interest shown in Charlotte's book. (It was not published until 1859.) However, one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her works. Jane Eyre was already started, and she hurriedly finished it. It was accepted at once; thus each of the sisters had a book published in 1847.
Jane Eyre was immediately successful; the other two, however, did not do so well. People did not like Wuthering Heights. They said it was too wild, too animal-like. But gradually it came to be considered one of the finest novels in the English language. Emily lived only a short while after the publication of the book, and Anne died in 1849.
Charlotte published Shirley in 1849, and Villette in 1853. In 1854 she married Arthur Bell Nicholls. But only a year later, she died of tuberculosis as her sisters had. | high11815.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "When mind keeps growing, creativity fully stops."
},
"options": [
"When mind keeps growing, creativity fully stops.",
"When freedom is lost, creativity gets a full stop.",
"When mind stops growing, creativity folly stops.",
... | Since the pre-historic times, man has had an urge to satisfy his needs.Whether it is hunger, shelter or search for a mate, he has always controlled the situations to his advantage.Probably this might be the reason why we humans are the most developed of all living species on the earth.As we climbed the steps of development, we somehow left behind common sense and logical thinking --we forgot that we have stopped thinking ahead of time.
If you are hungry, what do you do? Get a piece of your favorite meal and stay quiet.Just like your stomach, even your mind is hungry.But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your dream lover, favorite star and many such things.So it silently began to care about your needs and never let itself grow.When mind looses its freedom to grow, creativity gets a full stop.This might be the reason why we all sometimes think "What happens next?", "Why can't I think?" "Why am I always given the difficult, problems?" Well, this is the result of using our brain for thinking of not-so-worthy things.
Hunger of the mind can be actually satisfied through reading.Now why reading and not watching TV? Because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from the childhood.Just like that to develop other aspects of our life, we have to turn to reading.You have innumerable number of books in this world which will answer all your "How to?" questions.The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed.Now this seed is unknowingly used by you in your future to develop new ideas.
The same seed, if used many times, can help you link and relate a lot of things, of which you would have never thought in your wildest dreams! This is nothing but creativity.If you read more books, your mind will open up like never before. | high20410.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "overtime work"
},
"options": [
"overtime work",
"the Underground Railroad",
"a secret network",
"working on the plantation"
],
"question": "Slaves could buy their own freedom through _ .",
"question_type"... | The Underground Railroad wasn't underground and it wasn't a railroad. But it was real just the same. And it was one of the brightest chapters in American history.
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of people who helped slaves flee to freedom before the Civil War. The slaves were black people from families who had been brought from Africa in chains. They were owned by their white masters and forced to work without pay.
The first slaves arrived inprefix = st1 /Jamestown,Virginiain 1619. Two hundred years later, there were nearly four million slaves in theUnited States. Most worked in large plantations in the South. By then, slavery had been outlawed in most northern states.
Many slaves were treated cruelly. Some were not. All could be bought and sold. Some slaves bought their own freedom by earning money during time off from work at the plantation. There were free black people in both the North and South during slavery days.
Thousands of slaves ran away each year. Some fled to get away from harsh masters. Others wanted to enjoy liberty. The Underground Railroad was started to help them.
The "station" of the Underground Railroad were homes, shops, and churches where runaway slaves were hidden and fed. The "agents" or "stationmasters" were people --- both black and white --- who hated slavery. They wanted to help slaves get free.
"Conductors" on the Underground Railroad led or transported fugitives from station to station on their way to free states. They had to watch for slave catchers, who were paid to capture runaways and return them. Some conductors guided slaves all the way to Canada.
The most famous conductor was Harriet Tubman. She was a strong, determined woman. Before she became a conductor, Mrs. Tubman had been a passenger on a dangerous journey on the Underground Railroad.
She lived as a slave on the plantation inMaryland. One day in 1849, Mrs. Tubman heard that she was going to be sold. She decided to escape instead.
Harriet Tubman walked away from the plantation that night. She followed the North Star toward the free state ofPennsylvania90 miles away. Sometimes she hiked all night, from station to station on the Underground Railroad. Once she was hidden under blankets and vegetables in a farm wagon, and she rode through the night. Another time she was carried in a rowboat for miles.
She got toPennsylvaniaone morning just at sunrise. | high19291.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "their religious belief ought to be confirmed."
},
"options": [
"their salary will be determined by the school.",
"the housing issue is left for further discussion.",
"their religious belief ought to be confirmed.",
"the... | We are looking for teachers for our private secondary school in Nigeria. This is a Christian school and we are looking for Christian teachers. Accommodations are provided and salaries can be discussed. Volunteers are welcome to apply but those with teaching qualifications and experience will be first chosen. Subjects: English, French or Art. Those who teach other subjects are also welcome.
Applicant 1 Modupe Bvuma
I have a master's degree in Managerial Psychology and know a little French. I'm looking for a job either as a teacher or as a personnel manager. I'm a Christian and live in Nigeria, Africa and I'd be glad to be given the opportunity.
Applicant 2 Rachel Moore
I'm an Australian and have experience in working with children in the local church, although I don't believe in Jesus. I have bachelor's degrees in both Art and Education. I have _ my job with my pupils and now have settled in Nigeria, Africa to look for a job teaching English or French.
Applicant 3 Mwanyimi Bushabu
I've been in Africa for 5 years as a banker. It is advantageous for me to teach French at your school since it's my mother tongue, I am a Church member and promise I shall keep the Christian standards at your school.
Applicant 4 Freddie Matthews
I am to graduate from the University of Nottingham, England. I have gained teaching experience by tutoring children in lots of families and will have a teaching qualification. I'm interested in your job.
Applicant 5 Adelaide White
I am an Egyptian living in San Francisco, the USA. I'm a Christian. I have been a teacher of English and French for 12 years. I am currently an advisor in schools. Besides my master's degree, my post bachelor's degree is in Pupils Personnel Service Credentials. I want to return to my continent. | high5923.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "you can visit its website"
},
"options": [
"you can visit its website",
"you can go to the campus",
"you can register on July l, 2015",
"you can complete a form"
],
"question": "If you take interest in the Summe... | Now is a great time to start thinking about how the 2015 Summer course offerings might help you complete your academic program at a faster rate and with less money! Whether you register for Summer not, we have some great activities and other special events planned for Rowan students, faculty and staff. Wehope you will join us!
Registration Information
Register online at Gwinnett Online Campus between March 16, 2015 and June l, 2015.
Class Dates
Online Summer School
June 8, 2015 to July 6, 2015
GCPS offers free Academic Summer School for qualifying elementary and middle school students in Grades 3~8.
Details
15-day session with no classes on Fridays, (NO classes on June12,June19,and June26)
First day of class is Monday, June8,and last day is Wednesday, Julyl.(June8-11:June15-18, June 22-25,June 29-Julyl) '
The dates for elementary and middle school summer school are June 8 through July l with no Summer school on Fridays (15 days).
Parents of suitable students will be _ that their children may participate in the free session and given specifics about location and hours.
The free academic summer school is for students who did not meet promotion criteria at their grade level.
Summer school will not be provided at every school, due to maintenance and construction at some schools and plans for combined "cluster" summer school sites, Participating students will be told of location for summer school.
Most summer school sites will not offer transportation. Those schools with additional federal funding to offer transportation will tell parents regarding availability. | high11801.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Wisconsin Historical Museum."
},
"options": [
"Wisconsin Historical Museum.",
"Swiss Historical Village.",
"Artisan Gallery & Greamery Cafe.",
"Christopher Columbus Museum."
],
"question": "Which of the followin... | Attractions in Wisconsinks5u
Wisconsin Historical Museum
30 N. Carroll Street on Madison's Capitol Square
Discover Wisconsin's history and culture on four floors of exhibits. Open for public programs. Admission is free.
Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(608)264-6555 www.wisconsinhistory.org/museum
Swiss Historical Village
612 Seventh Ave, New Glarus
The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America's heartland. 14 buildings in the village give a full picture of everyday life in the nineteenth-century Midwest.
Tue. - Fri., May 1st- Oct. 31st, 10:a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Admission is$20.
(608)527-2317 www.swisshistoricalvillage.com
Artisan Gallery & Greamery Cafe
6858 Paoli Rd, Paoli, WI
One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts in Wisconsin. Over 5,000 sq. ft. of exhibiton space in a historical creamery. While visiting enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our cafe overlooking the Sugar River. Just minutes from Madison!
Galleriy open Tue. - Sun., 10:00 a.m. -5:00 p.m.
Cafe open Wed. - Sat., 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sun. brunch with wine, 10:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
(608)845-6600 www.artisangal.com
Christopher Columbus Museum
239 Whitney St. Columbus
World-class exhibit - 2000 quality souvenirs marking Chicago's 1893 World Columbus Exhibition. Tour buses are always welcome.
Open daily, 8:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(920)623-1992 www.columbusantiquemall.com | high20404.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "how Deng was viewed amongst foreigners"
},
"options": [
"how Deng was regarded by Chinese people",
"how Deng was viewed amongst foreigners",
"what Deng was famous for",
"how Deng strengthened the relations between China... | Recent weeks have seen a wave of new books, stamps, movies, television programmes, newspaper articles, songs and performances, all celebrating the 100thanniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping, on August 22. To Chinese people, he was no doubt one ofprefix = st1 /China's greatest leaders.
Many Westerners remember Deng as "a little man with great ideas". He was famous for his practical and direct manner, shown in famous slogans such as "No matter if it is a white cat or a black cat; a cat that can catch rats is a good cat" and "Poverty is not socialism".
In 1979, as the first top Chinese communist leader to set foot in theUnited States, he was regarded as a symbol of friendship when he wore a cowboy hat inHouston,Texas, and rode around in a stage coach.
"His straightforward manner earned the trust of the American people. He changed the American people's traditional view of Chinese leaders andChina," said David Lampton, a well-known American expert onChina. "He succeeded in strengthening Chinese diplomatic relations." Lampton said that Deng openedChinaup to the rest of the world and helped develop more friendly relations with the West.
"Deng's reform increased the world's understanding of Chinaand today Americans are no longer afraid ofChina," said Mike Wallace, an American journalist who interviewed Deng in 1986. At that time, he said,Chinawas still mysterious in the eyes of Westerners.
Talking of his impression of Deng, Wallace said he was very honest and clever. He recalled a conversation at the beginning of the interview. "I started the interview by saying 'reporters don't normally get to meet you'. Deng answered, 'Because I am an ordinary person'. Then I asked, 'Why did you decide to have the interview with us at this time?' He replied, 'Because I want to know American people and that they can know Chinabetter; by American people I also mean American leaders'."
Though he interviewed many international leaders, Wallace thought Deng was very different form them all. Maybe the fact that Deng was selected twice as "Person of the Year" by the world-famous American Time magazine tells it all. | high19285.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "good for the balance of nature"
},
"options": [
"hard to put out",
"started by lightning",
"good for the balance of nature",
"approved by National Park Service"
],
"question": "Natural Burn was adopted because s... | Starting in l972,the National Park Service established a policy for forest fires calle Natural Burn.It was acknowledged that some forest fires,such as those caused by lightning were necessary for forests to maintain balanced ecosystems,so the fire should be allowed to burn.However, a big fire in Yellowstone National Park in l988 caused this policy to be abandoned since the fire was initially allowed to burn yet soon out of control.As a result,the fire of l988 destroyed much of Yellowstone,which is America's oldest and most beloved national park.Massive areas of plants were destroyed,and large empty spaces and acres of burned and blackened trees greeted visitors.The rivers and streams were choked with ash,and the ecosystem of the park was changed beyond repair.
In addition,great numbers of animals were killed by the fires that bumed out of control. The fires were driven by high winds,moving as many as ten miles a day.Many small animals died in the flames.The fires' rapid advances gave the wildlife little chance to escape. Even today,few of these small forest animals have returned to live in the park. In the years immediately following the fires,the numbers of visitors declined rapidly.No one was interested in seeing a blackened and treeless park on vacation.Yellowstone had previously been famous for its amazing views and unique geological formations such as the geyser Old Faithful. But now its reputation as America's wonder is damaged permanently. | high5937.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Improve the soil."
},
"options": [
"Make products beautiful.",
"Improve the soil.",
"Produce drinking cups.",
"Create solid materials."
],
"question": "What do people do with coffee grounds before Lechner?",
... | For every cup of coffee you made, about two spoons of grounds end up in the waste. That doesn't seem like a lot, but just think about the millions of coffees consumed around the world every single day, and you'll see the problem. Sure, some of those coffee grounds are recycled as fertilizer to enrich the soil or beauty products like face masks, but most will be buried into the ground. It was while considering this issue that German product designer Julian Lechner came up with a new way of recycling coffee grounds -- turning them into tableware.
"We were always drinking coffee at university," Lechner remembers. "And that's how I started to wonder. What happens to all that coffee? It was all just getting thrown away." He began consulting with his professors about ways of using coffee grounds to create a solid material.
"We tried combining with a lot of different things," Lechner said, "We even tried sugar. That was close, but basically it was a candy cup. It just kept melting after being used three times." The whole point was to make it last long, so Lechner and his partners went back to the institute to continue their research. Finally, after many failed experiments, they came up with a mix of coffee grounds and a biopolymer that seemed to behave the way Lechner had expected it.
"The moment of knowing the cup would actually stand was super-exciting," he recalls. "It was wonderful to drink that first coffee out of the cup. It proved to be totally worth the wait." And his creation has proven commercially successful, which is just _ . The coffee cups are now present in ten shops across Europe, and the company can hardly keep up with demand, regularly selling out of its stock online.
Lechner will soon launch a larger line of coffee grounds cups and also work on a travel mug. But those are just short-term plans, as Lechner hopes to one day use recycled coffee grounds to create all sort of useful stuff--like sheets and furniture in cafes and restaurants. | high14979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "is easy for them to do with little or no thought."
},
"options": [
"provides chance for them to express their own idea.",
"they are skilled at or do well in.",
"is easy for them to do with little or no thought.",
"can h... | Students who are engaged in their work are energized by four goals--success, curiosity, originality, and satisfying relationships. How do we cultivate these drives in the classroom?
Ten years ago, we began a research project by asking both teachers and students two simple questions: What kind of work do you find totally engaging? and What kind of work do you hate to do? Almost immediately, we noticed distinct patterns in their responses.
Engaging work, respondents said, was work that stimulated their curiosity, permitted them to express their creativity, and fostered positive relationships with others. It was also work at which they were good. As for activities they hated, both teachers and students cited work that was repetitive, that required little or no thought, and that was forced on them by others.
How, then, would we define engagement? Perhaps the best definition comes from the work of Phil Schlecty (1994), who says students who are engaged exhibit three characteristics: (1) they are attracted to their work, (2) they persist in their work despite challenges and obstacles, and (3) they take visible delight in accomplishing their work.
Most teachers have seen these signs of engagement during a project, presentation, or lively class discussion. They have caught glimpses of the inspired inner world of a child, and hoped to sustain this wonder, enthusiasm, and perseverance every day. At the same time, they may have felt held back by traditions of reward and punishment. Our challenge is to go beyond these very real difficulties and provide a practical model for understanding what our students want and need. | high22213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She will present to the world a new image of African-American women."
},
"options": [
"She serves as a role model for African-American women.",
"She possesses many admirable qualities becoming a First Lady.",
"She will pres... | Throughout this long, tense election, everyone has focused on the presidential candidates and how they'll change America. Rightly so. But selfishly, I'm more fascinated by Michelle Obama and what she might be able to do, not just for this country, but for me as an African-American woman. As the potential First Lady, she would have the world's attention. And that means that for the first time people will have a chance to get up close and personal with the type of African woman they so rarely see.
Usually, the lives of black women go largely unexamined. The widespread theory seems to be that we're all hot-tempered single mothers who can't keep a man. Even in the world of make-believe, black women still can't escape the stereotype of being eye-rolling, oversexed females raised by our never-married, alcoholic mothers.
These images have helped define the way all black women are viewed, including Michelle Obama. Before she ever gets the chance to commit to a cause, charity or foundation as First Lady, her most urgent and perhaps most complicated duty may be simply to be herself.
It won't be easy. Because few mainstream publications have done in-depth features on regular African-American women, little is known about who we are, what we think and what we face on a regular basis. For better or worse, Michelle will represent us all.
Just as she will have her critics, she will have millions of fans who usually have little interest in the First Lady. Many African-American blogs have written about what they'd like to see Michelle bring to the White House -- mainly showing the world that a black woman can support her man and raise a strong black family. Michelle will have to work to please everyone -- an impossible task. But for many African-American women like me, just a little of her poise , confidence and intelligence will go a long way in changing an image that's been around far too long. | high1589.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Schools, parents, and other organizations should share the responsibility of shaping a \nchild's future."
},
"options": [
"All the people in a village should give food to a child.",
"Schools, parents, and other organizations should... | "It takes an entire village to raise a child." That's an old proverb that is being quoted more and more often these days. And I'm pleased about that.
Today, more and more schools are reaching out to involve parents, community members and businesses to help shape a child's future.
Parents need to be involved in their children's education in many ways. Helping children with homework and studying, going on a field trip, teaching a craft or coaching a child's sports team are all great ways to be involved with your child's education. And don't forget to communicate with teachers ---- they need and respect your input. Studies show that children learn more and schools function better when parents and schools work together. It's important to stay in touch with your child's education all through his or her school career.
Communities can help children create and achieve new goals. Help with homework, read to a child, coach a children's team, or provide emotional support. Help solve problems and build self-esteem . Kids need role models and advisers can be role models by sharing their experiences and wisdom.
Businesses can also help shape our children's future. Invite a class from your local school to visit your workplace. You may be providing a glimpse that opens a new world of possibilities. Show students what goes on during a typical day. Give a mini course for students: how to use a computer; how products are made; how machinery works. You may have a developing electrician, teacher, nurse, or even a newspaper reporter on your hands.
It really does take an entire village to raise a child.So share the responsibility -- and the joy -- of bringing a child to his or her full potential . | high7846.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Holiday Shopping Season in the US."
},
"options": [
"Thanksgiving Day Shopping.",
"The Importance of Holiday Sales.",
"Holiday Shopping Season in the US.",
"Giving Gifts to Each Other at Christmas."
],
"question... | Almost one - fourth of all personal spending in theprefix = st1 /United Statestakes place during the holiday season. There are gifts to give this month for Christmas, Hanukkah and the African American celebration of Kwanzaa. The traditional shopping season began last Friday, after Thanksgiving Day. Personal spending represents two-thirds of the economy, so holiday sales are especially important.
Reports on November results have just come out. Wal-Mart is the biggest seller in the world. The company had expected growth of two to four percent in November, fueled by sales on "Black Friday."
The day after Thanksgiving is called that. Storekeepers used to record profits in black ink and losses in red ink. A day in the black means a return to profit.
The National Retail Federation estimated in September that holiday sales would increase four and one-half percent this year. Holiday sales increased five percent last year, after poor sales the year before.
The business group estimated that Americans will spend 220,000 million dollars this season. It says they spent just over 10 percent of that last weekend.
Also, it says more Americans for the first time this season plan to use a debit card than a credit card for purchases. A debit card, also called a check card, is linked to the money that a person has in a bank. In other words, users must have the money before they can spend it.
About thirty - five percent of shoppers said they would mainly use debit cards, compared to 30 percent for credit cards. Financial experts say this change might mean that more people want to keep to a budget this holiday season. | high24104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She moved to an empty chair on the side."
},
"options": [
"She didn't change her chair.",
"She moved her own chair next Dad's.",
"She moved to an empty chair on the side.",
"She sat opposite to Dad."
],
"questio... | When I was a child, our dining room had two kinds of chairs--two large ones with arm rests and four small ones without. The larger ones stood at the ends of the table, the smaller ones on the sides. Mom and Dad sat in the big chairs, except when one of us was away; then Mom would sit in one of the smaller chairs. Dad always sat at the end, at the "head" of the table. Sitting where he did, Dad was framed by the window through which the yard could be seen with its trees and grass. His chair was not just a place for him at the table; it was a place in which he was situated against the yard and trees. It was the holy and protected place that was his, and ours through him.
After Dad retired, he and Mom moved out into a small flat. When they came to visit me at their old house. Dad still sat at the end of the table though the table was no longer his but mine. Only with my marriage to Barbara, did I hear a voice questioning the arrangement. She requested, gently but firmly, that I sit at the head of the table in our home. I realized then that I was head of the family, but I also felt unwilling to introduce such a change. How would I feel sitting in that "head" place in my Dad's presence? And how would he handle it? I was to find out on the occasion of our youngest child's first birthday.
Mom and Dad arrived for lunch, and went into the dining room. Dad moved toward his usual seat in front of the window. Before he could get around the side of the table, I took a deep breath and said, "Dad, this is going to be your place, next to Mom, on the side." He stopped, looked at me and then sat down. I felt sad, and angry at Barbara for pushing me to do this. It would have been easy to say, "My mistake, Dad. Sit where you always sit." But I didn't.
When he and Mom were seated, Barbara and I took our places. I don't know how Dad felt. I do know that, though removed from his usual place, he continued to share his best self with us, telling stories of his childhood and youth to the delight of his grandchildren. As I served the food, our lives experienced a change, which we continue to live with.
It wasn't easy, but I sense that there is also something good in the change which has occurred. I am beginning to learn that "honoring one's father" is more than the question of which place to occupy at the dining table. It also means listening, wherever we sit and whatever positions we own, to the stories Dad longs to tell. We may then, during these magical moments, even be able to forget about whose chair is whose. | high22575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Contact the airline's representatives."
},
"options": [
"Submit a claim to the company.",
"Go to the Lost and Found counter.",
"Contact the airline's representatives.",
"Contact the unclaimed luggage storage room"
]... | Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport
If You've Lost Personal Belongings
*On Board --Contact the airline's representatives
*At the Airport --Contact:
--Sheremetyevo Police Department ......+7(495)578-22-55
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal C ......+7(495)578-23-26
--Unclaimed luggage storage room in Terminal D
......+7(499)500-65-52(domestic flights)
......+7(495)753-86-41(international flights)
When collecting Lost and Found items, you shall have an identification document, a boarding pass or a ticket, and also indicate the place where the items were lost and prove they are yours.
If Your Luggage Is Lost or Damaged
Before leaving the arrival area, please turn to the Lost and Found counter to file a report. The written claim shall be submitted to the airline company not later than seven days from the time when the luggage was to be collected.
If your luggage is not found within twenty-one days of the time when the claim was filed, you have the right to claim damages in the amount of not more than 600 rubles per kilogram. Amount refunded for the hand luggage lost through the fault of an airline is not more than 11, 000 rubles regardless of its weight. Amount refunded for damaged luggage is calculated based on the same tariffs .
Keep your flight documents (a ticket, boarding pass, luggage tag, and delayed luggage report filed at the airport) until the end of the procedure for searching for your luggage.
Current information on luggage-tracing results ......+7(495)578-76-65
Lost and Found service of Aeroflot Russian Airlines
......+7(495)544-33-25(from 9:00- 20:00)
+7(495)753-86-41(24 hours)
For further information please contact the airline. | high13970.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends."
},
"options": [
"He feels very lonely on campus.",
"He will promote close-in culture.",
"He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives.",
"He will spend the Sp... | As most university students are packing their bags,boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival,some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus.
Zhou Yunyun,22,a senior finance major at Jilin University,has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province,he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends.
"I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day.It's just fun to make friends this way,"he said."When I returned home in past years,my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation.They had high expectations of me,which made me feel stressed," said Zhou.
The campus,usually lively,will probably turn into a death town,with most restaurants,shops and student centers closed during the break.But there are also a few advantages,according to Jia Debao,2 1,a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University."I might feel a bit lonely,but at least I can stay away from my parents' complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay," he said."More importantly,I can enjoy the high speed of the Internet,I can always find empty seats in classrooms,and I don't have to wait to use the bathroorm" But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans.That's because communication on the Internet can't replace real life interpersonal relationships.
Society has promoted a kind of" _ " or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestyle can damage students' mental and physical development.
"When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard,you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally,"said Shi."A human's most important task is to survive,which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time. Instead,it must be achieved through real life experience and communication." | high4397.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "college students"
},
"options": [
"business managers",
"college students",
"laid-off workers",
"migrant groups"
],
"question": "The passage is probably written for _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"... | Listen up! Unilever to share the secrets of its success with students
What it is: Unilever campus talks
Who qualifies: college students
What it's about: Fortune 500 company Unilever will tour campuses this spring, giving a series of lectures to college students about the company's success in brand management, sales and marketing research. Speakers will also discuss with students how to plan their careers to be future leaders. The tour runs until late May. www.ks5u.com
http://bbs.yingjiesheng.com/thread-576865-1-1.html
Impressive internships with IBM Blue Pathway could land you a job
What it is: IBM Blue Pathway 2010 internship program
Who qualifies: students graduating in 2011
What it's about: The 2-month summer program covers almost all business units of IBM. To land the opportunity, applicants need to send resume before May 24, attend a written test and two or three rounds of face-to-face interviews. Interns with impressive performances will get a full-time job offer after the internship. www.ks5u.com
http://bluepathway.51job.com
Competition to match prospective interns against one another
What it is: SK Business Idea Competition
Who qualifies: Juniors, seniors and postgraduate students
What it's about: South Korea's SK Group is holding a competition among Chinese college students. Students are required to team up in groups of three to work out a 20-page English PPT. The top 10 groups will be awarded a 6-week summer internship at the company's headquarters in South Korea. Application deadline is April 30.
http://idea,skcareers.com/china/
Baidu a minute, then you will know what a search engine job is
What it is: Baidu summer internships
Who qualifies: college students
What it's about: Baidu is starting its 2010 summer internship project. Most of its openings are technical posts. Students must have technology in areas like search engines and social networking services. It will last for at least three months. A salary will be paid to students. Application deadline is May 29.
http://hr.baidu.com/www/internSummer.action | high16808.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "2006"
},
"options": [
"1987",
"1998",
"2004",
"2006"
],
"question": "When did the first law come out to ban smoking in public places?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"an... | How did a ban on smoking in public places come into place?
In 1998 the Smoking Kills White Paper set out a national strategy to reduce smoking prevalence and passive smoking, including in public places. The measures were voluntary and poorly carried out. After a public conference in England in 2004, the Government decided to choose for lawmaking. Scotland went first, with a ban in 2006, followed by the other nations a year later.
What is the current law?
Any person who smokes in enclosed public places, including pubs, offices, on public transport and work vehicles, is breaking the law. It does not extend to private houses. It is also an offence for people in charge of premises to permit others to smoke in them.
How was it received?
It was welcomed by most organizations except for some pub owners and restaurateurs. Many workplaces in the UK had already introduced smoke-free policies consistent with the legislation (,) before it was carried out, while others have gone beyond its basic requirements.
All railway facilities, including platforms, footbridges and other areas--whether or not fitting the definition of an enclosed public space--are covered, as are all football grounds and some cricket and athletics stadiums. School grounds are not required to be smoke-free under the legislation, but the majority now are.
How has it been forced?
Compliance in public premises has been high, with inspections suggesting that 99 per cent of places were sticking to the rules. The number of people charged for smoking in cars has been very low, which was due to the problems defining and identifying "work" vehicles. They said that a total ban on smoking in vehicles would end this confusion.
Has it improved health?
Studies in early adopters of the law, including in Scotland, suggest a reduction in hospital admissions for heart disease, which has been shown to be linked to passive smoking. There is also strong evidence of improved rates of smoking end and a drop in the number of cigarettes consumed by those who continue to smoke. | high4208.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "In 2008."
},
"options": [
"In 2005.",
"In 2006.",
"In 2007.",
"In 2008."
],
"question": "When did the Great Sichuan Earthquake happen?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | 2008 will be remembered by us Chinese people as a year of sadness and happiness. May of the year sadly saw the Great Sichuan Earthquake, the worst earthquake in China over 30 years. It killed around 70,000 people. Tens of thousands were injured or went missing.
However, to our delight, China also hosted its first Olympic games that summer in Beijing. It was a very successful games with a great opening ceremony. 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records were made. And China came out first with 51 gold medals. | high3567.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Frank greeted him in a special way."
},
"options": [
"He was told that Frank was in the hospital.",
"He was invited to study Frank's illness.",
"Frank's name was written on the door.",
"Frank greeted him in a special wa... | Last week, I was invited to a doctor's meeting at the Ruth Hospital. In one of the rooms a patient, an old man, got up from his bed and moved slowly towards me. I could see that he hadn't long to live, but he came up to me and placed his right foot close to mine on the floor.
"Frank!" I cried in surprise. He couldn't answer, as I knew, but he tried to smile, all the time keeping his foot close to mine.
My thoughts raced back more than thirty years - to the dark days of 1941, when I was a student in London. The scene was an air-raid shelter , in which I and about a hundred other people slept every night. Among them were Mrs West and her son Frank, who lived nearby. Sharing wartime problems, we got to know each other very well. Frank interested me because he was not normal. He had never been normal, ever since he was born. His mother told me he was 37 then, but he had less of a mind than a baby has. Mrs West, then about 75, was a strong, able woman, as she had to be, of course, because Frank depended on her completely. He needed all the attention of a baby.
One night a policeman came into our shelter and told Mrs West that her house had been all destroyed. That wasn't quite true, because the Wests went on living there for quite some time. But they certainly lost nearly everything they owned.
When that kind of thing happened, the rest of us helped the unlucky ones. So before we separated that morning, I stood beside Frank and measured my right foot against his.
They were about the same size. That night, then, I took a spare pair of shoes to the shelter for Frank. As soon as he saw me, he came running - and paced his right foot against mine. After that, he always greeted me in the same way. | high11020.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "an old medical treatment"
},
"options": [
"a modern medical treatment",
"an old medical treatment",
"an advanced medical treatment",
"a secret medical treatment"
],
"question": "The Indians of North America enjo... | Doctors are the persons helping people keep healthy. Some doctors use magic, some use needles and others use pills. Who are they?
Among the Indians of North America the "medicine man" was a very important person. He could cure illnesses, and he could speak to the spirits--the supernatural forces that controlled the world.
The Indians believed that bad spirits made people ill. So, when people were ill, the medicine man tried to help them by using magic--he spoke to the good spirits and asked for their help. Many people were cured because they thought that the spirits were helping them. But really these people cured themselves. Sometimes your own mind is the best doctor for you.
The medicine men were often successful for another reason, too. They knew about plants that really can cure illnesses. A lot of modern medicines are made from plants that were used by medicine men hundreds of years ago.
For more than five thousand years only Chinese doctors have used needles to fight illnesses. This method is called acupuncture . The doctor studies the sick person carefully. Then he puts needles into that person's body at the right places for his illness. Chinese doctors believe that they can control the body's natural forces in this way. At first, doctors in the West thought that this was just another kind of magic. Recently, however, they have found out that it is possible to cure many illnesses like this because the needles help the body to produce its own "medicines". In this way the body cures itself. | high16997.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "people might live forever as technology develops"
},
"options": [
"human beings long for living forever",
"there are many difficulties in making the Soul Catcher",
"people might live forever as technology develops",
"th... | Do you want to live forever? By the year 2050, you might actually get your wish -- if you are willing to leave your biological body and live in silicon circuits .But long before then, perhaps as early as 2020, some measures will begin offering a semblance of immortality .
Researchers are confident that technology will soon be able to track every waking moment of your life. Whatever you see and hear, all that you say and write, can be recorded, analyzed and added to your personal chronicles . By the year 2030, it may be possible to catch your nervous systems through electrical activities, which would also keep your thoughts and emotions.
Researchers at the laboratories of British Telecommunications have given the name of this idea as Soul Catcher. Small electronic equipment will make preparation for Soul Catcher. It would use a wearable supercomputer, perhaps in a wristwatch, with wireless links to micro sensors under your scalp and in the nerves that carry all five sensory signals. So wearing a video camera would no longer be required.
At first, the Soul Catcher's companion system -- the Soul Reader -- might have trouble copying your thoughts in complete details. Even in 2030, we may still be struggling to understand how the brain is working inside, so reading your thoughts and understanding your emotions might not be possible. But these signals could be kept for the day when they can be transferred to silicon circuits to _ minds everlasting entities . Researchers can only wonder what it will be like to wake up one day and find yourself alive inside a machine.
For people who choose not to live in silicon, semblance of immortality would not be as useless as they thought. People would know their lives would not be forgotten, but would be kept a record of the human race forever. And future generations would have a much fuller understanding of the past. History would not be controlled by just the rich and powerful, Hollywood stars, and a few thinkers in the upper society. | high2679.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He is a doctor."
},
"options": [
"He is an American.",
"He is a teacher.",
"He is a doctor.",
"He lives in New York."
],
"question": "What is Mr. Martin? _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Mr. and Mrs. Martin live in New York. Mr. Martin is a doctor and his office is in New York. Mrs. Martin teaches music at a school in New York.
They have two sons. Their sons' names are Ted and Roy. Ted is twenty years old. He is now in Taiwan. He is studying Chinese. He went to Taiwan last month and is going to stay there for two years.
Roy is thirteen years old. He goes to high school. He likes sports very much. He likes swimming best. He can swim faster than his father. He wants to be the best swimmer in his school. | high17451.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Making the traffic flow smoothly."
},
"options": [
"Making full use of the parking spots.",
"Making the traffic flow smoothly.",
"Preventing traffic accidents.",
"Benefiting iPhone users."
],
"question": "What i... | SAN FRANCISCO--A phone app in San Francisco gives information about open parking spots. City officials in San Francisco introduced the app to try to reduce traffic jams in the city, but some say it raises safety concerns.
In this city, drivers searching for parking spots lead to 30 percent of all downtown jams, city officials think. Now San Francisco has found a solution--a phone app for spot-seekers that displays information about areas with available spaces. The system, introduced last month, relies on wireless sensors fixed in streets and city garages that can tell within seconds if a spot has opened up.
Monique Soltani, a TV reporter, said she and her sister spent 25 minutes on Friday trying to park. "We were praying to the parking god that we'd find a spot," she said. "If we had the app, we would not have to pray to the parking god." But the system could come with serious consequences.
Some people say that drivers searching for parking could end up focusing on their phones, not the road. "It could be really distracting ," said Daniel Simons, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois.
City officials acknowledge the potential problem. They are urging drivers to pull over before they use the city's iPhone app, or to do so before they leave home. Nathaniel Ford, executive director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, said safety could actually improve if drivers quickly found a spot instead of circling and getting frustrated.
San Francisco has put sensors into 7,000 parking spots and 12,250 spots in city garages. If spaces in an area open up, the sensors communicate wirelessly with computers that in turn make the information available to app users within a minute, said Mr. Ford, of the transportation agency. On the app, a map shows which blocks have lots of places (blue) and which are full (red).
More than 12,000 people have downloaded San Francisco's app, which is available now only for the iPhone but which city officials say they hope to bring to all similar devices.
When it is started up, the city's parking app warns drivers not to use the system while in motion. But safety advocates said that might not be sufficient. After all, they say, texting while driving is illegal in California and in many states, but a number of surveys, including one by the Pew Research Center, show that many Americans do it anyway.
Elizabeth Stampe, executive director of Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian advocacy group, said she hoped the new parking app would lead to fewer accidents.
"It's an innovative idea," she said. "The safe way for people to use the device is for them to pull over, which they know they should do. The question is whether they will."
But Ms. Soltani, the TV reporter, said using the app would probably join the group of activities already performed by drivers.
"We're already looking at Google Maps and Facebook on the phone while we drive," she said. "Aren't we always looking at something on our phone, or changing the radio, or drinking coffee? You're always slightly distracted when you're driving." | high5116.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Worried."
},
"options": [
"Proud.",
"Happy.",
"Disappointed.",
"Worried."
],
"question": "What feelings did the author's mother express in her reply?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | "I've changed my mind.I wanted to have a telescope,but now I want my dad back." Lucien Lawrence's letter to his father for Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate,must have touched everyone's heart.Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn't see the stars in the sky.When those whom we love depart from us,we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien,the stars are still there,and one day,when you are older and your tears have gone,you will see them again.And,in a strange way,I expect that you will find your father there,too,in your mind and heart.I find that my parents,who died years ago,still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive.I still live to please them and I'm still surprised by their reactions.I remember that when I became a professor,I was so proud,or rather so pleased with myself that I couldn't wait to cable my parents.The reply was a long time in coming,but when it did,all my mother said was "I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children!" I haven't forgotten.The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care.Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors,and to lay down my life for those in my care?How many people would want me back for Christmas?It's a serious thought,one to give me pause.
I pray silently,sometimes,in the dead of night,that ancient cry of a poet "Deliver my soul from the sword,and my darling from the power of the dog." Yet I know the death comes to us all,and sometimes comes suddenly.We must therefore plan to live forever,but live as if we will die tomorrow.We live on,I'm sure,in the lives of those we love,and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure.If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true,there might be fewer knives on our streets today. | high14158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "something unpleasant to be experienced"
},
"options": [
"your boss's criticism",
"your leader's inspection",
"something unpleasant to be experienced",
"sour pop music"
],
"question": "According to the passage, t... | When someone says, "Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music", it does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this or that, and why you did not do this or that. Sour(; )music, indeed, but it has to be faced.
The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?
The first information comes from the American writer James Fennimore Cooper. He said in 1851 that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage. After they got their cue(,) to go on, they often said, "It's time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did--- face the orchestra which was just below the stage.
An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience that might be friendly or perhaps unfriendly especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. So, "to face the music" came to mean having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.
The other explanation comes from the army. Men had to face inspection by their leader. The soldiers worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean--shiny enough to pass inspection? Still, the men had to go out, and face the music of the band, as well as the inspection. What else could they do? | high7701.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Tourists who plan to travel abroad"
},
"options": [
"Students who study abroad",
"High school English teachers",
"Exchange students",
"Tourists who plan to travel abroad"
],
"question": "Who is the passage inten... | People visit other countries for many reasons.Some travel on business;others travel to visit interesting places that are only found in other countries,such as the Taj Mahal in India.
Wherever you go, and for whatever reason,it is important to be safe.While the majority of people you will meet when traveling are sure to be friendly and welcoming, there are dangers--theft being the most common.Just as in your home country, do not expect everyone you meet to be friendly and helpful.It is important to prepare for your trip in advance, and to take precautions while you are traveling.
As you prepare for your trip, make sure you have the right paperwork.You don't want to get to your destination only to find you have the wrong visa,or worse,that your passport is about to _ .Also, make sure you travel with proper medical insurance, so that if you are sick during your travels,you will be able to get treatment.If you want to drive while you are abroad,make sure you have an international driver's license.
Buy a guidebook and read about the local customs of the country you are going to.Also, try to learn a few basic words and phrases.
When you get to your destination, use official transport.Always go to bus and taxi stands; don't accept rides from strangers who offer you a lift.If there is no meter in the taxi, agree on a price before you get in.If you prefer to stay in cheap hotels while traveling,make sure you can lock the door of your room from the inside.If you are traveling with valuables such as jewelry, or a lot of cash, you should ask about a safe for storing them in.Finally, remember to smile.Smiling is the friendliest and most sincere form of communication, and is sure to be understood in any part of the world! | high8432.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the writer was astonished by the scene"
},
"options": [
"five individuals made speeches",
"the boss's speech was best thought of",
"the writer was astonished by the scene",
"everyone was crying out loudly"
],
"q... | I was brought up in the British, stiff upper lip style. Strong feelings aren't something you display in public. So, you can imagine that I was unprepared for the outpouring of public grief at a Chinese funeral.
My editorial team leader died recently after a short illness. He was 31. The news was so unexpected that it left us all shocked and upset. A female colleague burst into tears and cried piteously at her desk. Somehow we got through the day's work. The next day was the funeral.
Our big boss stepped forward to deliver a eulogy and was soon in tears. She carried on, in Chinese of course, but at the end said in English: "There will be no more deadlines for you in heaven." Next came a long-term colleague who also dissolved in tears but carried on with her speech despite being almost overcome by emotion. Then a close friend of the dead man paid tribute, weeping openly as he spoke. Sorrow is spreading. Me and women were now sobbing uncontrollably. Finally, the man's mother, supported between two women, addressed her son in his coffin. She almost collapsed and had to be held up. We were invited to step forward to each lay a white rose on the casket. Our dead colleague looked as if he was taking a nap. At the end of the service I walked away from the funeral parlor stunned at the outpouring of emotion.
In the UK, families grieve privately and then try to hold it together and not break down at a funeral. Here in China it would seem that grieving is a public affair. It strikes me that it is more cathartic to cry your eyes out than try to keep it bottled up for fear of embarrassment, which is what many of us do in the West.
Afterwards, a Chinese colleague told me that the lamenting at the funeral had been restrained by Chinese standards. In some rural areas, she said, people used to be paid to mourn noisily. This struck me like something out of novel by Charles Dickens. But we have all seen on TV scenes of grief-stricken people in Gaza and the West Bank, in Afghanistan, Iraq and the relatives of victims of terrorist bombings around the world. Chinese grief is no different. I realized that it's the reserved British way of mourning that is out of step with the rest of the world. | high7067.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They can fly hundreds of miles or more in the wind."
},
"options": [
"The females are responsible for hatching the eggs.",
"They can fly hundreds of miles or more in the wind.",
"The females usually lay several eggs at a time... | On February 3, a Laysan albatross , a large seabird, named Wisdom, which is 62 years old, hatched a healthy chick on a Pacific island near Hawaii,. It was the sixth year in a row this bird has hatched a chick. Wisdom's species normally lives only 12 to 40 years, while she is able to hatch healthy chicks into her 60s.
At breeding time, the Laysan albatross will dig out a shallow nest in the ground. The female then lays a single egg. Both she and her mate will take turns incubating the egg until it hatches. More than seven out of every 10 Laysan albatrosses' nests are on just one island -Midway Atoll. That's Wisdom's home.
But her species spends most of its time in the air. In fact, biologists observe that after learning to fly, these birds may not set foot on land for the next three to five years.
Albatrosses are powerful gliders , With their six-foot, nearly two-meter, wingspan, Laysan albatrosses can ride wind currents for hundreds of miles or more. Biologists now estimate that Wisdom has flown for an unusually large number of miles-between two million and three million. That is equivalent to traveling from Earth to the moon and back-four to six times! And in the months when these birds are not breeding, they stay in the air, and even sleep there.
Wild albatrosses often die long before they come close to Wisdom's age. Some are eaten. Others starve, get sick or suffer life-threatening injuries from people's fishing boats. Clearly, Wisdom is special. She may have raised as many as 35 chicks in her life. | high8354.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Bottled water and filtered water."
},
"options": [
"Tap water and bottled water.",
"Tap water and distilled water.",
"Bottled water and filtered water.",
"Distilled water and filtered water."
],
"question": "Wha... | You've heard it repeatedly: Make sure you drink at least eight glasses of water per day. The key words are "at least", because, unless you are a child, you need more water than that. The rule is, for every 50 pounds of body weight you carry, drink one quart of bottled or filtered water per day. The average person weighs 150 pounds, so they should drink three quarts per day. A 200 pounds person should drink a full gallon per day. Athletes should drink even more than that. Follow these and you've adopted one of the most important health habits.
Our bodies are mostly water, and water is essential to our every function. Drink the appropriate amount, and everything is much more likely to function at the best levels. If you don't drink enough water, over the short term you will experience tiredness, dry skin, headaches and constipation ; over the longer term, every body function will _ more quickly. It really is as simple as that.
Things get a bit more complicated in what type of water to drink. Bottled water and filtered water are both good options. Do not drink tap water or distilled water .Bottled water should be bottled in clear glass containers, not the plastic containers that transfer far too many chemicals into the water. Filtered water can be obtained through low-cost filters.
Tap water should be avoided because it contains chlorine and may contain fluoride , which is poisonous and can have terrible consequences for the body. Distilled water should also be avoided because it can burn up your body of necessary minerals. It has been tied to hair loss, which is often associated with certain mineral lack.
Finally, drink water at room temperature if possible, as ice-cold water can harm your stomach. | high13151.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "we should be well prepared for it in advance"
},
"options": [
"we should have enough shelters and tools",
"everyone should be familiar with the situation",
"we should be well prepared for it in advance",
"we can deal wi... | Environmental health is defined as the control of the factors in the environment that may have harmful effects on people's physical, mental, or social well-being . Because natural disasters expose people to danger by bringing up or threatening their immediate environment, effective management of environmental health after a natural disaster is of great importance.
The environmental health measures that must be considered after a natural disaster include the supply of appropriate shelter for individuals or groups of people left homeless, the distribution of safe and accessible water, and the protection and distribution of safe food products and so on.
To effectively manage environmental health during and after a disaster, it is important that a state of preparation is in effect before the event actually occurs. During an emergency, success largely depends on making good, rapid judgment and appropriate response measures. High-level decision makers, therefore, must be familiar with sound measures beforehand and should be given an accurate judgment of the disaster's specific effects as quickly as possible.
This book is intended to serve as a guide for those who may be called upon to make emergency decisions after disaster strikes. The recommended environmental health measures have been listed in the order of priority in which they should be taken during an emergency. However, each natural disaster is unique in the degree or type of emergency. In response to any given disaster, decision makers may find it necessary to change the priority assigned to any particular measure. | high1416.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the author was trying to avoid conflict with Brittany"
},
"options": [
"the author was trying to avoid conflict with Brittany",
"the author secretly envied Brittany for being popular",
"Brittany's appearance made her popular ... | Miss Popular
I was awkward in middle school: bony and athletic, with a high grade in science and a low one in self-esteem. Though I had a few friends, I wasn't popular. I was picked last in football and I sometimes ate lunch by myself.
I remember the day Brittany came to our school. Her teeth were crooked , and she was a little overweight. Not that this mattered though, because she walked around like she was better than all of us. She was outspoken and incredibly frightening, making people lose confidence.
Around Brittany, I tried my best to go unnoticed. Standing out or stealing her spotlight could only result in one thing: conflict. Brittany was always the first girl picked for teams; I was lucky if I was picked at all. I was thrown the ball while she stood with the quarterback, chatting about the last party she'd gone to. I had never been to a party before or kissed a boy.
One day, a classmate asked me to the school dance. I was flattered. Then Brittany told me during science class that she had persuaded him to invite me. She asked in front of everyone, "Why would anyone even want you?" I went home and cried.
Although she was seemingly perfect in everyone's eyes, I wanted to be everything that she wasn't and yet a million times more perfect. Brittany was so frightening and violent, but I wanted to be calm and not at all aggressive.
I found Brittany's online profile a few weeks ago. She still had the same chubby face and mocking simile, and had posted half-naked pictures of herself. But as I read on, I realized that Brittany had died in a drunken driving accident a year ago. She had been 16 and pregnant at the time. Suddenly my view of Brittany changed from a bad influence into a struggling little girl whose life was taken before she could understand right from wrong. My experience with Brittany taught me that though we are all innocent in our youth, the choices we make will have great effects on us forever. I will always remember Brittany as that loud, overconfident girl. As part of that shy insecure person I used to be will always keep me modest. | high182.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays"
},
"options": [
"it usually takes too much time",
"he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays",
"it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance"... | It is a wonderful morning,as I write this:hot,but without being too hot. Outside my window,I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water. It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature --a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday,time is running out .
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. _ What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holidy too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemized list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it.
Thankfully, I am not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside of holidays, with the results shoeing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year's the Idler magazine published its book of awful holidays .Here you will find a list of the five most ecologically--damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book's editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays. | high6379.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "How Safina came first in world women's tennis."
},
"options": [
"How Safina came first in world women's tennis.",
"How the parents taught Safina to play tennis.",
"How her brother helped Safina play tennis.",
"How Safin... | About a year ago, if you had asked who Dinara Safina was the answer would have been: "She is Marat. Safin's younger sister." Back then she was overshadowed by her wonder brother. But now she has made a name for herself: the world No. 1 player in women's tennis.
The 22-year-old Russian. will overtake Serena Williams of the prefix = st1 /USfor top ranking on April 20. "Before, every place I go, I am Marat's sister. Nothing else," she told New York Times. "I always wanted to be myself, and now finally the results are coming, and people can know me as Dinara Satina."
Safina has made it to two great event finals, in the 2008 French and in this year's Australian Open, and won a silver medal in the Beijing Olympic Games.
Clearly; family isn't the only connection Safina's and her brother share. Both of their DNA burns with competitive fire. Satin has held the distinction for years of being a hot tempered player on Court. When he lost his temper, he would break a racket . Safina is as emotionally explosive as her brother. A headline in the newspaper The Australian once described her as "mad as a snake". The Sydney Morning Herald, during the Australian Open, summed up Safina's volatile emotional state with the headline: "Satina goes from basket case to top of the world."
It's not rare for a family to have two top tennis players. Safina's father owns a tennis academy and her mother worked as a coach. "I had no choice but to become a tennis player, but I don't mind being a tennis player," Safina said.
From this talented family she is also given one of her best weapons on court, her size. She is 1.82 meters tall and Weighs 70 kg. But it is hard work that led her to her recent Success.
"I hope to prove to everyone over the coming months that I deserve the honor of being world No. 1," she said. | high23092.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He is a university student."
},
"options": [
"He is a middle school student.",
"He is a university student.",
"He is a teacher .",
"He is a reporter."
],
"question": "What is the writer probably?",
"question... | Three years have passed since I entered the university. I haven't seen many of my classmates after we parted when the college entrance examination was over. So we decided to have a get-together party this summer vacation.
As you can imagine, I could hardly wait to have the day for our reunion. After several month's waiting, 25 of my former higher school classmates and 3 of our teachers were crowded in a small restaurant near our high school. We were more than happy to meet with each other again. Our former Chinese teacher was so excited that he even choked to say some words. With gratitude, we thanked our teachers for their hard work; with great joy, we exchanged the happy things happening in each of our present colleges; We talked before someone shouted. "Oh, it is 11:30 now." But no one would be the first to say goodbye to others .
I shall always bear this unforgettable get-together in my mind. With time passing, I believe I will meet many new friends, but I think the friendship among high school classmates will be the purest and will be the most valuable thing to cherish. | high17337.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "American culture is very popular all around the world"
},
"options": [
"English-language activities are highly welcomed",
"they are experiencing the different globalized-culture",
"American culture is very popular all around ... | A night out in Tokyo is much the same as a night out in Milan these days, according to a survey about socialising, conducted amongst 16 to 34-year-olds around the world. Wherever you live, a typical night out is spent eating burgers, seeing American films or listening to English-language music in clubs and bars. Individual differences do survive but American culture is everywhere.
Differences in the social behavior of the two sexes are also disappearing. Most people surveyed felt that it was 'perfectly normal' for groups of young women to go out alone, that it was 'equally acceptable' for young women to smoke and drink, and that a couple should split the bill when they go out together. For most young people these were the biggest differences between their own generation and their parents'.
Interestingly, however, most young people interviewed said that parents are still stricter with daughters than sons about where they go and who they go with. Overall, only 10 per cent thought that parents treat their sons and daughters equally, and almost no one thought parents were stricter with their sons!
Important national differences appear, however, when it comes to time-keeping. In the Far East and Eastern Europe a night out starts --- and finishes --- much earlier: there seven o'clock was the average time for meeting up with friends. For many Southern European and South Americans, on the other hand, an evening out doesn't even start until ten or eleven o'clock, by which time many of their South Korean or Japanese counterparts are safely home in bed!
Parents' rules reflect this. Most Japanese parents expect their teenagers home by ten o'clock or even earlier, whereas in Europe it is more likely to be eleven or twelve o'clock. The most surprising findings came from Argentina, however, where it is apparently quite normal for 15 and 16-year-olds to stay out all night. But then perhaps this is because their parents have less to worry about --- 80 percent of Argentine youngsters claimed that they rarely or never drink alcohol! | high18004.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "treat sick children"
},
"options": [
"treat sick children",
"treat poisoned children",
"give medicine to people",
"give medicine to children"
],
"question": "The writer's job in the hospital was mainly to _ ."... | Dear Editor ,
I used to be a doctor in a children's hospital. Sometimes I treated children who had been poisoned by medicines for older family members. The children didn't know the medicine was dangerous; they just knew it tasted sweet. Children easily opened the bottle that we now use in China.
Some days ago I talked about medicine with an American. He showed me a kind of plastic bottle. The design was very quite simple and I'm sure our Chinese factories could produce these bottles. The top of the bottle locks but can be opened by pressing down on it while turning. This is difficult for most young children to do, though grown-ups can open these bottles very easily.
I'm certain that the price of making such tops would be very low. As a doctor, I'd love to see this done. And most parents would be grateful.
Yours,
Li Hua | high10458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "had not enough food to eat"
},
"options": [
"had his meal in restaurants",
"looked for his friends there",
"ate beef and potato there",
"had not enough food to eat"
],
"question": "Schubert often",
"question... | Franz Schubert was a well-known musician in the world. But he lived a very hard life and often went hungry. One day, being very hungry, he went into a small restaurant in Vienna, hoping he might meet some friends there. He looked around and saw nobody he could borrow any money from. Then his eyes fell on a paper on one of the tables. In it was a little poem. He took the paper with the poem. After he composed a piece of music for the poem, he took his work to the owner of the restaurant. He only received a dish of beef and potato for it. thirty years after his death, this manuscript by Schubert was sold for 40 00c francs. it was his famous berceuse . | high3201.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "history, cultures and scenery"
},
"options": [
"history, cultures and education",
"cultures, scenery and education",
"history, scenery and education",
"history, cultures and scenery"
],
"question": "On this 16-d... | This wonderful 16-day tour is designed to highlight South Africa's amazing diversity of cultures, its curious mixture of old and new, as well as its wonderful scenery and wildlife, together with its unique history.
Join us to experience Cape Town and the exciting Kruger safari on our tour to South AfricA. We believe that a more naturally beautiful country than South Africa would be difficult to find: from the rocky peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains, to the timeless semi-desert landscapes of the Karoo and then the forested seashores and mirror-like lakes of the Garden Route, the attractive valleys of the Winelands and the symbol of the country, Table Mountain -- all under an endless blue sky.Quite amazing!
Included in our price:
Return flights from London Heathrow
Three-and-four-star hotels, sharing rooms, breakfast and lunch included
Internal flight to the beautiful Garden Route
Full-day guided safari in the Kruger National Park
Visit the legendary Zulu War battlefields of Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, the historical Cape of Good Hope, Cape Town, Apartheid Museum and Blyde River Canyon
Travel on Outeniqua steam train or go whale watching depending on the season
For more information, call 0845 155 6706. | high11746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Send messages."
},
"options": [
"Buy a palace.",
"Provide food.",
"Learn foreign language.",
"Send messages."
],
"question": "What can people do through SMS?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | "If I had one million yuan, I would buy you a palace! Do I have one million yuan? No, I don't! so I only can spend ten fen on this short message, sending you my best wishes! "
Today, SMS--Short Message Service is popular, and China Mobile says that every second, there are 410 messages being sent.
Look around you! People are watching their mobiles, smiling or laughing. Thumbs are pressing buttons, bring happiness to their friends. The humor of the words shows how beautiful language is! Through SMS, we know the weather report, share jokes and news, express love and friendship.
"Thumb Culture" is becoming more and more popular. It is reported that 67% of young people like to "Short" to greet each other. Internet SMS will provide more convenience to people. I am grateful for the progress because SMS saves me much money. Just on the tip of thumb, so much joy can be found! | high16029.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Effective ways to separate the good from the ill."
},
"options": [
"Further application of science to war.",
"More reading of William Shakespeare.",
"Proper use of science in the new century.",
"Effective ways to separa... | The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before changes for the better, changes for the worse, changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings ,changes that put man in danger .Many things caused the changes ,but ,in my opinion ,the most important was the progress in science.
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views. It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe ,it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development .Technology in the application of science has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life.
The continuation of such activities in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings : in pure science--a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning ;in applied science--a more reasonable sharing of material benefits ,and better protection of the environment.
Sadly ,however ,there is another side to the picture .The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind .The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet .We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons ,Although their actual use has so far occurred only in the Second World War ,the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for use was so large that if the weapons had actually been used ,the result could have been the ruin of the human race ,as well as of many kinds of animals.
William Shakespeare said. "The web of our life is of a _ yarn ,good and ill together. "The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities--science seems to prove what Shakespeare said. But does it have to be so ?Must the ill always go together with the good ?Are we biologically programmed for war? | high21685.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "one month"
},
"options": [
"one week",
"two weeks",
"one month",
"two months"
],
"question": "According to the report,the severe weather lasted about_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | CHANGSHA,Feb.14(Xinhua)----Areas of China affected by the recent severe weather have shifted from emergency work to reconstruction,with transport and power supplies returning to normal.
The government of central Hunan Province.one of the areas hardest hit by the worst weather in half a century,said that it would offer a subsidy of 5,000 yuan(694 U. S. dollars)to each household whose residence was destroyed.Around 67,000 houses in prefix = st1 /Hunancollapsed in the snowy weather,which persisted from mid-January through late in the month.
The provincial civil affairs authorities have started checking those in need of government help,pledging they could move to new houses by May.
According to the latest official statistics,snow-related _ killed 107 people and caused 111.1 billion yuan in direct losses.In a11,21 provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities have been affected.A total of 354,000 houses collapsed and 1.5 million people were evacuated.
Seven provinces--Hunan,Guizhou,Jiangxi,Anhui,Hubei,Zhejiang and Sichuan-and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region were the worst-hit areas,the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
In Guangxi,l,332 schools were damaged and more than l,200 classrooms became dangerous.
Yu Yizhong,director of the region's education department,urged local education administration bureaus and schools to try to raise funds and launch repair and reconstruction work as soon as possible to ensure the spring term opens as scheduled.
The extreme weather aim affected nearly 24.4 million hectares of farmland and 18.6 million ha of forests.Agricultural technicians have been organized to go to rural areas to help farmers with crop planting.
On Thursday,nearly 30 agricultural experts in eastern Anhui Province set out for a week-long service journey to snow-stricken rural areas.They will check damage and help farmers replant vegetable fields? Similar technical teams have been organized in other provinces such as Jiangxi to help farmers restore agricultural production.
Also in Jiangxi,rural credit cooperatives have provided farmers with loans totaling 3.5 bil1ion yuan. | high17323.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Wuitschick had been well trained in dealing with emergencies"
},
"options": [
"Bill Rhodes gave Wuitschick a credit card for his deed",
"McCtossin offered to call 911 when the event happened",
"Jeff Short happened to be drivi... | A middle school student ,who jumped into the hot seat when his school bus driver passed out on the way to class this morning is being praised as a "quick thinker" for leading the bus. and 15 other students .to safety. Seventh grader Jeremy Wuitschick is being praised by the local police chief for his actions.
Wuitschick hopped out of his seat and grabbed the steering wheel . pulling the bus over to the side of the road before pulling the keys from the ignition "I'll give the kid credit for fast thinking. He did the right thing and we're going to do something for him. The kid definitely deserves credit." Milton Police Chief Bill Rhodes cold ABC News.
Police officers were informed of a school bus driving irregularly through town around 8 a.m. today .but by the time an officer arrived at the scene ,Wuitschick had had it under control. He had pulled the bus over in front of Discovery Primary School . which is near to the school where the students were headed .Surprise Lake Middle School. "I knew something was wrong." Wuitschick told ABC. " it was pretty scary. I was just acting on instinct .It was all happening really quickly."
Jeff Short .assistant dean for the Fife school district . said the students had been trained in emergency situations on the school bus .including how to shut down ,the bus in an emergency. A staff member at the school .John McCrossin . happened to be driving behind the bus when the driver lost consciousness . and rushed onto the bus to administer CPR( ) once Wuitschick had pulled over to the side of the road .Rhodes said.
The kids told McCrossin they had already called 911. The bus driver . whose name has not been released . was taken to the hospital. Emergency service personnel told school administrators he was suffering from a problem related to the heart. Short said his condition was severe. Rhodes said that there were no traffic accidents or other injuries. | high5664.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The liquid in it will flow to the drinkers itself."
},
"options": [
"It looks like a very narrow tunnel.",
"Each of its sides has a sharp angle.",
"It is the same as the normal cup we are using.",
"The liquid in it will... | Many adults enjoy a cup of coffee to have extra energy on a sleepy morning, and astronauts are no exception. But having a drink in space isn't as easy as it is on the earth. You have to come up with a whole new way to drink, and that' s what scientists are trying to do.
"The coffee would be very hard to control in a normal cup," said physics professor Mark Weislogel. "You' d have to shake the cup toward your face and hope that some of the hot liquid floats toward your mouth. When it comes to guessing what liquids will do in new systems, we are often in the dark. "
Weislogel believes that creating a big zero - gravity cup would help improve the lives of astronauts in space, so he and other researchers per formed a series of experiments with liquids on the International Space Station (ISS) to see how they move upwards on surfaces in zero gravity.
In one of the tests, they placed two surfaces very close together to create a very narrow tunnel. They wanted to see if liquid would easily flow up the tunnel. In another test , the researchers tried to figure out the best angle to place the narrow tunnel at so that the liquids would travel along the corners.
The end result is a cup that doesn't look like a normal coffee cup at all. One side of the cup has a very sharp angle and, in zero gravity, the liquid naturally "flows" up that angled side of the cup, right up to the drinker' s lips.
The zero-gravity coffee cup is currently being tested on the ISS by astronaut Don Pettit, who worked with the researchers and helped them invent it. " As you sip , more liquid keeps coming , and you can enjoy your coffee in a weightless environment - clear down to the last drop, " said Pettit, who thinks that future humans on Mars will be using this kind of cup to drink during celebrations ! | high18010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "using sunlight"
},
"options": [
"using soap and water",
"using silver iodide",
"using sunlight",
"using moonlight"
],
"question": "Thanks to this new discovery, we will be able to clean fabrics _ .",
"qu... | How to wash clothes in a flash
LAUNDRY is never an easy part of housework. But if piles of sweaty T-shirts and smelly socks drive you crazy, then two Chinese scientists might have the answer.
Long Mingce and Wu Deyong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University have invented a kind of cotton that cleans itself. No need for soap or water, the scientists say. All you have to do is put the clothes out in the sun.
According to the Guardian, this magical self-cleaning ability comes from a special chemical mixture. The material is covered with this mixture. It can break down dirt and remove bad smells after only a few hours in the sun.
One of the chemicals is called titanium dioxide . Scientists have known for some time that titanium dioxide can clean fabrics . However , it only works under ultraviolet light and so is not yet widely used - ultraviolet light cannot be seen.
"We knew that self-cleaning cotton fabrics with titanium dioxide coating had already been developed, but they cannot work, or they work weakly, under sunlight," Long said. "If we want to use the fabrics in daily life, we must develop cotton that cleans itself under daylight."
The scientists worked hard for years to find a better chemical. Finally , they added silver iodide into the mixture. This made the chemical reactions in sunlight faster. The new mixture is also nearly seven times better than the former one with pure titanium dioxide at removing dirt and killing bacteria.
The experiment was only carried out on cotton clothing. However, according to Long, the technology can be "applied to all kinds of fabrics and their related products." It is also cheap and environmentally friendly , he said.
The self-cleaning material is not yet ready for the market. Scientists still need to know whether it could harm people. Although titanium dioxide is used in some foods, it can cause health problems if it gets into the lungs . Scientists need to make sure it is safe before we can start to enjoy the benefits of this technology . | high21849.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Roman numerals"
},
"options": [
"The year when the game is held.",
"English letters.",
"Roman numerals",
"Arabic numerals"
],
"question": "What does the Super Bowl use to show each game?",
"question_type": "... | The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL), the highest level of professional American football in the United States, becoming a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather than the year in which it is held, with Super Bowl I being the 1966 season championship game, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Super Bowl XLVI (46) was played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, on February 5, 2012, to determine the champion of the 2011 season; the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots.
The game was created as part of a _ agreement between the NFL and its rival league, the American Football League (AFL). It was agreed that the two leagues' champion teams would play in an AFL--NFL World Championship Game until the merger was to officially begin in 1970. After the merger, each league was appointed as a "conference", and the game was then played between the conference champions. Currently, the National Football Conference (NFC) leads the series with 25 wins to 21 wins for the American Football Conference (AFC).
The day on which the Super Bowl is played, now considered to be an existing American national holiday, is called "Super Bowl Sunday", though it is not determined by the government. It is the second--largest day for U.S. food consumption, after Thanksgiving Day. In addition, the Super Bowl has frequently been the most watched American television broadcast of the year.
Because of its high viewership, commercial airtime during the Super Bowl broadcast is the most expensive of the year. Due to the high cost of investing in advertising on the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast's commercials has become a significant aspect of the event. In addition, many popular singers and musicians have performed during the event's pre-game and halftime ceremonies because of the exposure's attracting more fans. | high3215.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "What's the strongest muscle in the human body?"
},
"options": [
"What's the strongest muscle in the human body?",
"who is the strongest person in the world?",
"What are the functions of different muscles?",
"What are th... | From babies to body builders, we all have muscles. They grow, they bulge , they stretch they stretch and sometimes they even painfully pull. But for all the work they do for us, we are still unable to crown one as "the strongest muscle."
Instead, a few muscles could claim the title, depending on how strength is measured.
If the title goes to the muscle that can exert the most force, the victor would be the soleus , according to Gray's Anatomy . Without this muscle, we wouldn't be able to stand, walk, run or shake our bodies on the dance floor. If the soleus was not continuously pulling, we would always be falling over ourselves (although some of us tend to do that from time to time anyway).
But perhaps the title should go to the muscle that exerts the most pressure. Pressure is different from force -- pressure takes into account the area over which a force is exerted. The muscle that takes the prize for delivering the greatest amount of pressure is the masseter, or the jaw muscle, according to the book "Clinical Oral Science" (Reed Educational and Professional Publishing, 1998).
In 1986, Richard Hofmann of Lake City, Fla., achieved a bite strength of 975 pounds (442 kilograms) for two seconds, setting a Guinness Record. Talk about jaw dropping! The jaw is able to clench and chew because of the masseter muscle.
Others may argue the muscles used in childbirth are the most powerful.
When it comes to versatility, perhaps the tongue is the strongest muscle. Its combination of elasticity and forcefulness gives us the ability to speak, eat and kiss - all things very desirable on a first date. However dexterous it may be though, its power does not match that of muscles such as the soleus.
If slow and steady wins the race, the heart is certainly a _ for the title. When it contracts, the muscle pumps about 2 ounces (59 milliliters) of blood, and is constantly working over a lifetime. Beating about 40 million times a year, a person's heart will beat approximately 2.5 billion times by the time of their 70th birthday. | high11752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "How adoption created a happy family."
},
"options": [
"How a couple first met at college.",
"Where you can adopt a child.",
"The benefits of adoption to the community.",
"How adoption created a happy family."
],
... | Ellen and Bill County are both teachers. They met in college and became good friends because of their shared love for children. Two years after the couple got married, Ellen saw a huge change in the life of one of her students, a 9 - year - old girl. Three years earlier both of the little girl's parents had died and there was no one to take care of her. She was taken away to live in a government office. But finally she was taken in and adopted by a family and became their daughter. Ellen said that she noticed the difference in the child's life after she was placed in a permanent home and thought that maybe she and her husband could help a child in a similar way.
They decided to become temporary parents and to take a child into their home just on the weekends when the real parents could not take care of him or her. The pair planned to have their own children in a few years, but decided that this would be a way to give to the community in the meantime.
The couple quickly grew to love one of the children they looked after. When he became legally available, Billy became the first child they took in permanently. Six months after adopting Billy, Ellen was told by her doctor that she was unable to have children naturally. Ellen says she knew then that adoption was the way she was meant to have a family.
Since adopting Billy, now 17, Ellen and Bill have adopted five more children -- Rose, 16; Albert, 11; Joshua, 5 and in June 2003, they added biological brother and sister Tyler and Rylee to the County family. The County family has been recognized for their work on adoption, and has received many awards for their efforts. Last June, the family was even interviewed on the television show, "Adoption Stories".
Ellen says she would like to encourage other families to adopt children. She adds that the best part of being a mother of six is: "Giving Josh a bath, putting a band-aid on a cut knee or just the everyday Mom things, that makes motherhood such an honor and a privilege." | high21691.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The 10th H7N9 infection case has been confirmed in China."
},
"options": [
"China is on high alert for H7N9 cases.",
"The 10th H7N9 infection case has been confirmed in China.",
"China has promised transparency and cooperatio... | HANGZHOU, April 4 (Xinhua) --Another H7N9 bird flu case has been confirmed in east China's Zhejiang Province, the provincial health department said Thursday, bringing the country's total number of cases to 10.
The patient is a 64-year-old man from Huzhou City. He became ill on March 29 and was admitted to a hospital in Huzhou on March 31.
On Thursday, medical experts confirmed that he was infected with the H7N9 bird flu strain after the provincial center for disease control and prevention said late Wednesday that he tested positive for the virus.
An investigation has found that all 55 people who had close contact with the man have not showed any abnormal clinical symptoms, the department said.
So far, China has confirmed 10 H7N9 cases -- four in Jiangsu Province, two in Shanghai Municipality, one in Anhui Province and three in Zhejiang. The two patients in Shanghai and one in Zhejiang have died.
Health authorities and hospitals in many Chinese provinces have been on high alert for H7N9 cases.
In Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi Province, which neighbors Zhejiang, five hospitals have been selected and ordered to be ready to treat H7N9 patients, though no cases have been reported there.
China's health authorities have promised transparency and cooperation to the World Health Organization (WHO) in regards to human infections of the new strain of bird flu.
On Wednesday afternoon, the National Health and Family Planning Commission distributed prevention and control plans and technique directives to health institutions nationwide. "So far, the sources of infection have not been clear, but based on past experiences and recent epidemiological studies, the sources could be poultry or the secretion and excrement from poultry," according to the plan.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that no human-to-human transmission of H7N9 has been discovered and no epidemiological connection between these cases has been found. | high7073.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Why baths matter so much to birds."
},
"options": [
"How birds clean themselves.",
"What birds enjoy doing.",
"Why baths matter so much to birds.",
"What bird lovers should do."
],
"question": "What's the passag... | When many people see birds cleaning their feathers,
. But, in reality, what they are doing is maintaining their wings, the instruments that they depend on for safe flight. If a bird's wings are not in perfect condition, the bird either won't be able to fly or won't be able to control its flight. That is why after a long flight and even throughout the day, you will see them cleaning their feathers.
Most birds, if they get a chance, will take a bath at least once a day. They do this to get rid of the dust that has accumulated in their feathers throughout their flight s during the day. In dry or desert areas, birds will not always be able to find water in which to bath, but they still need to clean their feathers. What many birds will do is to take dust baths. They will roll around in dust until it covers their feathers. They will stand up, shaking the dust out, and then clean their feathers with their beaks as usual.
Baths are important for another reason. During the course of the day and night, many parasites are attracted to birds. Bugs, mites, fleas and so on will try to reach birds and suck from their blood. Daily baths help to keep the parasites to a minimum.
Some birds, especially those that spend a lot of time in or around water, have skin glands that produce oil. After bathing, these birds will squeeze the glands to spread the oil over their wings to keep them free of water.
If you are a bird lover and have bird houses in your yard, it can be good to go to the extra step, providing a bird bath. Once the birds in your neighborhood discover it, you will be surprised at how popular it becomes as they periodically stop by to take their daily bath. | high15534.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Pictures"
},
"options": [
"live models",
"his works",
"Pictures",
"famous paintings"
],
"question": "Phil Beck will teach students to paint animals from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Art classes about animals & wildlife
All Creatures Large and Small
Animals bring something special to our life and give us inspiration for paintings that we will treasure. This workshop will focus on how to bring animals to life through color, lighting and good composition . We will be working from photographs, so you will need to bring several good photos of your pets or wildlife animals.
Location Scottsdale, AZ
Instructor Phil Beck
Pet Portraiture with Christine Fifer
Nothing teaches us to live in the moment more than our furry and feathered friends, and this workshop emphasizes the technical aspects of drawing and painting animals. Fifer is a long-time painter whose realistic style is simple and clear. No live models allowed (only a favorite picture or two)!
Location Key West, FL
Instructor Christine Fifer
Nature & Wildlife in the Field with Rafael Galvez
Limited to 12 students. Have a guided walk through a natural reserve and explore Charlotte's wilderness with an experienced naturalist and bird painter, while learning about the region's wildlife and habitats, and learning to paint from live subjects. Galvez emphasizes process rather than product.
Location Charlotte, NC
Instructor Rafael Galvez
Animal Drawing
A rare opportunity to work with live animals in the PAFA studios! Work with a horse and a dog served as models, learn skills and develop techniques for the graphic depiction of animals. Explore a variety of drawing materials and techniques.
Location Philadelphia, PA
Instructor Peter van Dyck | high8340.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "His previous credits were not all recognized."
},
"options": [
"He was considered to be unqualified for social work.",
"His previous credits were not all recognized.",
"He wasn't able to get enough credits.",
"His Engli... | Greg Evans started to study film at Ryerson University, but had a change of heart and switched to social work at George Brown College in second year.Yet the college recognized only one of Evans' general-interest credits from Ryerson , and also made him take English all over again although he had passed it at university.
"So I spent time and money taking a course I had already taken before", complained Evans."The system really needs to change." Evans was part of a chorus of Ontario students on Monday cheering a new $ 73.7 million five-year plan to help students switch from college to university, and from university to college.
After years' of urging from students, the Ontario government set up a new Credit Transfer Innovation loud to help students move back and forth between the more hands-on courses of community college to the often broader academic focus of a university degree." We hear horror stories about students who can't get recognition from one institution for a very similar course at another, and in one case I believe the same professor was teaching them both," noted Malloy after announcing the new fund.
Individual colleges and universities have decided on nearly 500 joint deals to honor each other's credits in certain courses.Each school is required to set targets for more credit-transfer agreements, and link these increases to provincial funding.
More than 4,000 college graduates transfer to university in Ontario every year twice as many as eight years ago, noted Justin Fox, president of the College Student Alliance.Yet Ontario universities and colleges have been cautious about transferring credits, in part to avoid copying each other's courses, noted Bonnie Patterson, president of the Council of Ontario Universities ,who welcomed the increased flexibility. | high13145.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the time is too short for doctors"
},
"options": [
"the time is too short for doctors",
"the patients are often too nervous",
"the damage is extremely hard to fix",
"the blood-cooling machine might break down"
],
... | It is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain. Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes. More often the doctors can't fix the damage. Sometimes they are afraid to try something to help because it is dangerous to work on the brain. The doctors might make the person worse if he operates on the brain.
Dr. Robert White, a famous professor and doctor, thinks he knows a way to help. He thinks doctors should make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctor a longer time to do something for the brain.
Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs, and then he operated on them. He made the monkeys' blood go through a machine. The machine cooled the blood. Then the machine sent the blood back to the monkeys' brains. When the brain's temperature was 10degC, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they had been before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them. | high196.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "mothers' voice can promote the release of the love hormone"
},
"options": [
"children can imagine their mothers' hugs on the line",
"children enjoy their mothers' voice and forget their worries",
"mothers are good at comforti... | Mothers can still offer comfort, even from a distance, a new study has found. The results show that simply hearing their mothers' voice over the phone works just as well at calming the nerves of stressed children as a real-life pat on the shoulder.
The soothing effect is most likely due to the release of the hormone , oxytocin , in the brain, the researchers say. This "love hormone" is known to _ stress and is likely to be involved in social connections, including those between a mother and a child.
Previous work has revealed that this hormone is released during physical contact with a mother. "But it's clear from these results that a mother's voice can have the same effect as a hug, even if she isn't actually standing there," said the researcher, Leslie Seltzer, a biological scientist.
Seltzer tested a group of 61 girls, aged 7 to 12, by having them make an unprepared speech and solve a series of maths problems in front of a group of strangers, sending their hearts racing and levels of cortisol--a hormone associated with stress--soaring.
Facing a challenge like that raises stress levels of a lot of people. Once stressed, a third of the girls were comforted in person by their mothers with hugs. A third of the girls watched an emotionally neutral 75-minute video. The rest were handed a telephone with their mothers on the line.
For the girls who interacted in person or over the phone with their mothers, the levels of the "love hormone" rose significantly, and the stress-marking hormone was washed away. This effect didn't show up for participants who watched the video.
Seltzer is now testing the amount of oxytocin released with other communication methods--like text messaging--and hopes to see the research spread out from human subjects. "It's not just us, of course. Lots of very social species have voices," she said. "on the one hand, we are curious to see if this effect is unique to humans. On the other, we're hoping researchers who study vocal communication will consider looking at oxytocin release in other animals and apply it to broader questions of social behavior and evolutionary biology. | high1402.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "800-0667"
},
"options": [
"800-0739",
"800-1932",
"800-5224",
"800-0667"
],
"question": "If you wanted to place an ad. , what number would you call?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answe... | Classified Ads
For direct classified service, call 800-0667 10 a.m.--4 p.m., Monday---Friday.
For Rent
Best on Campus
Excellent Room for girls, begins Jan., 2, 4, or 8 months lease. Single, $ 105. $125. Double, $ 140. Call 800-1932.
Family Home, 3 bedrooms, large yard. $ 275. Call 800-4300.
For Sale
Sheepskin Coat, men's size 42, 1year old. $ 85. After 6 p.m. call 800-5224.
Moving: Must sell. Color TV 21, $ 150; transistor radio, $ 15; recorder, $ 25. Call 800-0739.
Help Wanted
Babysitter--My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school- age children, please call 800-1111.
Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3, Grade 1?
Found
A green jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon ( April 15th). Will the owner please ring 656-6688 | high68.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the wife of a businessman"
},
"options": [
"an Italian businesswoman",
"Leonardo da Vinci's wife",
"the wife of a businessman",
"a woman from the church"
],
"question": "The woman in the painting is _ .",
... | Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503.He was working on a special painting for a church at the time, but the church painting was not going well. An Italian businessman asked da Vinci to paint a picture of the businessman's second wife. This is the woman who can be seen in the Mona Lisa.
All in all, the Mona Lisa is a very good example of da Vinci's work. Da Vinci uses darkness and light in a clever way in the painting.
Da Vinci loved science and maths. Right away a person can see that there is a lot of geometry in the Mona Lisa. The face of the Mona Lisa is made of many circles and round shapes like balls. Even her smile can be seen as a small part of a large circle.
The woman in the painting is sitting on a balcony , and mountains can be seen behind her. Da Vinci loved to study rocks and mountains, so these can be seen over and over in his other paintings.
The woman is sitting with her knees to the side. Her head is turned to look out of the painting. Her hands are held together in front of her. This way of sitting is now used by many artists when they are painting a picture of a man or woman today. | high13623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "can be solved by self-management"
},
"options": [
"are caused by the telephone, meetings and visitors",
"are caused by delayed information or decisions",
"can be solved by self-management",
"can't be controlled"
],
... | Most people think their time problems are outer, and that they are caused by the telephone, meetings, visitors, and delayed information or decisions. Although these problems often have a bad effete on them, as when people call or drop in, we usually contribute to them. We fail to have calls screened by a skillful secretary or assistant, or we leave our door open, actually assuring constant interruptions.
In almost all cases, it is possible to influence, if not control, it usually can cause problems, such as, slowness and indecision, lack of self-discipline, the inability to delegate, or the tendency to fight fires, to act without thinking, and to jump from task to task without finishing any of them.
Time is constant that cannot be changed. The clock cannot be slowed down or speeded up. Thus we cannot manage time itself. We can only manage our activities with respect to time.
The same skills are needed as those used in managing others--the abilities to plan, organize, delegate, direct, and control. Time management is simply self-management. It is impossible to be effective in any position without controlling one's time effectively.
Successful time management does not mean working harder, but working smarter. All kinds of management skills must be used in the home and office to get most value from time. You must think ahead about what to do, and timely than others, making it get maximum results in the shortest possible period. | high1364.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He thinks very highly of it."
},
"options": [
"He thinks it is a risk.",
"He thinks very highly of it.",
"He thinks it will get wide support.",
"He thinks it will affect their income."
],
"question": "What does ... | Mickey Mouse wants to help kids kick the junk food habit. The Walt Disney Company announced that it plans to advertise only healthier foods to kid.
By 2015, all food and drink products that are advertised on its TV channels, radio stations and websites will have to meet the company's nutrition standard for limiting calories and reducing fat, sodium and sugar. Many foods, such as fruit drinks, candy and snack cakes, won't meet the standard.
First Lady Michelle Obama called it a "game changer". "Disney is doing what no major media company has ever done before in the US - and what I hope every company will do in the future."
"This is a landmark , because a major media company is taking responsibility for what food they advertise to children," says Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "This should be a real wake-up call to Nickelodeon(an American children's channel) and the Cartoon Network to do the same."
But the company will still be able to advertise "better-for-you versions of products that are not perfectly nutritious." Under the new standards, breakfast cereals that are advertised will have to contain fewer than 10 grams of sugar in a serving, Wootan says. "That's a good step forward, but it's not perfectly nutritious."
Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, says Disney is making this move "at perhaps some risk of affecting their incomes, so that's why we should praise them."
Food marketing is really "important because it shapes the way kids are fed," Wootan says. "If we don't deal with food marketing to kids, we don't have any chance of addressing childhood obesity."
Currently, a third of children are overweight, putting them at a greater risk for serious health problems.
At its theme parks, Disney began offering healthier kids' meals, serving carrots and other vegetables, fruits, low-fat milk and yogurt at meals, instead of fries and soft drinks. | high23938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "using cellphones has an effect on brain cells"
},
"options": [
"people use cellphones for too long every day",
"using cellphones has an effect on brain cells",
"cellphones that are powered off can also affect the brain",
... | How important is your mobile phone, better known to Americans as a cellphone? Jack said, "I use my phone all the time. I'm always on my phone." Ann said, "It's important to me because it's like my life saver." Jenny said, "I need my cellphone. I cannot live without it."
So far, no studies have proven beyond question that the radio signals from cellphones cause brain cancer or other health problems. But a new study by government scientists in the United States has some people wondering what to think. The scientists have found that holding a cellphone to your ear for more than fifty minutes increases brain cell activity. Even the scientists themselves are not sure about the meaning of their findings.
Dr Nora Volkow led the study. She heads the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health. Dr Volkow says she is not concerned that fifty minutes of cellphone exposure would harm anyone. But she says the research does show the need to study whether there are long-lasting effects of repeated exposure over several years.
Her team studied forty-seven healthy volunteers between January and December of 2009. The volunteers had cellphones placed against both ears while the scientists made images of their brain activity. As part of the test, one phone was activated for fifty minutes. The other phone was off. After that, the volunteers were tested with both phones turned off. Dr Volkow says the brain scans showed increased activity in brain cells closest to the activated phone.
The scans showed how the brain cells used sugar to produce energy, a normal activity. The activity was seven percent higher in areas of the brain closest to the cellphone antenna .
Dr Giuseppe Esposito is a nuclear medicine expert at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. He says after many years of studies, better kinds of research are still needed to settle questions about cellphone safety. These studies would take years. | high8426.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "give their children little time to develop freely"
},
"options": [
"treat their children as spots players",
"pay no attention to their children's lessons",
"bring up their children in a simple way",
"give their children... | LONDON--Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent fast-forward.
Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough. But Hagner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club.
Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm. There is just time for a quick supper before homework. In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line.
Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright. It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child.
"Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress," says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota.
Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom. It's a very serious problem. Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity. But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities. They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four.
"There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down," says Terry Alter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist
"It isn't entirely new: there have always been pushy parents. But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted." | high828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Advertising music can help sell products."
},
"options": [
"How to use music in advertising.",
"Advertising music can help sell products.",
"How to get an advertising jingle.",
"Advertisements are important in promoting... | When creating a digital advertisement or something to promote a product or service ,music is one of the most important aspects. Whether it is simply a jingle ,musical note or any other use of sound,music can play a huge role in attracting a customer's attention or being noticed by your target audience.
Music can work hand-in-hand with what you are advertising. Many times the advertising jingle, or saying, is what the audience remembers. Companies such as McDonald's and Subway have used this method many times with different jingles and little sayings that are easy to remember and fun to sing along with.
Usually concepts that are part of a jingle would sound conceited and pompous when said in a normal conversation. When put to music however, and sung in a rhythm,it suddenly sounds attractive. For example, if someone said," No one does it better than me" in a normal statement, this would sound very conceited. Add music and a tune to this statement and it becomes attractive and fun for others to sing along with.
While understanding how important music is for your advertising needs, it is also important for you to know the best way to get special music.
Having people from many different backgrounds all over the world write something specifically for you is one of the best ways to get songs written just for you. You simply choose which one you believe is best for the project. So instead of hiring a single songwriter to compose your music, you can run a contest for you advertising jingle and songwriters around the world write you a finished jingle in an attempt to win your contest. | high3573.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "To tell us how she lost weight."
},
"options": [
"To tell us about Wii Fit.",
"To advise us to keep healthy.",
"To tell us how she lost weight.",
"To advertise Weight Watchers."
],
"question": "What's the writer... | Almost five years ago, I announce to my loved ones I was to become a Mrs Naturally. I then began to wonder about the perfect wedding dress, hoping that it would fit me. Even at the age of 22, I had gone through my share of dieting.
I am an emotional eater and I knew that at 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing 180 pounds, I wasn't at my healthiest. My mother had been doing Weight Watchers for some time and was rapidly seeing results. I took my mother's advice about Weight Watchers. She shared her books with me and explained the program: estimate your daily point target based on your weight and other factors, write down everything you eat and move! The longer I stuck to it, the more I noticed a difference in the way I enjoyed food. I soon began to like eating fruit and vegetables for snacks instead of chocolate bars and chips. My mother and I went on walks together and kept each other in check. Unsurprisingly, I lost twenty pounds soon and looked amazing in my wedding dress.
I bought healthy food instead of ice creams and faithfully kept a food journal. I exercised on my Wii Fit and took evening walks. Since I had a hard time finding something healthy to eat, I bought a Weight Watchers cookbook and used it to prepare our meals. I used small plates and bowls to trick myself into believing there was more food than the serving size.
Now I'm 28 and weigh 120 pounds, but I still need to lose some weight. I know the challenge is worthwhile. I must insist on it and tomorrow is another day. | high16983.txt |
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