questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A small act of kindness brings a great joy."
},
"options": [
"One can never be too careful.",
"Actions speak louder than words.",
"Love begins with a little smile.",
"A small act of kindness brings a great joy."
],
... | It was Mother's Day morning last year and I was doing my shopping at our local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were leaving, we found that only minutes earlier an elderly woman had fallen over at the entrance and had hit her head on the concrete. Her husband was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock.
Walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very upset about what had happened to the couple. He said to me, "Mum, it's not much fun falling over in front of everyone."
At the front of the supermarket a charity group had set up a stand selling cooked sausages and flowers to raise funds. Tenyson suggested that we should buy the lady a flower. "It will make her feel better," he said. I was amazed that he'd come up with such a sweet idea. So we went over to the flower seller and asked her if we could buy a flower for the lady to cheer her up. "Just take it," she replied. "I can't take your money for such a wonderful gesture."
By now paramedics had arrived, and were attending the injured woman. As we walked up to her, my son became _ by all the blood and medical equipment. He said he was just too scared to go up to her. ZXXK
Instead I gave the flower to the woman's husband and told him, " My son was very upset for your wife and wanted to give her this flower to make her feel better."
At that, the old man started crying and said, "Thank you so much, you have a wonderful son. Happy Mother's Day to you."
The man then bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. Though badly hurt and shaken, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with love in her eyes and gave him a little smile. | high6807.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "China Telecom accesses many more cities nationwide than the other four."
},
"options": [
"China Unicom charges IDD calls more than the other four firms.",
"China Mobile's coverage is the least of the five firms.",
"China Tele... | Range
At present,there are five network firms---China Telecom,China Unicom,Jitong Communications,China Netcom and China Mobile---that are allowed to operate IP services in China.Each company has its advantages in service.
Charge
As the Ministry of Information Industry co-ordinates,the charges of IP calls of the five companies are the same,0.30 yuan per minute for DDD calls.4.80 yuan per minute for IDD calls,2.50 yuan for calls from the mainland to Hong Kong,Macao,and Taiwan,and 1.50 yuan from Shenzhen to HK,Zhongshan and Zhuhai to Macao.IP callers don't enjoy discounts on holidays.
China Telecom has the widest coverage.All cities in China with telephone access and most countries in the world are open to China Telecom's IP card.
China Unicom's IP card can reach 29 cities nationwide and more than 130 countries and regions worldwide.Jitong IP can access 12 cities in China and over 70 countries and regions worldwide.
China Netcom's IP card can reach 14 cities in China and 149 countries and regions in the world.
China Mobile's IP card is open to only six cities nationwide but can access more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.
Voice quality
China Telecom realizes its IP service by the public Intermet,therefore net congestion and voice delay may sometimes disturb conversations.The other four companies have their private data networks,which help to increase transmission speeds and improve voice quality.
Other services
China Telecom,Jitong and China Mobile offer account transfer services.Users can transfer the remaining sum of money on one card to another card.
Jitong and Netcom Link their services with bank cards.One can enjoy IP's service without an IP card.Bank card users can make IP phone calls with their bank card numbers,so they needn't buy new IP cards and remember the new numbers again and again.
As for customer service,China Telecom,China Unicom and China Mobile provide free hot line service,while Jitong and Netcom charge for their services. | high15086.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "will not give lessons on Saturday"
},
"options": [
"will not give lessons on Saturday",
"will have to teach 50 hours a week",
"can use electricity and water for free",
"will share a bedroom with another teacher"
],
... | We have two very good TEEL (Teach English as a Foreign Language) teaching opportunities available in Tetouan,, northern Morocco with a privately owned English language school which was founded in 2011 and follows British courses. The new teachers needed by the school will begin to work on October 1st, 2016.
Overview
*Teach children from the ages of 7 or even younger to adults.
*Teach all levels of English from beginner to the advanced.
*Teach conversation classes.
*Teaching hours will be 6 to 40 hours a week depending on student enrollment .
Salary & Benefits
*Provide accommodation: a small furnished apartment near to the school, which is close to the center of the city and transport links.
*Share an apartment with another teacher.
*Each teacher will have their own bedroom but has to share a bathroom with another teacher.
*Electricity and water bills to be paid by the teacher.
*Receive weekly salary based on Moroccan standards of living of 600 dirhams a week.
Class for children
*All students are local Moroccan student who live in the surrounding area.
*Our school uses Macmillan books.
*We have three terms in a year and each term consists of 15 weeks. Classes are mostly in the evening from 5 pm to 9:30 pm; however, some morning classes are also available, which are usually classes for housewives.
*There are no classes on Saturday.
Requirements
*Bachelor's degrees (any field).
*Native English speaker.
*Teaching experience preferred.
To apply, please email us with a copy of your information: jobs@eslstarter. com | high12931.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "She enjoyed a meal."
},
"options": [
"She enjoyed a meal.",
"She ate free of charge.",
"She overpaid for the food.",
"She worked as a volunteer."
],
"question": "What did the author do at F.A.R.M Cafe last summe... | I first came across the concept of pay-what-you-can cafes last summer in Boone, N.C., where I ate at F.A.R.M (Feed All Regardless of Means) Cafe. You can volunteer to earn your meal, pay the suggested price($10) or less, or you can overpay--paying it forward for a future customer's meal. My only regret after eating there was not having a chance to give my time. So as soon as Healthy World Cafe opened in York in April, I signed up for a volunteer shift .
F.A.R.M and healthy World are part of a growing trend of community cafes. In 2003, Denise Cerreta opened the first in Salt Lake City. Cerreta now runs the One World Everybody Eats Foundation, helping others copy her pay-what-you can model.
"I think the community cafe is truly a hand up, not a handout," Cerreta said. She acknowledged that soup kitchens have a place in society, but people typically don't feel good about going there.
"One of the values of the community cafe is that we have another approach," she said. "Everyone eats here, no one needs to know whether you volunteered, overpaid or underpaid."
The successful cafes not only address hunger and food insecurity but also become necessary parts of their neighborhood -- whether it's a place to learn skills or hear live music. Some teach cooking to seniors; some offer free used books. Eating or working there is a reminder that we are all in this world together.
My 10 am-1pm shift at World-Healthy-Cafe began with the cafe manager -- one of the two paid staff members. Our volunteer crew wasn't the most orderly, but we managed to prepare and serve meals with a lot of laughs in between. At the end of my shift, I ordered my earned meal at the counter, together with other volunteers. After lunch, I walked out the door, with a handful of new friends, music in my head and a satisfied belly and heart. | high14398.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Tour around guided by an experienced museum stuff member"
},
"options": [
"Tour around guided by an experienced museum stuff member",
"Keep continuous contact with the information center of the museum",
"Take guided tours wit... | The Metropolitan Museum of Art
We are currently taking requests for school group guided tours to occur through June 30, 2013. Appointments are required of all school groups visiting the Museum. All requests for guided tours must be sent in using the Guided Tour Request Form. If you have any questions, you may emailschoolvisits@metmuseum.org. Please continue to check our website for the most up-to-date information.
Guided Tours
Students and teachers may explore the collection with a Museum staff member, who leads discussions and exercises designed to encourage critical thinking in response to original works of art. Tours are appropriate for the group's grade, level of ability, and subject of interest. Guided tours are offered and recommended for students who are at or above first-grade level and last about an hour.
Group Size
A group may have no fewer than 10 students and no more than 50 students, with onechaperon required for every 10 students.
Group Fee
All fees arewaived for schools located within the five boroughs of New York City. Schools outside New York City pay regular group rates:
l Students: $15 each
l One teacher per reservation receives complimentary admission.
l Required adult chaperones (one for every 10 students): $15 each
l Any additional adults: $28 each
l Groups of 15 or fewer: $225 flat fee
The Museum reserves the right to limit the number of adults participating in school group guided tours. Membership and other discounts do not apply to group admission.
Tour Schedule
Guided tours are conducted Tuesday through Friday, 9:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. A limited number of guided tours for high school students are available Tuesday through Thursday at 1:30 and 2:00 p.m.
Cancellation Policy
All requests to change or cancel existing reservations must be made in writing via email toschoolvisits@metmuseum.org. Fees cannot be returned to groups that cancel with less than 2 weeks' notice. | high23534.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "No paper is used to print the magazine."
},
"options": [
"You can find any subject you want in it.",
"No paper is used to print the magazine.",
"There 1,000 page numbers in the index.",
"The speed of transmitting is ast... | London has a new magazine. But it's not printed on paper. Everyone who has a television can receive it because it is on TV.
In order to read this magazine you have to have a _ . Each page of it is numbered, so you only have to dial the number to choose which subject you want to read about. There's a wide choice--- everything is included from cooking to the latest sports news.
If you want to read the news, the first thing you have to do is to turn to the index page which has an easy-to-remember page number, 100 for example. Then you start choosing what you want to read. The news is on pages 101 to 109, so you push out the numbers and the news appears written across your screen. Perhaps you want to go out in the afternoon, so you press 181, and a brightly colored weather map appears on the screen. But the weather is terrible so you decide to go shopping and dial 162 for a list of the week's best bargains. But should you drive or take the train ? To answer the question you only have to press 189 for the traffic report. It's very simple to use. But probably the best thing about the service is that it's being updated all the time. Journalists type new material directly onto the screen and whole pages of the magazine can be replaced in minutes.
London has already had three services. One, transmitted by ITV, is called ORACLE, while the other two, on BBC, are called CEEFAX, because they let you see facts. Although CEEFAX and ORACLE have been operating for some time, they have not been well publicized. BBC engineers do not think that their idea will ever replace books and newspapers because they can be taken with you everywhere. But many people agree that this is a breakthrough as great as the invention of printing, which could change not just our reading habits but our whole way of life. | high424.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "offer support to the farmers"
},
"options": [
"promote chocolate sales",
"offer support to the farmers",
"reduce the cost of growing crops",
"increase the production of chocolate"
],
"question": "The organizatio... | Have you ever wondered where the chocolate in your favorite candy bar comes from?Chocolate comes from the cacao tree,which grows in warm,tropical areas of West Africa,Indonesia,Malaysia,Mexico,and South America.And who eats the delicious chocolate made from the cacao grown in these places?The majority of chocolate is consumed in Europe and North America.This probably sounds like a familiar story-developing countries produce inexpensive raw materials that are manufactured and sold as finished goods in developed countries,and generally,that is what happens with chocolate.Large chocolate companies buy cacao beans at a low price and produce cocoa and chocolate products to sell at a ly high price.
But the familiar story has a new chapter.Beginning in the 1980s,some consumers learned that cacao farmers were living difficult and uncertain lives.The farmers received money for their crops based on world markets,and the market price for cacao was sometimes so low that farmers received less for their crops than the crops had cost to produce.In response,groups of consumers in Europe and the United States developed"fair trade"organizations to guarantee that farmers of cacao,as well as coffee and tea,would receive fair and consistent prices for their crops.
Fair trade organizations benefit farmers by buying cacao beans or other products from them directly at higher-than-market prices and eliminating "middle men"such as exporters.Fair trade organizations also encourage farming techniques that are not harmful to the environment or to farm workers,for example,growing cacao without chemical pesticides or fertilizers in the shade of rain forest trees.One organization,Equal Exchange,helps farmers set up farming cooperatives in which they can share resources and work on projects such as community schools.Another,Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO),guarantees that products bearing its label meet standards that improve the lives of growers and producers.
The results of fair trade are a better standard of living for some farmers and nicer chocolate bars made with organically produced cocoa that consumers don't feel guilty about buying.And although fair trade chocolate is somewhat more expensive than other chocolate and now makes up only 1% of chocolate sold,the fair trade idea is spreading quickly.You may soon see fair trade chocolate right next to the more famous bars in your favorite store. | high19864.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because he knew changing the world was not easy."
},
"options": [
"because he is the president of America.",
"Because he knew changing the world was not easy.",
"Because he didn't get Americans to give up guns.",
"Becau... | Every year during the graduation famous people will talk to thousands of students and their parents. But this time something strange has happened. Each of the big-name speakers seems to speak of the same topic; they are all telling graduates to make the world a better place.
So there was Arianna Huffington at Smith College saying "what I advise you to do is not just take your place at the top of the world, but to change the world." The actress Kerry Washington told students at George Washington University:"The world needs your voice, every one of you." And then this , from Jeff Immelt, head of General Electric, at the University of Connecticut: " Graduates should be optimistic; believe in better. The world waits for your power."
Anyone can know what the famous speakers said is meaningless. The world has 7 billion voices to listen to already---it won't matter about one more or less. Neither is it clear why graduates should be especially optimistic, especially at the moment. The world doesn't wait for their power; only a small number of people will get the chance to lead anything.
Only Barack Obama in his address at Morehouse College avoided encouraging anyone to change the world. That is because he alone knows how hard it is to change it ---- even if you happen to be President of the United States. Not only has he failed to change the world, he can't even get people to give up guns in his own country.
Instead of aiming so impossibly high, the graduates of 2014 would do better to start a bit lower. When they leave their universities it will not "Hello world!" but "Hello again, Mum and Dad!" So what Ms Huffington, Mr. Obama and Mr. Immelt ought to have said was: change the world if you must, but it would be nice if you could help out by changing the bag in the rubbish basket first.
They should then have followed up with the importance of hard work. Graduates need to change their employment attitude. They need jobs. Sadly on commencement addresses no one tells them that even a bad job is better tan none at all. | high17849.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Teachers and children"
},
"options": [
"Teachers and parents.",
"Parents and their children.",
"Teachers and children",
"Workers and doctors."
],
"question": "Who is the passage written for?",
"question_type... | Dear teachers, do you want to find pen pals for your students? Boys and girls, do you want to find your own e-pals ? Here is some advice on how to make e-pals.
First, take a look at www.spoton.de community . Click on international pen pal sites to find some of our favorite international e-pal and pen pal web sites. Do not forget: some e-pal services are not free and some are safer than others. Remember to read a web site safety warning before you join!
KidFu (www.kidfu.com) says it is the safest place online for kids to chat, play games and make friends. Get your parents to help you register and then you can write things about yourself or read what other kids have written. There are also chat monitors that make sure that the online chat rooms are safe and friendly. KidFu costs money, but the first month is free.
If you join Epals (www.epals.com), you can choose a pen pal among 65,000 kids from 191 countries. You can also find information about how teachers can get pen pals for their pupils.
Or if you want to start sending e-mails right now, go to Europa Pages (www.europapage.com/
penpal-form.html). Lots of young people have written their names, interests, home countries and their e-mail addresses. Just click on a name and start writing! | high4023.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "(415) 332-6961"
},
"options": [
"(800) 833-1753",
"(415) 332-6961",
"(345) 948-1094",
"(715) 466-5666"
],
"question": "Alice, a girl of 10, hopes to learn more about ecology by playing games. Which telephone num... | Spotlight at Salem Academy and College
Academic Camp: Creative Writing, Environmental Education/ Science, Language
Camp Address
500 Salem Avenue
Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101
USA
(800) 833-1753
Salem spotlight is designed to arouse intellectual curiosity with emphasis on the experience and development of the individual... (more)
Get more information about Spotlight at Salem Academy and College
Caribbean Summer Sea Camp
Academic Camp: Environmental Education/ Science
Camp Address
Off-Season Address
Box 37 North Coast Road PO Box 1461
Little Cayman, BWI Princeton, New Jersey
Cayman Islands 08542 USA
(609) 933-4559
The Caribbean Summer Sea Camp is a one-week adventure on Little Cayman Island. Campers dive or snorkel to explore the wonders of coral reefs, and view the diverse life in the sea around the island.
Coastal Camp at Headlands Institute
Academic Camp: Environmental Education/ Science
Camp Address
Bldg. 1033 Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Sausalito, California 94965
USA
(415) 332-6961
The Coastal Camp at Headlands Institute combines marine and coastal ecology themes with hands-on educational games and exciting opportunities for discovery in the great outdoors. By promoting environmental work, Coastal Camp allows kids to become responsible earth citizens.
Swift Nature Camp
Academic Camp: Environmental Education/ Science
Camp Address
Off-Season Address
W7471 Ernie Swift Rd 25 Baybrook
Minong, Wisconsin 54859 Oak Brook, Illinois USA
60523
(715) 466-5666
(630) 654-8036
Located in the Northwoods of Wisconsin on a 1,500-acre lake, this small camp offers hands-on nature studies. Self accomplishment is promoted while competition takes a back seat: Horses, Swimming, Scuba, Skiing, Sailing, Canoeing, Arts & Crafts and much more. | high19657.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He considers his books treasured possessions."
},
"options": [
"He is too busy to tidy up his bookshelves.",
"He considers his books treasured possessions.",
"He has made a lot of notes in his books.",
"He is a lover of... | My bookshelves are full of dust -- and with good reason. When it comes to cleaning that part of my home, I suffer from the most serious case of avoidance .
The thing is this: when I do set out to clean and re-organize my books, which seldom happens, I place myself into a really bad situation. No sooner do I take a title from the shelf, blow off the dust, and wipe down the cover than I find myself sitting on the floor with legs crossed and my back against the wall. Pretty soon books get piled up on my legs as I am reunited with old friends.
It is as if these books have voices, and each wants to say its piece. "Remember me? I was given to you when you went into the Navy, so that you would never lack for companionship," one whispers. Another says, "I was your first book of poems, given to you before you learned to love poetry." And a third, "I was the book that made history so attractive to you."
Perhaps the greatest pleasure of re-organizing my books are the surprises -- or better said, reunions -- that occur. During my latest book-cleaning adventure, I found one that had fallen behind the shelf: "Tales of Edgar Allan Poe." Not an unusual title, but the words written on the first page made it very special: "With Love from Mom and Dad, Christmas 1965." What's this? A book on the physics of lasers . It is filled with mathematical statements, and I had bought it at a library sale when I was 12, not long after the laser had been invented. I couldn't understand a bit of it, but I did learn what "laser" meant.
What I end up with when I empty my bookshelves is a cross-section of my personal history. It's like a road cut where one sees all the layers of rock going back through time to the beginning of the simplest life forms. The books I've read -- and kept -- are not just old friends. They are my | high16564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "a specialist in teenager studies"
},
"options": [
"a doctor for mental health problems",
"a headmaster of a middle school",
"a parent with teenage children",
"a specialist in teenager studies"
],
"question": "Th... | Parents should stop blaming themselves because there's not a lot they can do about it. I mean the teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it, at certain times a wonderful, reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I've seen friends deal with _ in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son, right from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself on the sofa in full length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in, and his greeting was no more than a quick glance at me. His mother was ashamed. "I don't know what to do with him these days," she said. "He's forgotten all the manners we taught him."
He hasn't forgotten them. He's just decided that he's not going to use them. She confessed that she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table, stare at me and say, "I don't like your dress; it's ugly." One of the daughters has recently been driven out of school. The other has left home.
"Where did we go wrong?" her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents. | high2452.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "was always carefully kept staying morally pure"
},
"options": [
"always faced all kinds of dangers.",
"was not permitted to get in touch with men.",
"was always carefully kept staying morally pure",
"usually felt lonely... | In Jane Austin's time, unmarried girls were always closely guarded, and hardly allowed to be alone with a young man; and during the Victorian period (just the period after Jane Austin) exposure of the body in particular was thought to be most immoral, Victorian ladies wore dresses reaching down to their feet, long in the sleeve and high at the neck. Since then, ways of dressing as well as times have changed. Girls were no longer guarded, and they can do more or less what they like. And yet among all these astonishing changes, one thing has remained much the same for most people, and that is the same of becoming a mother before being married. If this does happen, there often comes a quick marriage with the responsible man. If this is impossible, the affair may bring considerable shame to the girl's parents as well as to herself.
It is now quite normal for a girl, once past the age of about fifteen, to go out with a boyfriend, and although her parents will probably insist that she come home at a certain time, beyond this they depend on her or look after herself. Kisses between young men and women are now considered to be perfectly normal, but although times have changed so much, most people still believe that a woman should not become a mother before being married. | high18549.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "They have too much work to do for getting high marks in the exams."
},
"options": [
"They are unhappy to do so.",
"Their parents don't allow them to do so.",
"They have too much work to do for getting high marks in the exams.... | With golden sunshine and a gentle breeze , autumn is the most beautiful seasons in the year. This is a great time to go outside and have fun. Go to a valley to see red maple trees , go and pick fruit in an orchard or find an open field to fly your kite in.
However, for many high school students, these great activities may be just a dream. With plenty of work to do, they spend all their hours indoors, struggling for a high mark in their exams. Of course, study is one of the most important things for teenagers. But life is definitely much more than that.
Sometimes we spend so much time studying that we forget how to make life wonderful. In doing so, we lose the real purpose of life --to be a valuable and happy person. To enjoy just how great it is to be alive, we have to put down our books and pens and look around us. Students, take some exercise to improve your health, talk with your parents and friends for understanding and walk around outside to refresh your body and mind.
Going out and enjoying the beautiful countryside often helps our creativity in our work. Chinese craftsman, Lu Ban created a saw to help woodworkers. But if he hadn't walked outside, he would not have been inspired by a kind of toothed grass. We could also suppose if Newton hadn't rested under that apple tree, then he wouldn't have been hit by an apple, and his classic theories would not have come out.
Going out is not only a break from hard work, but a chance to add to life experience. So come on, give your brain a good rest. Step out of the books and get your bag ready for an autumn outing. We are sure you will get much more than knowledge from the exciting journey. | high9507.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Most of the injured were elderly."
},
"options": [
"All the people injured on the bus were Taiwanese tourists.",
"The accident happened on the expressway near Changchun.",
"Most of the injured were elderly.",
"Most of t... | Bus crash kills four Taiwanese, injures 15
(People's Daily Online)
14:38, August 16, 2011
A tourist bus crashed on the highway in Jilin province leaving four Taiwanese tourists dead at the scene and 15 injured.
According to the Jilin Publicity Department, the bus overturned after _ with a car on the Hunchun-Ulanhot expressway in Jilin province around 440 kilometers away from Changchun. Four Taiwanese tourists were killed instantly, including one man and three women, and of the 15 injured, 14 were Taiwanese tourists.
The tour leader provided a list of the dead: The three women killed were Lv Huiyu, 42; Zhao Zhuo, 62; Liao Xiuyun, 42, and the man was Wang Mingwei, 24. Moreover, the injured tourists were mostly elderly. The oldest injured tourist is around 80 years old and the youngest victim was about 50 years old. Five of them were hurt seriously, but their injuries are not life threatening.
According to the local public security bureau, the bus had a capacity of 39 people and carried a real load of 21 people. It belongs to the Heilongjiang Juntai Transport Co., Ltd.
The departments of public security, fire control, the Taiwan Affairs Office have actively operated scene rescue, accident investigation and follow-up care for victims after the tragedy . The Jilin provincial party committee secretary Sun Zhengcai issued instructions immediately requiring proper handling of the aftermath and genuine care in helping the victims. The vice-governor Chen Weigen visited the injured in the First Hospital of Jilin University.
The responsible person of the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office is heading for Changchun. | high6634.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Nurse Maitland."
},
"options": [
"A Doctor in Qatar.",
"Nurse Maitland.",
"Dr. Brown.",
"Agatha Christie."
],
"question": "Who first suggested the correct cause of the baby's illness?",
"question_type": "fac... | In 1977 , a dead author of detective stories saved the life of a nineteen-month-old baby in a most unusual way. The author was Agatha Christie, a gentle married lady and one of the most successful writers of detective stories in the world. ks5u
In June 1977 , a baby girl became seriously ill in Qatar , near Sandi Arabia . Doctors were unable to find out the cause of her illness, so she was flown to London and sent to Hammersmith Hospital. A team of doctors hurried to examine the baby only to discover that they, too, were puzzled by the very unusual signs of illness. While they were having a discussion about the baby's illness, a nurse asked to speak to them.
"Excuse me," said Nurse Marsha Maitland, "but I think the baby is suffering from thallium poisoning ."
"What makes you think that?" Dr. Brown asked. "Thallium poisoning is very rare."
"A few days ago, I was reading a novel called 'A Pale Horse' by Agatha Christie," Nurse Maitland explained. "In the book, somebody uses thallium poison, and all the signs are exactly the same as the baby' s . "
"You are very careful and you may be right," another doctor said. "we'll carry out some tests and find out whether it' s thallium or not."
Tests showed that the baby had indeed been poisoned by thallium. Once they knew the cause of the illness, the doctors were able to give the baby the correct treatment. She soon recovered and was sent back to Qatar. Later on it was proved that the poison might have come from an insecticide used in Qatar. | high22819.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "catch a cruel alien"
},
"options": [
"look for resources",
"do research on the earth",
"find an alien who has got lost",
"catch a cruel alien"
],
"question": "The tiny aliens come to the earth to _ .",
"q... | The book, Aliens Ate My Homework, is set in a small town in the United States. By the way the characters talk to each other and the description of items from their daily lives, I think the story takes place within the last 10 years. It is a story about a boy named Rod Allbright who goes to school like any other normal kid. Unfortunately, the class bully always picks on him because he is overweight. While he's working on a school project for the science fair, tiny aliens come, crashing through his bedroom window in a spaceship. They have come to the earth to get another alien, an evil one named BKR. He is known in other galaxies for his cruelties. Rod gets bullied throughout the entire novel. The bully's name is Billy Becker, who is also called BKR! Rod does not discover that Billy is a bad alien until later on.
This book has lots of action and the main character is fun to read about. The most exciting part is when the aliens and Rod find out that BKR is Billy Becker and they skip school and go to search his house. They get caught when BKR comes home from school. He traps them in a storing device where he keeps his alien items. They break free of the device and escape from his house with some difficulty. Rod Allbright is fun to read about because he can never tell a lie. This gets him into trouble when the aliens eat his homework and he can't make up an excuse for the teacher.
The main idea that the author shares is that there could be other galaxies out in the universe with intelligent life forms who could be almost the same as humans. In this book, the aliens are just like humans in the way they think even though they look different and have a different language. I have learned that if you are nice to people they will be nice in return. This is proven in the book because Rod is nice to the aliens and they return the favor. | high12702.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "tips on listening"
},
"options": [
"tips on listening",
"tips on speaking",
"tips on reading",
"tips on writing"
],
"question": "This passage mainly talks about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | Listening test is one of the most important parts of the English exam. Here are some tips for you.
Before you start to listen, you need to relax. Don't be stressed out. And try to read the questions. These questions usually help you understand the conversation or the passage.
Then listen carefully to the first sentence. It usually tells you the main idea of the passage. When you're listening, try to do some thinking and take some notes, such as:
What happened?
When, where, and how?
What does the speaker want to tell us?
In this way, you may understand the passage better.
Please remember not to think about one or two words for a long time. When you hear some words you don't know, don't spend too much time on them. Very often, you'll find out what they mean later when you go on with the listening. | high8619.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities."
},
"options": [
"Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities.",
"Human Beings have complicated thinking process.",
"The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired... | Our brains work in complex and strange ways. There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two. Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write.
Dr. J. Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887. He called these people idiot savants. An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental injury, such as in autism or retardation. At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people. The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory.
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr. Benjamin Rush, an American doctor. His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724. It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds. Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write.
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s. Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5,000 musical pieces beautifully.
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly.
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment. Yet not all brain injury leads to savant skills. Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills. However few people wish to participate in such experiments. There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain. The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate. Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots. | high12064.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "what the American Dream is like"
},
"options": [
"what the American Dream is like",
"why Willy decides to kill himself",
"about Bernard's dedication to his work",
"the life stories of Willy and Bernard"
],
"ques... | The main reason people come to America is said to be that they can chase the American Dream. Everyone has heard of it, and many have died fighting for it. The only thing is that there is no clear definition of the American Dream. It is not defined by one dream, but by all the opportunities that the United States offers. Since the founding of the United States, people have been _ to define the American Dream.
In the playDeath of a Salesman, every character is trying to realize his own version of the American Dream. Willy feels that he has done so. He has spent his whole life as a not very successful salesman. As he gets older, he starts having conflicts with everyone in his life, and feels that only by killing himself will the people around him be able to finally be happy.
Bernard, on the other hand, feels that the American Dream can only be achieved through career success. He shows that through hard work and dedication he will be crowned with success.
The dialogue of the characters reveals the different attitudes they have toward the American Dream, and the reaction of Willy to the fact that Bernard is very successful while he is not.
Many people try to achieve the American Dream, but few actually do so. As with any goal, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve the American Dream. InDeath of a Salesman, all aspects of this goal are examined. For the goal to be achieved, the dream must be an attainable one which is worth working toward. It also must be a dream that the professional world accepts and finds useful. | high14415.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His taxi almost ran into another car."
},
"options": [
"He was caught in a traffic jam.",
"He had a fight with his taxi driver.",
"His taxi almost ran into another car.",
"His taxi suddenly got a flat tire ."
],
... | Sixteen years ago I learned this lesson. And I learned it in the back of a New York City taxi cab. Here's what happened.
I got in a taxi, and we took off for Grand Central Station. We were driving in the right lane when all of a sudden, a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver used his brakes , the tires made a loud noise, and at the very last moment our car stopped just one inch from the back of the other car.
I couldn't believe it. But then I couldn't believe what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, turned his head around and he started yelling bad words at us. I couldn't believe it!
And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call: "The Law of the Garbage Truck ." He said: But then here's what really blew me away. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. So, I said: "Why did you just do that? This guy could have killed us!
"Many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and
full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they look for a place to dump it. And if you let them, they'll dump it on you."So one day when someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Believe me. You'll be happier."
So I started thinking, how often do I let Garbage Trucks run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the street? It was then that I said: "I don't want their garbage and I'm not going to spread it anymore."
I began to see Garbage Trucks. I see the load people are carrying. I see them coming to dump it. And like my taxi driver, I don't take it personally. I just smile, wave, wish them well, and I move on. | high9261.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "When you want a cigarette, try to forget it by starting a conversation with someone."
},
"options": [
"When you want a cigarette, try to forget it by starting a conversation with someone.",
"Try to drink wine, coffee, and other dri... | When thinking about quitting...
List all the reasons why you want to quit. Every night before going to bed, repeat one of the reasons 10 times. Decide surely that you want to quit. Try to avoid negative thoughts about how difficult it might be. Develop strong personal reasons in addition to your health and duties to others. For example, think all the time you waste taking cigarette breaks, rushing out to buy a pack, hunting a light, etc. Set a date for quitting--perhaps a special day like your birthday, or a holiday. If you smoke heavily at work, quit during your vacation. Make the date seriously, and don't let anything change it. Begin to prepare yourself physically: start a modest exercise, drink more water, get plenty of rest.
Immediately after quitting...
The first few days after you quit, spend as much free time as possible in places where smoking is forbidden, e.g. libraries, museums, theatres, department stores, etc. Drink large quantities of water and fruit juice. Try to avoid wine, coffee, and other drinks, which remind you of cigarette smoking. Start a conversation with someone instead of asking for a match for a cigarette. If you miss the sensation of having a cigarette in your hand, play with something else--a pencil, a pen, or a ruler. If you miss having something in your mouth, try toothpicks or a fake cigarette. | high10673.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it is the first success with new stem cell technology"
},
"options": [
"this is the first organ transplant in the whole world",
"the patient is in perfect health after the operation",
"it is the first success with new stem ce... | Surgeons in Spain have successfully carried out the world's first organ transplant using new stem cell technology. Some people are calling it the greatest medical breakthrough so far this century.
But what are stem cells? As we know, most cells in our bodies are designed to serve specific purposes - for example, a liver cell develops to work in the liver and cannot become a heart cell. But stem cells are different. They are very young, and in the laboratory scientists can grow them into different types of cell.
Claudia Castillo needed a new windpipe after getting a serious disease. Scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK took a donor windpipe, or trachea, from someone who had recently died. They used strong chemicals to remove the donor's cells, leaving a tissue scaffold . This was refilled with cells from Ms Castillo's windpipe, and stem cells from her bone. After four days the cells had grown sufficiently for the windpipe to be transplanted into Ms Castillo.
Currently, transplant patients have to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their bodies rejecting the new organs. These drugs can have bad side-effects, and do not always prevent rejection. But by using Ms Castillo's own cells, doctors were able to trick her body into thinking the new windpipe was her own organ. Five months on, Claudia Castillo is in perfect health.
This ground-breaking procedure could be used in other transplant operations in the future. Scientists also believe stem cells might be used to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, burns and so on.
However, stem cell research is extremely controversial. The most effective stem cells do not come from adults but from embryos created in laboratories and which are just a few days old. Many people have religious or ethical objections to growing embryos, even if they can be used to cure diseases. | high2334.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "introduce the topic of landslides"
},
"options": [
"warn travelers to keep away from those places",
"show that the environment in China is getting worse",
"introduce the topic of landslides",
"express concern for those ... | Heavy rains have caused disasters across China this summer, bringing the worst landslides in decades. The most deadly disaster happened on August 8 when a big landslide hit Zhouqu County in Gansu province, killing at least 1,407 people.
On August 18, landslides hit Gongshan, a town in northwestern Yunnan. At least 38 people were killed and 54 are missing. Heavy rains also caused landslides in several counties in Sichuan province. People were forced to evacuate to safe places.
Landslides and devastation
Landslides take place when dirt and rocks slide down a slope together. Sometimes these landslides are small, and hardly noticeable. Other times however, they can be massive, involving the entire side of a mountain.
Landslides can be caused by a number of different things. Often rain, which adds weight to the side of a slope, can cause one. Other times they might be caused by erosion .When a stream slowly removes the base of a slope, it weakens the entire side of the mountain.
As a slide moves down a mountain slope, it can pick up great speed and energy. Some slides travel at a speed of 300km an hour. The resulting winds can be so powerful that they are known to strip the leaves off surrounding trees.
Earthquakes and landslides
Some experts think the landslides in Sichuan were related to the magnitude-8.0 Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. The quake has caused a change in the structure of the Earth's surface, making it more likely that land will slide in the rain, according to geologist Xu Qiang of the Chengdu University of Technology.
Landslides pose threats to 140 cities and towns in the country, one quarter of which are in Sichuan, said Wei Fangqiang, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Landslide prevention
If you want to avoid being a landslide victim, the easiest thing to do is avoid living on slopes or close to mountains.
If you live in a landslide-threatened area, try not to water the slopes if possible. If there are large rocks on the slopes above your house, remove them so that they don't cause damage if they fall. It might also be helpful to plant trees on the slopes. Over time, the tree roots may make the soil firmer. | high20968.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "reduce health risks for students"
},
"options": [
"reduce income for Americans",
"reduce health risks for students",
"cause career failure for Americans",
"cause loss in global market for America"
],
"question":... | An American educational expert, Frederick M. Hess, says that a long summer vacation doesn't make sense in today's world.
This summer, 50 million kids will spend much time talking online, watching TV, playing video games and asking older brothers or sisters to take them to the supermarket. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.
During much of the 20th century, many Americans worked in factories that did not need a college degree but still offered a high salary. Also, in the 19th century, there was no air condition. And poor hygiene meant that crowded schools had health risks.
Things have changed. For today's students, academic skills are key to future success. Many countries don't give kids an American-style summer vacation. They offer no more than seven consecutive weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to 13 weeks. To compete in global marketplace, Americans must be prepared to go up against international competitors.
Summer vacation also causes challenges for today's families. In the 1960s, more than 60% of families had a stay-at-home mum. Now, two-thirds of American children live families where every adult works. For these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.
But the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. Scientist have found that disadvantaged students lose important ground in the summertime.
A school year can allow time-limited teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons. Schools would have more time for sports, languages, music and the arts. | high4745.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "give them a ticket"
},
"options": [
"put them into prison",
"give them a ticket",
"enjoy their performance",
"ask some band questions"
],
"question": "The policeman stopped the boys to _ .",
"question_typ... | I'd like to share my unforgettable experience with you. Believe it or not, it was a real happening.
We were on tour a few summers ago, driving through Chicago, when right outside of the city, we got pulled over. A middle-aged policeman came up to the car and was really being troublesome at first. Lecturing us, he said, "You were speeding. Where are you going in such a hurry?" Our guitarist, Tim, told him that we were on our way to Wisconsin to play a show. His way towards us totally changed. He asked, "Oh, so you boys are in a band?" We told him that we were. He then asked all the usual band questions about the type of music we played, and how long
we had been at it. Suddenly, he stopped and said, "Tim, you want to get out of this ticket, don't you?" Tim said, "Yes." So the officer asked him to step out of the car. The rest of us, inside the car, didn't know what to think as we watched the policeman talk to Tim. Next thing we knew, the policeman was putting Tim in the back of the police car he had parked in front of us. With that, he threw the car into reverse , stopping a few feet behind our car. Now we suddenly felt frightened. We didn't know if we were all going to prison, or if the policeman was going to sell Tim on the black market or something. All of a sudden, the policeman's voice came over his loudspeaker. He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever, we have Tim here singing on Route 90." The policeman had told Tim that the only way he was getting out of the ticket was if he sang part of one of our songs over the loudspeaker in the police car. Seconds later, Tim started screaming into the receiver. The policeman enjoyed the performance , and sent us on our way without a ticket. | high19131.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to make a profit from the viewers"
},
"options": [
"to make a profit from the viewers",
"to popularize scientific knowledge for the viewers",
"to tell the viewers an interesting factual story",
"to warn the viewers of a... | Once again, rumors are spreading. Judgment Day, this time, is set to happen on December 21st, 2012. The date originated from the Mayan calendar, but actually gained popularity through the hit movie, "2012".
How will the world end? And how do we know the exact date? There are many theories: A meteoroid from outer space; a solar storm; a shift in the earth's poles; bla bla bla. They all supposedly pointed to the date of December 21st, 2012. Unfortunately, none of it is true.
Zhu Jin, director of Beijing Planetarium, said, "For earth itself, the end will be billions of years away from now.And for us humans, there is a very small chance that we may be affected by some astronomical factors.However, we don't have the ability to foresee such events so far.So when someone tells you the world is going to end on an exact date, it must be fake."
But the truth hasn't stopped people from believing. In the sci-fi movie "2012", the director imagined the end of the world based on the Mayan calendar. The film earned nearly 770 million US dollars worldwide. Ning Hong, Hebei Province, said. "The movie 2012 did get one thing right. There are arks being made in China, But they're not being built secretly inside the mountains.They are constructed here in the courtyard of a factory."
In April, Liu Qiyuan quit his furniture business and devoted himself to developing these huge round balls. He doesn't believe the end is near, but he wants to be prepared just in case.
Liu Qiyuan, the "Ark" builder, said, "The concept originated twenty years ago. The Tangshan earthquake had flattened our house, so I wanted to build a shelter that wouldn't fall. Then in 2004, I saw the tsunami in Indonesia that killed so many people.Then I realized it should be something that could withstand the earthquake and float on water."
Liu is hoping to use his invention as a life boat on the sea.He's planning to test his product on the water next year.
It turns out that rumor, though false, is good for business. Doomsday discounts and products are hot on many online stores. While it's surely attracted attention, many complain that it misleads consumers. Their purpose is to promote products. If they believe the world is going to end, who would buy things? Money would be useless, too. | high17108.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "selfish"
},
"options": [
"lovely",
"loyal",
"strict",
"selfish"
],
"question": "The writer thought he was a _ husband in the past.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"ans... | I made a pledge to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands being thoughtful of their wives. Then he went on to say, "Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love." To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, "That new yellow sweater looks great on you."
"Oh, Tom, you noticed," she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled.
After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, "Evelyn's been alone here with kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me." We walked on the beach while the children flew the kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that's how the whole vacation passed. I made a new pledge to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was _ that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression. "What's the matter?" I asked her.
"Tom, " she said in a voice filled with sadness, "do you know something I don't?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well.....that checkup I had several weeks ago..... our doctor ..... did he tell you something about me? Tom, you've been so good to me..... am I dying ?"
It took a moment for it all to sink in. Then I burst out laughing.
"No, honey," I said, wrapping her in my arms. "You're not dying; I'm just start to live." | high4989.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "do a lot to help kids in need"
},
"options": [
"help the kids in the U.S",
"realize the importance of education",
"raise a lot of money for the poor",
"do a lot to help kids in need"
],
"question": "The World of... | Each year, prizes are presented to adults who make great achievements in art, writing, science, and economics. So why not give awards to kids?
Harry Leibowitz asked himself that question in 1996. As an answer, he and his wife, Kay, created the World of Children organization and began handing out awards to kids and adults whose work has helped kids all over the world. The awards the World of Children presents arenicknamed(......)the " Children's Nobel Prize".
"You know, children are so important," Leibowitz, a retired business manager, told me. " We should have prizes for children if we're going to have prizes for everything else."
Talia Leman, from Iowa, was awarded a Founder's Youth Award for Leadership this year. She is only 13 years old, but she has completed a lot. In 2005, she founded " RandomKid". Since then, it has raised more than$10 million to help kids in 48 states in the U.S. and in 19 other countries.
One place helped by RandomKid was a school built in Cambodia to enable 300 kids to go to school. The organization has also helped fix a school for 200 kids in Louisiana, and provided interactive play centers that serve more than 500 kids in hospitals in Iowa. In faraway places like Africa, RandomKid has provided money to buywater pumps .
Talia never thought that the organization she founded would be as successful as it has become. She said, " My first goal was to raise $1million. That seemed really high, but when you reach a goal, you always wind up reaching higher, and we actually raised $10 million."
I asked her what advice she would offer to other young people who want to help kids in need. " Well, I'd say the first thing would be to find an adult and tell them your idea," Talia said. " They're really the people who can help, and from there I think it can just really take off." | high10667.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The bad effects watching TV has on children."
},
"options": [
"The bad effects watching TV has on children.",
"How many hours children should spend watching TV.",
"How advertisements affect children's behavior.",
"What ... | Do your children always sit still and watch TV? If so, you should be very alert!
Nowadays, children watch television for long hours. They often spend evenings watching their favorite programs on TV. Sometimes they might stay up late to watch TV. Their addiction to television results in their not having time to play or do exercise. They should go outside with friends or spend time reading books. Moreover, watching television too much is harmful to their eyesight.
Researchers claim that attention _ disorders in children are a result of watching too much television. They say that watching television leads to a developmental disorder in the part of the brain which is responsible for language skills. Children who watch television more and read less have greater difficulty paying attention and concentrating. Children that spend long hours watching television are more likely to be affected by attention deficit disorders.
Television is one form of media which is used to show all kinds of products. Watching too much television can lead to early exposure to a wide variety of things. Television advertisements may cause children to behave incorrectly or damage themselves. Advertisements about fast food, cold drinks or other such products that are not good for children's health can have a bad effect on them. Some TV shows and films also affect how children think and behave.
Studies in psychology have shown that certain programs can have a long-lasting effect on children's minds. Horror scenes and other frightening shows can have a negative effect on the minds of children watching them.
Television is a means of recreation but watching it too often is harmful to children's physical and mental health. You need to help you children deep a balance of everything in life. | high2320.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the characters of different style of Chinese garden building"
},
"options": [
"an important part of Chinese culture",
"how to enjoy Chinese gardens",
"where foreigners can find Chinese gardens",
"the characters of diffe... | Garden building is considered an important part of Chinese culture. Some people say that if you have never walked through a Chinese garden, you cannot say that you have really visited China.
Traditional Chinese gardens are located in North China in such places as Beihai Park, the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City. In larger imperial gardens, the main buildings are connected by an imaginary line in the middle of the garden on the north-south axis . Other features of imperial gardens are colored-paintings, man-made hills and lakes.
Most private gardens are found in the south, especially in cities south of the Yangtze River. Private gardens were mostly built at one side or at the back of the houses. Around the beautiful scene are small open areas with beautiful shaped-doors through which visitors can enjoy the sights. _ are open on all sides and are often near the water so that the whole scene can be enjoyed. Suzhou, known as the home of gardens, displays the most and the best Chinese traditional private gardens. Different parts of it are examples of the garden style of the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.[
The landscape garden contains a number of pleasant natural scenes and some fairy tales. The ancient Chinese used to call the garden landscape "Jing" , which means "scene" in English. Good examples include the ten West Lake Scenes in Hangzhou, the twenty-four slim West Lake in Yangzhou and the eight Daming Lake Scenes in Jinan. | high11579.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Peng had liked Ma's designs long before she got to know her in the flesh."
},
"options": [
"First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together.",
"Peng's suits can be bought in Ma Ke's clothes stores.",
"Ma Ke of... | When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow, the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady. The reporter released the secret--Ma Ke.
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke's designs for more than a decade, a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit, accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping. The elegant and attractive Peng, formerly a popular singer, has been compared with the US' first lady Michelle Obama and France's Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22. Suddenly, everyone was curious to know more about the first lady's wardrobe.
Even so, Ma prefers a low-key approach. _ she says of all the media attention.
Ma's relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind. Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma's designs and had been wearing them for years.
The two naturally became friends. Ma says, "The painting reflects the painter, and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer. Someone desires fame and wealth, or love and sympathy; what you have in your heart is reflected in the design. Those who don't share my philosophy won't buy my clothes. Peng is a caring person, devoted to charity and environmental protection, which is exactly what I'm doing now."
However, regardless of the brand, Peng's support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands.
"Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion, desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage," says a western designer.
The first lady's double-breasted coat and her black leather handbag aren't available at any of Exception's shops, though Exception's physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors. | high4751.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Shopping Spree, or an Addiction?"
},
"options": [
"Should We Shop or Not?",
"Shopping Behaviors, Good or Bad?",
"Shopping Spree, or an Addiction?",
"The Dangers of Shopholism."
],
"question": "The best title of ... | From hitting the mall with your girl friends on a Saturday afternoon, to holiday spending on gifts that go under the tree, shopping could be called one of America's favorite pastimes. For most people, it means some new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend. For others, however, shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime, and in some cases, it is a real and destructive addiction that can turn into a financial disaster. Compulsive shopping and spending are defined as inappropriate, excessive, and out of control. Like other addictions, it basically has something to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one's impulses. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping. Sometimes this is referred to as "shopholism". Shopping addiction can damage a person's life, family, and finances. "No one knows what causes addictive behaviors, like shopping, alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling", says a professor of applied health science. Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is triggered, but no one really knows why." Individuals will get some kind of high from an addictive behavior like shopping.
What are the telltale signs that shopping has crossed the line and become and addiction? What should a concerned family member or friend look out for when they think shopping has become a problem? The behaviors can signal a serious problem:
*Shopping or spending money as a result of feeling angry, depressed, anxious, or lonely
*Having arguments with others about one's shopping habits
*Feeling lost without credit cards -- actually going into withdrawal without them
*Buying items on credit, rather than with cash
*Describing a rush or a feeling of euphoria with spending
*Feeling guilty, ashamed, or embarrassed after a spending spree
*Thinking obsessively about money
*Spending a lot time juggling accounts or bills to accommodate spending
"If someone identifies four or more of any of these behaviors, there may be a problem", experts say. Treating a shopping addiction requires a multifaceted approach. There are no standard treatments for shopping addiction. Medications have been used, but with mixed results. Therapists also focus on cognitive-behavioral treatment programs. There is no quick and easy answer that will immediately cure a shopping addiction, and while treatment is a necessary part of solving the problem, so is behavior change on the part of the addict.
Some basic changes in behavior that will have a big impact on breaking a shopping addiction are recommended:
*Admit that you are a compulsive spender, which is half the battle.
*Get rid of checkbooks and credit cards, which fuel the problem.
*Don't shop by yourself because most compulsive shoppers shop alone and if you are with someone you are much less likely to append more.
*Find other meaningful ways to spend time.
And keep in mind that while behavior change is clearly important to recovery, so is reaching out for professional help.(509) | high16216.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The writer had been busy with her life before."
},
"options": [
"The writer's friend was unwilling to cook for her.",
"The writer had been busy with her life before.",
"The writer recovered from her sorrow quickly with his fr... | The day my husband fell to his death,it started to snow,just like any November day.His body,when I found it,was lightly covered with snow.It snowed almost every day for the next four months,while I sat on the couch and watched it pile up.One morning,I _ downstairs and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman shoveling my walk.I dropped to my knees,crawled through the living room.And back up stairs so those good people would not see me.I was embarrassed.My first thought was,how would I ever repay them? I didn't have the strength to brush my hair let alone shovel someone's walk.
Before John's death,I took pride in the fact that I rarely asked for help or favors,I defined myself by my competence and independence.So who was I if I was no longer capable and busy? How could I respect myself if all I did was sit on the couch every day and watch the snowfall?
Learning how to receive the love and support that came my way wasn't easy.Friends cooked forme and l cried because I couldn't even help them set the table."I'm not usually this lazy,"I wept.Finally,my friend Kathy sat down with me and said,"Mary,cooking for you is not a burden. I love you and I want to do it.It makes me feel good to be able to do something for you."
Over and over,I heard similar emotions from the people who supported me during those dark days.One very wise man told me,"You are not doing nothing.Being fully open to your sorrow may be the hardest work you will everdo."
I am not the person I once was,but in many ways I have changed for the better.My heart is now filled with thanks for people around me.I have been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom that comes from facing one's worst fear and walking away whole.I believe there is strength,for sure,in accepting a dark period of our life. | high7258.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The ancient city--Pingyao."
},
"options": [
"The ancient city--Pingyao.",
"China's ancient financial center--Pingyao.",
"The city wall of Pingyao.",
"The museums in Pingyao."
],
"question": "What does the passag... | The ancient city is in Pingyao county, Shanxi Province. The city wall was first built during the Zhou Dynasty. Since 1997, it has been listed as a World Heritage Site. Now Pingyao city is the only one in China completely protected as it was hundreds of years ago.
The perimeter of this square city is 6.4km long and the city wall is the earliest and largest city wall in China. It is 12 m high with width of 5 m. The wall was built with earth and covered with bricks. Outside the city wall there is a river, 4 m wide and 4 m deep.
There are several gates of the city, two each on the east and west and one each on the south and north side. All the gates have two doors each. This has given the city the name "Turtle City" with the two gates on the south and north standing for the head and tail of the turtle and four gates on the east and west as the four legs. The doors on the south and north stand opposite each other, like the head of the turtle extending out and two wells just beyond southern gate are like a turtle's two eyes.
Located on the trade route between Beijing and Xi'an, Pingyao developed into a merchant center where the local people set up the nation's earliest banks. These banks were the first in China to use checks.
Several old courtyards have been turned into museums, most of which were homes and offices of Pingyao's old banks. One of the most unusual aspects of a visit here is realizing that this place was very important to China's financial history. | high12070.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "doing business."
},
"options": [
"making whisky",
"doing business.",
"buying and selling land.",
"having an injection each night"
],
"question": "Johnson became a rich man through _ .",
"question_type": "... | Not many years ago,a wealthy and rather strange old man named Johnson lived alone in a village in the south of England. He had made a lot of money in trading with foreign countries. When he was seventy-five, he gave PS 12,000 to the village school to buy land and equipment for a children's playground.
As a result of his kindness, many people came to visit him. Among them was a newspaperman. During their talk,Johnson remarked that he was seventy-five and expected to live to be a hundred. The newspaperman asked him how he managed to be healthy at seventy--five. Johnson had a sense of humor. He liked whisky and drank some each day. "I have an injection in my neck each evening." he told the newspaperman,thinking of his evening glass of whisky.
The newspaperman did not understand what Johnson meant. In his newspaper he reported that Johnson was seventy-five and had a daily injection in his neck. Within a week Johnson received thousands of letters from all over Britain,asking him for the secret of his daily injection. | high1629.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The sound of trucks."
},
"options": [
"The sound of people.",
"The sound of trucks.",
"The sound of Calimero.",
"The sound of birds."
],
"question": "According to the passage, what does Mlaika copy?",
"quest... | You may have seen a talking parrot on a TV show, in a movie, or even in someone's home. The parrot has learned to copy sounds that people make. Birds are not the only animals that can copy the noises they hear. Dolphins, bats, and some apes also copy sounds. Now we can add elephants to this list of copycats.
Dr. Joyce Poole is a zoologist. She studies the sounds of elephants. While she was in Kenya, she would hear strange noises made by Mlaika after sunset. Mlaika was a 10-year-old African elephant.
Mlaika lived near a highway. Dr. Poole says, "I could not tell the difference between Mlaika's call and the distant truck noise." She and other scientists studied Mlaika's sounds. It turned out that Mlaika was copying the sounds of the trucks driving by. Why would Mlaika copy trucks that she heard going by on the highway? Animals that are able to copy sounds may enjoy practicing new sounds. When they are kept outside of their natural environment, they may copy unusual sounds. That may be why an elephant would copy the sound of a truck.
"Mlaika was not the only copycat elephant," Dr. Poole says. Calimero is a 23-year-old male African elephant. He spent 18 years with two female Asian elephants. Asian elephants make chirping sounds (sounds made by birds) to talk with one another. African elephants usually do not make chirping sounds. But Calimero now does. He is copying his Asian elephant friends. Dr. Poole says that elephants need to form bonds with their family and friends. She says, "They make sounds to communicate with each other. When they are separated, they use sounds to keep in contact."
Parrots, dolphins, humans, and elephants show that being a copycat is one way that animals and people make new friends and keep old ones. | high9275.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "he didn't do the jobs well"
},
"options": [
"he liked listening to the radio",
"he had a big family to support",
"he spent a lot of time writing letters",
"he didn't do the jobs well"
],
"question": "Johnny was ... | John Smith was a very handsome young man but he was lazy. He had finished his education and was happy to sit in his room and listen to the radio all day long. In fact, he had been doing nothing for almost six months, which worried his father a lot. One day Mr. Smith decided that he had to do something. "Johnny, When I was your age I was working and supporting my ten brothers and sisters. I want you to go out and get a job." So that was what he did. In fact, in the next three months, Johnny started ten jobs and was fired from ten jobs. He explained to his father.
"They wanted me to be at work at 8:00 a. m. and told me to do all sorts of unpleasant things."
"I don't care how you do it," Mr. Smith said. "Either you earn some money or move out of the house. I gave you one week's time."
In the next few days Johnny began to change. He still stayed in his room all day, but spent his time writing letters and reading through the newspapers. More and more posts began to arrive for him. He bought a new suit for himself and invited his parents to the theatre and for dinner afterwards at the most expensive restaurant in town. When his proud parents arrived home after their evening hour, a policeman was waiting at the front door.
"John Smith," he said as he handed him a piece of paper, "I'll see you in the court tomorrow."
When he got outside, Johnny told his parents everything. "When you told me to earn some money, I decided to put an advertisement in the newspaper saying, 'New way to money fast! Send me $ 5 and I'll tell you my secret.' When I received the money I wrote back telling people to do as I do."
Johnny was fined $250 by the court and was ordered to pay all the people back. As he left the court house feeling very ashamed, a newspaper man came up to him, "Young man, would you like to tell your story to my newspaper for $2,500?" | high14401.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum"
},
"options": [
"The Georgia Aquarium",
"Fernbank Science Center",
"The Atlanta History Center",
"The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum"
],
"question": "Visitors interest... | Museums in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia is a great place for visitors seeking a little culture. There are Atlanta museums of all kinds, to interest adults and children. The history of the area is a fascinating one and it is documented in many of the museums. There are also collections of art and science based institutions and displays from the natural world.
The city is famous for many reasons, one of them being the World of Coca-Cola Museum. It's a worldwide product with a long history and the collection contains memorabilia and handmade objects. Some of the documents go back to 1905. Visitors can see how a bottling _ operates and there are films about the history of the company. This Atlanta museum has a Pop Culture Gallery that shows paintings with the Coca-Cola image. At the end of the tour, visitors can buy a souvenir at the gift store.
The Atlanta History Center,established in 1926, is most well-known for its civil war collection. There is also the exhibition of folk arts and the displays on the history of golf in the US.
The state is also proud of its famous daughter, novelist Margaret Mitchell. The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum was founded in the house that the author shared with her husband from 1925 until 1932. It was here that she wrote her great book, Gone with the Wind. Much of this Atlanta museum is focused on the 1939 Hollywood film of the book.
Families and school outings are fortunate in having the Fernbank Science Center. It serves the local educational community and the public also enjoys the displays. There are a wide variety of exhibitions, including a collection of dinosaur skeletons, an electron microscope and a Apollo spacecraft. The museum also has an impressive botanical collection.
The Georgia Aquarium is the largest one in the world and almost all the tourists place it high on their travel plan when visiting the city. There are numerous species to see and learn about. The highlights include whale sharks, electric fish, Japanese spider crabs, Californian sea lions and African black-footed penguins.
Atlanta museums have something for everyone and will never disappoint you. | high6146.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "big farm"
},
"options": [
"cinema",
"big farm",
"park",
"market"
],
"question": "Hollywood used to be a _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"an... | At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars--Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more.
The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first,people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight,the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains,sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.
When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world. | high9513.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Fish being smarter than we thought."
},
"options": [
"Fish having very bad memories.",
"Fish being smarter than we thought.",
"How fish improve their memory.",
"What we can learn from fish."
],
"question": "What... | It's a popular belief that a fish's memory lasts for only seven seconds. It may seem sad to think that they don't remember what they've eaten or where they've been, and they don't recognize you or any of their friends -- every moment in their life would be like seeing the world for the first time.
But don't be so quick to feel sorry for them. A new study has found that fish have a much better memory than we used to think. In fact, certain species of fish can even remember events from as long as 12 days ago.
In the study, researchers from MacEwan University in Canada trained a kind of fish called African cichlids to go to a certain area of their tank to get food. They then waited for 12 days before putting them back in the tank again.
Researchers used computer software to monitor the fish's movements. They found that after such a long break the fish still went to the same place where they first got food. This suggested that they could remember their past experiences.
In fact, scientists had been thinking for a long time that African cichlids might have a good memory. An earlier study showed that they behaved aggressively in front of certain fish, perhaps because they remembered their past "fights". But until the latest findings, there was no clear evidence.
Just as a good memory can make our lives easier, it also plays an important part when a fish is trying to survive in the wild.
"If fish are able to remember that a certain area contains safe food, they will be able to go back to that area without putting their lives at risks," lead researcher Trevor Hamilton toldLive Science.
For a long time, fish were placed far below chimpanzees, dolphins and mice on the list of smart animals. But this study has given scientists a new understanding of their intelligence. | high14367.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "had good academic performance"
},
"options": [
"was often praised by teachers for the website he created",
"had good academic performance",
"alone created a website called Facebook",
"encouraged students to set up busin... | Born in the State of New York on May 14th, 1984, Mark Zuckerberg was an instant success. In his high school years, he was considered one of top students in the classics, before moving into the arts, sciences, and literature, again picking up high marks and receiving academic praise. It earned him admission to Harvard University.
As a rebellious yet relatively quiet student, he created a website called Facemash in the university- an instantly controversial website that encouraged students to rate each other based on appearance.
The site was controversial for several reasons. The first was its illegal use of photographs, which the university and students took issue with. The second was its controversial nature - not every student like being ranked based on their appearance. The third was its huge resource use - while it was hosted on Harvard servers, it was the most popular page in the university's entire network.
Zuckerberg was soon forced to shut the site down, but its popularity and controversy had made him consider its future potential. He soon turned the simple site into a personal one for Harvard students, encouraging them to network with their peers at the college. It was then, together with his two friends, that they launched "The Facebook", which immediately spread to other colleges and grew into a public service that anyone could access in the United States, whether to network with friends and family, or to play games.
The company has been criticized frequently, nevertheless, Zuckerberg has remained true to his initial vision - to create a website that the entire world can use to communicate openly and easily with one another and to keep the user experience clean and pure. The end result is one of the world's biggest online businesses.
Although its true value is debatable, it's safe to say that Facebook, and its creator Mark Zuckerberg, are two of the twenty-first century's most influential, controversial, and potentially powerful figures. | high13408.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "about sound"
},
"options": [
"how to telephone",
"about electricity",
"about time zone",
"about sound"
],
"question": "Miss Gogers was teaching her class _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
... | Miss Gogers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, "Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from across the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?"
Tom at once answered, "Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves." "That's every good," Miss Gogers answered; but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gogers said. "Yes, Kate."
"I disagree," Kate said. "Your brother would hear you earlier because when it's 11 o'clock here it's only 8 o'clock in Los Angeles." | high4037.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It is like taking drugs."
},
"options": [
"It is something like keeping drugs.",
"It is like taking drugs.",
"It is a way of producing drugs.",
"It is terrible to imagine."
],
"question": "How does the writer de... | "I sometimes get up at three or four in the morning and I surf the net."
"I often check my e-mail forty times a day. "
"I often spend more than three hours during one time on the net."
"I spend more time in chat rooms than with my 'real-life' friends."
Do you know any people like these? They are part of a new addiction called Internet addiction. Internet addicts spend at least thirty to forty hours online every week. The use of the Internet can be an addiction like drug use. People lose control of the time they spend on the Internet.
For example, one college student was missing for several days. His friends were worried, and they called the police. The police found the student in the computer lab: he was surfing the net for several days straight.
Studies show that about 6% to 10% of Internet users become addicted. And people worry about the teens because the Internet is changing the playing field for some of them. They spend more time in cyberspace than in the real world of friends and family.
Is "surfing the net" a hobby or an addiction for you? You may have a problem if you have these symptoms : 1You do not go to important family activities or you do not do school work because you like to spend hours on the Internet. 2You can't wait for your next online time. 3You go out with your friends less and less. 4You plan to spend a short time online, but then you spend several hours. | high3758.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Academic and formal."
},
"options": [
"Academic and formal.",
"Cheerful and friendly.",
"Humorous and concerned.",
"Serious and boring."
],
"question": "Which of the following words best describes the language s... | When people reunite with their loved ones, it's usually a wildly happy moment. But what is their most common response to seeing them again? It may seem strange, but most of the time they break down in tears.
Now a group of psychologists from Yale University in the US say they have found the reason why, and that crying tears of joy may well be the body's way of restoring emotional balance.
" _ seem to take place when people are unable to tolerate strong positive emotions, and people who do this seem to recover better from those strong emotions," Oriana Aragon, the lead researcher, told The Telegraph.
Aragon and her fellow psychologists looked at hundreds of participants' emotional responses to different things, including happy reunions and cute babies.
Many participants said they would react in a negative or aggressive way to the positive things -- to cry at happy moments and want to pinch a cute baby's face or even tell them "I want to eat you up!"
But then researchers found that these people were able to calm down from strong emotions more quickly.
"We want a happy, middle spot. Extreme is not good. It's hard on our bodies," Aragon told The Washington Post.
There are many other examples of times when people respond to a positive experience with a negative emotional reaction.
At an exciting concert, fans scream in horror at their idols. People who have just had a big lottery win are often in floods of tears.
"These findings advance our understanding of how people express and control their emotions, which is importantly related to mental and physical health, the quality of relationship with others, and even how well people work together," said Aragon.
The psychologists then went further and claimed that the reverse was also true. Strong negative feelings may also bring out positive expressions.
For example, people often laugh when they are nervous or they are in a difficult or frightening situation.
Also, have you ever seen a character smiling at a time of extreme sadness in a movie? Their acting is not over the top, as reacting with this type of expression is just human nature, said researchers | high10101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the website teaching-resources-uk.com uses tricks to cheat people out of money"
},
"options": [
"Merton Council suggests that PDC Education Ltd should be closed down",
"the website teaching-resources-uk.com uses tricks to cheat peo... | One way to sell stuff is to make things that people want to buy. Another way is to offer "free trials" and then hit customers with bills. This brings us to PDC Education Ltd, run by Rebecca Jordan and Kirsty Weir of Leeds, whose website teaching-resources-uk.com offers teaching plans for teachers.
Rosemarie Brady, finance manager of Rutlish School in Merton, southwest London, tells us that one teacher called Amanda Seyfried downloaded the "free" resources. "Unfortunately in very small print, they state that unless the free trial is cancelled, then you will be charged," she says.
A year has gone by and now they've been sent a second bill for 500 pounds, just because they forgot to cancel the "free trial".
Merton Council--and it's not the only one--has sent a warning to all its schools saying: " Only in the very (easily missed) small print of the terms and conditions is it explained that, after the 14-day trial, schools will be automatically signed for a two-year contact with the company."
"This will only be stopped if the teacher who requested the trial writes directly to PDC to cancel before the 14 days have expired . The fee can be as much as hundreds of pounds, with the threat of debt recovery if they are not paid."
Among the online complaints is this one from a teacher. "How disappointed I am that they will not even consider seriously re-negotiating the invoice ."
Rebecca Jordan of PDC Education said, " The whole purpose behind the free trial is that we have confidence in our business. This free trial period gives teachers the chance to see what is on offer without having to commit to a payment."
Only a "very small number" of teachers have complained when they receive an invoice, she added. " Their only complaint is that they have not checked what they are signing up to but that is not our fault, the position is totally clear. The prices and the trial terms are clear to see on the online sign up page."
It's true the terms and conditions are on their website. But perhaps it's unhelpful that they run to almost 3000 words. | high5329.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To protect the wildlife."
},
"options": [
"To protect people in the wild.",
"To protect Masai's farms.",
"To protect lions only.",
"To protect the wildlife."
],
"question": "What is the aim of the Predator Compe... | At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than a million lions worldwide. Today there are less than 30,000 in the wild. The remaining lions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, hunting and activities to protect farms and cattle.
For generations, Masai tribesmen on the large African plains in southeastern Kenya have hunted lions -- to protect their farms and cattle. Today they celebrate the lions' life.
Noah is an elder in the Masai community. "We have decided as a community of the Masai to lay down our spears, and there will be no more killing of lions in our community." He is part of a group of Masai visiting the United States promoting the Predator Compensation Program.
Conservation International's Frank Hawkins explains, "The Masai have been living with wildlife for many generations and it has been a conflicting ( ) relationship in many ways. They compete with the animals for food as lions eat their cattle. We're trying to find ways in which the wildlife will become something useful to them." They had the Predator Compensation Fund founded in 2003. After much discussion, a group of Masai farmers agreed to protect lions. In turn, if lions or other predators kill their cattle, the Masai owner will be paid market value for the dead animals from the fund.
One man said that in the past, when a lion killed cattle, they killed it immediately. And now, after the start of the program, the Masai see the lion population growing. Since 2003, only four lions have been killed here. | high3980.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "English"
},
"options": [
"English",
"Chinese",
"French",
"Japanese"
],
"question": "If we want to use the app of Future Life Pets, what kind of language should we know?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"... | Future Life Pets
By DogTown Media, LLC Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
*Price: $2.99
*Category: Lifestyle
*Updated: Jan 07, 2012
*Version: 1.1
*Size: 36.3 MB
*Language: English
*Seller: DOG TOWN MEDIA
*(c) DogTown Media LLC
Description
DISCOVER FUTURE LIFETIMES WITH YOUR PETS
You can be transported into the future to be reunited with your pet in another place and time.
As an internationally recognized psychic and best-selling author, Anne Jirsch will be your guide in this fascinating meditation game.
Future Life Pets will take you into a state of deep relaxation to help you understand this special condition. With expert hypnosis you can discover how your paths will cross in your future lifetime.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"I immediately saw I was riding a tall black and white horse and you've guessed it --it was my dog and this time he was bigger than ever." --Mike from Kansas City.
"Seeing both my cats in the future lifetime has given me so much joy. They are both cats again next time around, only a lot bigger and smoother. I clearly saw them both lie by my feet just as they do right now." --Felicity from Manchester, UK.
The regular buyers of Anne's products include heads of industry, politicians, and celebrities of all kinds. She is a world famous psychic and author of three books Instant Intuition, The Future is Yours, and Cosmic Energy.
More than a billion people in the world believe in the truth of meditation, through which we'll gain a greater understanding of our pets and ourselves.
Prepare for the experience as the results are astonishing. | high13420.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "tell us something about a tremor-resistant home"
},
"options": [
"report a piece of interesting news",
"promote tremor-resistant homes",
"inform us of the nanotechnology development",
"tell us something about a tremor-r... | A villa designed to resist earthquakes with "self-healing" cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology applications with self-healing polymers , is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa's walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The NanoManufacturing Institute (NMI), based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called "Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings" (ISSB) is funded under the EU's Sixth Framework program. This potentially life-saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor-resistant homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, "What we're trying to achieve here is very exciting. We're looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale." Monitors contained in the villa's walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from new load-bearing steel frames and high-strength gypsum board. Prof Wilkins said, "If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got hand-held devices that can be used over the ruins to pick out where the embedded sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue." | high1167.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "affect your future life"
},
"options": [
"be the best part",
"be the worst part",
"change your whole life",
"affect your future life"
],
"question": "Once you make a decision in your 20's, it will _ .",
"... | The best and worst part about being a twenty-something is that every decision you make can change the rest of your life. Once you're in your 30's or 40's, it gets harder and harder to reinvent yourself. So I made an interview with Dr. Meg Jay, the clinical psychologist. He explains why the twenties matter, and how to make the most of them.
In Dr. Meg Jay's opinion, our 20s are the _ decade of adulthood. 80% of life's most important moments take place by about age 35. And 2/3 of lifetime wage growth happens during the first ten years of a career. More than half of Americans are married or are dating or living with their future partner by age 30. Personality can change more during our 20s than at any other decade in life. Female fertility peaks at 28. The brain caps off its last major growth. When it comes to adult development, 30 is not the new 20. Even if you do nothing, not making choices is a choice all the same. Don't be defined by what you didn't know or didn't do.
On the other hand, I also ask him how the 20s track their progress toward their future goals and whether milestones like 21 and 30 are really important. Dr. Meg Jay think it ly important. Milestones--21, 25, 30, New Year's, birthdays, reunions--are important because they cause self-reflection. What he mentioned are as follows: Am I where I wanted to be by this age? Did I do what I said I would do this year? If not, why not. And if not now, when? A 20-year-old girl who interviewed me recently told me about a question she was advised to ask herself as she moved through adulthood: "If you keep living your life exactly as it is, where will you be in 3 years?" If you don't like the answer, now is the time to change course.
Surely the 20s are for experimenting, but not just with philosophies and vacations and substances . The 20s are your best chance to experiment with jobs and relationships. Then each move can be more intentional and more informed than the last. | high22825.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "During the Spring Festival"
},
"options": [
"During the Spring Festival",
"In the coldest days of the winter",
"In the North of China.",
"It's not mentioned here."
],
"question": "From this passage, we can know ... | The snow has paralysed transport in China during the country's most important vacation period, the celebration of the Chinese New Year. Not only have transport delays hindered personal trips, but they have also slowed the delivery of fresh produce to markets. Consequently, in Zhengzhou, the capital city of the Henan province, tomato prices have doubled, and the cost of 47 other vegetables has increased by 36%, as reported by local media at the end of January.
According to an inside PR source, "wholesalers in Beijing were quoted as saying that only about 20% of the usual fresh vegetable supplies were reaching the city." As an Asian country with a diet based on fresh produce, the shortage of vegetables and the rise in prices is not only affecting fresh food producers, but also the final consumers.
In terms of production, this is the worst snow disaster to hit China in the last 50 years, affecting a total of 9.4 million hectares of farmland in the country, according to a report published on 4 February 2008 by Feng Tao of Xinhua News, at the Chinese government website. Most of the crops devastated by the frost are located in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the traditional natural border between North and South China.
Chen Xiwen, Director of the Office of the Central Leading Group on Rural Work, pointed out at the end of last week that "the blizzard disaster in the south has had a severe impact on winter crops, and the impact on fresh vegetables could be catastrophic in certain areas", as stated in the Xinhua News report.
The Chinese government has been quick to take extreme measures. The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has sent 13 teams of experts to 8 of the areas most seriously affected by the harsh weather. The aim of this initiative is to provide farmers with technical assistance to minimize their losses. | high7516.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "neither side is interested in starting a fight"
},
"options": [
"neither side is interested in starting a fight",
"neither side is in need of spies now",
"the two countries are finding faults with each other",
"the two ... | Russia and the United States have completed the largest spy exchange since the Cold War.On Friday, at an airport in Vienna, Austria, an American plane and a Russian plane landed, parked side by side and exchanged _ .
The United States freed ten admitted Russian agents.The men and women were arrested in late June and pleaded guilty on Thursday.
In exchange, Russia freed four Russians serving prison sentences on charges of spying for the West.The men include Igor Sutyagin, an armed researcher who always denied the charges.Some considered him a political prisoner.
The United States deported nine Russian and an American citizen born in Peru.Some raised children while living quiet lives as married couples.
Russia's Foreign Ministry praised the exchange, saying, "The action improved Russian-U.S.relations."
The group was accused of trying to gain information on American nuclear weapons, foreign policy and politics for the SVR -- Russia's foreign intelligence service.
The ten were only charged with plotting to act as undeclared foreign agents.They were not charged with the more serious crime of spying, so the extent of their success as spies is not clear.
One of the Russians, Anna Chapman, drew attention with her looks and stories of her New York party life.Hr lawyer, Robert Baum, said she had not passed secret information to Russia or received any payment.He also said, "She was accused of communicating with a Russian official through a laptop to laptop communication, without the government specifying the nature of the communication." | high15051.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Career education is carried out in the whole process of people's education--from kindergarten to university."
},
"options": [
"Career education is carried out in primary schools only.",
"Career education is carried out in middle sc... | Career education is instruction intended to help young people identify, choose, and prepare for a career. Such instruction may focus on a person's role in work, leisure, or family life. Career education differs from vocational education, which is designed to teach specific occupational skills.
Career education includes the formal and informal learning that occurs in the family, in the community, and in schools. In schools, career education consists of instructive activities included in many courses. These activities are designed to improve the attitudes, knowledge, and skills important for work roles. Career education helps students develop self- understanding and use it to plan their education and working life.
A complete career education program in school begins in kindergarten and continues at least through high school. Many colleges and universities also offer career education through their counseling programs. In kindergartens and elementary schools, youngsters learn about different types of work. In middle schools or junior high school, children begin to explore the occupations and leisure activities that interest them most. In high school, students get more specific information about occupations and life styles. They may be in classroom, small group, or individual sessions where they learn how to make career decisions. They also should obtain the skills they need for further study or for a job after graduation. Counselors provide information on such matters as how to locate and apply for jobs and how to be successful in interviews. Teachers and counselors use a variety of methods to provide career education, including films about occupations or industries. Children may invite parents or other adults to come to school and describe their jobs. A student may accompany a worker on the job. Cooperative education
s classroom study with practical work experience. | high16558.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Firm and stubborn"
},
"options": [
"Crazy and tough",
"Firm and stubborn",
"Enthusiastic and generous",
"Abnormal and aggressive."
],
"question": "Which of the following best describes Amy?",
"question_type"... | Amy returned to her small apartment at midnight, tired. Her worst fears raced through her mind. Would the court tell her she couldn't care for her family anymore? Would the kids go through the sadness once more of being split up and sent away? She was so young, almost a child herself, and yet Amy knew everything depended on her. At that moment, she wondered if she would ever find the strength to see it through.
From earliest childhood, Amy took care of her younger brothers. Jan, their mother, only added to the family disorder and confusion because of her drug addict. Sometimes they lived in apartments, sometimes in shelters.
One afternoon Amy was called to the high school, where a social worker was waiting for her. "We're going to have to put you guys in foster care." the social worker said. "No! Don't spilt us up!" the girl cried out. "Can't you just leave it the way it is?" The social worker shook his head. Amy's voice then rose like the howl of a lion protecting her babies: "Why can't I take them? I take care of them all the time anyway." The social worker hesitated, and then said, "Maybe. Once you're 18, you could apply to become their relative caretaker. Then you'd be their foster mother until we find a home where all of you can be together." "I'll do it," Amy said.
One month later, Amy was named _ of her brothers for a six-month trial period. It was a remarkable victory for an 18-year-old girl. Her brothers didn't make her task any easier in the months ahead. However,Amy's efforts were rewarded when the court allowed her to continue as guardian. Amy's relief at remaining the kids' guardian was at risk of being taken away by the pressure she always
felt to measure up. Social workers still looked regularly over her shoulder and asked the boys shameful
questions: "Does she feed you? Does she ever try to harm you?" Then one day a visiting social worker
came over. "We'd like to get the boys adopted into homes," she said. Sensing that the family was about to be split apart yet again, Amy replied, "Fine, then. Call it adoption if you want, but they're not going anywhere." To her surprise, the social worker took her remark seriously. She explained that if Amy were to adopt the boys, they would become like any other family.
That night at dinner Amy told the boys about the idea. "Cool!" Joey said. He threw a piece of corn at Adam. His brother flicked it back, and pretty soon corn was flying. Amy rolled her eyes. _ As the proceedings ended, Amy thanked everyone. "No," the judge responded, "Thank you. You saved three kids. Not many family members would do what you're doing, especially for this many children. I'm very proud of you."
On a lazy spring day, in a modest suburban neighborhood, Amy stood in front of a neatly kept one-story house. She watched her brothers playing basketball, and heard the playful bark of their dog, Tahoe. The young lady had made good on her promise: they had rented a home, a real home, and the boys had gotten their dog. Amy continues to raise her family alone, but has begun taking courses in business management at a nearby community college. Eventually, she hopes to become a child psychologist. | high3770.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "reading quickly and comprehending quickly can ensure their success"
},
"options": [
"reading quickly is easy",
"reading quickly and comprehending quickly can ensure their success",
"reading is only for fun",
"reading ca... | For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up with their work they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications: a never-ending flood of words. In getting a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend quickly can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are poor readers.
Most reading faults can be traced to early school training. According to Dr. Betts, two persons out of five in school were forced to read material too difficult for them to understand at the time, a frustration experience which left them with bad reading habits.
Fortunately, almost anyone can learn to read faster and with more comprehension. Age makes little difference. According to a recent study of 138 students at The Reading Laboratory, Inc. , all age groups showed a marked increase in reading rate after training from 93 percent for the 50-90 age group to 142 percent for the 20-29.Dr. Mila Banton Smith, director of New York University's Reading Institute, says that the average adult student, in 28 training hours, nearly triples his reading speed and boosts his comprehension by about 30 percent.
The best way to improve your reading, of course, is to enroll in a reading clinic. If there's no clinic handy, you can improve your reading ability yourself--- provided you have no eyes troubles. (if reading tires you easily or makes your eyes or head ache, you should consult a doctor.) | high11237.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it is not easy for authorities to restrict or ban something"
},
"options": [
"sugar has just turned out to be as harmful as smoking",
"it is not easy for authorities to restrict or ban something",
"it is easy for people to se... | Not very long ago, the question would have seemed absurd. Now it is on the lips of respected scientists; MPs are beginning to talk of "a war on sugar", and even England's chief medical officer has said sugar may have to be, like the old enemy tobacco, taxed in order to
protect the nation's health.
There came a time in the evolution of public attitudes to smoking, when the doctors had been shouting for long enough that the public was broadly aware of the risks and the only question left,for Government was: what should we do about it?
Some believe we are now at the same point in our attitudes to sugar. Others - largely but not only representatives of the food and drink industry - say the entire debate has been skewed, by those who spread stories deliberately to make people nervous.
More or less everyone agrees that eating too much sugar is bad for you. There is also no doubt obesity is a growing problem which is putting a significant, avoidable burden on the NHS by increasing the rates of diabetes, heart disease and other long-term conditions.
But to what extent is sugar - rather than saturated fats, or salt, carbohydrates or proteins, or any of the other devils of modem diets - the cause of obesity and how much should we worry about it?
Yesterday, hopes of achieving anything resembling clarity from the World Health Organisation (WHO) were confused once again, which, widely expected to reduce the recommended sugar intake by a half in new draft guidance, instead said it would continue to recommend that sugar make up no more than 10 per cent of the energy we consume, while adding that cutting this to five per cent would have "additional benefits". The decision will now go out to public consultation.
Simon Capewell, professor of the University of Liverpool, said that he suspected "dirty work" on the part of food and drinks companies might lie behind the WHO's less than resounding message.
"The food industry say Govemment has no business interfering in families, we must protect personal choice," Professor Capewell said. "We say there is no personal choice. At the moment, a mother can walk into a supermarket with a choice of four tomato soups - with three, or four, or five teaspoons of sugar in them. She has a choice of thousands of ready meals - with five, or six, or even nine teaspoons of sugar in." | high17646.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he didn't have enough time to answer all the letters"
},
"options": [
"he is not a fast worker",
"he was invited to answer the questions",
"he didn't have enough time to answer all the letters",
"he felt sorry for not b... | Dear Reader,
I receive many letters from children and can't answer them all--there wouldn't be time enough in a day. That is why I am sending you this printed reply to your letter. I'll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That's how the story of Stuart Little got started.
As for Charlotte's Web, I like animals and my barn is a very pleasant place to be, at all hours. One day when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was doomed to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig's life. I had been watching a big grey spider at her work and was impressed by how clever she was at weaving. Gradually I worked the spider into the story that you know, a story of friendship and salvation on a farm. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I'm asked how old I was when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early--as soon as I could spell. In fact, I can't remember any time in my life when I wasn't busy writing. I don't know what caused me to do it, or why I enjoyed it, but I think children often find pleasure and satisfaction in trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was no good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Some of my readers want me to visit their school. Some want me to send a picture, or an autograph, or a book. And some ask questions about my family and my animals and my pets. Much as I'd like to, I can't go visiting. I can't send books, either--you can find them in a bookstore or a library. Many children assume that a writer owns (or even makes) his own books. This is not true--books are made by the publisher. If a writer wants a copy, he must buy it. That's why I can't send books. And I do not send signatures--I leave that to the movie stars. I live most of the year in the country, in New England. From our windows we can look out at the sea and the mountains. I live near my married son and three grandchildren.
Are my stories true, you ask? No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn't have a child who looks like a mouse; in real life, a spider doesn't spin words in her web. In real life, a swan doesn't blow a trumpet. But real life is only one kind of life--there is also the life of the imagination. And although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too--truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely:E.B. White | high18575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "educational institutions"
},
"options": [
"large population",
"educational institutions",
"transport system",
"beautiful parks and gardens"
],
"question": "Melbourne is well-known in the world for its _ .",
... | Melbourne, with a population of over 3.5 million, is the second largest city in Australia. It is clean, safe, dynamic and exciting, and well known internationally for its universities and other educational institutions. The city has well-planned tree-lined wide streets and many beautiful parks and gardens. It has a good transport system of roads, buses, trains, and trams. The La Trobe University campus is connected to the Central Business District by trams, express buses, and bus and train connections. Melbourne is a culturally rich city, and is home to large communities of people from all parts of Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. The city is famous for its restaurants, theatres, music, opera, ballet, art, culture, and shops, and a lively and dynamic nightlife. Melbourne people are fond of sports, and the city hosts many famous international sports events. Near Melbourne there are beautiful coastlines with excellent beaches, national parks, forests, wineries , winter snowfields and summer resorts. The climate is _ and comfortable, with warm summers and cool winters. In summer, maximum daytime temperatures range from 26degC to 36degC, and in winter from 12degC to 18degC. The weather in Melbourne can be variable from day to day. Melbourne was rated the world's best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit. | high5301.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "David heard the noise coming from Adam's closet."
},
"options": [
"Adam awoke to strange sounds coming from his bedroom closet.",
"David heard the noise coming from Adam's closet.",
"Adam jumped into David's bed.",
"Dav... | Bump! Bump! Scratch!
Adam opened his eyes and pulled the covers up to his chin. He stared around his room, searching the darkness for the thing that was making those scary sounds. The closet door moved as something banged on it from the inside.
"Who's there?" Adam asked in a shaky voice. The closet slowly began to open. Adam jumped out of bed and ran to the closet door, slamming it shut with his palms. He grabbed his desk chair and propped it against the door handle. Then he ran out of his room and down the hall. His brother's door was wide open, and Adam jumped onto David's bed.
"Adam?" David asked in an annoyed voice. "What are you doing in here?"
Adam caught David's arm. "There's something in my closet!""You probably had a bad dream. Go back to bed." Adam yanked the blankets off the bed. "It wasn't a dream. I was awake, and the closet door started opening by itself!"David sighed. "Fine. But when we don't find anything, you have to promise to leave me alone for the rest of the night."Adam nodded.
David reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a flashlight. Then they headed to Adam's room. Adam stopped in the doorway. He could hear something scratching his closet door."Do you hear that?" Adam asked. David nodded.
He walked over to Adam's bed and pulled the case off one of the pillows. He opened the pillowcase. "You open the door very slowly, and I'll grab whatever it is." Adam slid the chair to the side and pulled the closet door open a crack. Something banged against the door, trying to force it open. Adam took a deep breath and opened the door a few more inches. A small furry creature ran right into the pillowcase.
"I got it!" David said, closing the pillowcase and holding it in the air."What is it?" Adam moved closer as David peeked inside. David put the pillowcase on the bed and an orange cat climbed out. Adam scooped the cat up. "Apricot? How did you get trapped in my closet?"David laughed. "The poor cat. If I was locked in your closet with your stinky shoes, I'd be banging on the door to get out, too!" | high17120.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "I still love you"
},
"options": [
"happiness",
"sadness",
"I hate you",
"I still love you"
],
"question": "In the story, the yellow handkerchief probably means _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | Deep into the night, the bus pulled in to a Howard Johnson's restaurant and everybody got off the bus except Vingo. The young people began to wonder about him , trying to imagine his life. One of the girls sat beside him and introduced herself. After a long time, slowly and painfully, he began to tell his story. He had been in prison in prefix = st1 /New Yorkfor the last four years, and now he was going home.
"Well, when I was in prison I wrote to my wife. I said, 'Martha, I understand if you can not stay married to me'. I said I was going to be away for a long time, and that if she couldn't stand it , if the kids kept asking questions, if it hurt her too much, well, she could just forget me . Get a new young man---she's a wonderful woman---and forget all about me. I told her she didn't have to write to me and she didn't. Not for the three and a half years."
"Last week, when I was sure freedom was coming through, I wrote to her. I told her that if she had a new young man, I would understand. But if she didn't, if she would take me back, she should let me know. We used to live in the town,Brunswick, and there's a great big oak tree just as you come into the town. I told her if she would take me back, she should put a yellow handkerchief on the tree, and if she didn't want me, forgot me, no handkerchief and I'd keep going on through."
Soon all the others were in it. When they were 20 miles fromBrunswick, the young men took over window seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face into the ex-con's mask. Then it was 10 miles, and then 5, and the bus became very quiet.
Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances. All except Vingo. | high18213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "how to apologize effectively"
},
"options": [
"the importance of apologizing",
"the process of apologizing",
"how to apologize effectively",
"how to repair a broken friendship"
],
"question": "The passage mainly... | Apologizing is both an Art and a Science. The Art lies in the manner in which the apology is delivered while the Science is the recipe that forms the apology itself. A proper apology should always include several ingredients. Now let's take a closer look at these ingredients.
Give a detailed account of the offense, and make sure both you and the other person are talking about the same thing. Whether you make it in secret or public doesn't matter, but your apology should be focused on the particular event.
Next, by acknowledging the hurt or damage done, you are making the recipient begin to sense that you understand the situation. It is important to rebuild your relationship because it makes them feel their anger is understandable.
Don't try to defend yourself by offering any excuses, which is important to let them know that you understand the event and you actions do cause them harm. The apology is all about THEM and how they feel. It doesn't matter if the actions were intentional or not, the end result is the same and that is what needs to be focused on when learning how to say, "I'm sorry".
Give a sincere statement of regret such as "I apologize" or "I'm sorry". Above all, tell them it won't happen again. After all, there is no value in apologizing for something that you will do again and again.
Finally, asking for forgiveness at the end of the apology gives the power back to the recipient. It tells them, that you have done all that you can do by apologizing and providing whatever form of restitution you can. The next move is up to them.
By including all these ingredients and applying them to your situation, you will know exactly how to say "I'm sorry" next time you need to. | high5467.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "has a bathroom"
},
"options": [
"has a bathroom",
"has a colorful telephone in the local style",
"is colorful and modern with local style",
"is in an international style, comfortable and convenient."
],
"questio... | When you are in Nanoko, be sure to stay at the Garden Hotel, whether you come on business or on holiday you will find everything as comfortable and convenient as you would expect in a first class international hotel.
Every bedroom has its own bathroom, telephone, and colorful modern materials and furniture in the local style. In the Mistu Restaurant, you can choose your meals from a lot of dishes, both Eastern and European, as you will find anywhere in the country. In the Beach Bar, you can drink with your family and friends in air-conditioned comfort, listen to the music of internationally known artists. Or you can take your drink outside into the beautiful garden that gives the hotel its name, or to the tables that surround the swimming pool. Throughout the motel, you will find the service is both friendly and efficient.
By day the pool is alive with the holiday spirit and the happy shouting of children and by night, soft light and music make it a perfect place for a party, or simply for an after-dinner drink and conversation.
The Garden Hotel has its own minibus service. Give us a ring and we will arrange to collect you at the airport or in the city center.
If you prefer, we can arrange for you to visit the wainiri Islands that lie just off the coast. Here you can swim in peace; or you can fish there. As it is well known, Wainiri is really a good place for people going fishing. The Garden Hotel is right on the beach, only five minutes from Nanoko's modern shopping center. Here you will find all that money can buy, at prices you can afford. | high2308.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "anyone can have access to knowledge anytime and anywhere"
},
"options": [
"organizations and individuals are easily influenced by information",
"customers keep track of new products worldwide",
"anyone can have access to know... | The knowledge society will be a highly competitive one, for organizations and individuals alike.
Information technology, although only one of many new features of the next society, is already having one hugely important effect: it is allowing knowledge to spread near-instantly , and making it accessible to everyone. Given the ease and speed at which information travels, every institution in the knowledge society--not only businesses, but also schools, universities, hospitals and increasingly government agencies too--has to be globally competitive, even though most organizations will continue to be local in their activities and in their markets. This is because the Internet will keep customers everywhere informed on what is available anywhere in the world, and at what price.
This new knowledge economy will rely heavily on knowledge workers. At present, this term is
widely used to describe people with considerable theoretical knowledge and learning :doctors, lawyers, teachers, accountants chemical engineers. But the most striking growth will be in "knowledge technologists": computer technicians, software designers, analysts in clinical labs, manufacturing technologists, paralegals. These people are as much manual workers and they are knowledge workers; in fact, they usually spend far more time working with their hands than with their brains, but their manual work is based on a substantial amount of theoretical knowledge which can be acquired only through formal education ,not through an apprenticeship . They are not, as a rule, much better paid than traditional skilled workers, but they see themselves as "professionals", just as unskilled manual workers in manufacturing were the _ social and political force in the 21thcentury, knowledge technologists are likely to become the dominant social--and perhaps also political--force over the next decades. | high20954.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "enjoy more career-related courses than that of US"
},
"options": [
"enjoy more career-related courses than that of US",
"need more career advice from their schools",
"perform better in exams than American students",
"ar... | For high school leavers starting out in the working world, it is very important to learn particular skills and practice how to behave in an interview or how to find an internship . In some countries, schools have programs to help students onto the path to work. In the United States, however, such programs are still few and far behind.
Research shows that if high schools provide career-related courses, students are likely to get higher earnings in later years. The students are more likely to stay in school, graduate and go on to higher education.
In Germany, students as young as 13 and 14 are expected to do internships. German companies work with schools to make sure that young people get the education they need for future employment.
But in America, education reform programs focus on how well students do in exams instead of bringing them into contact with the working world. Harvard Education school professor Robert Schwartz has criticized education reformers for trying to place all graduates directly on the four-year college track. Schwartz argued that this approach leaves the country's most vulnerable kids with no jobs and no skills.
Schwartz believed that the best career programs encourage kids to go for higher education while also teach them valuable practical skills at high school. James Madison High School in New York, for example ,encourages students to choose classes on career-based courses. The school then helps them gain on-the-job
experience in those fields while they're still at high school.
However, even for teens whose schools encourage them to connect with work, the job market is _ . In the US, unemployment rates for 16-to-19-year-olds are above 20 percent for the third summer in a row.
"The risk is that if teenagers miss out on the summer job experience, they will become part of this generation of teens who had trouble in landing a job," said Michael, a researcher in the US. | high11551.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Arriving in NZ."
},
"options": [
"Travelling in NZ.",
"Arriving in NZ.",
"Where to go.",
"When to stop."
],
"question": "What is the last part but one mainly about?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answ... | * New Zealand dollars($)
LANGUAGE
* English, Maori and New Zealand Sign Language
MONEY
* ATMs are widely available, especially in larger cities and towns,credit cards accepted in hotels and restaurants
VISAS
* Citizens of Australia, the UK and 56 other countries don't need visas for New Zea
(length-of-stay vary).
MOBILE PHONES
* European phones will work on NZ's network, but not most American or Japanese phones.
* global roaming or a local SIM card and prepaid account.
DRIVING
* Drive on the left; the steering wheel is on the right side of the car(...in case you can't find it).
When to Go
* HIGH SEASON (DEC-FEB)
Summer: busy beaches, outdoor explorations, festivals, sporting events.
Big-city accommodation prices rise.
High season in the ski towns is winter (Jun-Aug).
* SHOULDER (ATAR APR)
Prime travelling time:fine weather, short queues, kids in school,warm(ish) ocean.
Long evenings supping Kiwi wines and craft beers.
Spring (Sep-Nov) is shoulder season too.
* LOW SEASON (MAY-AUG)
Head for the Southern Alps for some brilliant southern hemisphere skiing.
No crowds, good accommodation deals and a seat in any restaurant.
Warm-weather beach towns might be half asleep.
_
* Auckland International Airport
Airbus Express-24-hour
Shuttle Bus24-hour door-to-door services
Taxiaround$70; 45 minutes to the city
* Wellington Airport
Bus----Airport Flyer from 6 am to 9.30 pm
Shuttle Bus-24-hour door-to-door services
Taxi-around$30;20 minutes to the city
* Christchurch Airport
BusCity Flyer from 7.15 am to 9.15 pm
Shuttle Bus24-hour door-to-door services
Taxi-around $50;25 minutes to the city
Driving Around New Zealand
There are extensive bus networks and a couple of handy train lines crisscrossing New Zealand, but for the best scenery, flexibility and pure freedom it's hard to beat piling into a camper van or rent-a-car and hitting the open road. Scanning the map you might think that driving from A to B won't take long, but remember that many of the roads here are two-lane country byways, traversing hilly landscape in curves, crests and convolutions:always allow plenty of time to get wherever you're going. And who's in a hurry anyway? Slow down and see more of the country:explore little end-of-the-line towns, stop for a swiinlsurfi beer, and pack a Swiss Army knife for impromptu picnics at roadside produce stalls. | high7270.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the asteroid named Apophis might hit the earth in 2036."
},
"options": [
"the asteroid named Apophis will explode in 2036.",
"the asteroid named Apophis might hit the earth in 2036.",
"the asteroid named Apophis is 24 years o... | Scientists are worried that an asteroid will possibly hit the earth in 2036. If scientists are right, planet earth is 24 years away from a major disaster.
Scientists have been monitoring the progress of a 390-metre-wide asteroid ever since it was discovered last June. They have announced that it could hit the earth, causing huge damage, in 2036.
NASA estimates that the impact from the asteroid named after Apophis and ancient Egyptian demon would release more than 100,000 times the energy released in the nuclear explosion over Hiroshima. Thousands of square kilometers would be directly affected by the explosion. The whole planet would see the effects of the dust released into the atmosphere.
This is the worst possible scenario of any asteroid in recorded history.
Having more than 20 years' warning of possible impact might seem plenty of time. But scientists insist that there is actually very little time left to decide.
Luckily, however, they aren't short on ideas for
the asteroid. The favored method is also probably the easiest--throwing a spacecraft at the asteroid to change its direction. The European Space Agency plans to test this in the next decade.
One idea that seems to have no support from astronomers is the use of explosive, although this sounds more likely to the public or Hollywood producer.
At present, scientists are trying to make a better estimate of how much time we have, through more observations.
In spring of next year, there will be another chance for radar observation of Apophis. This will help astronomers calculate the orbits of the asteroid more accurately.
If, at that stage, they can't rule out an impact with the earth in 2036, the next chance to make better observations will not be until 2016, then 2029.
"If we wait until 2029 and the worst--case scenario turns out to be true, it would seem unlikely that we'd be able to do anything about 2036," warns Prof Fitzsimmons. | high15737.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "present computers in the college cannot meet the demands of the students"
},
"options": [
"present computers in the college cannot meet the demands of the students",
"computers in the college will be updated to meet the students' d... | Dear College Dean,
It is my understanding that this college has received a large donation to be used to enhance (improve) the quality of life for students: expand the bookstore or add computers to the computer lab. It is the tradition of this school to promote education and to be the pioneer of new technology. That is why I strongly argue in favor of the addition of more computers to the computer lab.
Although expanding the campus bookstore to include CDs, gifts, and a snack bar will give a nicer look to the college, we have to think about a greater goal and a more practical way to enhance the quality of life for students. What do we .want for our students and our college? Do we want our college to be known as a place with a great bookstore where you can find CDs and gifts, or as a place where the students can explore and research in their field using the best tools provided by technology? In addition, there are already several snack bars on campus, and there are music stores nearby, so students do not depend on the college bookstore for these things.
We live in a highly technological world and computers play an increasingly important role in how we live. As a learning institution, this college has the responsibility to offer its students the best technology to help them prepare for their future. Many students will be expected to be familiar with the latest software and other tools when they go on to work or to graduate school.
While they are in college, students find they are expected to use computers. Many professors expect students to use computers to do homework or to complete projects. Since students are competing for good grades, those who have limited access to computers are at a great disadvantage. Furthermore, being able to do projects using the computer enhances the process of learning.
If there are more computers, no more will students have to wait in line while scanning the room for an empty chair and computer.. No longer will they have to sit and wait while an outdated computer struggles to follow their commands. Having more new and faster computers available will enable students to finish their work more quickly.
The more computers are used in society, the more colleges will depend on them as a tool of teaching and learning. Making computers more available to students facilitates their learning process by making the process easier, more interesting, more engaging, and in the process enhancing their quality of life. | high12058.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "foreigners who are new to China"
},
"options": [
"experts who study history and cities",
"foreigners who are new to China",
"kids who were born in other cities",
"people who are interested in touring"
],
"questi... | 4-Day Classic Beijing Tour
The 4-day classic Beijing tour is designed for tourists who come to visit China for the first time. It covers the most popular and typical places in Beijing, fully displaying the scenery, culture, history, local lifestyles and features, food and drinks, business, etc. for you.
Day 1:Arrival in Beijing
Your guide meets you at Capital Airport, and helps you check in at your hotel.
Enjoy Beijing Duck as welcome dinner. Accommodation: Beijing downtown
Day 2:The Great Wall & the Summer Palace
Start your day at the most famous part of the Great Wall, the Badaling Great Wall. Leave the downtown for the Great Wall at 8 am. Since it is a long drive to the Great Wall (about 2 hours' riding) have a break at the Jade Museum on the way. Lunch will be enjoyed in a local restaurant. In the early afternoon come back to the city and have a sightseeing tour of the Summer Palace.
Recommended Activity: Beijing Opera Show (Liyuan Theatre, 19:30-21: 10 every evening)
Accommodation: Beijing downtown
Day 3:Beijing city sightseeing & Local experience
Your guide meets you at the hotel at 8 am and set out for the day's touring: Tian'anmen Square and the Forbidden City. After visiting the two sites, have a break and get ready for lunch.
Hutong visit: see some traditional arts of the old Beijing, such as paper cutting and kite making, and visit a local family. Accommodation: Beijing downtown
Day 4:Beijing Olympic sites
Visit the Olympic sites: Bird's Nest, Water Cube and Olympic Park, witnessing the fast developing modern China. Enjoy some free time after visiting the sites.
After lunch, it is shopping time and then the tour is over. | high13346.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "learning life drawing"
},
"options": [
"attending the masters' class",
"working with local artists",
"learning life drawing",
"seeing an exhibition"
],
"question": "As mentioned in the passage, there is a small ... | Still seeking a destination for your weekend break? There are some places which are probably a mere walk away from your college.
King's Art Centre
A day at the Centre could mean a visit to an exhibition of the work of one of the most interesting contemporary artists on show anywhere. This weekend tees the opening of an exhibition of four local artists.
You could attend a class teaching you how to 'learn from the masters' or get more creative with paint ---- free of charge.
The Centre also runs two life drawing classes for which there is a small fee.
The Botanic Garden
The Garden has over 8,000 plant species; it holds the research and teaching collection of living plants for Cambridge University.
The multi-branchedTorch Aloe here is impressive. The African plant produces red flowers above blue-green leaves, and is not one to miss.
Get to the display house to seeDionaea muscipula, a plant more commonly known as the Venus Flytrap that feeds on insects and other small animals.
The Garden is also a place for wildlife-enthusiasts. Look for grass snakes in the lake. A snake called 'Hissing Sid' is regularly seen lying in the heat of the warm sun.
Byron's Pool
Many stories surround Lord Byron's time as a student of Cambridge University, Arriving in 1805, he wrote a letter complaining that it was a place of "mess and drunkenness". However, it seems as though Byron did manage to pass the time pleasantly enough. I'm not just talking about the pet bear he kept in his roans. He spent a great deal of time walking in the village.
It is also said that on occasion Byron swam naked by moonlight in the lake, which is now known as Byron's Pool. A couple of miles past Grantchester in the south Cambridgeshire countryside, the pool is surrounded by beautiful circular paths around the fields. The cries of invisible birds make the trip a lovely experience and on the way home you can drop into the village for afternoon tea. If you don't trust me, then perhaps you'll take it from Virginia Woolf- ----over a century after Byron, she reportedly took a trip to swim in the same pool. | high395.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Traffic jam is one of the consequences of successful cities."
},
"options": [
"Traffic jam is unavoidable in any cities.",
"Traffic jam is both a sign of failure and a sign of success.",
"Traffic jam is one of the consequence... | Traffic jam and cities, it seems, go hand in hand. Everyone complains about being stuck in traffic; but, like the weather, no one seems to do anything about it. In particular, traffic engineers, transportation planners, and public officials responsible for transportation systems in large cities are frequently criticized for failing to solve traffic jam. But is traffic jam a sign of failure? Long queues at restaurants or theater box offices are seen as signs of success. Should transportation systems be viewed any differently? I think we should recognize that traffic jam is an unpreventable by-product of successful cities, and view the "traffic problem" in a different light.
Cities exist because they promote social interactions and economic transactions.Traffic jam occurs where there are lots of people but limited spaces. Culturally and economically successful cities have the worst traffic problems, while _ cities don't have much traffic. New York and Los Angeles are America's most crowded cities. But if you want access to major brokerage houses , you will find them easier to reach in crowded New York than in any other large cities. And if your firm needs access to post-production film editors or satellite-guidance engineers, you will reach them more quickly through the crowded freeways of LA than through less crowded roads elsewhere.
Despite traffic jam, a larger number and wider variety of social interactions and economic transactions can be made perfect in large, crowded cities than elsewhere. Seen in this sight, traffic jam is an unfortunate consequence of prosperity, not a cause of economic decline and urban decay.
So while we can consider traffic jam as increasing costs on the areas of big cities, the costs of inaccessibility in uncrowded places are almost certainly greater.
There is no doubt that traffic jam brings the terrible economic and environmental damage in places like Bangkok, Jakarta, and Lagos. But mobility is far higher and traffic jam levels are far lower here in the US, even in our most crowded cities. That's why, for now, we don't see people and capital streaming out of San Francisco and Chicago, heading for cities like California, and Illinois. | high1601.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "PS730."
},
"options": [
"PS389.",
"PS730.",
"PS1,430.",
"PS1,600."
],
"question": "How much will be charged if a couple with two children stay in Victorian gatehouse for a week at Christmas?",
"question_type... | The best UK cottages for Christmas and New Year
_
It's a solid little Victorian gatehouse outside Ballycastle. It has an association with Irish nationalist Roger Casement. Close to the Causeway Coast, the closest beach is five minutes' drive away. It is a good choice for those who want to avoid stairs, since all the main rooms are on the ground floor.
Sleeps 2 adults + 2 children, PS730 a week at Christmas or New Year (three nights from PS389), 353 1 670 4733, irishlandmark.com
_
It is located in a peaceful island, where a priory was built 1,400 years ago. Guests at Coastguard's Cottage, the latest addition to English Heritage's portfolio of holiday houses, can explore the priory ruins. The attractive whitewashed house is decorated with calming tones and contemporary furnishings and has views of Lindisfarne Castle.
Sleeps 6, PS1,600 a week from 19 Dec, 0370 333 1187, english-heritage.org.uk
_
It sits on a 350-acre private nature reserve. Surrounded by woodlands, wetlands and wild meadows, it's a heaven for wildlife. You might meet a few animals on a walk around the reserve. Built by local craftsmen using natural materials, it is a light-filled living space with huge windows, a woodburner and other essential for winter evenings -- a home cinema system.
Sleeps 6, PS1,430 a week from 29 Dec, 01580 720770 kentandSussexcottages.co.uk
_
In snowy winter, the quiet 16th-century cottage near Stowmarket is like a perfect picture on Christmas cards. The inside is also appealing, with a big farmhouse kitchen, antique furniture, comfortable carpets and an impressive fireplace. A good selection of films, music and books are provided. Approached via a single track lane, the cottage sits in three acres of wild meadow, surrounded by plenty of farmland.
Sleeps 5, PS1,003 a week from 30 Dec (three nights PS725), 01787 211115, grove-cottages.co.uk | high14429.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Why people are influenced by celebrities."
},
"options": [
"Why people are influenced by celebrities.",
"The harmful influence of celebrities.",
"What kind of people are influenced by celebrities",
"How to avoid the inf... | Celebrities have become a powerful influence on some people because of their social position and their economic situation.
First, some people admire and imitate stars because they allow themselves to be influenced by the media. Television, radio, and magazines invade the lives of audience with a variety of shows, information, and publications about stars and their lives. For instance, Britney Spears has become the target of paparazzi . In May, Britney appeared at the front page of the most popular magazines revealing that she married her best friend in Vegas, Nevada. Media also invade stars' lives because reporters know they can get high profits from readers who buy and follow their favorite artists' news.
Second, some mad audiences imitate their celebrities for their lack of confidence. Some people who are shy and lack personality may find that imitating others will cause a good impression. For example, my cousin Jenny, who lacks a social life because of her introverted personality, believes that acting and dressing like Jennifer Lopez will make her popular in high school.
Finally, several fans of stars imitate them because of peer pressure. Since my niece's girl friends formed an Antonio Banderas' fan club, she had also joined the group. Although she wasn't a huge fan of his, now she collects most of Banderas' possessions. In fact, when I asked Arianna, my niece, why she was part of Banderas' fan club, she replied with a doubtful tone that she did not wish to be rejected by the other teens.
In conclusion, it is true that celebrities play spectacular roles in their performances in Hollywood, which entertains many people all over the world; however, modern celebrities influence the audience to the point where their fans admire and try to imitate their lives. | high7264.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "reading more promotes the gaining of vocabulary"
},
"options": [
"looking up the dictionary is of great help for the understanding",
"reading more promotes the gaining of vocabulary",
"the more you read, the less useful the d... | Learners report two main difficulties in reading, which may be linked. There are too many unknown words and as a result reading is simply not a pleasure. For some students, even reading in their own language is a chore.
Having a wide vocabulary is essential to making sense of written language. Of course, this is a circular argument, because the more you read the more vocabulary you learn and the more words you know the more easily you can read. Don't make the mistake of reading with your dictionary beside you, looking up every single new or doubtful word. This is laborious and prevents you from practicing the skill of prediction.
Sometimes in reading you find a word you know but the sense doesn't seem to fit in. This is not surprising because words have so many meanings and degrees of meaning. What is more, part of their meaning is shaped by the words around them. Keep looking at the surrounding words and asking yourself "what sort of meaning would make sense here?"
The more that people study the reading process, the better they can pass on to language learners a range of advice to choose from. People have learned to read in all kinds of ways. Here is some information that could help you plan to be a better reader in the foreign language you are studying.
1)Work out the general meaning first
When people read in a new language they often feel they must take a detailed approach, focusing on every word, particularly those they don't know. They read as if they were using a microscope, looking carefully at each of the small pieces(the individual words), but not necessarily seeing the whole picture at first. This is called the "bottom-up" approach. Other readers try to look first at the big picture(the "top-down" approach), attending to individual bricks only as necessary, a process that involves some intelligent guesswork. Generally this second approach is recommended by successful learners.
2)Interactive reading
Another way of thinking about reading is to describe it as an interactive process, where the text brings something to you and you bring something to the text. Readers bring together all their knowledge of the world with what they see on the page in front of them. That is why, when reading in our own language, we don't need to read every word. We add meaning which is not actually stated.
3)From supported reading to independent reading
Language learners start by needing considerable support as they read. Textbooks supply this support in the form of introductions that summaries the contents, glossaries, pictures, explanations of new grammar points. In your reading you need to move gradually from this support to reading more the text itself. | high15723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "His grandmother."
},
"options": [
"His grandfather.",
"His father.",
"His grandmother.",
"His wife."
],
"question": "Who influenced Garcia Marquez's writing style?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},... | A young man returns to his hometown of Aractataca, Colombia. He visits the house where he lived as a child. Here, he remembers the most important memories of his childhood. Standing in front of his old house, the young man makes an important decision. He says to himself, "I will start my life over again. I will become a writer."
This man is the world famous writer, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez was born on March 6, 1928. During his early life, Garcia Marquez's grandmother and grandfather told him many stories. His grandmother would tell him legends as if they were real. Garcia Marquez says that his grandmother's way of storytelling later influenced his own methods.
When Garcia Marquez was about 20 years old, he left Aractataca and attended university in Bogota. He began studying law because this was what his father wanted him to study. However, Garcia Marquez was not happy.
During this time Garcia Marquez returned to Aractataca. It was on this visit that he realized he must stop studying law. And he recognized that he must return to the dream of his childhood-writing. For the next few years, Garcia Marquez wrote for many different newspapers. And in 1955, he published his first book called "Leaf Storm".
For many years, Garcia Marquez knew he wanted to write about his grandfather's house in Aractataca. To write this book, Garcia Marquez and his wife had to sell almost all of their possessions to survive. But their act was worth it. The book, "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was immediately successful. And this book created a path for Garcia Marquez's future success.
In 1982, Gabriel Garcia Marquez was given the Nobel Prize in Literature for his book "One Hundred Years of Solitude", making him the first Colombian and the fourth Latin American to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. | high8157.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "He told his parents what he had done in school."
},
"options": [
"He missed them very much for they hadn't seen each other for a long time.",
"He told his parents what he had done in school.",
"He was tired of studying, and w... | Dear Mom and Dad ,
I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you . I have been very naughty and the school master is very angry with me . She is going to write to you . You must come and take me away from here . She does not want me in the school any longer . The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette in bed . As I was smoking , I heard footsteps coming towards the room .I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking , so I threw the cigarette away . Unfortunately , the cigarette fell into the waste--paper basket . It caught fire .
There was a curtain near the waste --paper basket . It caught fire ,too . Soon the whole room was burning . The master phoned the fire brigade . The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived , the whole school was on fire . The master said that the fire was all my fault and I must pay for the damage . She will send you a bill for about a million dollars .
I'm very sorry for this .
Much love
Sarah | high1615.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was intended to be the most ambitious English dictionary"
},
"options": [
"came out before minor died",
"was edited by an American volunteer",
"included the English words invented by Murray",
"was intended to be the mos... | One of the greatest contributions to the first Oxford English Dictionary was also one of its most unusual. In 1879, Oxford University in England asked Prof. James Murray to serve as editor for what was to be the most ambitious dictionary in the history of the English language. It would include every English word possible and would give not only the definition but also the history of the word and quotations showing how it was used.
This was a huge task. So Murrary had to find volunteers from Britain, the United States, and the British colonies to search every newspaper, magazine, and book ever written in English. Hundreds of volunteers responded, including William Chester Minor. Dr. Minor was an American Surgeon who had served in the Civil War and was now living in England. He gave his address as "Broadmoor, Crowthorne, Berkshire," 50 miles from Oxford.
Minor joined the army of volunteers sending words and quotations to Murray. Over the next years, he became one of the staff's most valued contributors.
But he was also a mystery. In spite of many invitations, he would always decline to visit Oxford. So in 1897, Murray finally decided to travel to Crowthorne himself. When he arrived, he found Minor locked in a book-lined cell at the Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally insane.
Murray and Minor became friends, sharing their love of words. Minor continued contributing to the dictionary, sending in more than 10,000 submissions in 20 years. Murray continued to visit Minor regularly, sometimes taking walks with him around the asylum grounds.
In 1910, Minor left Broadmoor for an asylum in his native America. Murray was at the port to wave goodbye to his remarkable friend.
Minor died in 1920, seven years before the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was completed. The 12 volumes defined 414,825 words, and thousands of them were contributions from a very scholarly and devoted asylum patient. | high381.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cell phones get life and work mixed."
},
"options": [
"Cell phones offer 24 - hour availability.",
"Cell phones get life and work mixed.",
"Women don't use cell phones in an effective way.",
"Men are better at dealing w... | The round--the --lock availability that cell phones have brought to people's lives may be _ amily life, a new study suggests.The study, which followed more than 1300 adults over 2 years, found that those who consistently used a mobile phone through out the study period were more likely to report negative "spillover" between work and home life - and, in turn, less satisfaction with their family life.
Spillover actually means that the line between work and home began to become unclear, Work life may invade home life-when a parent is taking job--related calls at home, for instance - or family issues may start to take up work time.For example, a child may call Mom at work, telling her "the microwave exploded" , explained Noelle Chesley, an assistant professor of society at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and the author of the study. The problem with cell phones seems to be they are allowing for ever more spillover between work and home.
This may be especially true for working women, the study found.Among men, consistent use of mobile phones seemed not to allow more work issues to creep into family time.But for women, the spillover tended to go in both directions - being "connected" means that work cuts into home time, and family issues come into work life.
Cell phones seem to be opening more lines for stressful exchange among family members.But there may be ways to control the spillover, according to Chesley. Employers, she said, should look at their policies on contacting employees after working hours to make sure their expectations are"reasonable".For their part, employees can decide that cell phones go off during family time, Chesley said, | high23291.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he was flying to India as a kid"
},
"options": [
"he was travelling in India",
"it was about 30 years ago.",
"he was flying to India as a kid",
"he was a kid living in India"
],
"question": "The author dreamed o... | My passion started decades ago as a kid on a flight to India. I was attracted by how such a large airplane was able to glide smoothly above the clouds. I made it a goal to become a pilot. I am now a pilot for American airlines. Though being a pilot consumes my life,it is a job worth doing.
My job is slightly different compared to that of a typical pilot. Most pilots have their routes they fly. They then familiarize(...)themselves with the routes. However, in my case,I participate in any job where a pilot is immediately required. It is true that some days I might have a workday from nine in the morning to five in the afternoon. In fact,some days,I might even begin my work at three in the morning when I am needed to fly. Sometimes, as for the typical day,I do not have one.
Having been on the job for over two decades,I have learned some important life lessons. As I greet passengers boarding the airplane,I realize I,along with other airline pilots, have enhanced the lives of those who we are serving. In fact, there is one particular experience that I will never forget. A family was walking in from the gate, explaining that their beloved one was ill and had to be taken to a big hospital in another city immediately. It was at this point that I realized just how important my job was.
Therefore, my life as an airline pilot is definitely not for everyone. However,my job is something I enjoy thoroughly and will continue to do till I am old enough. As a pilot, I have been able to experience so many different types of situations in different places throughout the world. For anyone interested in piloting, I would recommend going for it. | high9249.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "To warn him no to be cheated."
},
"options": [
"To remind him to go by rickshaw.",
"To warn him no to be cheated.",
"To tell him the convenience of taking a rickshaw.",
"To save some money for them."
],
"questio... | It was around 9 pm. Before heading to dinner in Jayanagar T Block, I was told by my wife that the rickshaw fare would be 40 rupees. Anyhow I had 150 rupees in my pocket. My wife said that if the drivers of rickshaws see out-of-town travelers, they'll scam them one way or another.
At a crowded stop, a young girl extended her hand through the iron bars on the side of our rickshaw to ask for some money. After we refused, or rickshaw driver started his remarks on giving.
"Giving is good. Every human should give. But we should know how to give." The rickshaw driver continued, "Most of these kids are trained by some guy who keeps all the money. It's run like a business. All of us should give, but this is just not the right place to give."
He talked a bit more before we arrived. I asked about the fare. "39 rupees," he said.
Now, most people who get cheated end up saying, "Well, you know, I don't mind paying extra if it is a good guy but I refuse to be cheated." I gave him 40 rupees, and he gave me a 1 rupee coin in return (Most folks would just round up). So I put the coin in my wallet, and took out a 100 rupee note.
"Can you do me a favor?" "Of course, sir," he replied politely. "We were talking about art of giving. You seem to know how and where to give. Can you put the 100 rupees to good use somewhere?"
"Give me your address and I'll make sure I get a receipt of where I gave," He replied without hesitation. I didn't understand him at first. Then I smiled and told him, "I trust you."
So on the way back, instead of taking a bus to my place, I walked for the whole distance since I didn't have enough money. It was almost 1 a.m and I had to wake up at 6 a.m the next day. But I still walked. | high20798.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "An insect with a chip in its body."
},
"options": [
"An insect made of a certain metal.",
"A robot looking like an insect.",
"An insect with a chip in its body.",
"A tiny flying robot."
],
"question": "According... | US military is attempting to develop a new style "insect robot" to replace the human soldier to go wherever he can't. The greatest trouble this project has fallen across is how to enable the robot to fly freely like an insect, said an official of the Pentagon .
The Pentagon is seeking for the cooperation with scientists in hope of developing a new technique by which people can control the insect's flight direction and pass on the information its eyes or other organs catch through the equipment set in its body, the official said.
It is thus designed that a tiny controlling chip will be equipped in an insect's body when it is in chrysalis . As the insect grows, the cut made when fixing in the chip will be recovered. The chip will exist in forever. Scientists believe this won't influence the insect, sound growth or the functions of internal organs.
The _ target of the project is to set up a global system, in which the insect robots will be stationed in all parts of the world and stick to their posts till a new instruction is received. At that time the military can receive from all over the world clear image information within about 5 meters of the insects and that of a special target within 100 meters.
Years ago, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of US DOD spent $3,000,000 carrying out a plan for training bees to detect landmines. But, no new progress has so far been made.
"According to the scientists, there is still enormous difficulty in technology in turning it into reality, such as the insects reproduction , their adaptation to the surroundings and temperature and so on. However, this project is really challenging. If successful, it is equal to making countless small drone ,"said the official of DOD. | high5473.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "inventions"
},
"options": [
"inventions",
"culture",
"entertainment",
"economy"
],
"question": "This passage should be put under the category of _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | (CNN) -- In the last week, the Apple iWatch has made the jump from unlikely rumor to a real product that's probably in development, thanks to reports showing up in various publications.
The clues are planting the seeds of an Apple watch in consumers' minds. The general public has not been crying out for a better watch. And Apple prides itself on knowing what the people want before they do, and an Apple watch would be much more than just a fancy timepiece.
It's not about the watch form factor, but creating a wearable mobile device that takes advantage of advances in mobile computing technology such as cheap sensors, better battery life and improved voice recognition.
If executed correctly, an Apple watch could bring about a profitable industry of products to go with it, like it did with the iOS App Store and mobile applications.
"It's unlimited, the number of wearable things you can put into," said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray, who imagines small companies making inexpensive products like belts with sensors that send warnings to the watch when you've eaten too much.
Apple is not entering virgin territory. There are already a handful of fancy smart watches available, but most act as accessories , connecting to the more powerful Android and iOS smartphones and tablets over Bluetooth.
For example, the new Pebble smart watch passes on alerts from a smartphone, so when you receive a text, e-mail, or Facebook notification it is pushed to the watch, which vibrates .
Wearable technology is also booming, thanks to cheap sensors that can be used to track things like movement and heart rates. The number of wearable fitness products has been growing at a fast pace, but an Apple offering would shake up the industry completely.
"We're finally getting some players involved, and Apple is the real one that can add some value to some of this wearable technology," said Munster.
Apple isn't alone in seeing the potential for this type of technology. Google is working on its own wearable platform, Google Glasses. The two will compete against each other when they are finally available, each sporting its own unique opinion on what kind of user interface people will use (voice control and a small touchscreen or augmented reality). And they will, of course, have their own ecosystems of accessories and apps.
Traditional watches have dropped in popularity in recent years. Smartphones display the easy-to-see time and are already in our back pockets, so it can seem unnecessary to also tie a small clock to our wrists. But when you start packing more power, sensors and connection options like Bluetooth into a watch, it no longer stays to be a watch and becomes a small wearable computer.
An Apple watch could suddenly become better than the current crop of smart watches by creating a platform, not another accessory. According to Munster, the three tasks people use their smartphones for are, in order, texting, Internet and phone calls. Two out of three of those tasks would be a natural fit for a small device, while the need to surf and play games would ensure the smartphone doesn't become out of date. | high18207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "decrease their fear of flying"
},
"options": [
"decrease their fear of flying",
"get rid of their doubt about plane",
"have a good time on their flight journey",
"use some medicine to cure their fear of flying"
],
... | "Just take a deep breath." "Don't think about it." "You're more likely to die in a car wreck on the way to the airport than you are in a plane crash." These are just some words given to people with a fear of flying. But as Tom Cruise, playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee in the movie A Few Good Men, said, "I get sick when I fly because I'm afraid of crashing into a large mountain. I don't think Daniel will help."
But there's a new application that just may. Today, the VALK Foundation, a Dutch group that's a partnership between KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the University of Leiden, launches the app in the US. The VALK Foundation was one of the first centers for research and fear-of-flying treatment in the world and is the organizer of three world conferences on fear of flying.The foundation said the app, called Flight App VALK, is the first scientifically-developed, web-based treatment for people who suffer from mild to moderate fear of flying.
"The fear of flying application we have created aims to transfer all of the knowledge we have developed through our program into a mobile application that will help ease travelers' fears," said Dr. Lucas van Gerwen, director of the VALK Foundation. Dr. van Gerwen is also a psychologist and professional pilot with more than 30 years experience.
The foundation said up to 30% of adults are fearful fliers. The Flight App is designed to help relax passengers before and during flights by educating users about flight safety and turbulence. It explains the sounds and sensations they can expect during departure, flight and landing. And, if a passenger's flight stress reaches a panic level, they press a special panic button which provides audio and written information to help decrease stress levels. Most importantly, the Flight App can be used during the flight in the airplane mode. Once downloaded, the program does not require Internet connection in the air. | high3002.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "people's attitude may change"
},
"options": [
"people's attitude may change",
"learning can change a person",
"the relationships between people can improve",
"young people never make correct judgments"
],
"quest... | Mark Twain was my hero when I was nine because that was when I discovered Tom Sawyer. But even at the height of my admiration, I couldn't agree with him that Anne, the main character inAnne of Green Gables, was "the dearest and most loveable child in fiction since the best-known Alice". I had readAnne of Green Gables as well asTom Sawyer, and she had made me as sick as a dog.
Another Mark Twain's quote will explain my problem. He said, "When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years." I gradually understood his words as growing up. When I picked up the book again a few years later, I too was astonished at how much it had improved--and shortly afterwards shocked by the fact that not only could I be a fool in all sporting, artistic and practical matters, I could also be so when it came to reading too.
On rereading, then, I learned that Anne is indeed a dear and most lovable child. I couldn't help adoring the girl who insists that her name be spelled with the "e" instead of Ann as she believes that is "so much more distinguished." She is a brave and determined survivor of a severe upbringing who has refused to let her circumstances crush her spirit. She arrives at Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert's farm with everything unfavorable--orphaned, unwanted and her biggest trouble of red-hair and freckled face. However, she gets along well, through her strange way of seeing things, through her honest love of beauty and lovable attempts to master her unreasonable desires. She finally wins over the Cuthberts, their neighbors and millions of readers who have met her over the 101 years since the book was first published.
When I settle down with it these days, I've come to see the truth in Mark Twain's praise for the book, and this reminds me of the great truth that you are never too young to start rereading. | high20940.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "diet as well as exercise enough"
},
"options": [
"try not to fit the clinic definition of obesity",
"diet as well as exercise enough",
"get little exercise every day",
"focus your attention on diet only"
],
"que... | More than one-third of adults in the United States are obese .In fact,over obesity has reached such proportions that one big-city mayor has gone about banning large-sized,sugary soft drinks and the First Lady has been on a campaign to control the dietary offerings in public schools.
Even many adults who do not fit the clinic definition of obesity are still overweight,and a large percentage are looking for the best ways to lose weight.
Reducing pounds largely comes down to the two-sided factors of diet and exercise.Not carrying out the first one enough,and not getting enough of the second one,ends up giving the individual a recipe for being overweight.
Advising someone to eat less and exercise more might be the easiest advice possible,but it's also,partially,an oversimplification.Dieting has more to do with the types of food you eat than how much you eat.Reduce the amount of red meat in your diet.If you don't want to eliminate red meat altogether,choose cuts of meat with less fat content.Limit your intake of salt and starches.If you've got to have potato chips alongside your sandwich at lunch,choose the baked potato chips that contain less fat than the deep-fried chips.You might find you're really not sacrificing that much in terms of taste.
A diet rich in fruits,vegetables,egg whites,fish and nonfat dairy products will certainly aid in the mission of losing weight.Drink more water and less sugary drinks.If you have to have a soda,a diet soda is a better option,but seltzer is an even better choice than that.
It's important--if not always easy--to make sure you get at least some physical activity each and every day.If your feet won't allow for a regular jogging regimen,then make sure you take lots of walks.Next time you need to mail a letter,walk to the mailbox instead of driving.Try to work in a daily walk in your neighborhood. | high11545.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in partnership with a finance group"
},
"options": [
"independently with an interest-free loan from Mint",
"with the approval of the City's administration",
"in partnership with a finance group",
"with the help of a Jap... | The traditional tent cities at festivals such as prefix = st1 /Glastonburymay never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tens made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonburythrow away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop Graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City's private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint's directors and won their support. Mint has committed around PS500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop's business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards, They can be Personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonburyhaving some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in theUK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious. | high21486.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "well-educated people tend to work longer"
},
"options": [
"younger people are replacing the elderly",
"well-educated people tend to work longer",
"unemployment rates are rising year after year",
"people with no college ... | Across the rich world, well-educated people increasingly work longer than the less-skilled. Some 65% of American men aged 62-74 with a professional degree are in the workforce, compared with 32% of men with only a high-school certificate. This gap is part of a deepening divide between the well-education well off and the unskilled poor. Rapid technological advance has raised the incomes of the highly skilled while squeezing those of the unskilled. The consequences, for individual and society, are profound.
The world is facing as astonishing rise in the number of old people, and they will live longer than ever before. Over the next 20 years the global population of those aged 65 or more will almost double, from 600 million to 1.1 billion. The experience of the 20th century, when greater longevity translated into more years in retirement rather than more years at work, has persuaded many observers that this shift will lead to slower economic growth, while the swelling ranks of pensioners will create government budget problems.
But the notion of a sharp division between the working young and the idle old misses a new trend, the growing gap between the skilled and the unskilled. Employment rates are falling among younger unskilled people, whereas older skilled folk are working longer. The divide is most extreme in America, where well-educated baby-boomers are putting off retirement while many less-skilled younger people have dropped out of the workforce.
That even the better-off must work longer to have a comfortable retirement. But the changing nature of work also plays a big role. Pay has risen sharply for the highly educated, and those people continue to reap rich rewards into old age because these days the educated elderly are more productive than the preceding generation. Technological change may well reinforce that shift: the skills that complement computers, from management knowhow to creativity. Do not necessarily decline with age. | high10883.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the effect of single sex education on girls is immediate"
},
"options": [
"single sex education has become popular in recent years",
"the effect of single sex education on girls is immediate",
"students at separate schools ar... | Nowadays, there's a lot of debate about single sex education since it has begun to regain its popularity recently. According to long term studies of children from around the world, students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools.
An Australian study of 270,000 students found that both boys and girls performed much higher on standardized tests when they attended separate schools. During an experiment in Virginia in 1995, 100 eighth graders were separated just for math and science courses. Almost immediately, the girls began to achieve more, become more confident and take part more often in class activities.
In 2001, a British study concluded that nearly every girl regardless of her ability or socio-economic status performed better in single sex classrooms than co-ed ones. The study of 2,954 high schools and 979 primary schools showed that while boys at the lowest levels in study improved the most in single sex schools, single sex education was particularly beneficial to girls. Every one of the top 50 private elementary schools and top 20 private high schools in Britain are single sex schools.
Girls became more confident in themselves as students and earned higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement examinations. A quarter of the female members of the US Congress and one-third of all female members of Fortune 100 boards graduated from all-women's colleges.
While the statistics are not as dramatic for boys, however, boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more cooperative in a single sex setting. They can just be boys and not worry about what the girls might think.
Single sex education has a pleasant way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic --- in short, to just be themselves. Children are subjected to pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Why not let them be children for a few more years? Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social atmosphere is just the right answer for many children. | high3764.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "face and voice"
},
"options": [
"storytelling",
"face and voice",
"folk tale",
"dialogue"
],
"question": "Crosstalk means\" _ \"in Chinese.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Crosstalk ,a traditional form of comic storytelling,is making a comeback in China's tea houses and theaters.
Audiences can laugh the night away every Saturday at the Qianxiangyi Teahouse in Tianjin,entertained by the apprentices of Hou Baolin,Ma Sanli or Yin Shoushan--all leading crosstalk artists of years past--for only 20 yuan($2.40).
The success in Tianjin has also caused the rejuvenation of crosstalk in Beijing and other places.
Although the art form originated in Beijing in the Qing Dynasty(1644-1911),Tianjin became a place where rising stars formed their styles and new pieces were tried out.The city was well--known nationwide for the quality of its crosstalk performances.
Known in Chinese as xiangsheng(1iterally,"face and voice"),crosstalk was the predominant form of comedy throughout most of the 20th century.In the old days in Tianjin and elsewhere,temple fairs and markets were the main places for crosstalkers to perform,although they occasionally also appeared in teahouses or theaters.
Crosstalk pieces draw on every aspect of Chinese culture,from history and folk tales to social issues of the time.Although there're hundreds of traditional pieces,they're constantly rewritten to suit the times and the audience, while new works are written as well.It's one of the features that have made crosstalk a
public art form throughout its history.
"Crosstalk was in the doldrums with competition from other art forms,especially TV,"said Wang Xiaochun,headmaster of the Northern Storytelling Arts School of China(NSAS)."But it has regained its status with crosstalk fans,especially young people,growing aware of its rare qualities."
"More and more students are coming to NSAS to study crosstalk,including some girl students,"said Wang, "They're sure that crosstalk will have a strong market." | high11223.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "7.5 billion"
},
"options": [
"1.5 billion",
"One fifth billion",
"6 billion",
"7.5 billion"
],
"question": "What's the population of the whole world?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
}
] | Buffet is the son of the best investor Warren Buffet, and he's the CEO of a philanthropic foundation . But he's also a lifelong farmer. He is familiar with the saying that each farmer can expect to have 40 opportunities to improve their harvest. And it's not just farmers who know there's a clock running on their efforts. " We all need to recognize that we only have a fixed amount of time to affect change," said Howard G. Buffett(HGB)
HGB wants to invest more than $3 billion, in an effort to end global hunger and poverty for the world's nearly one billion poor people by 2045. He's decided to focus much of his effort on farming in the developing world. He believes that the best way to deal with poverty is to change the lives of farmers in the poorest nations on the planet. "It's a pretty well proven fact that nothing works better at bringing people out of poverty than investment in rural areas," said HGB.
Healthy soils are a most important part of productive farmers, but 1.5 billion people -- a fifth of the global population -- live on poor land. "You have to fix the soil," he said. HGB also has the idea that farmers who own their own land will raise crops with an eye to the long-term health of the soil.
He would like to see that balanced with a foreign-aid plan. HGB notes that too often, experts want to make agriculture in developing nations look like farming in rich countries." It's not going to happen like that," said HGB. "You need to consider local differences, local culture." Many more ideas of HGB can be found in his new book, Forty Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World. | high17652.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "to build healthy strong bodies"
},
"options": [
"to improve their brainpower",
"to build healthy strong bodies",
"to provide energy for their body",
"to help change their eating habits"
],
"question": "Young peo... | ASK any group of teenagers in the UK what they most like to eat, and foods like pizzas, curries, pasta, burgers and chips are bound to get a mention - and many young people would probably also list hanging out at the local fast-food restaurant as one of their favorite pastimes.
But what teenagers like to eat is not necessarily what they should be eating. According to the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, far too many young people in the UK between the ages of four and 18 consume too much fat, sugar and salt in their diet and take in too many calories. Meanwhile their intake of starchy carbohydrates , fibre, iron, vitamins and calcium is too low.
For a growing body, eating foods containing plenty of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt and cheese, is particularly important as calcium is essential for the development of healthy, strong bones. Similarly, foods that are rich in iron are good for young, rapidly developing bodies, so red meat, bread, green vegetables, dried fruit and fortified breakfast cereals are also recommended.
It is during our teenage years that lifestyle habits can become entrenched , so it is important that young people are educated about what foods are good for them. In 2005, in an attempt to change eating habits and open teenagers' minds to new flavors and new tastes, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver launched a 'Feed Me Better' campaign. As part of a television series, 'Jamie's School Dinners', he worked with teachers and cooks in a number of schools across the UK to provide more healthy, nutritious school meal options. Although the campaign was rather resisted at the beginning, it was generally regarded as a huge success and helped to influence governmental policy on nutritional standards for school meals.
No one expects to end the teenage love affair with fast and junk food but, hopefully, if projects like 'Feed Me Better' and the Government's own 'Change4Life' campaign continue to give out the right messages, more young people will understand the importance of balancing occasional treats with healthier food options. | high5315.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "outside the town"
},
"options": [
"in the town",
"small but new",
"outside the town",
"fifty years old"
],
"question": "The house bought by Mr. Jackson is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | Since her husband died, Mrs. Jackson has lived alone in their big old suburban house, The house was bought by her husband almost fifty years ago.
For the sake of safety , her son has tried hard to ask her to sell the house and buy a new and small one in the town , But Mrs. Jackson doesn't like the idea. She says that she has to look after her husband's old house. But recently she often hears stories about unknown people stealing things around here.
That was a cold day before Christmas Eve. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Mrs. Jackson was enjoying the Christmas music when someone knocked at the door. She heard the sound but didn't move. Another knock. Who could it be? Mrs. Jackson was a bit afraid. She decided not to answer the door but keep waiting.
One minute another minute and yet another minute. Nothing happened and no more knocks , She walked quietly to the door, and listened. She heard nothing but the wind outside. She slowly unfastened the door and peeped through the crack . She then gave a surprised cry and threw the door wide open! At the door she saw a tall, beautiful Christmas tree! In the tree stood a Christmas card with these words:
Merry Christmas!
Your new neighbor | high18561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Brits with L-plates can't drive on highways."
},
"options": [
"Brits with L-plates can't drive on highways.",
"It's difficult for people to get L-plates.",
"It takes a long time to get L-plates.",
"Most L-plates are bla... | For 75 years, three words have influenced the lives of many young Brits.They are:mirror, signal,manoeuvre .
These are the processes all drivers should perform.Learners hoping to pass their driving test need to prove that they understand the importance of these actions before they can throw out their L-plates and head for the highway.In Britain,L-plates ale signs with a red "L" on them which you attach to a car to warm other drivers that you are a learner.
This summer the British driving test celebrates its seventy-fifth birthday.It's often described as one of the most frightening tests we face.
It is a painful experience that doesn't come very cheap nowadays.Taking the test in 1935 cost just 37. 5 pence;now candidates can expect to pay PS93.
The test is also harder than ever.In 1935,the pass rate was 63%; now it's 43%.In recent years,the DSA--the organization that oversees the driving test -- has looked for ways to assess different aspects of what makes a good driver
Now the DSA has announced that candidates will drive for ten minutes without detailed instructions from the examiner.DSA'S chief driving examiner Trevor Wedge said the aim was to measure a candidate's ability to drive safely while making decisions independently.
However,drivers will not be punished for getting lost. "Candidates won't be failed for going off route," Mr. Wedge said.
No doubt there will still be complaints. The BBC has learnt that in 2009 there were l,889 complaints about examiners,of which just 51 were supported.
Complaints that were rejected included ''Candidate crashed during test--claims examiner distracted " and "Candidate says examiner took her on busy roads during rush hour,which was unfair".
Someone else seemingly failed to understand the nature of an emergency stop when the complaint was filed that an emergency stop was conducted without warning. | high22831.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "boxing match"
},
"options": [
"listening to music",
"playing card",
"going out for fishing",
"boxing match"
],
"question": "according to the passage, perhaps the followings are our ordinary ways of relaxation fo... | "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is a popular saying in the United States. Other countries have similar sayings. It is true that all of us need _ We cannot work all the time if we are going to keep good health and enjoy life.
Everyone has his own way of relaxing. Perhaps the most popular way is to take part in sports. there are team sports, such as baseball, basketball, and football. There are individual sports, also, such as golf and swimming. In addition hiking, fishing, skiing, and mountain climbing have a great attraction for people who like to be outdoors.
Not everyone who enjoys sports events likes to take part in them. Many people prefer to be onlookers, either watching them on television, or listening to them on the radio. When there is an important baseball game or boxing match it is almost impossible to get tickets; everyone wants to attend.
Chess, card-playing, and dancing are forms of indoor recreation enjoyed by many people. It doesn't matter whether we play a fast game of ping-pong, concentrate over the bridge table, or go walking through the woods on a brisk autumn afternoon. It is important for every one to relax from time to time and enjoy some form of recreation. | high1173.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "There are rumors that Myanmar has turned down the US relief aid."
},
"options": [
"The US relief aid was turned down at first and then accepted.",
"The US relief aid has been sent to the capital city of Myanmar.",
"There are ... | YANGON -- Myanmar has officially accepted an offer of the United States to send humanitarian aid to the country's cyclone(;)victims, state radio reported Friday in a night broadcast Myanmar Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Thu gave the assurance Friday, saying that the country is receiving such relief aid from any country without limit at this time according to its policy of dealing with the disaster, the report said.
Kyaw Thu denied rumors about Myanmar's turning down of such relief materials from Western countries but accept those from nations in good relations with Myanmar, saying that the country has never done so in this case.
Kyaw Thu said that well wishers abroad may make cash donation through Myanmar embassies stationed there, while those who like to donate relief goods may present at the Yangon International Airport and seaports.
According to the report, the US relief aid would arrive in Yangon in days.
A foreign ministry's statement said earlier on Friday that at this moment, the international community can best help the victims by donating emergency provisions such as medical supplies, food, cloth, electricity generator, and materials for emergency shelter or with financial assistance," adding that "Myanmar will wholeheartedly welcome such course of action".
The government and the people of Myanmar are grateful to the friendly nations, the United Nations, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, private individuals and others for their sympathy and generosity." it said. | high7502.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the beaver's engineering skills"
},
"options": [
"the beaver's lodge",
"the beaver's engineering skills",
"the beaver's dam",
"the beaver's intelligence"
],
"question": "This text is mainly about _ .",
"q... | Beavers are a very unique species in the world of nature and wildlife----they are architects. Their dams are fine examples of engineering.
A pair of beavers will build a dam, using branches, mud and stones, across a river. The water held back by the dam flows over the bank on either side of the river, flooding the nearby ground and forming a pond. At some point in the pond the beavers then build their home, which is called a lodge. This consists of a cone-shaped pipe of branches and sticks of two to six feet in length held together with mud and stones, the top of which projects above the waterline. It serves as a shelter from the bad weather, a safety from enemies and a base for food supplies to be drawn upon in winter.
From an engineering point of view the lodge could hardly be improved. Not only does it contain a central room just above water level, which is accessible only through underwater tunnels, but it also has "walls", one or more escape tunnels and an air hole at the top, which controls the temperature inside and gives air-conditioning. It is altogether a clever piece of construction, with all modern conveniences. It is, in fact, better protected against the effects of flooding than many human houses.
Trees are essential to beavers. They eat the bark on the upper branches. But they must first _ the trees, using their four front teeth. With these sharp tools, it takes only a few minutes to cut down a tree.
The engineering skill of beavers is to a large extent a result of their ability to use their front paws as hands. A female will carry her young held under her chin with her front paws, walking on her hind legs. A similar method is used by all beavers when transporting stones or mud, although they also carry such materials on their broad flat trails. The fore-paws are also used for digging and for dragging heavier pieces of wood. | high15045.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "have no cars"
},
"options": [
"are out of work",
"don't have enough food",
"have no money",
"have no cars"
],
"question": "Most Americans feel they are poor when they _",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"... | Cars are the most important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor he doesn't feel really poor when he has a car.
Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably doesn't know how much the car was going to affect American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped to make the United States what it is today.
There are many reasons that the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country was a large one and Americans like to move around in it. The car provides the most comfortable and cheapest from of transportation. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
The second reason that cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed an efficient and inexpensive form of public transportation. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in the other parts of the world. Nowadays there is good system of air service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used frequently.
The third reason is the most important one. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don't like to wait for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don't like to have to follow an exact schedule. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
The gas shortage has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real solution will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much gas. | high22366.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "objective"
},
"options": [
"dissatisfied",
"defensive",
"optimistic",
"objective"
],
"question": "The author's attitude towards the recorded music may best be described as _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_que... | More than a century ago, the composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa warned that technology would destroy music, who said, "These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy ... in front of every house in the summer evenings you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or the old songs. Today you hear these terrible machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord left."
Music has greatly changed in the past hundred years, which has been everywhere in our world: rivers of digital melody flow on the Internet or on disc; MP3 players with forty thousand songs can be put in a back pocket or a purse. Yet, for most of us, music is no longer something we do ourselves, or even watch other people do in front of us. It has become a radically virtual medium, an art without a face.
Ever since Edison invented the phonograph cylinder , people have been assessing what the medium of recording has done for and to the art of music. Sousa was a spokesman for the party of doom; in the opposite corner are the utopians , who argue that technology has not imprisoned music but liberated it. Before Edison came along, Beethoven's symphonies could be heard only in select concert halls. Now the recordings carry the man from Bonn to the corners of the earth. Glenn Gould, after renouncing live performance in 1964, predicted that within the century the public concert would disappear into the electronic air.
Having discovered much of my favorite music through LPs and CDs, I am not about to join Sousa's party. Modern urban environments are often so soulless or ugly that I'm grateful for the humanizing touch of electronic sound. But neither can I accept Gould's slashing futurism. I want to be aware of technology's effects, positive and negative. Fortunately, scholars and critics have been methodically exploring this _ for many decades, trying to figure out exactly what happens when we listen to music with no musicians in the room. | high6393.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "before publication"
},
"options": [
"one month after publication",
"immediately upon publication",
"before publication",
"before completion"
],
"question": "The novel made the best-seller list _ .",
"ques... | In spite of ill health and a physical incapacity that threatened her career, Carson McCullers completed a novel in the summer of 1961 that made the best-seller list before its official publication; date by virtue of prepublication sales.
In an interview at her home, the noted novelist looked back on some of her problems of recent years and spoke without emotion of her latest book, Clock without Hands, her first in fifteen years, "For many years I had been thinking of the novel and finally wrote it this passed year. ""The tall, frail novelist, forty-three years old in 1961, suffered a series of strokes in her twenties that left her partially incapacitated, and she also admitted that a mental block kept her away from writing for many years after the strokes.
Mrs McCullers once wrote that "writing is a wandering, dreaming occupation. " But beyond the admission that she works" very hard" at her writing, she is shy about discussing her work. She is remote from literary fashions, and she has never learned to intellectualize her art, but she reads her critics and takes them seriously.
Clock Without Hands depicts Mrs McCullers' native South and the slow passing of the old way of life through the lives of a dying pharmacist , a white judge and former congressman, his rebellious grandson, and two Negroes. Among her earlier noted works are Member of the Wedding, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and Ballad of Sad Cafe. | high23078.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "By getting the fish over and hitting it with his harpoon."
},
"options": [
"By keeping his head clear up.",
"By pulling the fish to his boat.",
"By stopping the fish making turns.",
"By getting the fish over and hitting... | He felt faint again now but he held on the great fish all the strain that he could. I moved him, he thought. Maybe this time I can get him over. Pull, hands, he thought. Hold up, legs. Last for me, head. Last for me. You never went. This time I'll pull him over.
But when he put all of his effort on, starting it well out before the fish came alongside and pulling with all his strength, the fish pulled part way over and then righted himself and swam away.
"Fish," the old man said. "Fish, you are going to have to die anyway. Do you have to kill me too?"
That way nothing is accomplished, he thought. His mouth was too dry to speak but he could not reach for the water now. I must get him alongside this time, he thought. I am not good for many more turns. Yes, you are, he told himself. You're good for ever.
On the next turn, he nearly had him. But again the fish righted himself and swam slowly away.
You are killing me, fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or more noble thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.
Now you are getting confused in the head, he thought. You must keep your head clear. Keep your head clear and know how to suffer like a man. Or a fish, he thought.
"Clear up, head," he said in a voice he could hardly hear. "Clear up."
Twice more it was the same on the turns.
I do not know, the old man thought. He had been on the point of feeling himself go each time. I do not know. But I will try it once more.
He tried it once more and he felt himself going when he turned the fish. The fish righted himself and swam off again slowly with the great tail weaving in the air.
I'll try it again, the old man promised, although his hands were mushy now and he could only see well in flashes.
He tried it again and it was the same. So he thought, and he felt himself going before he started; I will try it once again.
He took all his pain and what was left of his strength and his long gone pride and he put it against the fish's agony and the fish came over onto his side and swam gently on his side, his bill almost touching the planking of the skiff and started to pass the boat, long, deep, wide, silver and barred with purple and interminable in the water.
The old man dropped the line and put his foot on it and lifted the harpoon as high as he could and drove it down with all his strength, and more strength he had just summoned, into the fish's side just behind the great chest fin that rose high in the air to the altitude of the man's chest. He felt the iron go in and he leaned on it and drove it further and then pushed all his weight after it.
Then the fish came alive, with his death in him, and rose high out of the water showing all his great length and width and all his power and his beauty. He seemed to hang in the air above the old man in the skiff. Then he fell into the water with a crash that sent spray over the old man and over all of the skiff. | high20571.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "cooperating with Watson to beat Ranbaxy"
},
"options": [
"marketing Lipitor more actively",
"making the price of Lipitor go up",
"cooperating with Watson to beat Ranbaxy",
"encouraging Watson to produce cheaper copies"
... | For some years the big drugmakers have been worrying about an approaching "patent cliff"--a fall in sales as the patents on their most popular pills expire or are struck down by legal challenges, with few new potential _ to take their place. This week the patent on the best-selling drug in history expired--Lipitor, an anti-cholesterol pill which earned Pfizer nearly $11 billion in revenues last year.In all, pill like Lipitor with a combined $170 billion in annual sales will go off-patent by the end of 2015.
What is supposed to happen now is that lots of copycat firms rush in with "generic" (ie, chemically identical) versions of Lipitor at perhaps one-fifth of its price.Patients and health-care payers should reap the benefit.Pfizer's revenues should suffer. The same story will be repeated many times, as other best-selling drugs march over the patent cliff
But generics makers may face delays getting their cheaper versions to market.Ranbaxy, a Japanese-owned drugmaker, struggled to get regulators' approval for its generic version of Lipitor, and only won it on the day the patent expired.More importantly, research-based drug firms are using a variety of tactics to make the patent cliff slope more gently. Jon Leibowitz, chairman of America's Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is concerned by drugmakers filing additional patents on their products to put off the day when their protection expires.
Another tactic is "pay-for-delay", in which a drugmaker facing a legal challenge to its patent pays its would-be competitor to put off introducing its cheaper copy. In the year to October the FTC identified what it believes to be 28 such settlements. American and European regulators are looking into these deals. However, legal challenges against them have been delayed, and a bill to ban them is stuck in Congress.
To encourage generics makers to challenge patents on drugs, and introduce cheaper copies,
an American law passed in 1984 says that the first one to do so will get a 180-day exclusivity period,in which no other generics maker can sell versions of the drug in question, as Ranbaxy supposedly won with Lipitor.
However, Pfizer is exploiting a loophole in the 1984 law, which lets it appoint a second, authorised copycat--in this case, Watson, another American firm.According to BernsteinResearch, under the deal between the two drugmakers Pfizer will receive about 70% of Watson's revenues from its approved copy of Lipitor.More unusual, Pfizer has cut the price of its original version, and will keep marketing it vigorously. So Ranbaxy faces not one, but two competitors.
All this may raise Pfizer's sales by nearly $500m in the last half of 2015 compared with what they would otherwise have been, says Tim Anderson of BernsteinResearch, with revenues then falling after the 180 days are over. Others fear that Pfizer's tactics , if copied, will make the 180-day exclusivity period worth far less, and thus discourage generic firms from challenging patents in the first place. | high11974.txt |
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