questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in the end"
},
"options": [
"at the beginning",
"on one's own",
"in the end",
"without help"
],
"question": "In the writer's opinion,when one learns a new language,one should learn its idioms _ .",
"quest... | I was asked in an email about learning idioms in a foreign language. Maybe I am different from most people,but I do not bother with them. To me they are kind of dessert of language learning. They come at the end of a meal. Once you have filled up with the key words and phrases that are used in a variety of situations,then you can add a few idioms. And by that time, you will be able to pick them up naturally anyway.
I find that many learners have trouble with idioms,as if repeating some very colloquial expressions is going to upgrade how they sound in a language. In fact, it is the opposite. Idioms are difficult to use correctly.
Yes,occasionally you hear idioms and do not understand. But,in my experience,there are always situations where you do not understand. It is best to focus on the most important words,what they mean and how they are used. Certainly,it is best for a nonnative speaker to stick to standard speech.
Some teachers even try to teach the "real language".Then you hear nonnative speakers saying things like "I goanna", "You wane" etc.
You will learn all the idioms you need just by exposing yourself to the language. In general,you can save any phrase that you find interesting,and if that includes idioms,go to it. But I would not make any special effort to go after idioms. I,in fact,avoid them. If I come across something in Russian that strikes me as a particularly idiomatic use of words,I just leave it aside; do not even bother trying to learn it. If it keeps on appearing,then I will learn it. | high14788.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Substance containing virus used for protecting people against diseases."
},
"options": [
"virus used for fighting against disease.",
"Antibodies to fight germs.",
"Formula to fight against disease.",
"Substance containi... | DID you get a flu shot this year? For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the prefix = st1 /USis recommending that all children aged from 6 months to 18 years receive the flu vaccine.
Vaccines battle diseases caused by bacteria and viruses. A weakened form of the germ is introduced into the body. The body makes special substances called antibodies to fight the germs. If the actual germs were to attack, the antibodies would fight it.
Because there are many kinds of flu viruses, scientists must create a new vaccine formula each year. Researchers must make a prediction.
It is like forecasting the weather. Sometimes they are right on, and sometimes they are off. But even when the vaccinedoes not closely match circulating flu types, it can make the illness less serious.
"The flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio vaccine or the measles vaccine," says Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. "It's not a great vaccine, but it is quite a good vaccine."
But a flu vaccine doesn't work for everyone. There are certain people who should be careful about taking it.
Because the vaccine is produced in eggs, those who are allergic to eggs should not take it. If you have a fever, you should wait until you recover.
Some people are afraid that they might get the flu from the flu shot. Scientists say that it is not possible, because the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated. But some minor side effects such as low-grade fever and body ache could occur. If they do, they begin soon after the shot and usually last only one to two days.
Did you know?
Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by putting a virus into a healthy person. In 1796, English scientist Edward Jenner placed some infected material under a boy's skin. | high23124.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "surprised"
},
"options": [
"excited",
"pleased",
"interested",
"surprised"
],
"question": "The passengers were _ to see the conductor's kindness to the woman and the child.",
"question_type": "cloze_qu... | A young woman carrying a three-year-old child got on a bus. The conductor hurried to give her a warm welcome and then kindly asked the other passengers to make more room for the woman and her child. On seeing this, people began to talk. "You know this conductor used to be very rude. Now suddenly he has changed his bad behavior , "said a middle-aged man.
"Yes, he should be praised and we must write a letter to the company," said a second passenger. "That's right," another lady said, "I wish a newspaper reporter were here so that more people could learn from this conductor. "
Just then a gentleman who looked like a teacher turned to the conductor and said , "Excuse me, but can I know your name, please? Your excellent service must be praised..."
Before he could open his mouth, the three-year-old child sitting on the young woman's lap interrupted , "I know his name. I call him Dad." | high15496.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Writers like Yoshiko Uchida look to the richness of their lives for material."
},
"options": [
"People who live in the city should spend as much time as they can in the country.",
"Writers like Yoshiko Uchida must communicate with ... | Where do most writers get their ideas? For Yoshiko Uchida, it all began with Brownie, a five-month-old puppy. So excited was Yoshiko by Brownie's arrival that she started keeping a journal, writing about all the wonderful things Brownie did and the progress he made.
Soon she was writing about other memorable events in her life, too, like the day her family got their first refrigerator. She also began writing stories, thanks to one of her teachers. Yoshiko wrote stories about animal characters such as Jimmy Chipmunk and Willie the Squirrel. She kept on writing, sharing the kitchen table with her mother, who wrote poems on scraps of paper and the backs of envelopes.
Yoshiko grew up in the 1930s in Berkeley, California. Her parents, both of whom had been born in Japan, provided a loving and happy home for Yoshiko and her sister. They also provided a stream of visitors to their home who later found their way into Yoshiko's stories. One visitor who later appeared in several of Yoshiko's stories was the bad-tempered Mr. Toga, who lived above the church that her family attended. Mr. Toga would scold anyone who displeased him. The children all feared him and loved to tell stories about how mean he was and how his false teeth rattled when he talked.
Yoshiko also included in her stories some of the places she visited and the experiences she had. One of her favorite places was a farm her parents took her to one summer. The owners of the farm, showed Yoshiko and her sister how to pump water from the well and how to gather eggs in the henhouse. They fed the mules that later pulled a wagon loaded with hay while Yoshiko and the others rode in the back, staring up at the stars shining in the night sky. Yoshiko, who lived in the city, had never seen such a sight. As Yoshiko gazed up at the stars, she was filled with hope and excitement about her life. The images of that hayride stayed with her long after the summer visit ended, and she used them in several of her stories.
The experiences Yoshiko had and the parade of people who marched through her young life became a part of the world she created in over twenty books for young people, such as The Best Bad Thing and A Jar of Dreams. Because of such books, we can all share just a little bit of the world and the times in which this great writer grew up. | high11828.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the world of fantasy frightens us"
},
"options": [
"the world of fantasy frightens us",
"the real world is often disappointing",
"we can find happy endings there",
"we can always have our wishes fulfilled"
],
"q... | Sometimes the real world can be a confusing place. It is not always fair or kind. And in the real world there are not always happy endings. That is why, every once in a while, we like to escape into the world of fantasy -- a place where things always go our way and there is always a happy ending.
We want to believe in fantastic creatures in imaginary lands. We want to believe in magic powers, good friends, and the power of good to overcome evil. We all fantasize about being able to fly and lift buildings off the ground. And how good a magic sword would feel in our hand as we go off to kill a dragon or win the hand of a beautiful princess.
The amazing adventures of Superman, Peter Pan, and Harry Potter have charmed many people, children and adults alike. The main reason is that these stories offer us chances to get away from this real, frustrating world and allow us to find some magical solutions to our problems. For example, Superman always arrives in the nick of time to prevent a disaster from happening. Peter Pan can fly at will to tease the bad guy Captain Hook, and Harry Potter has his magic power to take revenge on his uncle, aunt and cousin, who always ill-treat him. | high17281.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The word \"motel\" is formed by two words."
},
"options": [
"You can only find motels in the big National Parks.",
"They are free for people who arrive by car.",
"If you want to stay at a motel, you must have a car.",
"... | When you visit America, you will see the word Motel on signs and notice boards. It is made up of "motor" and "hotel" and it is really a hotel for people who arrive by car (how-ever, you don't need a car to stay at one). You have to pay when you arrive for your room, which usually has a bath. Meals are not provided, but there will certainly be a cafeteria . Americans eat a lot of salads and sandwiches. Along the main roads there are a lot of motels. Each tries to offer more than next. Some provide television in every bedroom; others have swimming pools; and so on. Motels are especially useful when you are in the country, far from a town or city. You will also find them in the big National Parks.
In these great National Parks, you may meet guests you don't expect to see. An American friend told me a little story. In the middle of a moonless night she heard strange noises outside her motel window in the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Thinking it might be a thief, she jumped out of bed, opened the door and _ towards a dark shadow . As she got close, she saw the thief. She was dreadfully frightened: it wasn't a human thief -- it was a big black bear. The bear was turning over some empty tins with its paw, looking for tasty bits of food. My friend decided to leave that particular thief alone!
There are also, of course, places called "rooming houses", where they receive lodgers . You will see such signs as Tourists or Rooms Rent, and you could try one of these. A word of warning -- looking for a room in New York during the tourist season is like looking for gold on the moon! | high2042.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "America"
},
"options": [
"Australia",
"America",
"Canada",
"China"
],
"question": "The author is most probably from _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | All countries have little known interesting facts about them, including Canada. For example, did you know that although Canada is the second largest county with only 30 million people, making it the 28thlargest in population? Because a large part of Canada is covered with lakes and streams, it has the largest source of fresh water in the world.
The US has a lot of automobiles on the road. Canada has more automobiles per person than any other country, with at least one automobile for every 2 people. And in Canada, 100 different languages are spoken.
Did you know that the Canadian $1 coin is called the Loonie, named after a bird pictured on the coin? Are there any other animals featured on Canadian coins? Yes. The caribou is displayed on the Canadian quarter. Did you also know that Canada has six time zones?
Some of the things we love most in America were created by Canadians. Superman, the chocolate nut bar, basketball, and Ginger Ale were all created by Canadians. Famous inventions that are used by many Americans are credited to Canadians including the walker, used by the elderly or the injured, the common garbage bag, the electric cooking range, and the electric light bulb (even though most people think it was invented by Thomas Edison).
To make our lives easier, Canadians invented the instant mashed potatoes, paint rollers, snow blowers, the wireless radio and the zipper . For communication or fun, the Canadians invented the television, walkie-talkies, telephone, and the snowmobile.
There are many famous people who were born in Canada, including Pamela Anderson, Shania Twain, Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Tilley. | high21900.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it is a matter of life and death"
},
"options": [
"it is a matter of life and death",
"the matter is too difficult to handle",
"the matter requires immediate attention",
"the matter is less important"
],
"questi... | In the United States, it is not usual to telephone someone early in the morning. If you telephone early in the day, while he is shaving or having breakfast, the time of the call shows that the matter is very important and requires immediate attention. So it is with the telephone calls made after 11:00 pm. If someone receives a call during sleeping hours, he may think that it's a matter of life and death. The time chosen for the call communicates its importance.
In social life, time plays a very important part. In the USA guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party reaches them only three or four days before the party date. But it is not true in all countries. In other areas of the world, it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. The meaning of time is not the same in different cultures that treat time differently; being on time is valued highly in American life, for example. If people are not on time, they may be regarded as impolite or not fully responsible. In the USA no one would think of keeping a business friend for an hour; it would be too impolite. A person who is 5 minutes late is expected to make a shout apology. It he is less than 5 minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence. | high10505.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because only a few books are thought highly of by her."
},
"options": [
"Because no books are inspiring enough in her eyes.",
"Because only a few books are thought highly of by her.",
"Because she only reads books by famous w... | My mother-in-law, Dorothy, is showing me the red notebook that's almost as precious to her as my husband's baby pictures. Inside the notebook is a list of the books she has read since 2007. For some people waking up in the middle of the night is a terrible thing. But for my mother-in-law, that time is a gift. At 87, she is getting the education she never had by working her way through great literature. She has now read close to 100 books, including every single novel by Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Thomas Mann.
My mother-in-law discusses her passion with the enthusiasm of a young girl, although she can also be a very tough critic, writing "VG' for " very good" in the margins next to her favorites. So far, only a handful of books have received the top prize.
Born in Ridgefield, Conn, Dorothy was the youngest daughter of an Italian gardener. She taught herself English by reading The New York Times. Eager to come to Manhattan, she became a nurse, married a dentist and spent the next several decades keeping the house and raising a family. In her later years, she put her nursing skills to good use by taking care of my father-in-law, who had lung cancer. There were many trips to the emergency room in the middle of the night and then a long hospital stay. She stayed awake to watch over him for 15 hours a day. Always a light sleeper, she developed sleeplessness as a result of the stress.
It worsened after he died. Deeply sad and lonely for the first time in her life, she began waking up around 2am. Julian and Sylvia, the elderly couple next door suggest she read literature. And so Julian, a great lover of literature, became her "professor", providing books from his large library. Suddenly
turned onto a world of amazing characters. | high16174.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Serena Williams has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles"
},
"options": [
"Serena Williams was named as the top female tennis players",
"Serena Williams has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles",
"Rousey challenged no other female MM... | This will make you think twice about dismissing the physical abilities of women.
Serena Williams
If know Serena Williams, then you know better than to harbor any illusions that you can take on the top female tennis player even on your best day. Nicknamed by the media as the Queen of the Court, she has won 19 Grand Slam singles titles and 13 Grand Slam doubles titles as of May 2015. By the way, she can send the ball hurtling towards your face on the excess of 120 miles per hour on her serve.
Ronda "Rowdy" Rousey
Former Olympic judo gold medalist Ronda 'Rowdy' Rousey has been dominating women's MMA for the past several years. She earned the nickname "The Arm Collector" for winning the majority of her fights via armbars. As of May 2015, no other female MMA has put up much of a challenge against Rousey, but some think that the next entry on this list just might give her trouble.
Cristiane 'Cyborg' Justmo
Many believe that Cris Cyborg will give Rousey trouble and may even have an outside chance of beating her. While Rousey is an excellent grappler owing to her judo background, Cyborg is a more well-rounded fighter with excellent standup and groundwork skills. This means that just like Rousey, Cyborg can lay some serious beatdown on you.
Missy Franklin
So you think you are a good swimmer. Well, no matter how good you think you are, you'll very likely still be eating Missy Franklin's pool dust. Missy is a four-time Olympic gold medalist and has also won a bunch of gold medals in the World Championships.
Mirinda Carfae
Do you think you can swim 2.4 miles, ride a bike for 115 miles, and still have enough gas to run for 26 miles? Mirinda Carfae certainly can and she proved that she can do it faster than any woman winning the Ironman World Championships women's division in 2010, 2013, an 2014. | high19247.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he thought the old man was poor"
},
"options": [
"he thought the old man was poor",
"he wanted to start a conversation",
"he intended to show his politeness",
"he would like to thank the old man"
],
"question": ... | One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed am empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat _ . He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversion and spoke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
"My I get you something?"
"A coffee would be nice."
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, we talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit. At the door I met one of my friends. He asked,
"How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?"
"Who?"
"The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs."
I could hardly believe it. I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world's richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are. | high4433.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Margaret Thatcher and her dementia"
},
"options": [
"Margaret Thatcher and her dementia",
"Thatcher's principles and achievements",
"the British Prime Ministers' interests",
"Margaret Thatcher and her husband"
],
... | For history fans, Margaret Thatcher is one of the most interesting of the British Prime Ministers. She is praised by both British and American conservatives for her firm principles and accomplishments of her term.
Being so popular, it is only appropriate that a solid movie be made to detail the life of the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The film Iron Lady focuses on Thatcher (Meryl Streep) and her dementia , with certain items in her house reminding her of periods of her life, which then start series of flashbacks. Thatcher also fantasies of her husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent), and holds conversations with him throughout the film.
In a world controlled by men and where women are thought to belong to the kitchen, Thatcher struggles to break through the barriers of sex to win a seat in Parliament . Not only does she struggle with her sex, but being the daughter of a simple shopkeeper, she struggles with class barriers.
After winning a seat in Parliament in 1959, Thatcher was appointed Secretary of State for Education and Science(SES). The film details how the leadership of her party didn't take her or her opinions seriously. Thatcher became tired of being unheard and decided to challenge the leadership of the party and run for Leader of the Opposition. Not expecting to win the position, she took off in popularity, continuing a strong campaign even after her manager was killed by the Irish Republican Army.
Thatcher, after the conservative party won a majority in Parliament, became the first woman Prime Minister of the UK. She took off in popularity until an economic decline hit the country. She regained popularity after the Falklands War.
The film, in many cases, shows archive footage to convey the historic timeline of the movie. The film does an excellent job in recording the complex life of one of Britain's most complex women. It examines the price that Lady Thatcher paid for power, the class and sex struggles she overcame, and the burden of dementia. The film strikes an astonishingly dear portrait of the "Iron Lady" and will be sure to stand the test of time. | high12312.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to their mothers."
},
"options": [
"Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to their mothers.",
"Because they want to express thanks and send best wishes to ... | Who give us life,raise us and are our constant support and wellwishers?Our mothers.That's why millions of people across the world take Mother's Day as an opportunity to express thanks and send best wishes to their moms.
However,the celebration of Mother's Day is not the recent thing that many believe it to be.It was the ancient Greeks who started the tradition by celebrating their annual spring festival in honor of Rhea,the mother of many gods and goddesses.
Later,in the 1600s,Mothering Sunday came to be celebrated in England.On the fourth Sunday of Lent ,children brought flowers and special fruitcakes to show their respect for their mothers.It may be the root of the modern Mother's Day.
Thanks to the great efforts of Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis,Mother's Day became an official festival in the US.It is celebrated on the second Sunday in May.Later,many countries began to celebrate this day as Mother's Day.
Today,Mother's Day is an international festival honoring mothers.It is celebrated all over the world in different ways.In Western countries,the most common way is to treat mothers with breakfast in bed.Kids often allow their mothers to sleep till late in the morning while they prepare her favorite breakfast with their fathers.Some also make handmade gifts or buy beautiful carnations .It is the day when you acknowledge your mothers contribution in your life and pay a tribute to her,often with flowers and gifts.It complements Father's Day,the celebration honoring fathers.
Today,Mother's Day is a day celebrated on various days in many places around the world. | high6224.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque"
},
"options": [
"the Terracotta Warriors and Shanxi Provincial Museum",
"the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Mosque",
"little wild goose Pagoda and Great Mosque",
"Little ... | 14 days from just PS2,090 pp
Fully inclusive from the UK
Price covers, international airfares, departure taxes, fuel charge, local transportation all meals, entrance fees, guides, daily tours and visas for UK citizens.
* Days 1-3: UK-Shanghai
Fly to the great city of shanghai and in the evening _ traditional shanghai food. Visit the beautiful Yu Garden, Old Town. Shanghai Museum, cross the Grest Nanpu Bridge and tour the Pudong area. Also explore Xintiandi with its 1920's style Shikomen buildings and end your stay in Shanghai with an amazing Huangpu River evening tour.
* Days 4-7: Shanghai-Yangtze River Tour
Fly to Yichang and change(approx: one hour)to board your Yangtze River ship for the next four nights. Enjoy a tour of the three Gorges Dam before sailing on the grand Yangtze River, passing through the impressive Three Gorges. We take a side trip to the Lesser Three Gorges or travel up the Shennong Stream in a peapod boat and enjoy various shore trips along the way.
* Day 8: Chongqing--Chengdu
Get off in Chongqing and drive to Chengdu for an overnight stay.
* Day 9-10: Chengdu-Xi'an
Visit the famous Panda Reserve to see the lovely animals. We then fly to the historic city of Xi'an for two nights, stay and enjoy traditional Shuijiao. Next day, explore one of the most important discoveries of the 20th century--the Terracotta Warriors ,followed by the ancient City Wall and a performance of Tang Dynasty dancing.
* Day11-13: Xi'an-Beijing
Visit little wild Goose Pagoda and see the ancient objects at the well-known Shanxi Provincial Museum before walking through the lively Muslim Quarter to see the Great Mosque. Later fly to Beijing for three nights' stay and try Peking Duck. During our stay in Beijing, we stroll through Tian'anmen Square to the Forbidden city, the largest and best preserved collection of ancient buildings in China, and visit the summer palace. Next day we take a walk on the Great wall, tour the unique Temple of Heaven and enjoy an attractive Chinese Acrobatic Show.
* Day 14: Beijing-UK
Fly back to the UK, arriving home later the same day filled with happy memories. | high14763.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "people scan for the news they are interested in"
},
"options": [
"people are interested in the same kind of news",
"different people prefer different newspapers",
"people scan for the news they are interested in",
"peop... | A good modern newspaper is an extraordinary piece of reading. It is unusual for what it contains: the news from local crime to international politics, from sports to business to fashion to science, and the comments and special features as well, from editorial page to feature articles, from interviews to criticism of books, art, theatre, and music. A newspaper is even more unusual for the way one reads it never completely, never straight through, but always by jumping from here to there, in and out, glancing at one piece, reading another article all the way through, reading just a few paragraphs of the next.
A good modern newspaper offers a variety to attract many different readers, but far more than any one reader is interested in. What brings this variety together in one place is its _ , that is, its immediate relation to what is happening in your world and your locality now. But this immediacy and the speed of production that goes with it also mean that much of what appears in a newspaper has no more than temporary value. For all these reasons, no two people really read the same paper: what each person does is to put together, out of the pages of that day's paper, his own selection and order, his own newspaper. For all these reasons, reading newspapers efficiently which means getting what you want from them without missing things you need but without wasting time, demands skill and self-awareness as you change and apply the techniques of reading. | high6542.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "it's not a good idea to let a shopping addict pay by credit cards"
},
"options": [
"shopping addiction can't cause serious problems",
"shopping addicts only want enjoyable activities through buying",
"it's not a good idea to ... | For many people shopping is considered to be one of the favorite activities. For most of them it is just buying some new clothes or presents for close people. But there is another way for whom shopping is much more than just enjoyable activity, it is a real addiction that in many cases leads to a financial disaster, as well as it brings troubles to person's life and family.
So why can shopping be so addictive? What are the possible signs to be aware of? And how is it possible to stop the need of spending?
"Some of the new evidence suggests that some people, maybe 10%-15%, may have a genetic preference to an addictive behavior, coupled with an environment in which the particular behavior is caused, but no one really knows why." However, it is much better understood as to why "shopaholics" continue with their unhealthy and destructive behaviors. Individuals get pleasure from their addiction the same way as if they were under drugs.
And when is it really possible to determine whether simple shopping has crossed the border and has already turned into addiction?
Shopaholics go out and buy things much more often than other people do. They often buy things they do not need. Many shopping addicts go on shopping binges all year long and may be forced to buy certain items, such as shoes, clothing or kitchen items. Some just will buy anything. Many times they will spend over their budget limits and get into deep financial trouble, spending well above their income. While someone else will think many times if they can afford this or that thing, shop addicts will not recognize the boundaries of a budget. | high9671.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "his school"
},
"options": [
"his friends",
"his choice to be a lawyer",
"his school",
"his favorite tennis star"
],
"question": "We can know that Adam Gun is satisfied with _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_q... | I'm Adam Gun from Istanbul, Turkey. I'm in a good school. And at the age of 15, in my first year of high school. I'm a great fan of tennis and cycling. I play tennis twice a week for two hours each time. Sometimes I want to play more, but I just keep playing for hours on end, never getting tired of doing it. This is one of the rare things I love in my life, in addition to cycling.
Like tennis, I find that I'm able to ride for ever and ever. Since Istanbul is made up of large and small hills, it's a nice challenge to ride my bike every day. Although there aren't many cycling places in Istanbul, I'm lucky enough to live near the biggest park. It's downhill from my house to the park and I enjoy cycling up as much as floating down, because it's challenging.
Now I have been thinking about being a lawyer and following my father's footsteps, but I just don't think I'm _ it. I have heard people tell me over and over again: If you want to be happy with your life, you need to like and enjoy your job. Well, I'm not sure about the fact that I will enjoy being a lawyer when I grow up. I'm just not the type of person who sits down and studies for hours. So I just need opinions on whether to become a tennis player(hopefully), to become a cyclist(hopefully) or to become a lawyer. | high12474.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Various opinions on soy products for US schools."
},
"options": [
"The difficulty in using soy products for US schools.",
"Various opinions on soy products for US schools.",
"The plan that is made by the US government for sch... | WASHINGTON--Tofu and Soyaburgers may be coming to American school lunch menus.What will the kids say?
"Terrible," said Greg Dudzinski,17,of Ripon High School in Wisconsin,as he toured the US capital.
"The regular hamburgers are bad enough,so soyaburgers would be a lot worse," offered Zach Richey,13,of Scottsboro Junior High in Alabama,another tourist.
But the United States government--hoping to reduce the amount of fat that children are eating--has approved the use of soy as a meat substitute in meals for schools and day-care centers.
Not all kids dislike the change Mariel Spano,17,of Sandy Creek High School in New York,also visiting the capital,said she likes soyaburgers:"There's less fat,and they're better for you.They taste the same,and they're just as good."
The government tried to make soy a meat substitute nearly 20 years ago-but later dropped the idea.At the time,the plan was intended as a cost-cutting move .US Agriculture Department officials say their purpose now is only to make meals healthier.
Schools are likely to increase the amount of soy that is mixed with hamburgers and other foods already on their menus,and they will also be looking to food companies to develop new soy products that children will like "I can't see putting tofu on a student's plate as being acceptable.I can see taking a product that's familiar to the students and adding a large amount of soy to it and having it be acceptable," said Jill Benza,director of food services for the Mesa,Arizona schools. | high23871.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "misfortune in her life forced her to do so"
},
"options": [
"her father was badly injured in a car accident",
"her mother passed away when she was 3",
"her grandma died when she was 12",
"misfortune in her life forced h... | FOR many young people, having to attend school with a parent would be their worst nightmare. However, Senior 1 student Li Qinmei is happy taking her father with her as long as she can go to classes. He is disabled and unable to take care of himself.
The 16-year-old country girl in Zhucheng, Shandong Province has experienced one disaster after another in her short life. Li lost her mother at three. Four years later, her father became paralyzed after a tractor accident. At 12, her misfortune returned with the death of her grandma. Since then she has been forced to shoulder all the responsibility for her broken family.
Li learnt to cook and managed to live a life with an allowance of only 24 yuan per month. The most difficult thing she had to deal with was helping her father bathe, dress and use the toilet as he could hardly move.
"I felt embarrassed, and so did my dad. It was really hard at the beginning," she recalled.
During most of her junior school years, Li went to classes only once a month as her father was seriously ill at the time.
"I taught myself at home and asked teachers for help on my school days," she explained.
Li's hard work paid off this fall. She was admitted by Zhucheng No 1 High School, a local key school, based on her good performance in the entrance exams.
The school offered Li and her father a room on campus to live in so she could look after him during breaks.
Once in a while, Li felt sad when she saw her classmates going shopping or _ with friends.
"I envy them sometimes because they have both mum and dad to look after them. However, I soon feel relieved as I still have my dad with me," she said.
Li admitted that the difficulties in life had taught her to be strong.
"I believe I will go on and continue my studies at a good university," she said, in a confident tone.
Her teacher Mr. Wang has the same belief. Li made great progress in the recent monthly exams. "She works hard and is always eager to excel . It's not easy for her never to be late for school, but she has managed to make it work," Wang said. | high961.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a good place to fly over"
},
"options": [
"a good place to land at by aeroplane",
"difficult place to fly over",
"a good place to fly over",
"a good place to live in"
],
"question": "The polar region is _ .",... | We all know that it is possible for ordinary people to make their homes on the equator ( ), although often they may feel uncomfortably hot there. Millions do it. But as for the North Pole ---- we know that it is not only a dangerously cold place, but that people like you and we would find it quite impossible to live there. At the present time only the scientists and explorers can do so, and they use special equipment. Men had been traveling across and around the equator on wheels, on their feet or in ships for thousands of years; but only a few men, with great difficulty and in very recent time, have ever crossed the ice to the North Pole. So it may surprise you to learn that, when traveling by air, it is really safer to fly over the North Pole than over the equator. Of course, this is not true about landings in the polar region (which passenger aeroplanes do not make).
But the weather, if we are flying at a height of 5,000 meters above the Pole , is a delight. At 4,000 meters and more above the earth you can always be sure that you will not see a cloud in the sky as far as the eye can reach. In the tropics , on the other hand, you are not certain to keep clear of ( ) bad weather even at such heights as 18,000 or 20,000 meters .
Aeroplanes can't climb as high or as quickly in cold air as in warm. Nor can clouds. In practice, this is an advantage to the aeroplane, which is already at a good height when it reaches the polar region and so it does not need to climb, while at the same time cold air keeps the clouds down low. | high16612.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They have set a bad example and should be criticized."
},
"options": [
"They could laugh after they gained others' permission.",
"They have set a bad example and should be criticized.",
"They actually wanted to make their exc... | Opera |BooingattheRoyalOperaHouse
Audience love to make a noise. They will cough, laugh or clap. Disrupting an event satisfies our sense of narcissism . The booing of a violent scene in the Royal Opera House's new production ofGuillaumeTellmay have been justified, but it set a bad beginning. Audience enjoyed a secret feeling of excitement, the unacknowledged desire to do it again. (Hunter-Tilney,FinancialTimes)
Publishing |TheTrueDetectiveofthe1940s
With their beautiful covers and well-designed headlines,TrueDetectivewas a significant part of the publishing industry in America. At its peak in the 1940s it sold two million copies a month. (John Marr,TrueCrime)
Books |Readingbythesoftglowofyourphone
Readers are using smart phones more often than before."It's partly a matter of convenience. But it's also a function of screen size and resolution. However, the use of e-readers is falling fast."(Jennifer Maloney,TheWallStreetJournal)
Pop music |WhytheInternetdidn'tkillmusic
Art thrives in the age of the Internet. Only the music industry has been basically disrupted."Writers, performers, directors and even musicians report their economic fortunes to be similar to those of their counterparts 15 years ago, and in many cases they have improved. Against all odds, the voices of the artists seem to be louder than ever."(Steven Johnson,TheNewYorkTimes)
For more articles which are read most this week, visithttp://www.bbc.com/culture. | high19521.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "listen to Christine Brennan"
},
"options": [
"go to Blue Tent at 11:15a.m.",
"enjoy Jami Bernard's talk",
"listen to Christine Brennan",
"attend the Art of the Review"
],
"question": "If you like sports writing,... | *Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food
9:00-9:45a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists : Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer.
Hosted by Denise Gray, science writer for The New York Times.
How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world? The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics.
* Sports writing: For the Love of the Game
9:50-10:35a.m. Blue Tent
Panelists: Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape.
Hosted by William C. Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times.
Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience. Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news.
* The Art of the Review
11:15-12:00a.m. Green Tent
Panelists: John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler.
Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review.
How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales? Join this group of critics as they discuss the reality of the book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review.
* New York Writers, New York Stories
3:00-3:45p.m. Green Tent
Panelists: Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss. | high4355.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "some kind of medicine"
},
"options": [
"a machine to make people small",
"a new way to study the family of mites",
"a new powerful microscope",
"some kind of medicine"
],
"question": "It can be inferred that Fin... | I sometimes wonder if old Finchley has the right personality to be a research scientist. He keeps asking when he'll be coming back. After all, it was his own fault. Nobody tries out what has just been invented on themselves any more but Finchley. Well, he must have pumped about a thousand cc into himself before I noticed he was clearly becoming smaller.
It was funny watching him, because his clothes remained the same in size. They simply piled up around him so that he looked like a small boy in his father's clothes. But he kept getting smaller and smaller. As my colleague Dawson and I watched him, he disappeared! All we could see was Finchley's clothes on the floor. They looked so strange, because the lab coat was on top, shirt and trousers inside and, I suppose, underclothes inside again. It gave me a strange feeling, and I think Dawson was a bit shaken, too.
Dawson was sitting on his chair in front of a microscope he'd been using to examine a family of mites . He looked through the scope kind of absently again, and was nearly scared to lose awareness when he found old Finchley waving back from the other end.
It seems as if Finchley had taken a free ride on a dust mite and landed on the land of the mite family. Of course, we didn't know till Finchley told us later. But anyhow, as I said, Dawson nearly passed out. He jumped off his chair and pointed at the microscope, too shocked to speak. | high2724.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It would be her business to take care of the dog"
},
"options": [
"She was afraid the dog would get the family, into trouble.",
"It would be her business to take care of the dog",
"Her husband and daughter were united as one.... | In 2004 ,when my daughter Becky was ten , she and my husband ,Joe, were united in their desire for a dog . As for me , I shared none of their canine lust.
But why , they pleaded. "Because I don't have time to take care of a dog." But we'll do it. " Really? You're going to walk the dog? Feed the dog? Bathe the dog?" Yes, yes , and yes ."I don't believe you ." We will . We promise.
They didn't . From day two (everyone wanted to walk the cute puppy that first day ) , neither thought to walk the dog . While I was slow to accept that I would be the one to keep track of her shots , to schedule her vet appointments , to feed and clean her , Misty knew this on day one . As she looked up at the three new humans in her life (small, medium, and large) , she calculated , _
Quickly, she and I developed something very similar to a Vulcan mind meld . She'd look at me with those sad brown eyes of hers , beam her need , and then wait , trusting I would understand -- which , strangely , I almost always did . In no time , she became my feet as I read , and splaying across my stomach as I watched television .
Even so , part of me continued to resent walking duty . Joe and Becky had promised. Not fair , I'd balk silently as she and I walked . "Not fair , " I' d loudly remind anyone within earshot upon our return home .
Then one day -- January 1, 2007 , to be exact -- my husband ' s doctor uttered an unthinkable word : leukemia ( ) .With that , I spent eight to ten hours a day with Joe in the hospital , doing anything and everything I could to ease his discomfort. During those six months of hospitalizations, Becky, 12 at the time, adjusted to other adults being in the house when she returned from school. My work colleagues adjusted to my taking off at a moment's notice for medical emergencies. Every part of my life changed; no part of my old routine remained.
Save one: Misty still needed walking. At the beginning, when friends offered to take her
through her paces, I declined because I knew they had their own households to deal with.
As the months went by,I began to realize that I actually wanted to walk Misty. The walk in the morning before I headed to the hospital was a quiet, peaceful time to gather my thoughts or to just be before the day's medical drama unfolded. The evening walk was a time to shake off the day's upsets and let the worry tracks in my head go to white noise.
When serious illness visits your household, it's , not just your daily routine and your assumptions about the future that are no longer familiar. Pretty much everyone you acts differently.
Not Misty. Take her for a walk, and she had no interest in Joe's blood counts or 'one marrow test results. On the street or in the park, she had only one thing on her mind: squirrels! She Was so joyous that even on the worst days, she could make me smile. On a daily basis she reminded me that life goes on.
After Joe died in 2009,Misty slept on his pillow.
I'm gratefulto a point. The truth is, after years of balking, I've come to enjoy m' walks with Misty. As I watch her chase after a squirrel, throwing her whole being into the here-and-now of an exercise that has never once ended in victory, she reminds me, too, that no matter how harsh the present or unpredictable the future , there's almost always some measure of joy to be extracted from the moment. | high10263.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "$ 400,000"
},
"options": [
"$ 450,000",
"$ 400,000",
"$ 350,000",
"$ 300,000"
],
"question": "When the author's company started operation, he had _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"an... | Burn rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate was $ 75,000 a month. Four months after my company was set up, I had only a quarter of the starting capital left in the bank.
Looking for guidance, I went to talk to my friend, Arthur Walworth about my new venture. "Times of great change always bring out the risk-takers," he said. "And they leave winners and losers. My grandfather invested a lot of money in a project of Thomas Edison's that ended up in failure. "
I was lost in thought at the notion (an idea or belief about something) of a Thomas Edison project ending in failure. Damn. It could happen to anybody! I must continue.
At that time CD-ROM sales had bombed, so investors were fleeing from the field. I didn't turn away from mine entirely, but instead linked it to the Internet.
My plan was to offer consumers descriptions of home-design products by using a special software and let them modify the designs. Then we can enable them to get online professional and constructional help to have their houses built, decorated and furnished according to their own choice.
To realize my plan I needed investors, so I continued to meet regularly with venture capitalists. One said I had a great idea. But I needed to test it. Get the money somewhere. To get this money from a venture capitalist is going to cost my wife and my children! He turned down my request.
Wife? Children? I hardly remembered them.
I was working nonstop --- struggling to turn the key in the lock, to find the right way ahead. The pressure was terrible. It was just at this time that my parents and sisters stepped up. Two hundred thousand dollars. A lot of money to them, invested in this crazy son and brother without a moment's hesitation. Dad and Mom had driven out from Chicago and seen the passion in my little office and the trouble at home.
With their help my company survived and has been prospering ever since. | high4341.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "contains seeds in its material"
},
"options": [
"can be used many times",
"contains seeds in its material",
"can be used as a flowerpot",
"is made of waterproof material"
],
"question": "The plantable coffee cup... | Unless you bring your own thermos, paper cups are the real option for on-the-go coffee. But as we all know, producing these simple items cuts down forests of trees and contributes to mountains of waste. In fact, Starbucks alone uses 4 billion paper cups a year globally and most of these plastic-lined cups are never recycled.
But a project from Reduce. Reuse. Grow. is handling the coffee industry's paper cup problem by giving these single-use coffee holders a further purpose: reforestation.
A company in California has developed the world's first plantable coffee cup, which has seeds in the paper-based material. That means after you're done with the cup, you can tear it, leave it in water for a few minutes, bury it and let nature take over.
To prevent the spread of invasive plants, the bottom of the cup details the seed variety and also includes instructions on how to plant it either in the northern or central coast of California. For those who don't want to get their hands dirty, the cup can be put into a Reduce. Reuse. Grow bin where it will eventually be taken to a reforestation location. The cup can biodegrade within 180 days and offer nutrition to plants.
The company is trying to put the cup into commercial production and persuade coffee shops to buy the cups. | high19535.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because she didn't think people would leave a dog out on such a cold day."
},
"options": [
"Because it was too cold outside.",
"Because she thought Danny lied.",
"Because she didn't think people would leave a dog out on such ... | A ten-year-old boy from Howell, Michigan America is being hailed (...) a hero due to his persistence that led to saving the life of an elderly neighbor. The chain of events unfolded late in the evening on Sunday, January 26th, 2014 when Danny Dipietro was being driven home from hockey practice by his dad.
That's when the young boy noticed an open garage and a figure that he believed was a dog outside an apartment near his house. Given the extremely cold weather, the young boy got a feeling that something was not right. But instead of dismissing it like most kids at his age would have, he insisted that his mother, Dawn, go to examine what was going on. Dawn tried to convince Danny that no one would leave a dog out in such cold weather, but he refused to take no for an answer.
Dawn finally gave in and decided to take a walk to the area with the family dog and see if there was any truth to Danny's premonition . Sure enough, as she got closer to the apartment she noticed a garage that was wide open and a bent figure, waving madly. Upon getting there, she realized that it was not a dog that the young boy had seen, but Kathleen St. Onge, one of her neighbors. The 80-year-old had slipped on some ice in her garage and had been lying there for two hours, unable to get up.
Dawn rushed home to get her husband for help and called 911. The two then returned with some blankets to cover Ms. St. Onge, while they waited for the ambulance to arrive. Though still in hospital, the elderly woman is recovering well and grateful to Danny for his premonition. | high11169.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She wanted to play tennis and have a good education."
},
"options": [
"Poland had no culture of sports.",
"Berkeley had always been her dream university.",
"She wanted to play tennis and have a good education.",
"She wa... | Some people would go through anything just to achieve their dream. Kasia Siwosz is proof. For the final year student on the university women's tennis team, the road to Berkeley, University of California was met with poor advice and misinformation from her home country and _ along the way that fell short of expectations.
Born in Poland, Siwosz began playing tennis at seven years old and developed the skills that helped her earn a top-50 ranking among the ITF Junior division . Siwosz wanted to do more with her life than just play tennis, which led her to seek chances that would also allow her to obtain a top education. While most who grow up in the U.S. are naturally accustomed to the American tradition of collegiate sports, such a custom is not as familiar in a country like Poland. "There's no collegiate sports in Poland and no culture of sports and academic study there. You can only do one, not both," Siwosz said.
Her desire to have a quality education led her to America to follow her dream. While Siwosz was talented enough to begin her collegiate tennis career, she could only attend community college because she missed the deadline to apply to four-year schools, mainly due to misinformation provided in her home country of Poland.
When she had earned all her credits and was able to transfer , Siwosz made the decision to attend Baylor in Texas. Her friends from Poland put in a good word for the university, saying that it was a good fit because there were many international players at Baylor. "I thought it would be a good idea, but it really wasn't what I thought it would be," Siwosz said. "I wasn't happy at Baylor. The level of tennis was high, but the academic standards were no match and I just wanted more."
After one year at Baylor, Siwosz's luck finally began to change when she made the decision to transfer to Berkeley, which was due in large part to Lee, a former Berkeley student. Lee, who is a keen tennis player himself, met Siwosz four years ago in Texas. "I knew she was unhappy there," he said. "I saw the opportunity for her to come here." Siwosz visited Lee in Berkeley. "I ended up loving this place and this school," Siwosz said. "I came here a lot over the summer, I _ and I ended up with a Berkeley education and a spot on one of the best college tennis teams in the country." | high2730.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "see what color it will become"
},
"options": [
"judge how hard it will be",
"know whether it is still sweet",
"examine what chemicals it contains",
"see what color it will become"
],
"question": "Marraccini stor... | Some people make art with paint, and others use pencil or clay. But Italian artist Maurizio Savini prefers to use bright pink gum--after it has been chewed.
Savini makes huge sculptures of bears and even people out of used chewing gum. Each sculpture requires thousands of pieces of gum.
"I like to use chewing gum because it seemed to me a material that can be used in many ways compared with those used by the conventional arts such as painting," Savini says.
How does he do it? The process is a lot like working with clay. "I work the chewing gum when it is warm and shape it with a knife," says Savini. Then, he puts a chemical onto each gum sculpture to make the gum stay in place.
Savini's sticky art has been shown in cities like London, Paris, and Rome, where he lives today.
Savini isn't the only artist to work with gum. His pink sculptures have inspired artists all over the world to get creative with the sticky matter.
London artist Ben Wilson paints small paintings onto flat pieces of chewed gum he finds stuck to streets and sidewalks. In Canada, Jason Kronenwald uses different colored gum to make portraits of famous people.
Kronenwald seldom chews gum himself. Instead, his friends help chew gum for him while he's working. "At times it can make me _ , but I just pay attention to the colors I need and get the sculpture going," he says.
In America, Jamie Marraccini's art depends on color, so he tests different kinds of gum before using them. To find out what color the chewed gum will become once hardened, he lets it age for up to six months.
"I've created 30 works totaling more than 35,000 pieces of gum," says Marraccini. That's a lot of gum!
So think twice the next time you throw away a wad of gum. Maybe what seems like trash could actually be the beginning of a great piece of art. | high10277.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "an Iraqi"
},
"options": [
"a motorbike rider",
"a car driver",
"an Iraqi",
"a British soldier"
],
"question": "Mr. Bassam Rady was_.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | When he stopped his car at a traffic light in Basra, Bassam Rady noticed the motorbike with two riders on it passed by him slowly. Suddenly the bike turned round and Mr. Rady, feeling dangerous, tried to drive off. Before he could, a man on the back of the bike took out a gun from his jacket and fired. The bullet went through the windscreen and just missed him. As he sped away another shot was fired, but missed the car.
Mr. Rady was an interpreter for British army in Iraq. As such, his life is in danger from the militia that once controlled the Iraqi city and is now returning.
More than a year ago Iraqi soldiers, backed by US, brought peace and stability to Basra by driving militants over the Iranian border in an operation called Charge of the Knights.
According to local estimates, however, about half have returned. Although they have not become as active as before, the militants are trying to shoot Iraqi citizens who worked with British. Most in danger are translators such as Mr. Rady.
The 31-year-old father worked with soldiers on dangerous missions but was refused resettlement in Britain at the end of his employment. He worked with nine translators. Seven of them have been killed.
"I'm like a cancer patient -- now that the militia is back, my family is just waiting for me to die," Mr. Rady said. "I see reports in the media that Basra is safe but it's not true. I know these militia people. I went to school with some of them. I didn't see them for a year but now they are around again. They have told me, 'Your day will come soon'." He takes security precautions and never follows a routine. This means that he cannot work because that would give the militants a better chance of success.
Militiamen belonging to the alMahdi Army took control of Basra between 2004 and 2007 with other Shia fighters. They enforced strict Islamic rules at the same time as running criminal rackets. British army was unable or unwilling to fight back and eventually went back to their base at the airport. | high17518.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Cars that run on thin air."
},
"options": [
"Ways to cut down air pollution.",
"Cars that run on thin air.",
"Formula One racing car designer.",
"Dependence on foreign oil."
],
"question": "What is the passage m... | Can noncombustion technology create a no-pollution way to drive?Imagine pulling into a service station to fuel up your car. But not at the gas pump or electric battery charger --at the air pump! That's not hot air, either! The next generation of cars may run on thin air. Wouldn't that be an incredible way to cut both pollution and dependence on foreign oil?
If you've ever inflated a balloon and then let it go, you've got the basics to test-drive the amazing MiniCAT, currently being developed by Noteur Development International (MDI), headquartered in Luxembourg. Invented by Formula One racing car designer Guy Negre, this experimental vehicle is unlike any car you've ever seen. While your family's traditional car or SUV draws its horsepower using combustion, the only fuel that MiniCAT needs (CAT stands for Compressed Air Technology) is the air we breathe.
Start with about 25,000 gallons of air. Now, press it all into a space smaller than your school locker--because that's the size of two super-strong, high-pressure air tanks, made from fiber and fixed beneath the air car.
_ that much air inside those small tanks generates an internal pressure of over 4,000 pounds per square inch. That's over 300 times normal air pressure.
When this cold, high-pressure air enters MiniCAT's unique engine, it interacts with warmer air to create pressure waves that pump the engine's engineered pistons to move the car. MiniCAT's projected top speed is 60 miles per hour, with a range of 120 miles on a full air supply. | high6556.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "7:30 pm, Jan 23."
},
"options": [
"7:15 pm, Jan 22-23.",
"7:30 pm, Jan 15; 2:30 pm, Jan 16.",
"7:15 pm, Jan 15-16.",
"7:30 pm, Jan 23."
],
"question": "According to the text, when does Youth choir to perform sta... | Art Beat in January 2016
Beijing
Youth choir to perform
The youth choir of China National Symphony Orchestra will soon perform classics including the Mexican folk song, The Golden Nightingale, and the Blue Danube, adapted from a waltz by Johann Strauss II. Pianists Zhao Lin and Wang Tianyang will join in the show.
7:30 pm, Jan 23. Forbidden City Concert Hall, inside Zhongshan Park, west of Tian'anmen Square, Xicheng district. 010-6559-8285.
Orchestra recitals
The China National Center for the Performing Arts Orchestra led by conductor Lyu Jia will give two recitals, featuring works including Beethoven's Coriolanus Overture and Mozart's Symphonies No. 40 & No. 41 Jupiter. Cellist Wang Jian will join in the performances, playing Schumann's Cello Concerto in A minor, Op 129 and Saint-Saens' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op 33.
7:30 pm, Jan 15; 2:30 pm, Jan 16. China National Center for the Performing Arts, No. 2 West Chang'an Avenue, Xicheng District. 010-6655-0000.
Ballet from Paris
Paris Opera Ballet will present two gala performances in the city. Besides highlights of classical ballet, such as Swan Lake and Manon, the program will also include modern pieces from the company's repertoire. The leading etoiles are Ludmila Pagliero and Karl Paquette.
7:15 pm, Jan 15-16. Shanghai Oriental Art Center, 425 Dingxiang Road, Pudong district. 021-6854-1234.
Ensemble of swans
Shanghai Ballet will present two performances of Swan Lake. The production choreographed by British artist Derek Deane who has just completed a tour in 26 cities of the Netherlands. The spectacular production features an ensemble of 48 dancers.
7:15 pm, Jan 22-23. Shanghai Grand Theater, 300 Renmin Avenue, Huangpu district. 400-106-8686. | high14011.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "things weren't going well with Amy at school"
},
"options": [
"her daughter was teased by a fifth grader",
"Amy's disease went much worse than before",
"the contest would change Amy's life",
"things weren't going well w... | As Amy Hagadorn rounded the corner across the hall from her classroom, she crashed with a tall boy from the fifth grade running in the opposite direction.
"Watch it, Squirt," the boy yelled, as he dodged around the little third grader. Then, with an unfriendly smile on his face, the boy took hold of his right leg and mimicked the way Amy limped when she walked.
Amy closed her eyes for a moment. --Ignore him, she told herself as she headed for her classroom.
But at the end of the day, Amy was still thinking about the tall boy's mean teasing. It wasn't as if he were the only one. Amy was tired of it. Sometimes, even in a classroom full of other students, the teasing about her speech or her limping made her feel all alone.
Back home at the dinner table that evening Amy was quiet. That's why Patti Hagdorn was happy to havesome exciting news to share with her daughter.
"There's a Christmas Wish Contest on the radio station," she announced. "Write a letter to Santa and you might win a prize. I think someone at this table with blond curly hair should enter."
Amy giggled. The contest sounded like fun. She started thinking about what she wanted most for Christmas.
A smile took hold of Amy when the idea first came to her. Out came pencil and paper and Amy went to work on her letter. --Dear Santa Claus, she began.
While Amy worked away at her best printing, the rest of the family tried to guess what she might ask from Santa. Amy's sister, Jamie, and Amy's mom both thought a 3-foot Barbie Doll would top Amy's wish list. Amy's dad guessed a picture book. But Amy wasn't ready to reveal her secret Christmas wish just then. Here is Amy's letter to Santa, just as she wrote it that night:
Dear Santa Clause,
My name is Amy. I am 9 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy . I just want one day where no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love,
Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. The workers had fun reading about all the different presents that boys and girls from across the city wanted for Christmas.
When Amy's letter arrived at the radio station, manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He knew cerebral palsy was a muscle disorder that might confuse the schoolmates of Amy who didn't understand her disability. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special third grader and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the News Sentinel. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television station reported the story of the little girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift - just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement.
During that unforgettable Christmas season, over two thousand people from all over the world sent Amy letters of friendship and support. Amy and her family read every single one. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to carry her head high. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy glimpsed a world full of people who truly cared about each other. She realized that no amount or form of teasing could ever make her feel lonely again.
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne Elementary School. Additionally, everyone at school got an added bonus. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially proclaimed December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson.
"Everyone," said the mayor, "wants and deserves to be treated with respect, dignity and warmth." | high9665.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "An Investigation into the Role of the Brain's Hemispheres."
},
"options": [
"An Introduction to Speech Damage in Patients with Brain Damage.",
"An Investigation into the Role of the Brain's Hemispheres.",
"An Analysis of Left... | Before the early 1960's people interested in the differing roles of the left and right hemispheres of the brain depended almost entirely on facts drawn from animal research, form studies of patients with one-sided brain damage. But it was possible to find out which brain hemisphere was most involved in speech and other functions in normal people by having them listen to two different words coming to the two ears at the same time. This became known as the "dichotic listening" procedure. When several word pairs are given in a row, people are unable to report them all, and most right-handers prefer to report, and report more correctly, words given to their right ears. This seems to be related to the fact that signals from the right ear, although sent to both hemispheres, are better sent to the left hemisphere which controls speech. People who have speech represented in the right hemisphere, a very unusual occurrence even in left-handed people, more correctly report what their left ears hear.
In contrast to the right-ear advantage for speech, there is generally a left-ear advantage for another type of auditory signal: music. When right-handed people listen to melodic patterns they report them better from the left ear. | high1239.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "All of the above."
},
"options": [
"people of the white and yellow races",
"many temples and churches",
"beautiful tropical scenery",
"All of the above."
],
"question": "If you visit Malaysia, you will see _ ... | Malaysia is a country of exciting beauty, with a tropical climate. Malaysia's weather is hotter in the lowlands and cooler in the mountains and highlands. Temperatures vary between 20 and 30 centigrade. Rainfall can be expected at any time, with an average of between 200 and 260 centimeters.
The Malaysian population consists of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasians. Its main religions are Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity. Its national language is Malay. English is widely spoken and is used all over the country. Other languages spoken in Malaysia are some Chinese dialects, Tamil, Portuguese and Arabic.
Malaysia is an exciting and fascinating place for tourists, with something special planned throughout the year. The natural attractions are plentiful, with magnificent mountains lying in green, large stretches of sandy beaches and hospitable and friendly people.
Malaysia's economy is the most advanced in this part of the world. The annual income is M$1, 680, one of the highest in the whole of Asia. Malaysia is the world's leading exporter of rubber, tin, tropical hardwood, palm oil, pepper, tea, coffee and cocoa and has vast resources of oil.
Malaysia's capital is Kuala Lumpur in the southwest of the Malay Peninsula. Kuala Lumpur arose in the 1860s when tin was discovered, grew and spread very quickly. It became the state's capital within forty years of its founding. Now it is home to over one million inhabitants , about 56% of whom are Chinese, 28% Malays and the rest are from anywhere and everywhere. | high12460.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he believes he will drown."
},
"options": [
"he is afraid of water.",
"he believes he will drown.",
"he hasn't learnt to swim before.",
"he don't want to live in the world."
],
"question": "In the author's opini... | Have you ever heard the story of the four-minute miles? Many years ago, people believed that it was impossible for a human Being to run a mile in less than four minutes until Roger Banister proved it wrong in 1954.
What happens if you put an animal in a pond? Any animal, big or small, will swim its way through. What happens when someone, who doesn't know how to swim, falls in deep waters? They drown. If an animal who has not learnt swimming could escape by swimming, why not you? Because you believe you will drown while the animal doesn't.
Have you ever wondered why the letters are organized in a particular order on your keyboard? You might have thought it is to increase the typing speed. Most people never question it. But the fact is that this system was developed to reduce the typing speed at a time when typewriter parts would jam if the operator typed too fast.
These three cases show the power of our beliefs. There is no other more powerful directing force in human behavior than belief. Your beliefs have the power to create and to destroy. A belief delivers command to your nervous system.
I used a snake in my workshops for children to show them how unrealistic some of their beliefs are. Students of a school in India, said snakes are slippery and slimy and poisonous. After doing an exercise for changing beliefs, they handled my snake and found it to be dry and clean. They also remembered that only three types of poisonous snakes exist in India.
Did this story end the way you thought? Review your beliefs now and find out which ones you need to change? | high975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "hated slavery from the bottom of her heart"
},
"options": [
"wanted to earn money to support her family",
"tried to set an example to her six children",
"hated slavery from the bottom of her heart",
"had similar life ex... | The novelist, Harriet Beecher Stowe, born 200 years ago, was a poor housewife with six children, and she suffered from various illnesses. Driven by the hatred of slavery, she found time to write Uncle Tom's Cabin, which became the most influential novel in American history and caused great change, both at home and abroad.
Today, however, the book has a different reputation, owing to the popular image of its character, Uncle Tom, whose name has become a saying for a cowardly black man who betrays his race.
But this view is wrong: the original Uncle Tom was physically and morally strong, an inspiration for black people and other oppressed people worldwide. Indeed, that was why, in the mid-19th century, Southerners attacked Uncle Tom's Cabin as a dangerously destructive book, while Northern reformers--especially black people--often praised it.
The book was influential overseas too. In Russia it inspired Vladimir Lenin, who recalled it as his favorite book in childhood. It was the first American novel to be translated and published in China, and it fueled anti-slavery movements in Cuba and Brazil.
The book's progressive appeal was the character of Uncle Tom himself: a strong man who is notable because he does not betray his race; one reason he gives up escaping from his plantation is that he doesn't want to put his fellow slaves in danger. And he is finally killed because he refuses to tell his master where two runaway slaves are hiding.
Unfortunately, these themes were lost in many of the stage versions of Uncle Tom's Cabin.
The play, seen by more people than those who read the book, remained popular up to the 1950s and still appears occasionally. But in the play, Stowe's revolutionary themes were drowned.
But it doesn't have to be that way; indeed; during the civil rights era it was those who most closely resembled Uncle Tom--Stowe's Uncle Tom, not the embarrassed one of popular myth--that proved most effective in promoting progress. Both Stowe and Uncle Tom deserve our reconsideration and our respect. | high15469.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Determined."
},
"options": [
"Determined.",
"Careful.",
"Intelligent.",
"Easy-going."
],
"question": "Which of the following can best describe Wan Guopeng?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | The word dream is probably heard most frequently from people in show business, where everyone dreams of standing under the spotlight and being somebody. But the truth is that most end up being nobodies. Hong Kong director Derek Yee's latest film" I Am Somebody" shows respect for these unknown extras in the film industry.
In the film, Wan Guopeng, son of a woodcutter, comes a long way from the Northeast with only 1,000 yuan to the dream factory of the East to become an actor. In real life, when the young man was chosen by the director to play the leading role, he had only 20 yuan left but still hadn't considered giving up.
Famous Hong Kong actor Tony Leung remembered that 30 years ago, he was a salesman but knew that it was not the kind of life he wanted to live. "Wan is exactly like me back then...Only when I was in an acting training course did I realize that what I wanted to be was an actor, not a star winning the best actor awards."
Yee chose real nobodies to play themselves in the movie. Their strength was their deep understanding of the feelings of the characters they played. But the disadvantage was also obvious: They lacked acting skills. When emotional performances were needed, their expressions and moves seemed unnatural.
The entertainment industry might be the field with the most broken hearts and most efforts gone _ . Here luck, opportunity and physical appearance are probably much more important than hard work.
In the film, Qin Peijun, a survivor from a coal mine collapse , goes all out to take hold of every possibility to appear in the lens of the camera, even if only as an extra. However, it is obviously much harder for him to realize the dream of becoming a professional actor than for Wang Zhao, who is a lazy bone with a pretty face.
Some critical comments are directed at the sudden inversion in the last part of the film. The two leading actors' happy endings seem to disagree with the film's realistic style. But anyway, this movie is not a documentary but a way to reinforce that every brave heart deserves to have their dreams realized. | high12306.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "By plane"
},
"options": [
"By car",
"By plane",
"By ship",
"By train"
],
"question": "How did Thomas arrive in Namibia ?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": ... | Fifteen hours is a long time to be on a plane ,but you know ,Africa is a long way from North America.Finally ,we're in Namibia, a country in southwest Africa.Namibia is about twice the size of California.However, it is home to just over two million people.And the country's main airport is 45 kilometres east of its capital,Windhoek.
Now we are in a wildlife park.We will spend five days finding ways to protect this area's wildlife.At the moment ,my wife and our two kids are enjoying some local dishes.I'm talking with workers in this park.I'm so much looking forward to the following days !
--Thomas
Yesterday morning ,I had nothing to do ,so I went to visit the Eiffel Tower,a symbol of Paris.It was my first time there,so I took a lot of photos.
Finally.The big moment came! A lot of artists came to watch my show.It was a great success.After the show, I attended a big party.It was great,but i felt so sleepy after it.
When I got back to my hotel, it was already 1:15am.I went to bed without washing.I just needed a good rest before my two-hour journey home by plane.
--Jessica | high13018.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "recycling"
},
"options": [
"recycling",
"restoring",
"burying",
"burning"
],
"question": "The main way of handling waste in a green manner in Edinburgh is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{... | In today's throwaway society,dealing with the city's growing mountain of waste is an increasing challenge for the city council .
Recently,Edinburgh is faced with the problem of disposing of about 250,000 million tons of waste a year.Despite different ways to dispose of much of it in a green manner--largely through encouraging recycling--its aging facilities such as the Powderhall landfill do not have the ability to deal with it.
The European Union (EU) has issued a new policy,regulating how such mountains of waste are to be disposed of.The five councils (Edinburgh,East Lothian,West Lothian,Midlothian and Borders) face fines around PS18 million a year from 2013 if they don't increase recycling levels and rely less on landfill.With this in mind,the councils got together with the idea of building a large incinerator plant to burn half of the waste produced in their districts.But this plan fell apart after the change of target levels by a new UK government waste policy which required that no more than 25% of the city's waste should be disposed of in this way by 2025.
After the plan was abandoned,a private company which already transported millions of tons of the city's waste by train to a landfill site near Dunbar,offered an
alternative solution when it suggested opening a huge waste site near Portobello.
Since Powderhall is supposed to close in 2015,it seemed necessary for the members of the Edinburgh Council to accept the suggestion.But soon they turned it down--after 700 local objections reached them--because it would have meant hundreds of lorries a day making loud noise through heavily populated areas.
That still leaves the council with a problem.By 2013,only 50% of 1995 levels of waste will be allowed to be sent to landfill.Even if recycling targets are met,there will still be a large amount of rubbish to be burnt up.Due to this,Edinburgh and Midlothian councils have now decided to work together to build an incinerator plant as time to find a solution is fast running out.(2011*,C) | high6230.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Compensation for the boy's damage."
},
"options": [
"Description of the boy's damage.",
"Situation of the boy's family.",
"Compensation for the boy's damage.",
"Advantages of American legal system."
],
"question... | The 4-year-old boy was mentally disabled, unable to speak in complete sentences and unable to play with other children because of his violent fits of hitting and biting.
The decision facing one Brooklyn jury was how much a landlord should pay in damages to the boy -- named "G.M.M." in court documents -- after an investigation showed he had been living in an apartment illegally coated with lead paint.
Attorneys representing G.M.M. said $3.4 million was the right number, arguing that the boy would have had a bright career ahead of him; both of his parents had graduated from college and his mother received a master's degree. But the landlord's defense put the figure at less than half that -- $1.5 million. Attorney Roger Archibald noted that because the boy was Hispanic, G.M.M. was unlikely to attain the advanced education that would provide to such a large income.
The 4-year-old's case is a rare public look at one corner of the American legal system that explicitly uses race and gender to determine how much victims or their families should receive in compensation when they are seriously injured or killed.
As a result, white and male victims often receive larger awards than people of color and women in similar cases. These differences largely derive from _ of how much more money individuals would have earned over their lifetimes had they not been injured -- projections that take into account average earnings and employment levels by race and gender. | high14777.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "to restart his heart"
},
"options": [
"to express her helplessness",
"to practise CPR on him",
"to keep him awake",
"to restart his heart"
],
"question": "Izzy kicked her father in the chest _ .",
"quest... | A schoolgirl saved her father's life by kicking him in the chest after he suffered a serious allergic reaction which stopped his heart.
Izzy, nine, restarted father Colm's heart by stamping on his chest after he fell down at home and stopped breathing.
Izzy's mother, Debbie, immediately called 999 but Izzy knew doctors would never arrive in time to save her father, so decided to use CPR.
However, she quickly discovered her arms weren't strong enough, so she stamped on her father's chest instead.
Debbie then took over with some more traditional chest compressions until the ambulance arrived.
Izzy, who has been given a bravery award by her school, said: "I just kicked him really hard. My mum taught me CPR but I knew I wasn't strong enough to use hands. I was quite afraid. The doctor said I might as well be a doctor or a nurse. My mum said that Dad was going to hospital with a big footprint on his chest."
"She's a little star," said Debbie, "I was really upset but Izzy just took over. I just can't believe what she did. I really think all children should be taught first aid. Izzy did CPR then the doctor turned up. Colm had to have more treatment on the way to the hospital and we've got to see an expert."
Truck driver Colm, 35, suffered a mystery allergic reaction on Saturday and was taken to hospital, but was sent home only for it to happen again the next day. The second attack was so serious that his airway swelled, preventing him from breathing, his blood pressure dropped suddenly, and his heart stopped for a moment.
He has now made a full recovery from his suffering. | high9103.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "waste things"
},
"options": [
"waste things",
"don't work hard",
"eat too much",
"throw rubbish everywhere"
],
"question": "From the passage we know that some students often _ in the school.",
"question_... | Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don't agree with them.
Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources , we are short of others, for example, fresh water . It is reported that we will have no coal or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.
In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best. | high5739.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the quadruplets do well in their studies"
},
"options": [
"the quadruplets do well in their studies",
"the characters of the quadruplets are quite the same",
"the quadruplets are all clever, humorous and strong",
"the q... | The Crouch quadruplets have always been considered quite special but not so special---all four have been accepted into America's Yale University. Dean at the university, Jeffrey Brenzel, said the admission for Kenny, Martina, Ray and Carol, all 18-year-old students at Danbury High School in Connecticut , was probably the first for the university. "The living memory in the office here shows that we've just had twins, never quadruplets," he told the reporters. "They are all interesting and quite smart in their own way. They are extremely lively kids, very attractive, but clearly four different people. They are all in the top 10 percent of the class."
The quadruplets explained to The New York Times how they nervously logged on one by one to the Yale website to discover their fates, First was Ray, who described how the screen suddenly turned Yale blue and displayed the university's bulldog mascot with the message "welcome to the Class of 2014". "We just kept logging on and screaming, logging on and screaming,' Martina, last to find out, said in an interview with the local television station WINH-TV. Until May 1 they have to decide whether to accept Yale's offers and part of the decision will come down to money, they told the Times.
Their father Steven works as a case manager with the Connecticut mental health department and their mother, Caroline, who originally came from Nigeria, is studying for her master's degree in social work, according to the Times.
Ranked as one of the top three universities in the US after Harvard and Princeton, Yale's school fees each year can be as high as 36,500 dollars, which would land the Crouch family with a very heavy load by the time they graduate in 2014. | high21914.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "treat others equally with love and respect"
},
"options": [
"be nice to the elderly and the disabled",
"try to experience different kinds of life",
"treat others equally with love and respect",
"think about one's past a... | A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C.Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, "Can you help me?" When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended.In a natural reflex , I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her.I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.But the blind woman smiled and said, "I don't want your money.I just need help finding the post office.
In an instant, I realized what I had done.I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be.I hated what I saw in myself.This incident re-awakened my belief in humility , even though I'd lost it for a moment.
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant.I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S.at the age of 15.I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother.Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer.
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice .I remember a time, at age 17 -- I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me.I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it's like, and I should have known better.
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going.That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness.She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open.By the way, I helped that lady to the post office.And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson. | high2056.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the urban-rural difference"
},
"options": [
"the urban-rural difference",
"the group of special interests",
"the people in power",
"the bosses"
],
"question": "Experts hold the view that the main reason for the ... | About 90 percent of Chinese believe the polarization between the rich and poor is "serious" in China, according to a survey conducted by China Youth Daily. And more than 80 percent of the respondents surveyed said something must be done to narrow the expanding gap between the rich and poor, while 14.1 percent said it was necessary.
The polarization has aroused wide concern among the public in recent years. The State Development and Reform Commission said the _ had reached 0.47 for China, up from o.29 two decades ago. Usually, a country with a number above 0.4 is warned to pay attention to the income inequality problem.
To find out the people's view, the survey covered 10,250 respondents, between the ages of 20 and 30 with a college education and a monthly salary between 1,000 and 3,000 yuan. Surprisingly, most disagreed with the view of experts who claim the urban-rural difference is causing the widening gap. More than 70 percent of the respondents believed that " the group of special interests" is the prime reason for the polarization, followed by "people in power" 68 percent, and "bosses" 50 percent.
Another unexpected finding is that almost all agreed that a good educational background and knowledge were not the decisive factors in gaining wealth. About 95 percent said rich people are not necessarily those who are able to speak English or have a college education.
Today in China, rich people , accounting for 10 percent of the population, control 45 percent of the total social fortune, and poor people, also 10 percent of the population, only control 1.5 percent, according to an investigation published by the National Bureau of Statistics last June. | high10511.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "save electricity"
},
"options": [
"make good use of water",
"buy local food and drink",
"save electricity",
"go around on foot"
],
"question": "According to the passage, we can _ to help reduce climate change... | People living in the UK take quite a few holidays abroad and in this country each year.Choices made about where to go, how to get there and what to do while there can either benefit or harm the environment.
While on holiday
Many of the things you can do to the greener on holiday will be the same things you can do at home--but there are also some extra things too, like avoiding gifts made from endangered plants and animals.Here are some suggestions:
*Making the most of locally produced food and drink, and local activities and attractions will support people in the area you are visiting and reduce the need for further environmental influence from transport;
*Switching off any air conditioning, heating and lights will help reduce climate change effect;
*Save water--some countries suffer from water shortages and saving water can help avoid damage to our natural habitats .
Endangered species
Some gifts and foods available in some countries can be made from endangered plants or animals.Check before you buy, but if you doubt, avoid animal and plant gifts.More details of the types of products to avoid and illegal trade hotspots can be found on the Souvenir Alert web page.
Making a positive contribution to the place you are visiting
There are ways in which your holiday can help support local people and the environment:
*There are many opportunities to volunteer and help with projects that conserve and improve natural habitats;
*When you are away, or if you are looking for somewhere to visit, you can support projects or attractions which protect wildlife, such as nature reserves and conservation projects. | high3348.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he wanted to read it"
},
"options": [
"he wanted to read it",
"it was very interesting",
"there was a secret in the book",
"he wanted to find the touchstone"
],
"question": "The man bought the book because _ ... | The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book, and so a poor man, who could read little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold, throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. The days continued over a long period of time.
One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it's easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand and it's just as easy to throw it away. | high16160.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "When you are in a state of sub-health, you should find out the reasons and relax yourself."
},
"options": [
"When you are in a state of sub-health, you should stay at home and keep silent.",
"When you are in a state of sub-health, ... | Feel tired lately? Has a doctor said he can't find anything wrong with you? Perhaps he has sent you to a hospital, but all the advanced equipment there shows that there is nothing wrong with you.
Then, consider this: you might be in a state of sub-health. Sub-health, also called the third state or gray state, is explained as a borderline state between health and disease.
According to the investigation by the National Health Organization, over 45 percent of sub-healthy people are middle-aged or elderly. The percentage is even higher among people who work in management positions as well as students around exam-week.
Symptoms include a lack of energy,depression,slow reactions,insomnia,anger,and poor memory.Other symptoms include shortness of breath,sweating and aching in the waist and legs.
The key to preventing and recovering from sub-health,according to some medical experts,is to from good liwing habits,alternate work and rest,exercise regularly,and take park in open air activities.
As for meals,people are advised to eat less salt and sugar.They should also eat more fresh vegetables,fruits,fish because they are rich in nutritional elements--vitamins and other elements that are important to the body.Nutrition experts point out that it is not good to eat too much at one meal because it may cause unhealthy changes in the digestive tract. They also say that a balanced diet is very helpful in avoiding sub-health. | high4427.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "uncertainty and humor"
},
"options": [
"confidence and optimism",
"disappointment and disapproval",
"uncertainty and humor",
"confusion and sympathy"
],
"question": "The author concludes this passage with a tone... | The first time we started using it, we thought it would just be a bit of fun, a one-time thing.
_ A _
"Let's just give it a try," my fiancee said. I was a bit nervous, but I knew some of our friends were already into it, and they said it was fine and that I should relax because everyone was doing it."OK," I agreed, convinced it would be harmless.
_ B _
Before long, we were using it once a week. Then it became twice a week. We went from using it after work to using it in the mornings, and then at lunchtime, too.
Suddenly we reached a point where we were using it every day. Even when I wasn't using it, I was thinking about using it. _ C _
That's when I realized the terrible truth. We couldn't stop.
Dear readers, it shames me to admit it, but I am an addict of online shopping site Taobao.
And I don't think I'm the only one. _ D _
I see the telltale signs every where: People with bags under their eyes, clearly exhausted after staying up late browsing items they might one day need (but probably won't),like the 1940s leather aviator cap I bought in the event I ever need to become an aviator in the 1940s. I see co-workers furtively sneaking down to the mailroom, eyes darting around suspiciously.
I know what's going through your mind as you read this.
"This isn't me," you're thinking, "I can stop anytime I want."
But can you?
In China you can get same day delivery for just about anything you buy online. In Australia, my home country, the same item would take weeks to arrive.
"It's the convenience," I said to my fiancee. "That's why we're hooked."
But is that convenience worth the risk of waking up one morning to discover you've been buried alive in masses of brand new women's shoes?
In my case it's probably not, especially because I suspect my fiancee won't realize I'm missing until weeks later, when my credit card stops working and I've long since expired.
So what can you do to battle this terrible addiction?
Never fear, dear readers, because I've created a special five-step list to help you stop online shopping.
Step one: Acknowledge you have a problem. Resist buying adult-sized, Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit on Taobao. You don't really need it.
Step two: Try not to feel guilty about buying adult-sized, Star Wars Stormtrooper outfit on Taobao.
Step three: Put the computer and smartphone away, get back to nature, and take a walk in the park.
Step four: Try not to feel guilty about buying a new outfit for your walk in the park. I mean, it was on sale, right?
Step five: Buying a book on how to quit Taobao...from Taobao.
On second thoughts, maybe don't listen to me, after all. | high19253.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it was easier to catch the dogs' response changes in the tail wagging"
},
"options": [
"it was easier to catch the dogs' response changes in the tail wagging",
"the dogs were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time.",
... | Dogs wag their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners--a positive experience--their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less
again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that
were required to approach. | high15441.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "children may not have creative ability"
},
"options": [
"children may not have any freedom",
"children may not have enough time for personal interest",
"children may not know anything outside the classroom",
"children m... | Primary schools could be told to remove some traditional subject-based lessons and replace them with "personal development" classes to encourage children to improve their social and practical skill. Parents, teachers and pupils, who took part in the investigation carried out for the biggest ever official review of the primary curriculum, argued that the number of subjects taught to very young people should be reduced.
The review, being conducted by the government's school's director Sir Jim Rose, will consider how to redesign the primary school day to handle concerns that too many pupils leave primary school unable to read, write and do maths at the level expected of them. It will also address criticisms that pupils are expected to study so many subjects there is little time for creative learning.
The 60 focus groups brought together 1,500 parents, pupils and school staff and is expected to heavily influence the thinking of the Rose review, which the government is promising to back. Instead of a broad range of subjects, pupils should study in-depth literacy and maths lessons alongside a more creative curriculum that encourages pupils to develop personal, learning and thinking skills, they say. Such lessons might include "healthy lifestyles, sex and relationships education, drugs and alcohol education".
"Child and personal development as priorities have been shamefully neglected in recent years in the rush to hit targets in the basics." John Bangs, head of education at the National Union of Teachers, said, "The worst thing would be to evaluate child development through the current high stakes testing system. That would weaken the capacity of teachers to meet children's unique needs."
However, the shadow schools minister, Nick Gibb, said, "If lessons on lifestyle are given the same status as traditional subjects, it is the most disadvantaged children who will be worst affected." "Children are not able to personally develop and succeed in the future if they don't have a grasp of basic subjects such as maths and English early on in primary school. Removing high requirement from the primary curriculum would increase the inequality gap between less well-off pupils and the rest." Nick added. A spokeswoman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) said, "This is a summary of stake holder's view, not the views of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority or the DCSF, and has been submitted to Sir Jim Rose's review as evidence to consider." | high7106.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because the computer can't know the other players' cards completely."
},
"options": [
"Because humans are cleverer than the computer.",
"Because humans practice playing the poker game every day.",
"Because the computer can't ... | Computers have beaten human world champions at chess and, earlier this year, the board game Go. So far, though, they have struggled at the card table. So we challenged one AI to a game.
Why is poker so difficult? Chess and Go are "information complete" games where all players can see all the relevant information. In poker, other players' cards are hidden, making it an "information incomplete" game. Players have to guess opponents' hands from their actions--tricky for computers. Poker has become a new benchmark for AI research. Solving poker could lead to many breakthroughs, from cyber security to driverless cars.
Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before AI once again _ humans, hence our human-machine match comes up in a game of Texas Hold's Em Limit Poker. The AI was developed by Johannes Heinrich, researcher studying machine learning at UCL. It combines two techniques: neural networks and reinforcement learning .
Neural networks, to some degree, copy the structure of human brains: their processors are highly interconnected and work at the same time to solve problems. They are good at spotting patterns in huge amounts of data. Reinforcement learning is when a machine, given a task, carries it out, learning from mistakes it makes. In this case, it means playing poker against itself billions of times to get better.
Mr Heinrich told Sky News: "Today we are presenting a new procedure that has learned in a different way, more similar to how humans learn. In particular, it is able to learn abstract patterns, represented by its neural network, which allow it to deal with new and unseen situations."
After two hours of quite defensive play, from the computer at least, we called it a draw. | high14987.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "pick out your own personal weaknesses in English"
},
"options": [
"find out the difference between your own language and English",
"discover your own special needs in the language",
"learn about yourself as much as possible",... | To learn English well you must learn about yourself. You must discover what your own special needs are in English. You should pick out what makes English different from your own language and concentrate on those parts. And above all, you should pick out your own personal weaknesses in English, pick out your own special problems, find out what mistakes you most often make and make a list of them.
It will be best if, in your preparation, you can practise doing all sorts of work that you will be asked to do in examination. You should then make a careful note of any mistakes that you make more than once. Count up how many times you make for each mistake, and the mistake you make most often should be at the top of your list, the next most common in the second place, and so on.
For example, if your native language is Japanese, you may find the problem of articles comes at the top of your list. If you speak German, you may find using some of the conjunctions is your biggest problem. If your mother tongue is French, you find you are always having trouble with some of prepositions. And if Italian is your language, you may constantly forget to use a suitable pronoun when you should.
But these are only examples of mistakes typical of certain languages. They may or may not be your particular personal mistakes. As I say, these personal ones are the most important of all to discover. | high1577.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "enjoy his first day off work"
},
"options": [
"go out for a walk in the park",
"watch TV talk show with his children",
"enjoy his first day off work",
"read the newspaper to his children"
],
"question": "When hi... | Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother.Expecting a whole day to relax,he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favourite TV talk show on his first day off in months."This will be like a walk in the park,"he'd told his wife."I'll look after the kids,and you can go visit your mom."
Things started well,but just after eight o'clock,his three little "good kids"--Mike,Randy,and Alex--came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted "breakfast,daddy."When food had not appeared within thirty seconds,Randy began using his spoon on Alex's head as if it were a drum.Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat .Mike chanted "Where's my toast,where's my toast" in the background.Brad realised his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast.Mike wore Randy's underwear on his head.Randy locked himself in the bathroom,while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants.Nobody could find clean socks,although they were before their very eyes.Someone named "Not Me" had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes.Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o'clock,things were out of control.Alex was wondering why the fish in the jar refused his bread and butter.Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating the kitchen wall with his colour pencils.Randy,thankfully,appeared to be reading quietly in the family room,but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands.Brad realised that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly 11:17,Brad called the daycare centre ."I suddenly have to go into work and my wife's away.Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes?"The answer was obviously "yes" because Brad was smiling.(2012*,B) | high6218.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "from May to August"
},
"options": [
"from April to September",
"during the daytime",
"from May to August",
"most of the weekends"
],
"question": "To earn most each month, you may choose to work _ .",
"que... | Work-Study Program
The Work-Study Program gives you the chance to work part-time on campus. If you need more money to cover all of your education-related costs, you may be qualified for this program.
Advantages
* Work experience: Last year, more than 1,400 positions were available across all departments. The jobs vary from one department to the next, and in most cases, participants find a position in their chosen field.
* Money: During the regular academic year (September to April), you can work part-time and earn $3,200---sometimes more---while you take courses! During the summer time, you work full-time and can earn around $6,000 over 18 weeks.om]
*Easy access: Applying for the program is easy. There is no need for face-to-face interview. All the forms you need are online; just fill in the forms and email us; we accept no letter or phone application!
Did you know?
At the University of Ottawa, it is not essential to receive government assistance to qualify for our Work-Study Program. You simply need to demonstrate financial need.
You could have one of these great Work-Study jobs:
*Student ambassador
*Computing and network technician
*Marketing assistant
*Sports team manager
*Researcher / translator
*Writer
And more!
The Admission Section receives and evaluates applications to undergraduate programs, in addition to answering applicants' questions.
Phone: 613-562-5315 Toll-free: 1-877-868-8292 (#5315)
Financial Aid & Awards Service Section:
Phone: 613-562-5734 Toll-free phone: 1-877-868-8292
Regular Office Hours: Monday to Friday
September to May: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
June to August: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. | high5711.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "providing the children with a good education"
},
"options": [
"improving worker's houses",
"helping people to save money",
"preventing men from getting drunk",
"providing the children with a good education"
],
"... | Robert Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owen was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nineteen he was given the job of superintendent at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland.
When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid any attention to the workers' houses or their children's education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. There was a lot of crime and the men spent most of their wages on alcoholic drinks.
Owen improved the houses. He encouraged people to be clean and save money. He opened a shop and sold the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his mind on the children's education. In 1816 he opened the first free primary school in Britain.
People came from all over the country to visit Owen's factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and more efficient than in other towns. Their children were better fed and better educated. Owen tried the same experiment in the United States. He bought some land there in 1825, but the community was too far away. He could not keep it under control and lost most of his money.
Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He was a practical man and his ideas were practical. "If you give people good working conditions", he thought, "they will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better people." | high10539.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "A pair of socks."
},
"options": [
"A pair of shoes.",
"A pair of socks.",
"Two pairs of socks.",
"A set of books."
],
"question": "What did the writer want to buy one fine afternoon?",
"question_type": "fact... | One fine afternoon, I was walking along Fifth Street when I remembered that it was necessary to buy a pair of socks. Why I wished to buy only one pair was unimportant. I turned into the first sock shop that caught my eye. A boy clerk, who could not have been more than seventeen years old came forward. "What can I do for you, sir?" he said "I wish to buy a pair of socks." I replied.
His eyes shone. There was a note of excitement in his voice. "Did you know that you had come into the finest place in the world to buy socks?" I had no idea of that, as my entrance had been accidental. "Come with me," said the boy, eagerly. I followed him to the back of the shop, and he began to pull down box after box from the shelves, showing their contents for my choice.
"Hold on, lad" I said "I am going to buy only one pair!" "I know that," said he, "but I want you to see how beautiful these are. Aren't they wonderful!" There was on his face an expression of seriousness and pride and delight as if he were showing me the secrets of his religion . I became far more interested in him than in the socks. I looked at him in surprise. "My friend, " said I, "if you can keep this up, if this is not merely from having a new job, if you can keep up this high spirit and excitement day after day, in ten years you will own every sock in the United States." | high11627.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The Small White Envelope"
},
"options": [
"Precious Present",
"Christmas Gift",
"The Small White Envelope",
"The Good Old Tradition"
],
"question": "Which of the following is the best title for the passage?",
... | It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree. No name, no address. It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past 10 years.
It all began because my husband Mike hated Christmas. He didn't hate the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it; overspending, running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and powder for Grandma...
Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth. I reached for something special for Mike. The inspiration came in an unusual way.
Our son Kevin, at 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended and before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church, mostly black.
As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear to protect a wrestler's ears. They obviously could not afford.
Mike shook his head sadly, "I wish just one of them could have won," he said. "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could _ ."
Mike loved kids--all kids--and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse. That's when the idea for his present came.
That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.
On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me. His smile was the brightest thing about Christmas that year. For each Christmas, I followed the tradition.
The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas. It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.
The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope. Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us. | high3360.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "watch their weight rather than their diet"
},
"options": [
"hesitate before they enjoy diet foods",
"pay attention to their daily diet",
"watch their weight rather than their diet",
"try out varieties of diet foods"
... | Whenever we turn on the TV or radio, read the newspapers, surf the Internet, we'll be surrounded by the word "diet" everywhere. We have so easily been attracted by the promise of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically.
It's obvious that diet products weaken us psychologically. They allow us to jump over the thinking stage that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fat. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word "diet" in food labels.
What's more, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves that we don't have to work to get results.Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
As a matter of fact, the danger that diet products bring not only lies in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm they cause. Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie. oaly because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products, And they can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are stopping our bodies having basic nutrients. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemicals that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Think twice before buying diet products. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, 3rd therefore, prevent the psychological and physical harm that comes from using them. | high11141.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "received many career awards"
},
"options": [
"had two books published",
"received many career awards",
"knew how to use a computer",
"supported the JDRF by writing"
],
"question": "We can know that before 1995 M... | When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, "Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you'll have something to rely on." Mary responded in typical teenage fashion. From that moment on, "the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course," she recalls.
The show business thing worked out, of course. In her career, Mary won many awards. Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom," I don't know how to use a computer," she admits.
Unlike her 1995 autobiography, After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes . All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman. "I felt there was a need for a book like this," she says." I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetics to know that things get better when we're self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease."
But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches. In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news. First, she had lost the baby she was carrying, and second, tests showed that she had diabetes. In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts . Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up ---again---and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her. Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet.
Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity. "Everybody on earth can ask, 'why me?' about something or other," she insists. "It doesn't do any good. No one is immune to heartache, pain, and disappointments. Sometimes we can make things better by helping others. I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time. I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be." | high3406.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "when he was growing up, he never ate fast food"
},
"options": [
"when he was growing up, he never ate fast food",
"he didn't like fast food when he was growing up",
"his grandma made food slowly",
"he had to wait for a ... | "Hey, Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "what was your favourite fast food when you were growing up?"
"We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him."All the food was slow." "Where did you eat?" "It was a place called 'at home'." I explained."Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I liked it."
Some parents never owned their own houses, set foot on a golf course, travelled out of the country or had a credit card.
My parents have never driven me to soccer practice.This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer.I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed.We didn't have a television in our house until I was 11.I was 13 when I tasted my first pizza; it was called "pizza pie".When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too.It's still the best pizza I ever had.
I delivered newspapers, six days a week .The paper cost 7 cents, of which I got to keep 2 cents.I had to get up at 4:00 a.m.every morning.On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers.My favourite customers were the ones who gave me 50 cents and told me to keep the change.
If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren.
Growing up isn't what it used to be, is it? | high2718.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "there weren't many cars on the road"
},
"options": [
"the girl had lost her way",
"she was driving to work in a hurry",
"the girl feared to go across the road",
"there weren't many cars on the road"
],
"question... | On a Sunday morning, I was driving down a road and saw something I couldn't believe. A little girl, less than two, was pushing her stroller across the road. It was Sunday morning and traffic was not heavy.
I stopped my car at once and ran toward her. This little girl knew enough to run from a stranger. I tried to catch her in order that I could get her out of the road.
Suddenly her father came running down a hill across the road from where I had parked my car. He ran right to her and caught her up, saying "bad girl" to her. I picked up the stroller and gave it to him. The father grabbed the stroller and walked toward where he came from without a word.
I went back and sat in my car for a few minutes with my son. My hands were shaking and tears were about to run out of my eyes. "Do you feel cold, Mom?" asked my son. I just shook my head.
After this happened, I thought about how thankful I am. Even though the father didn't say thank you, I feel that I did something good. Doing something for someone else is pleasing, even when it's only a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
I didn't really "save" her, but I feel like it was important that I happened to be there. It is sad that I was the only one who stopped. It really made me a little disappointed that no one else stopped to help. | high5077.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The child's increased feelings of incompetence."
},
"options": [
"The child's increased feelings of incompetence.",
"Parents' reluctantly bringing a child to clinicians.",
"The parents' initial descriptions of the child's pro... | Life can be difficult, particularly for adolescents. Many young people get through the troubled years of adolescence and emerge into adulthood reasonably safe and sound. Too many youngsters, however, feel confused and ignored. Unable to climb out of the dilemma, these youngsters are socially and emotionally "at-risk". They may suffer from such painful symptoms as anxiety, depression or anger.
Many parents, in an honest attempt to help their adolescent from emotionally drowning, seek professional treatment. They put a great deal of faith in professional clinicians to find a way out for their child. However, many of these parents begin to recognize that solving the problem is more complex than they had initially realized. It has been my clinical experience that some parents who bring their resistant youngster for treatment see their child as being solely responsible for the problem. In many cases, the adolescent feels angry and defective for being pushed into treatment.
We can gain some insight if we look at things through the eyes of the adolescent. The child is usually reluctantly brought by the parents to clinicians as what I call the "identified patient". The youngster waits anxiously as the parents lay out the problem with the clinicians with remarks such as, "I don't know what's happening to my child lately, but he's not his old self. He doesn't listen to me anymore, has been getting failing grades, acts out at school, and stays in his room all the time.'' Such descriptions at the beginning of treatment by the parents may strengthen feelings of incompetence on the part of the child. Such a pattern at the beginning sets up an intention of resistance and leaves the potential for a positive outcome at risk.
What many parents fail to realize is that the adolescent's problem serves as a symbol for what is happening within the family system. Unknowingly, a youngster may become rebellious or depressed as a way of attempting to calm the psychic pain experienced by his family. To some degree, the child's behavioral problems represent an effort to distract attention away from the unstable state within his family. In such cases it represents a courageous attempt by the teen to minimize home-related problems. Eventually the problems become too troublesome for the child and he continues to sacrifice himself for the sake of the family. Many times youngsters go to clinicians in the hope that treatment will aid in healing the entire family system.
In my clinical experience, I have found that the troubled adolescent is more likely to find emotional healing if the parents are actively involved in the treatment process. In such cases where family members are involved in treatment, the adolescent's expectation for change tends to improve. With parental involvement, the teen begins to feel more competent, as other family members take the risk to explore difficult family issues. | high18603.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Customers would rather relate their unhappy experiences to people around them."
},
"options": [
"Most customers won't bother to complain even if they have had unhappy experiences.",
"Customers would rather relate their unhappy expe... | High-quality customer service is preached by many, but actually keeping customers happy is easier said than done.
Shoppers seldom complain to the manager or owner of a retail store, but instead will alert their friends, s, co-workers, strangers--and anyone who will listen.
Store managers are often the last to hear complaints, and often find out only when their regular customers decide to frequent their competitors, according to a study jointly conducted by Verde Group and Wharton School.
"Storytelling hurts retailers and entertains consumers," said Paula Courtney, President of the Verde Group. "The store loses the customer, but the shopper must also find a replacement."
On average, every unhappy customer will complain to at least four others, and will no longer visit the specific store. For every dissatisfied customer, a store will lose up to three more due to negative review. The resulting "snowball effect" can be disastrous to retailers.
According to the research, shoppers who purchased clothing encountered the most problems. Ranked second and third were grocery and electronics customers.
The most common complaints include filled parking lots, cluttered shelves, overloaded racks, out-of-stock items, long check-out lines, and rude salespeople.
During peak shopping hours, some retailers solved parking problems by getting moonlighting local police to work as parking attendants. Some hired flag wavers to direct customers to empty parking spaces. This guidance eliminated the need for customers to circle the parking lot endlessly, and avoided confrontation between those eyeing the same parking space.
Retailers can relieve the headaches by redesigning store layouts, pre-stocking sales items, hiring speedy and experienced cashiers, and having sales representatives on hand to answer questions.
Most importantly, salespeople should be diplomatic and polite with angry customers.
"Retailers who're responsive and friendly are more likely to smooth over issues than those who aren't so friendly," said Professor Stephen Hoch. "Maybe something as simple as a greeter at the store entrance would help."
Customers can also improve future shopping experiences by filing complaints to the retailer, instead of complaining to the rest of the world. Retailers are hard-pressed to improve when they have no idea what is wrong.ks5u | high17530.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To reach the author's unachieved goals."
},
"options": [
"To avoid becoming his clone.",
"To resemble him in appearance.",
"To develop in a different direction.",
"To reach the author's unachieved goals."
],
"qu... | Every man wants his son to be somewhat of a clone, not in features but in footsteps. As he grows you also age, and your ambitions become more unachievable. You begin to realize that your boy, in your footsteps, could probably accomplish what you hoped for. But footsteps can be muddied and they can go off in different directions.
My son Jody has hated school since day one in kindergarten. Science projects waited until the last moment. Book reports weren't written until the final threat.
I've been a newspaperman all my adult life. My daughter is a university graduate working toward her master's degree in English. But Jody? When he entered the tenth grade he became a "vo-tech" student . They're called "motorheads" by the rest of the student body.
When a secretary in my office first called him "motorhead", I was shocked. "Hey, he's a good kid," I wanted to say. "And smart, really."
I learned later that motorheads are, indeed, different. They usually have dirty hands and wear dirty work clothes. And they don't often make school honor rolls .
But being the parent of a motorhead is itself an experience in education. We who labor in clean shirts in offices don't have the abilities that motorheads have. I began to learn this when I had my car crashed. The cost to repair it was estimated at $800. "Hey, I can fix it," said Jody. I doubted it , but let him go ahead, for I had nothing to lose.
My son ,with other motorheads, fixed the car. They got parts from a junkyard, non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbours and co-workers trust their car repair to him.
Since that first repair job, a broken air-conditioner, a non-functioning washer and a non-toasting toaster have been fixed. Neighbors and co-workers trust their car repairs to him.
These kids are happiest when doing repairs. They joke and laugh and are living in their own relaxed world. And their minds are bright despite their dirty hands and clothes.
I have learned a lot from my motorhead: publishers need printers, engineers need mechanics, and architects need builders. Most important, I have learned that fathers don't need clones in footsteps or anywhere else.
My son may never make the school honor roll. But he made mine. | high14039.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "When the floor started shaking."
},
"options": [
"After he saw the room number.",
"When the floor started shaking.",
"Before he said goodbye to his family.",
"When fire began to swallow the walls."
],
"question"... | It was the last day of my four-month interview to hold the job as a salesman in the World Trade Center -- in simpler words, an end to being perfect for four months. I took the last drop of my coffee, pushed in my chair, and said goodbye to my family -- little did they know, this could have been my final goodbye.
I went to room 911, as I had the past three times, to meet my boss, Mr. Clarke. I was just about to have a seat, when suddenly I heard the sound of explosion. Then, the floor beneath my feet began shaking, which was when I began to realize that something had gone completely wrong.
"Run! Let's get out of here!" Mr. Clarke cried.
Seconds after the first massive explosion, I heard another explosion from way above. My heartbeat seemed to be the drum of a heavy-metal song and all the employees were rushing to get out; the lifts were out of order, and only screaming could be heard up and down the stairwell. All of us were unaware at the time that this was the airplane hitting the tower. Fire then began to swallow the walls and all you could see is gray smoke. Mr. Clarke had fallen and went unconscious. I used all my strength to throw his heavy weight on my shoulders and run down the steps. I then felt myself sinking into the floor. I ran and ran, but I was not going anywhere. The only option left was to jump. With Mr. Clarke still lying in my arms, I closed my eyes and jumped. My boss safely reached the edge of the trampoline a group of firemen held beneath us. However, I landed on the concrete floor and suffered a broken back and neck, which was considered lucky. | high23695.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The government has taken measures to develop the economy in the rural areas."
},
"options": [
"Because of the rapidly rising rural incomes, the income gap between China's rural and urban residents will disappear this year.",
"The n... | The income gap between China's rural and urban residents has continued to widen during the past few years in spite of rapidly rising rural incomes, Agricultural Minister Sun Zhengcai said here on Wednesday.
The income ratio between urban and rural residents was 3.28:1 in 2006, against 3.23:1 in 2003, said Sun in his report on the promotion of building a new countryside in 2007. Sun also said the net income of rural residents in different regions also varied widely. The income gap is only one of several problems in rural areas, according to Sun's report. While listing the achievements in rural areas in recent years, Sun believed that rural development still followed behind urban development.
"We have bigger pressure to ensure the supply of major agricultural products such as grain," he said. "China's urbanization has been speeded up and more rural residents have gone to urban areas," he said.
"In this case, more agricultural producers become farm produce consumers, which created more pressure for supply," he said.
Another problem facing China's agricultural development is _ application of science and technology.
"Only 30 percent of scientific and technological achievements have been applied to agricultural production, which is 40 percentage points lower than developed countries," he said.
Despite increased government spending in rural areas, the infrastructure is still poor and easily hit by disasters.
According to Sun, the government spent 431.8 billion yuan ($59.15 billion) on agriculture, rural areas and farmers this year, an increase of 80.1 billion yuan over the previous year.
China set aside 11.38 billion yuan to promote a new rural cooperative medical care system and 27.98 billion yuan to support the new compulsory education mechanism in rural area to ensure that all citizens shared the fruits of China's reform and opening-up, Sun said. | high1211.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "For relaxing"
},
"options": [
"For traveling",
"For fishing",
"For learning",
"For relaxing"
],
"question": "What do people go camping for according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answ... | Camping is one of the most popular forms of outdoor activities. Now, most people are under too much pressure and like going outdoors to relax. Other activities like hunting and fishing, are often connected with camping trips.
It's also a good idea to spend time camping with your family during a holiday. That will help you create some of the best memories with the family. Here are some things you have to consider while planning your camping trip.
The first thing that you need to think about is deciding the camping destination. For most people who like camping, the best place to choose is the spot that they haven't visited before. As soon as you get to your destination, there will be a lot you will have to do, such as putting up your tent. Of course, food is another necessary factor to be considered. You'd better carry some convenient food like biscuits, nuts and boiled eggs.
When all the things are done, fun activities should be planned. It's a good chance for you to spend time with your family. Lots of open space is perfect when you want to do something as simple as letting your kids ride their bicycles. If your kids are old enough, activities like fishing and horse-riding are also good to choose. These are a few ideas about having fun camping. Once you get ready for it, you don't need to worry about anything. Go ahead and be a happy camper. | high13756.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he was a baseball fan"
},
"options": [
"he was able",
"he was a baseball fan",
"he got a new house",
"they had much in common"
],
"question": "A big reason why Nicole agreed to be Adam's girlfriend was that _ ... | This fourth of July I moved into a new house with my wife, Nicole. Nicole and I met through a series of _ that would be unlikely without some unbelievable force causing them to happen.
The day Nicole and I met, we talked about the Yankees. In the restaurant where we sat, the first game between the Yanks and Tampa Bay was being shown on television. Nicole was happy I was a baseball fan, and she told me that was an important reason when she considered dating me. "My dad wouldn't like me dating anyone who isn't," she said.
Nicole's dad, Ira, used to be a coach for the Yankees. Many years ago, a colleague of his was leaving and packing up his office. The only thing left unpacked was a photo on the wall. It was a picture of Sparky Lyle, a famous baseball player. Sparky had signed the photo on the bottom.
"You're not taking that?" Ira asked. "You want it?" his colleague offered. "Sure!" Ira said. He jumped at the chance to have a signed photo from a great player who had helped the team win two World Series.
Ira told me the story after the movers had gone. He then said to me, "Adam, when I first learned who was dating my daughter, that photo came into my mind," he said. "But by now, I know for sure you're meant to have it." He then presented me with a box. I tore it open. Inside was the signed photo of Sparky Lyle which I had lost years ago.
"To Adam, Best Wishes, Sparky Lyle". It was picked up by Nicole's dad years before I'd even met her. The perfect gift -- a sign only making me believe what I already knew ... I was meant for Nicole and her family all along. | high9895.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "new ideas and new inventions come about quickly"
},
"options": [
"people use old words in a new way",
"people need a new way to speak",
"the world is changing in a different way",
"new ideas and new inventions come abou... | English words don't stay the same. People need new words for new ideas and new inventions. Some new words come into use, and some old words are used in a new way.
English can change by borrowing words from other languages. The word "tomato" was borrowed from Mexico, and "tea" came from China, and so on. Now a great many new space and science words are being borrowed from other countries, too. New words can be created in other ways. For example, some can be created by adding two words together. "Weekend" and "cookbook" are made up of two parts. Sometimes new words are shorter forms of older words. The word "photo" was made from "photograph" by cutting off the end of the longer word. "Plane" was made by cutting off the front part of "airplane". The names of people and products can become new words. Our "sandwich" was named after a man named Sandwich and "sello " was a name given by the company that first made the product. | high8553.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "contrast with the girl's sadness."
},
"options": [
"highlight the cold weather",
"contrast with the girl's sadness.",
"present the time",
"describe the situation"
],
"question": "The author emphasized that the s... | So the little girl now walked on, her bare feet quite red and blue with the cold. She carried a small bundle of matches in her hand, and a good many more in her tattered dress. No one had bought any of them the live long day; no one had given her a single penny. Trembling with cold and hunger crept she on, the picture of sorrow: poor little child!
The snow-flakes fell on her long, fair hair, which curled in such pretty ringlets over her shoulders; but she thought not of her own beauty, or of the cold. Lights were glimmering through every window, and the savor of roast goose reached her from several houses;it was New Year's eve, and it was of this that she thought.
In a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected beyond the other. She sat down, drawing her little feet close under her, but in vain, she could not warm them. She dared not go home, she had sold no matches, earned not a single penny, and perhaps her father would beat her,besides her home was almost as cold as the street,it was an attic; and although the larger of the many chinks in the roof were stopped up with straw and rags. The wind and snow often penetrated through. Her hands were nearly dead with cold; one little match from her bundle would warm them. Perhaps, if she dared light it, she drew one out, and struck it against the wall, bravo! It was a bright, warm flame, and she held her hands over it. It was quite an illumination for that poor little girl; no, I call it rather a magic taper, _ , so beautifully blazed the fire within! The child stretched out her feet to warm them also; alas, in an instant the flame had died away, the stove disappeared, the little girl sat cold and comfortless, with the burnt match in her hand. | high7660.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "are not self-aware"
},
"options": [
"are self-aware",
"are not self-aware",
"are intelligent",
"are color1-blind"
],
"question": "It was thought that in the past most animals _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Dogs are prone to complex emotions such as jealousy and pride, according to scientific research that sheds new light on their relationship with humans.
Dogs do not like seeing their owners offering affection to other creatures, especially other dogs, and react negatively when their owners bring home new partners, the research found.
Psychologists previously believed most animals lack the "sense of self" needed to experience so-called secondary emotions such as jealousy, embarrassment or guilt. These emotions are more complex than feelings associated with instant reaction such as anger, lust or joy.
Dr Friederike Range, of theprefix = st1 /UniversityofVienna's neurobiology department, has shown that dogs feel intensely jealous when they spot that they are unfairly treated compared with other dogs.
The dog study is the latest into several species, including cows, horses, cats and sheep, which have shown that animals are far more self-aware than we thought.
Dr Paul Morris, a psychologist at theUniversityofPortsmouthwho studies animal emotions, told The Sunday Times, "We are learning that dogs, horses, and perhaps many other species are far more emotionally complex than we ever realised. They can suffer simple forms of many emotions we once thought only primates could experience. "
In research among dog owners, Dr Morris found almost all of them reported jealous behaviour by their pets. The dog often tried to keep their owner away from a new lover in the early days of a relationship.
Behavioural experts recommend owners keeping their dogs' routine as much as possible when a new partner or child comes along in order to prevent jealous activities from the dog such as interruptions with barking. | high23681.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "She was a warm-hearted girl."
},
"options": [
"She died at the age of 8.",
"She was a cancer patient.",
"She was a warm-hearted girl.",
"She founded Locks of Love."
],
"question": "Which of the following is TRUE... | Perhaps every older generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn't it obvious that kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?
However, this summer, my impression of today's kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity and unselfishness -- even though she's just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.
At age 5, Rachel had her long hair cut off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that's what she did.
Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called "charity: water". Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she _ her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 -- which had left her just a bit disappointed.
Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel's birthday page -- charitywater.org/Rachel -- and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.
When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life-support machine. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.
Word spread about Rachel's last fund-raiser . Contributions poured in, often they donated $9. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.
This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively. | high791.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "already had a business brain"
},
"options": [
"already made a lot of money",
"already had a business brain",
"was already managing director of a company",
"already set up his own business"
],
"question": "When h... | At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money. And when he was 15 he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle.
Now 20, third-year Cambridge University student, Peter Blackburn is managing director of a company with a PS 30,000 plan. And he thinks it will make more than $15,000 by next summer. He set up Peter Blackburn Ltd last year to bring out a new, color term-planner that now students all over the UK are using.
"I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative," he says, "I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go".
Blackburn admits that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university. While fellow students are out with their friends, he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by movable phone. Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade his bank to lend him money.
"Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves," he says "I work hard at my company, because that is what will support me next year, after I leave college."
Friends believe that Blackburn will make PS 1 million within 5 years. He is not quite so sure, however. "There's a lot to be done yet," he says. | high1205.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "insects"
},
"options": [
"insects",
"images",
"stories",
"fruits"
],
"question": "UnBEElievables is a book about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
... | Douglas Florian teaches readers about bees in a new book of poems called UnBEElievables. In his latest book, each poem is paired with a colorful image that illustrates a different type of bee and its role in the group. Every page is full of fun and interesting facts about these social insects.
TFK: When you brainstorm for a story, which comes first: the images or the poems?
FLORIAN: Usually the poems come first. For a book of 21 poems, for example, I'll actually write about 50 poems first. Although I sometimes have images in my mind to go along with the words, I have to choose which ones I want to include in the book.
TFK: Many of your books, including UnBEElievables, are about insects and animals. How did these become your favorite subjects?
FLORIAN: There is so much humor in the animal world. People have a lot of knowledge about animals and ideas about animals that are fun to explore in writing. Animals are just so interesting. When I research, I find out so many new and amazing facts. The poem is often half written by the time I have done with my research.
TFK: Why did you choose bees as the subject of your latest book?
FLORIAN: I saw recently in the news that many bees are dying out. Scientists believe this to be caused by various diseases. I wanted to create awareness and learn more about bees after hearing this. So many of the fruits and vegetables we eat are dependent on pollination by honeybees. If bees disappear, so will much of our food.
TFK: Do you have a favorite bee?
FLORIAN: One of my favorites is the poem and painting about the worker bees. I wanted the painting to be very playful and light. These bees have to work all day, and it's kind of like a factory. And even though these bees have to work very hard, they manage to smile. | high13742.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was a problem to her boss"
},
"options": [
"attempted to settle the issues",
"was a problem to her boss",
"shouldn't stay in the company",
"could get on well with others"
],
"question": "After hearing his collea... | Several years ago, I had to replace a receptionist for my unit. Before I advertised for the position, I was approached by another manager, and asked ifl would consider a transfer from his staffinstead of opening a new competition. My natural question was to ask who he wanted me to consider and why.
It appeared from his description of this employee, Maria, that she was having a lot of problems performing her duties, and had difficulties with her boss, and did not appear to respond to any attempts he, the manager, had made to settle the issues. Now, after listening to his explanation, I really had severe doubts. What crossed my mind, after this discussion, was that he wanted me to take a problem off his hands.
I told him I would think about it and would let him know the next day. As promised, after thinking more about this potential performance issue, I decided that I would agree to speak with Maria privately before I made any decision.
And, what I found out during this interview, left me deep in thought. As it tumed out, the performance issue appeared to result from working for a boss who never extended a good morning. greeting, never gave a word of encouragement, and was constantly changing the work load and routines. The end result was a totally ruined employee who was unconfident, hated to see a new work day start.
I decided to accept her transfer to my unit. What started out as a shy, withdrawn and frightened employee turned out to be one of the most productive and loyal employee that I had eyer worked with. Maria couldn't do enough and was constantly asking for more and for more responsibility. I was morethan happy to give her what she needed-praise for work well done, respect as a person, and encouragement for doing well in anything she dealt with.
Sometimes, we are guilty of holding others back from accomplishing or doing, or developing as they should or could. It may be a wise idea that we all look in the mirror, from time to time, to seewhat we are really like. | high23859.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "invite readers to join in the tours"
},
"options": [
"introduce fantastic tour places",
"invite readers to join in the tours",
"compare boat tours with bike tours",
"Encourage readers to have adventures"
],
"que... | Our site specializes in European cycling tours, Bike & Boat Tours, Road Bike Tours and now River Cruises throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
We take great pride in offering you the best services and in providing you with a vacation that will be fondly remembered. Whether it is a European bike tour, river cruise, or one of many other cycling vacations, our staff will do everything to plan your dream holiday.
Our bike tour prices are the lowest on the market and we've managed to keep them that way without sacrificing quality. We hope you'll let us take you on one of our many European cycling tours and now river cruise adventures!
Bike & Boat Trips
We have perhaps the largest online catalogue of well-established European bike and boat tours and sailing holidays.
Luxury Boat Tours
Take a Bike & Boat cycle tour on a luxury ship! A cycling tour in Europe with a beautiful boat by your side is not to be missed.
Bike Europe and Beyond
Bicycle touring in Europe and beyond -- cycle your next vacation almost anywhere in Europe from our carefully chosen catalogue of bike tours. Recently we have also added a few American bike tours as well as bike tours in Vietnam. Whether you cycle Europe with a standard bicycle or an e-bike (electrically assisted bicycle), one of our cycling tours is bound to be right for you.
Road Bike Tours
Cycle Europe and experience one of our great new European road bike tours! These cycle tours in Europe (and now one is in the New Zealand) are intended for the more experienced cyclist that is not afraid of the long distances through extremely beautiful countryside.
River Cruises
We now offer river cruises throughout the world's most famous waterways. Whether it is a European river or a river cruise in China, one of our cruises is certain to attract you. | high9881.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "enjoys walking long distances"
},
"options": [
"enjoys walking short distances",
"enjoys walking long distances",
"climbs rocks and mountains",
"likes adventure"
],
"question": "According to the passage, a \"hik... | Last Sunday, Aron Ralston, an experienced hiker and mountaineer, set off to walk alone through the Bluejohn desert canyon in Utah. He was planning an eight-hour, 21-kilometer hike. While he was climbing through a narrow part of the canyon, a big stone weighing about 400 kilos fell and trapped his right arm.
When he failed to return to the mountain camp where he was staying that night, people simply thought he had decided to camp out somewhere in the canyon. When he still had not returned by Tuesday, the alarm was raised, A search party set out on Wednesday evening, but there we no sign and his family began to fear the worst.
In fact, Ralston, 27, was lying trapped in the canyon. By Tuesday, he had run out of water. By Thursday, he realized that he would not survive unless he took unusual action, so he used his pocket knife to cut his arm below the elbow . He then climbed down to the bottom of the canyon. There he met two other hikers, who helped him back to safety. He received some help at a local hospital before being carried to St. Mary's hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado for surgery.
Ralston's astonishing survival brought equal amounts of praise and criticism. While praising the climber for his bravery and calm, experts also pointed out he had broken the first rule of outdoor pursuits. He had failed to leave words with anyone of where he was going that day.
This was in fact Ralston's second near-death experience. In February, he was buried up to the neck in snow by an avalanche while skiing in the Colorado Rockies. Ralston not only managed to dig himself out but he also rescued his skiing companion, who had been completely buried in the snow. Ralton rescued himself and his friend in less than 15 minutes. | high8547.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "others cheered for her after she treated Mary badly"
},
"options": [
"she relaxed and talked with her new classmate",
"she became a leader of a school club",
"she picked a wing off a butterfly",
"others cheered for her ... | I was a newcomer of Miss Burn's seventh grade. Past"newcomer"experiences had been difficult, so I was
very anxious to fit in.
Lunchtime was a pleasant surprise when the girls all crowded around my table. Their chat was friendly, so
I began to relax. My new classmates filled me in on the school, the teachers and the other kids. it wasn't long
before the class herd was pointed out to me: Mary Lou. Actually she called herself Mary Louise. A
formal, overmodest young girl with old-fashioned clothes, she wasn't ugly--not even funny looking. Practical
shoes, long wool skirt and a blouse completed the image of a complete herd. The girls' whispers got louder and
louder. Mary Lou didn't notice this. After school, the girls invited me to join them in front of the school.
Arms wrapped around her backpack, Mary Lou came down the school steps. The _ began--rude,
biting comments and disrespectful words from the girls. I paused, then joined right in. My force began to pick
up as I approached her, mean remarks falling from my lips. I even pulled the belt of her backpack and then
pushed her. The belt broke, Mary Lou fell. Everyone was laughing and patting me. I fit in. But I was not proud.
Something inside me hurt.
Mary Lou got up, gathered her books and--without a tear shed--off, she went. She held her head high as a
small trickle of blood ran down from her injured knee.
I turned to leave with my laughing friends and noticed a man standing beside his car. His skin, dark hair
and handsome features told me this was her father. Respectful of Mary Lou's proud spirit, he remained still and
watched the lonely girl walk toward him. Only his eyes--shining with both grief and pride--followed. As I
passed, he looked at me in silence with burning tears that spoke to my shame and scolded my heart. He didn't
speak a word.
No scolding from a teacher or a parent could linger as much as that hurt in my heart from the day a
father's eyes taught me kindness and strength and dignity. I never again joined the cruel herds. I never
again hurt someone for my own gain. | high15333.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "to film a sunset scene on the sea"
},
"options": [
"to watch a beautiful sunset",
"to find an actor and an actress",
"to film a sunset scene on the sea",
"to meet the audience"
],
"question": "One evening, the d... | The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever . He sent his camera crew out one evening to film the sunset for him .
The next morning he said to the men , " Have you provided me with that sunset ? "
" No , sir . " the men answered .
The director was angry . " Why not ? " he asked .
" Well , sir , " one of the men answered . " we're on the east coast here , and the sets in the west . We can get you a sunrise over the sea , if necessary , but not a sunset . "
" But I want a sunset ! " the director shouted . " Go to the airport . take the next flight to the west coast , and get one . "
But then a young secretary had an idea . " Why don't you photograph a sunrise . " she suggested . " and then play it backwards ? Then it'll look like a sunset . "
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay . Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director . " Here it is sir . " they said , and gave it to him . He was very pleased .
They all went into the studio . " All right . " the director explained . " now our hero and heroine are going to say good-bye . Run the film backwards so that we can see the ' sunset behind them . ' "
The " sunset " began , but after a quarter of a minute , the director suddenly put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop .
The birds in the film were flying backwards . and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach . | high949.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "rubbing their body parts"
},
"options": [
"rubbing their body parts",
"moving slowly on the ground",
"hopping up to two feel at a time",
"coming out only at night"
],
"question": ".The strange thing about wetas ... | On the island of New Zealand, there is a grasshopper-like species of insect that is found nowhere else on earth. New Zealanders have given it the nickname weta, which is a native Maori word meaning "god of bad looks". It's easy to see why anyone would call this insect a bad-looking bug. Most people feel disgusted at the sight of these bulky ,slow-moving creatures.
Wetas are natural creatures; they come out of their caves and holes only after dark. A gaint weta can grow to over three inches long and weigh as much as 1.5 ounces. Giant wetas can hop up to two feet at a time. Some of them live in trees, and others live in caves. They are very long-lived for insects, and some adult wetas can live as long as two years. Just like their cousins grasshoppers and crickets, wetas are able to "sing" by rubbing their leg parts together, or against their lower bodies.
Most people probably don't feel sympathy for these endangered creatures, but they do need protecting. The slow and clumsy wetas have been around on the island since the times of the dinosaurs, and have evolved and survived in an environment where they had no enemies until rats came to the island with European immigrants. Since rats love to hunt and eat wetas, the rat population on the island has grown into a real problem for many of the native species that are unaccustomed to _ presence, and poses a serious threat to the native weta population. | high7674.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "It can reduce the death rate of patients with heart disease."
},
"options": [
"It can only be got from pills.",
"It can help cure skin cancer.",
"It can reduce the death rate of patients with heart disease.",
"It can pr... | Vitamin E can be found naturally in different foods including milk, eggs, green leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole-grain foods. The body's daily requirement of vitamin E can also be met by vitamin E pills. There are several health benefits of vitamin E for our body.
Vitamin E is important in protecting the cells of the skin from strong sunlight, pollution, drugs and so on. Vitamin E behaves like a regulator . It has the ability to regulate vitamin A in the body, which is an important vitamin for healthy skin. Vitamin E oil for skin is good for making skin recover from various damages caused to the skin, because of burn, etc. What's more, regular use of vitamin E oil helps in the prevention of skin cancer.
How does vitamin E benefit the heart? A large number of studies have proved that vitamin E reduces the risk of heart diseases. Another has also shown that regular intake of vitamin E lowers the rate of death because of heart diseases.
In addition, it has been proved that vitamin E oil benefits hair. It's suggested that you massage your skin on the head regularly with vitamin E oil for hair. Vitamin E also helps prevent signs of becoming old such as graying of hair and hair loss.
Now, you may want to start taking vitamin E. However it's advised to consult your health care doctor about the amount that you take at one time, so that you can gain enough benefits from vitamin E. | high19509.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The children whose mothers smoked had a quarter more cold and breathing diseases than other children later in life"
},
"options": [
"The danger of cancer increased only for girls and not for sons",
"The children whose mothers smoke... | American doctors say that mothers who smoke cigarettes before their babies are born may slow the growth of their babies' lungs. They say reduced lung growth could cause the babies to suffer breathing problems and lung diseases later in life. Doctors in Boston, Massachusetts studied 1,000 children. The mothers of some of the children smoked, while the other mothers did not. Doctors found that the lungs of the children whose mothers smoked were 8% less developed than the lungs of the children whose mothers did not smoke, and that the children whose mothers smoked had 25% more cold and breathing diseases than other children later in life.
Another recent study found that children had a greater chance of having lung cancer if their mothers smoked. The study also showed that the danger of cancer increased only for sons and not for daughters, and that the father's smoking did not affect a child's chance of suffering from lung cancer. | high21096.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "she was the first black to study in an all-white school"
},
"options": [
"she was a little fighter against racism",
"she was very young, short and timid",
"she was the first black to study in an all-white school",
"she ... | "Racism is a grown-up disease," declares the saying on Ruby Bridge's website along with a photo of Mrs. Bridge today, a 6-year-old girl four decades ago. In the photo, she is walking up the steps of the William Frantz Public School in New Orleans, a little black girl accompanied by two officers who protect her on her way to school.
Her name then was Ruby Nell. It was Nov. 14, 1960. She was the first black child to enroll at this all-white elementary school according to the court order to desegregate in New Orleans schools. Her story is moving -- she was a very courageous child -- and remains a significant proof against intolerance of all kinds. Ruby's photo brings out another powerful image on her website: Norman Rockwells symbolic painting for Look magazine on Jan. 14, 1964, "The Problem We All Live With."
Rockwell was an illustrator of exceptional skill and charm. He produced a vast number of unforgettable images over a long career, many of them involving children. His American kids are innocent and appealing, but often, at the same time, decidedly naughty. His method was to photograph his models, and the resulting paintings were photographic. But it is revealing to see how the artist slightly changed facial expressions from photo to oil painting in order to make his paintings communicate with the viewer. Communication, even persuasion, lay at the back of his work; this was art for effect.
"The Problem We All Live With" belongs to Rockwell's later work, when he began openly showing his strong belief in liberty. This is a highly persuasive image. Before he arrived at the final copy, one sketch shows the little girl closer to the two officers following her than to those in front. In the finished picture, the girl seems more determined, independent, and untouched. The unfriendly tomatoes thrown on the wall are behind her now, and she, is completely unaffected. | high11155.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Check carefully whether lots of repairs are needed"
},
"options": [
"Check whether the price is low",
"Check whether it is a rare house",
"Check carefully whether lots of repairs are needed",
"Check whether a famous per... | House buyers have three main choices: building from the ground up, moving into an old house or buying a new one. All the three are very different and should be considered carefully. Your budget will probably have the biggest effect on your choice. Comparing the three will help you make a good decision.
New houses are untouched and fresh, which means they can suit your personality and you know exactly where all of the materials come from. New houses won't hold many unpleasant surprises, such as weak foundations, or other damaged areas. Most of these modern houses are also far more eco-friendly, with future decoration being just as easy to make and do as you like. Buying new houses is also a great way to save money, and you may find its benefit with the price going up in the future.
Some buildings, such as those that are rare or in certain areas, are of value over the years. Sometimes it is the history that draws more buyers into older houses. A famous person may have lived there, or an important event may have taken place in the house. This may not add any value to the house, but it can add to the attraction. There may be more repairs which will need to be done in the old houses,so before you think you've found a great bargain, be sure to get a careful inspection.
There are those who prefer building from the ground up. Building your own house can be a very rewarding, tiring, and expensive experience. While people have many expectations of planning and building their own houses, one thing is sure: it will take a while. There are always difficulties during construction, so you always find the construction time will be longer than your plan, not to mention the budget. Time can add up as well as materials and costs. Building is a good choice for those who are able and qualified. | high3412.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "let students learn something about other countries"
},
"options": [
"help teenagers in other countries know the real America",
"send students in America to travel in Germany",
"have teenagers learn new languages",
"let ... | This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers (young people aged from 13 to 19) from all over the world will spend about ten months in US homes. They will attend US schools, meet US teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study, the language began to come to him. Schools were completely different from what he had expected--much harder. Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual . Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
"Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it."
At the same time, In America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea."I suppose I should criticize American schools," he says. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens . There ought to be some middle ground between the two. | high5063.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because it contains a working knowledge of information about dogs and cats."
},
"options": [
"Because it's very cheap and may be useful to all the people.",
"Because it contains a working knowledge of information about dogs and cat... | Preparing for a medical emergency involving your pet is always best accomplished before the event takes place.This series is designed to help guide you through the important decisions about first aid, as well as how and when to transport your pet quickly and safely to a veterinary hospital or emergency ability.
VeterinaryPartner.com has provided this complete reference book online for you to skim through, expanding your knowledge of dog and cat first aid;however, we encourage you to buy the book to keep in your home or car as a quick reference during an emergency.
This book is an emergency preparedness ready-reference for dogs and cats.Wise preventive measures, intelligent use of first aid principles, coupled with recognition of abnormal symptoms and treatment of disorders, diseases, and problems, lead to effective health care.
A working knowledge of this information will help you get rid of some potentially dangerous circumstances and help you prepare for emergency situations.
It includes information on what to do and what not to do in specific emergency situations.The authors encourage careful reading and occasional rereading.We have tried to make this book easy to understand, avoiding technical terms as often as possible, but defining them in context when they are necessary. | high17524.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "To introduce a website which can help kids with their homework."
},
"options": [
"To introduce a website which can help kids with their homework.",
"To advertise an excellent education publisher.",
"To promote learning materi... | Designed specifically for kids that live online, Discovery announced a new fun and interactive homework tool that uses the power of broadband and media to help achieve academic breakthroughs at home. It's COSMEO.
With a click of a mouse, kids have instant access to the only online video destination for homework help, report research and learning games. COSMEO boasts more than 30,000 video clips from the top educational publishers and producers in the world, including Discovery. COSMEO also has 15,000 interactive quizzes and 200 subject-related Brain Games---making homework fun!
And most importantly-----all the content is aligned by state curriculum standards and grade level----- COSMEO gives kids the tools they need to succeed and gives parents the reassurance that the content is not only safe, but powerfully engineered to help their kids with academic breakthroughs.
COSMEO is built on the proven success of Discovery's in-school video streaming resource, which is available in 70,000 schools and reaches 30 million students in the United States. Students who were exposed to their service in the classroom have been scientifically proven to perform 12 to 15 percent better than those who were not. Now kids can access this proven content in their homes, and COSMEO presents the information in a way that is kid-friendly, interactive, appealing and fun.
COSMEO is structured for use by multiple children in the same family. Parents simply select the grade level of the user for access to age-appropriate learning materials. COSMEO can help a third-grader with multiplication tables and an older student with algebra equations . COSMEO uses a multimedia, multi- sensory environment to let kids learn in the way they learn best----- in formats they know, use and, most importantly, enjoy! [ | high20388.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "volunteer for some time"
},
"options": [
"pass all your subjects",
"help your classmates",
"volunteer for some time",
"spend a certain number of hours caring for animals"
],
"question": "If you want to finish yo... | You've see news reports about people who need help after a natural disaster or animals in need. Or perhaps you've watched TV programs about how lonely older people can get.
So what can you do about any of those things? The answer: You can volunteer. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to change people's lives, including your own. Helping others in need is such an important part of the American way of life that many high schools require their students to spend a certain number of hours volunteering in order to graduate.
Volunteering isn't like school: Instead of having the choices made for you about where to go and what subjects to learn,you can choose what really interests you and who (or what) is most deserving of your time.
If you like animals, help out at a local animal shelter. Most shelters depend on volunteers to keep the cats and dogs happy and well exercised.
If you have a friend or who has or had a medical problem(like cancer,HIV,for example), you might be inspired to donate your time to help an organization that raises money for research, delivers meals,or offers other help to people with the illness.
If you like children,there are lots of volunteering opportunities--from being a Big Brother or Big Sister to helping out in an after-school sports program.
You also can: serve food at a homeless shelter; take part in a park cleanup day.
And if you have more than one thing you love,you can combine the two. For example,if you love kids and are great at arts and crafts , visit your local children's hospital and offer to lead art activities for young patients. | high18171.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Windsurfing insects have real direction."
},
"options": [
"Insects migrate with the seasons.",
"Wind helps insects greatly in migrating.",
"Windsurfing insects have real direction.",
"Scientists have trouble in observin... | As they migrate , butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate . Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops. | high5705.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The answer is ly yes."
},
"options": [
"The answer is ly yes.",
"In a word, it's not a good education.",
"Your whole future may be decided on one fateful day.",
"Because they deprive the teacher of all freedoms.\nE. ... | So far, educationists have still failed to design anything more efficient and reliable than examinations. Some people say examinations test what you know. 71 . They may be a good means of testing memory, or the skills of working rapidly under extreme pressure, but they can tell you nothing about a person's true ability and talent. | high17242.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he was tall for his age"
},
"options": [
"he was young",
"he was hardworking",
"he was tall for his age",
"he was skillful at playing basketball"
],
"question": "Many schools offer Alcindor scholarships because ... | When Lew Alcindor was 13, and obviously still growing, a group of schools began offering him scholarships . The Alcindors decided to send their only child to Power Memorial Academy, a small school on Manhattan's West Side.
At Power, Alcindor came under the control of Coach Jack Donohue, a strict young an who already gained his fame as one of the best coaches in the city.Donohue brought Alcindor along slowly.As a first-year student, the boy was not able to do much but wave his long skinny arms and shoot a basket now and then.But by the second year, when he was 15 years old and nearly 7 feet tall, Alcindor was quick and skillful enough to make the high school All-American team and to lead Power to an undefeated season.
From then on he simply got better.Some rival coaches used to take their teams quickly away from the floor before Power warmed up so that their players would not see him any sooner than they had to.Wearing size 16 D shoes and sucking a lollipop , Alcindor would loosen up by starting his leaping lay-ups .Then he would casually shoot the ball with either hand, to the delight of the fans.
When reporters and photographers began to follow Alcindor closely, Donohue protected his boy firmly.He simply ordered Lew to talk to no member of the press, and this suited Lew fine.He was not comfortable talking to grown-ups, perhaps because he towered over them.Discouraged photographers began following him in secret as though he were an easily-frightened giraffe.Once after ducking into a subway to escape, Alcindor told a friend that it was all becoming like policemen and robbers."People want you not for yourself," Donohue warned him, "but because you're a basketball player.Don't forget that." | high21928.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "all the Brazilians know all about football"
},
"options": [
"all the Brazilians know all about football",
"football has an influence on politics in Brazil",
"the Brazilians spend a lot of money on football",
"Corinthian... | Brazil is the greatest football nation in the world. There are 170 million Brazilians. How many of them are football fans? 100 million! All of them think they know all about football. This makes life very difficult for the Brazilian team managers. When things go bad for the Brazilian team, the newspapers would demand that the team manager should leave his job. "If we win, they me in heaven," a manager once said. "If we lose, they put me in hell ."
You can't escape football in Brazil. There are football matches on every street and beach. On television, the results of football matches come before the main news programs. There are six television channels in Rio de Janeiro. On Sundays each channel shows a different football match.
Brazil is not the richest country in the world, but the government spends lots of money on football. It cost more than one billion pounds to prepare for the 1978 World Cup. That's 10 pounds for every Brazilian man, woman, and child. And many Brazilians don't earn as much as 10 pounds a week. Is it worth it?
"Brazil must have a great football team," says one journalist. "If it costs one billion pounds, that's all right. If the government doesn't give us a good team, then it will become unpopular. Football is more than a game in Brazil."
Football is more than a game in Brazil. This is certainly true in its largest city, Sao Paulo. The most popular team is Corinthians. Corinthians' fans are the most loyal and emotional in Brazil. When Corinthians win, production in the Sao Paulo car factories increases by fifteen per cent. When they loses, it drops. At one time Corinthians won the national championship for the first time, for four days fans danced and sang in the streets,
Why are people so loyal to one football team? What makes a football fan? One man says, "Without Corinthians my life would be sad. Corinthians bring some joy and excitement into my life. We all need that, don't we?" | high11633.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "I hope it will bring me a safe sailing as a return for my love of it ."
},
"options": [
"Of course , it loves me , since I love it .",
"If I love it , it should love me.",
"I hope it will bring me a safe sailing as a return f... | Sixty-year-old grandmother, Fiona McFee, is going to stop working next year and she decided to realize a childhood dream and sail around the coast of Scotland in a small boat. Although the inside of the boat is very _ it has no running water or electricity. Fiona says she can live without these things but she plans to take her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make sure life isn't too uncomfortable.
We asked her if she was afraid of being at sea for so long. She said, "Well, I'm going to take a good compass . Anyway I'm not afraid of death because I love the sea---I just hope it loves me." Fiona certainly has plenty of energy; in her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, rock-climbing, canoeing and dancing. Although she is sixty, she doesn't want to have a quiet and peaceful life. "I'm looking forward to having fun in the rest of my life and that's exactly why I'd like to be a sailor for a while." | high3374.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Performers develop the story as they are playing."
},
"options": [
"Performers act as a certain character.",
"Performers need a script to act on.",
"Performers intend to make audience embarrassed.",
"Performers develop ... | In high school, "cool" is the rule, so teenagers will do anything to avoid possibly embarrassing situations.
But not Samantha Elton, 15. She seeks them out. And if she can make a fool of herself as in the process, well, that's even better.
For the past two years, Elton, has been a practitioner of improvisation, doing things that others would be embarrassed to consider.
Elton is a member of High School Jesters, a group that teaches improvisation techniques to students. The group was founded two years ago by Nicholas Kopatich, himself a keen improviser.
"I was sitting in my dorm room and some friends were having chats about comedy and improvisation," Kopatich recalls. They asked for lessons after Kopatich told them he had improvisation experience. The small group turned out to be pretty good at it, so they did a show for the dorm. And things snowballed.
While even her mother marvels at Elton's ability to get up in front of audience without a script to fall back on, the teen enjoys such opportunities. Performing improvisation comes with a certain freedom that theater doesn't provide.
"What I like about it the most is that I don't have to be a certain character or a certain way, and because of that I can't get anything wrong," Elton says, "I get to write the story while I'm doing it."
Monica Elton, Samantha's mom, thinks the workshops are a valuable outlet that a lot of students may not get in their schools. High school kids don't usually like to act silly or look uncool, she says, but improvisation teaches them that it's OK to have flaws.
"I like to think we give kids positively that allows them to gain confidence," says Brent Mukai, a High School Jesters instructor. The great thing about improvisation is that it is an art form that is open to anyone. But there's more to it than getting up in front of audience and telling jokes or acting silly.
"You don't need to be the most amazing actress to be an improviser," Samantha Elton says, "It's really a place where I can show people my creativity. I can paint pictures for people and entertain others."
It's really free. | high8221.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because the ethics must be obeyed."
},
"options": [
"Because the father disliked the perch.",
"Because the father was afraid of being fined",
"Because the ethics must be obeyed.",
"Because the son was more experienced i... | He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family's cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.
When his peapole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.
Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.-- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.
"You'll have to put it back, son," he said.
"Dad!" cried the boy.
"There will be other fish," said his father.
"Not as big as this one," cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father's voice that the decision was not negotiable . He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father's cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish-again and again-every time he comes up against a question of ethics . | high15455.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Polite and humorous ."
},
"options": [
"Polite and humorous .",
"Happy and romantic.",
"Kind and friendly.",
"Out-going and humorous ."
],
"question": "Which of the following words can best describe Danes ?",
... | Denmark is one of the happiest nations on earth with some of the best quality of life. You don't need statistics to understand the Dane's happy lot. Walk around any Danish town and you'll experience some of the most harmonious civic spaces anywhere. Their intimate scales and perfect transport systems combine the rich history and bold modern lines of the built environment to delight the eye, and the locals' manners and sense of humor is refreshing.
Denmark's capital Copenhagen is a remarkable city with well-preserved medieval streets, renowned art galleries, Michelin-starred restaurants and a healthy business center. Finding something to do is never a problem and if all else fails, just admiring the streets with a hotdog in hand is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours .
Beyond the capital and the bigger cities, Denmark offers a mix of lively towns such as Ribe and Odense plus rural countryside, medieval churches , Renaissance castles and tidy 18th-century villages.
The coastline of Denmark with its sand dunes and greenery is a sight that always attracts visitors. So, no matter what time of year you're in Denmark, you shouldn't miss out on a trip to the nearest beach .
It's hard , in short , to find fault with the place. The visitor's most heartfelt complaint is usually the cost of visiting Denmark. True, it is not a cheap destination , but no more so than the UK, and which nation's public transport system would you rather use?
Cheer yourself up by thinking of the country's remarkable organization and clockwork railway timetable as being financed by the extremely high taxes paid by your hosts. When viewed in this way , this first-rate destination seems like good value, and you get the fairy tales thrown in for free: the Danish royal family is genuinely loved and respected by the vast majority of its citizens, not least handsome Prince Frederik , his beautiful Australian-born princess-bride, Mar, and their young family. | high7112.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he wasn't sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home"
},
"options": [
"he was sure there would be nothing to happen",
"he wasn't sure if Bruce was right and was anxious to go home",
"he didn't hear his friend's warnin... | One bitterly cold day,a snowstorm blew into our area. Needing firewood,I quickly set out with my best friend,Bruce,to look for a tree to cut down. I was glad to have Bruce along with. Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous. So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of danger.
When I chose a big tree about 23 meters tall and prepared to cut it down,my best friend suddenly warned me,"Don't cut down that tree!It's too close to the power line!"I wasn't sure about it. So I decided to _ his warning. I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home. So I began cutting down the tree. When the tree fell,there was no longer any doubt that my friend was right.
The tree caught the power line,bringing it to the ground. I considered cutting the tree off the line. After all,electricity can't travel through wood,so I could safely remove the tree. As I reached out my finger to touch the tree,pain ran up my arm and through my head. I was shocked!
After I returned home and told my mother what had happened,she quickly called the power company. The workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene. One of them asked if I had touched the tree,and when I told him I had,his face turned pale.
"You should have been killed," he said.
So why am I still alive?It was my boots that saved my life.
Within two hours,the workers removed the tree. Soon _ .
Even though she was glad I wasn't hurt,my mother was still serious. After all,I shouldn't have brushed off my friend's warning.
Through this experience,I learn it's important to listen to people who offer a different perspective. time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble. It certainly would have kept me from getting the "shock" of my life. | high1563.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "how American music developed"
},
"options": [
"how American music developed",
"when American music developed",
"what American music is",
"why American music is so popular"
],
"question": "The article mainly tell... | The first Europeans came to America in 1492 with Christopher Columbus. Since that time people have come to America from all over the world, from Europe, Africa, and Asia, and they have brought their music with them. This mixing of people and music has created American music.
Music is a very important part of our lives. Music is for dancing, drinking, eating, loving, and thinking. Some songs remind us of our childhood or youth.
Others remind of the people they love. Many important occasions, like weddings and funerals have special music. Every nation has a national song like the American "The StarSpangled Banner". In the US high schools and colleges have school songs too.
Music is a part of the history of America. It expresses the problems and feelings of its people. As the years pass, the music grows and changes.
Modern science has also changed music. Inventions like records, radios, movies, electric instruments, tape recorders, and videos have changed the way we play and listen to music. They have helped to make music an important form of international communication.
American music, from the earliest folk songs to modern "pop", is known around the world. Music is one of America's most important exports. It brings the people of the world together. Even when people cannot understand the same language, they can share the same music. Many people learn and practise English by singing song. Understanding American music can help you understand American people, their history and culture.
So, as the song says, "put a dime (10 cents)in the juke box , baby. Let's listen to the music!" | high13024.txt |
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