questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "she was not emotionally ready to be one"
},
"options": [
"she was not old enough to be one",
"she was not emotionally ready to be one",
"she thought her daughter was too young to be a mother",
"grandmother should be old... | I found the imagination of becoming a grandmother somewhat discouraging. I was younger than I thought a grandmother should be when I got the news that I was going to become one myself. I admit, it was not a role that I was emotionally ready to accept. I had been a young mother, and had certainly hoped my daughter would not face _ . I remarried when she was a teenager, and then had two more children. On getting the news that she was expecting , I remember thinking "What do I know about being a grandmother? --I haven't even finished raising my own kids yet!" I don't like to be unprepared, so I read a few books about grandparenting. That gave me a little help, but I was still uncertain. I thought about other grandmothers I knew, and got a few ideas I liked and a few more that I didn't. But I couldn't quite figure out what kind of grandmother I wanted to be. Then I thought about my own grandmother, Granny, as she's known by most people, and I knew I had the answer.
I didn't realize it until that moment, but my own grandmother was the example for the kind of grandmother I wanted to be. I am fortunate that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents when I was a little kid. Here is what I learned from my Granny:
Grandmothers always have a cookie jar. For my whole life, Granny always had a cookie jar full of cookies. When I was a little tiny girl, just at eye level with the counter, Granny would get the cookie jar down for me. When I was a little older I learned how to pull the chair over so I could reach. As I got taller, if I really stretched, I could reach the cookie jar with my finger tips and move it close enough to get it down off the counter to find out what kind of treat was inside. Always the first thing I did when I went to Granny's house was check the cookie jar, and there were always cookies in it. Many years later, I'll drive my own children to Granny's house and the first thing to do is get us all a cookie.
So grandmothers must have a cookie jar, and on my granddaughter' s first Christmas,my daughter bought me my own cookie jar. She said when they came to see me,her daughter would find the treat the way she did and I did. | high578.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The secret of having a fulfilling and pleasant life."
},
"options": [
"The difference between enjoyment and pleasure.",
"The secret of having a fulfilling and pleasant life.",
"The real meaning and purpose of life.",
"T... | A lot of people today are used to working, going on holiday, and having money---but many of them aren't happy. Yet other people seem to be really happy , even if they are poor. Why?
Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, from the University of Chicago, has interviewed thousands of people who have a happy life to find out how they do it. "I've been studying happiness for over 30 years," he says. "My interest in the subject came from my own experience as a child during World War II , when I saw many adults destroyed by the terrible events. But there were always a few who kept their courage, helped others, and were able to give a sense of purpose and meaning to their lives. I wanted to find out how a person could build a fulfilling and enjoyable life."
In general, his research showed that people were unhappy doing nothing. The professor stresses that happy people didn't waste time, either at work or when they are free. "Many people feel that the time they spend at work or at school is wasted. But often their free time is also wasted. Many people are used to doing passive things----watching television, for example----without using any skills. As a result, life goes past in a series of boring experiences."
But it doesn't have to be this way. The professor has found that people are happy when get into something he calls "flow". When people get very involved in a task that they have chosen, and which is well-defined and challenging , they experience "flow", a state where they don't notice time passing.
They also experience enjoyment. Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, makes a contrast between enjoyment and pleasure. "I used to think they were the same thing---- but they're not! Pleasure is a big bowl of ice cream, or taking a hot bath on a cold day ---nothing bad at all! But enjoyment is about doing something and achieving something. It isn't really important what we do, it's more important to do something, and feel positive about it, and to try to do it well."
People who are not used to happiness can learn how to be happy, says the professor, if they constantly get into "flow" states. Is happiness as easy as that? Perhaps it is. | high23468.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Getting along with their classmates."
},
"options": [
"Getting along with their classmates.",
"Doing their homework by themselves.",
"Overcoming difficulties on their own.",
"Catching up with others to get good grades."... | What would you do if you were a fifth grader facing a huge homework load every night, and you found out that there was a machine that would do all the work for you? That's the situation presented to Sam, Kelsey, Judy and Brenton in Dan Gutman's entertaining new book for young readers, The Home Machine.
The four children, all fifth graders in Miss Rasmussen's Grand Canyon School, are as different as any other 11-year-old child could be, but they have one thing in common -- all are somewhat separated from their classmates. Sam is a newcomer and has had his share of school trouble before; Kelsey quietly carries her pain at losing her father; Judy's sense of justice always annoys others; Brenton is the smartest child in the school, so smart that even his parents and teachers have trouble keeping up with him. When Brenton and his three classmates are put into the same study group by their teacher, the others discover that Brenton has made a time-saving gadget to do homework for him. While the boy is perfectly able to do his homework himself, Sam, Kelsey and Judy can use the help.
Having perfect grades is something new for these three, and as they meet every day to "do homework", they find that they're learning a lot about each other. Such a good thing can't last though, and when a secret man starts trying to get in touch with them, they begin to get nervous. Soon there's an even more frightening problem -- why can't the Homework Machine be turned off?
Told in different voices as all the children make statements to the Grand Canyon Police, the story develops in an interesting fashion. Gutman is a gifted writer who has written dozens of children's books, each with a funny and impressing table that should be equally liked by boys and girls. | high6783.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "who are talented for some area but lead an improper life"
},
"options": [
"who are not bright but are good-looking",
"who are rich but are strict with themselves",
"who are talented for some area but lead an improper life",
... | Every country has its heroes. The heroes are the people the nation and especially the young people admire. If you get a list of the heroes of a nation,it will tell you the potential of that nation.
Today in prefix = st1 /America,if you ask the high school students to list their heroes,their choice would probably fall into three groups. The first group of heroes would be the rock stars--the people connected with rock music. There is no doubt that such people do have talent but one wonders if one should hold up rock stars as a model. The rock stars too often are mixed with drugs and their personal life is not all that good. The rock stars are rich and wear the latest fashion styles. However,one should seek more in a hero than such things as money and good clothes.
A second type of hero for the American youth is the sports star. Again you have a person who has a great ability in one area-sports. However,too often the personal life of the sports star is a bit of a disorder. Too frequently drugs and drinking are a part of life of the sports star.
A third type of hero is the TV or movie star. This person may have lots of acting talent and is quite handsome. However,the personal life of too many actors is quite sad and they should not be held up as a model of young people. Today,the rock star,the athlete,and the actor all have become the models of the youth in America. Really,do you hear a young person say that his hero is a doctor,a teacher,or a scientist?These people are not rich and do not wear fashionable clothes. However,they are talented people who work hard to make the world a better place for everyone.
What is really sad is that the young try to imitate their heroes. They like to wear the same clothes and follow their styles. If the heroes of today for the American young people are limited only to rock stars,athletes and actors,the future does not look too bright. | high17915.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a bit comfortable"
},
"options": [
"a little curious",
"rather tired",
"a bit comfortable",
"very depressed"
],
"question": "How did the author feel when she found some Chinese foods in a supermarket?",
"que... | On Jan 23, 2012, I was aboard a ship on the Yangtze River, listening to the sound of fireworks and eating plate after plate of dumplings.
On Sunday Feb 10, 2013, I was preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year again - in London's Chinatown.
It was raining. It was cold. But ever since I left Beijing in August, I had promised myself I would celebrate Chinese New Year - if only to help with my Beijing "homesickness".
Central London was dressed up for the occasion. There was a stage for a big fireworks display for the evening. Even so, it wasn't like my real Beijing chunjie.
Even buying a baozi didn't cheer me up. It cost about 10 times as much as the real thing does in Beijing and got stuck to its rain-ruined paper bag.
Cold, wet and depressed, I ran into a shop for shelter. Suddenly, there it was. Between the packets of dried meat and fish, the bags of rice and the smell of dried noodles in this little Chinese supermarket, I had found home.
An hour later, I hurried into my house with bags of frozen jiaozi, packets of sauce and a large bottle of vinegar. I boiled water, tore open the packets, grabbed my chopsticks and settled down to a feast. This, I thought, is a Happy Chinese New Year.
I even watched the fireworks on TV. After all, why face the British weather when I can bring China home in one bite? | high4194.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "medical treatment is expensive in some countries"
},
"options": [
"aged patients prefer to travel",
"air travel is cheaper than before",
"local hospitals lack advanced equipment",
"medical treatment is expensive in some... | While most travelers aim to stay out of the hospital while on vacation, a growing number of medical tourists-people who combine treatment with travel - are crossing international borders for the purpose of getting medical services, which can range from a hip replacement to a tummy tuck. Widespread air travel, increasing healthcare costs in developed countries, long waiting lists and an ageing world population have all contributed to a global increase in medical tourism in the past decade. And Asia takes the lead in terms of world market share.
More than 89% of medical tourists travelled to Thailand, India or Singapore in 2010, with Bangkok and Singapore leading the pack. But the cost of hotel rooms and treatment are both far more expensive in Singapore than in the Thai capital, making Bangkok the most popular place for medical tourism in the world. Even after the serious floods of 2011, 19 million tourists visited Thailand in 2011, a 20% jump from 2010, with about 500,000 tourists travelling specifically for medical treatment.
Given Thailand's reputation for outstanding service, it is not hard to see why Bangkok has quickly become the medical tourism centre of Asia. The Tourism Authority of Thailand(TAT), which began medical tourism in 2004, has a detailed medical tourism website that lists many of the most popular treatments available, including dental work, dermatology and cosmetic surgery, as well as listing reputed hospitals, making it easy for potential visitors to decide on a procedure. TAT has also recently partnered with Krungthai Bank, the national bank of Thailand, to offer tourists a card called the Miracle Thailand Card, which offers some medical and life insurance coverage in case of an accident.
"The hospitals in Bangkok are some of the highest quality in the world,meeting US standards,"said Steven Lash, CEO of a US-based medical travel company that sends tourists to Bangkok as well as to seven other countries, including Turkey and Mexico. "All of the tourists we have sent to these hospitals have given us excellent feedback on their procedures and their experiences at the hospitals." | high3823.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the stories behind the holiday gifts"
},
"options": [
"a web site that helps people buy gifts",
"some advice on how to choose a gift",
"the stories behind the holiday gifts",
"the ways to deal with the gifts received"
... | While you're hurrying around picking up gifts in the last few days before Christmas, do you have any time to think about how much your s, or friends will actually value what you find? WePay, a Website that helps people collect, manage and spend money online, has analysed tons of research, reports and surveys from different sources, and the results were surprising!
Are Gift Cards a Good Idea?
Rather than give someone a gift that they might not like, it's better just to pick up a gift card so they can buy what they really want, right? Wrong. This year, $ 2.5 billion in gift cards went unspent. Of that amount, $1.3 billion went unspent because people didn't bother making the time. Another $ I billion or so was forgotten altogether.
How Much Do We Really Value the Gifts We're Given?
The lucky recipient of a gift, like a cashmere sweater, will value it less than the amount it was purchased for. And ladies, contrary to what you might think, place less monetary value on the diamond ring they are given than the guys who have bought it for them.
What Happens to Our Gifts After They're Given?
Many complain that the holiday season means shopping and crazily spending money, but studies show that once the big day arrives, we are less focused on gifts than we think. Every year, at least one gift per person is regifted, returned or never even opened
And How Do We Really Feel About Fruit Cakes?
We all know that no one likes fruit cakes, right? Wrong, once again. Although fruit cakes continue to be taken away behind the rest of the holiday cookies and cakes on the dessert table, one in four people still consider giving them as gifts.
What does this all really mean? To be clear, it's certainly not that you shouldn't enjoy the holiday spirit and feel great about giving gifts to those most important to you. While so many of us are worrying about how much money we're spending and who we still need to buy for, it simply helps to take a step back and rethink what it really means to give a gift. | high20161.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "prevent the mobile phones being used properly"
},
"options": [
"have the same functions as mobile phones",
"prevent the mobile phones being used properly",
"cause the biggest problem theatres have to face",
"help make e... | It is not a good idea to interrupt the actor Richard Griffiths in the middle of a play.During the past year he has stopped performances at the National Theatre when mobile phones have gone off,and he threw one member of the audience out of a West End play for failing to switch off his phone.
So when a mobile rang out for the third time during his performance as Hector,a teacher,in Alan Bennett's The History Boys at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York,he spoke angrily:"I am not going to compete with these electronic devices".
Griffiths'actions led a debate in the UK theatre world over whether phones should be forbidden by law from British theatres,too.Actors are already asking the government to legalise the use of electronic screening devices to block mobile phone signals from theatres.
Technology companies market"blocking"devices that send out a high-powered signal on the same frequency as a mobile phone,occupying all the available spectrums .
But these are forbidden in many countries because they might prevent emergency calls from being made.
Rosemary Squire,president of the Society of West End Theatre and co-founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group,which operates 12West End theatres,said,"Phones are one of the biggest operational problems theatres face.We should look for equipment that could block phones or make a London-wide theatre rule."
Nick Allott,the managing director of Sir Cameron Mackintosh's theatre group,said,"We would all welcome some ways of preventing ringing phones,but doctors and emergency workers need to be paged in a theatre and we mustn't prevent that." | high19938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The increased exploitation of workers in the 19th century."
},
"options": [
"Other forms of energy have taken the place of human power.",
"The increased exploitation of workers in the 19th century.",
"The increased use of m... | Technology has been an encouragement of historical change. It acted as such a force in England beginning in the eighteenth century, and across the entire Western World in the nineteenth. Rapid advances were made in the use of scientific findings in the manufacture of goods, which has changed ideas about work. One of the first changes was that other forms of energy have taken the place of human power. Along with this came the increased use of machines to manufacture products in less time. People also developed machines that could produce the same parts for a product: each nail was exactly like every other nail, meaning that each nail could be changed for every other nail. This means that goods could be mass production, although mass production required breaking production down into smaller and smaller tasks.
Once _ was done, workers no longer started on the product and labored to complete it. Instead, they might work only one thousandth of it, other workers completing their own parts in certain order. There is nothing strange about this manufacturing work by today's standards. Highly skilled workers were unable to compare with the new production techniques, as mass production allowed goods of high standard to be produced in greater number than could ever be done by hand. But the skilled worker wasn't the only loser, the common workers lost too. Similar changes forced farmer away. The increased mechanization of agriculture freed masses of workers from ploughing the land and harvesting its crops. They had no choice but to stream toward the rapidly developing industrial centers. Increasingly, standards were set by machines. Workers no longer owned their own tools, their skill was no longer valued, and pride in their work was no longer possible. Workers fed, looked after and repaired the machines that could work faster than humans at greatly reduced cost. | high2283.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to keep your current salary a secret."
},
"options": [
"to keep your current salary a secret.",
"to show great interest in foreign languages",
"to have a university degree in a marketing-related major.",
"to get prepare... | Marketing Assistant Wanted
Century Company is a dynamic new joint venture in the electronics sector. We have a workforce of over 300 in New York and over 200 in Beijing, China. The company had a turnover of $120 million last year.
We now have a vacancy for a marketing assistant to work at our Beijing Office.
You will have a university degree in a marketing-related discipline, and an interest in foreign languages. See the detailed job description below.
Please send your CV and a cover letter including your current salary details to: Annie Kim, Century Company, Beijing.
Job description:
*Position: Marketing assistant
*Reports to: Marketing Manager
*Key responsibilities: Assist the Marketing Manager and in all functions within the department; data collation ; meet all visitors and guests.
*Work competencies: Strong all round IT skills; experienced in using Word and Excel
*Behavioral competencies: Strong organizational skills; ability to work as part of a team; adaptability.
*Experience: At least two years' work experience in a marketing role; experience of working in IT or electronics environment is desirable.
*Closing date: November 15, 2014 | high18398.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "A snow removal vehicle."
},
"options": [
"His drunk driving.",
"The strong wind.",
"The slippery road.",
"A snow removal vehicle."
],
"question": "What caused Thomas James Hanson to fall into the ditch according... | Thomas James Hanson will remember for a long time the snowstorm that hit the state of New York on November 22. The 47-year-old man from Niagara Falls was stuck in his car on the highway for almost eight days after his vehicle was accidentally pushed to the side of the road and covered with snow by workers employed to remove the snow from the streets.
Driving on the Interstate Highway 190 during the worst of the snowstorm, Mr. Hanson decided to pull over his old 1993 Volkswagen Passat to the side of the road and wait for the weather conditions to improve. He remained motionless for approximately five hours before a snow plow arrived to clear the way. Unfortunately for the poor man, the driver of the gigantic snow removal vehicle did not see the small car, pushing it into the ditch and covering it with more than 2 meters of snow.
Fortunately for the father of two children, the snow that was stacked over his vehicle was not very dense and allowed for enough fresh air to get through to enable him to survive. He was able to drink
Thomas Hans water that he obtained by melting snow with his lighter in an aluminum coffee cup, and he ate the few items of groceries he had bought before going home.
"If I had known I would be stuck for eight days, I would have bought more than a jar of dill pickles , a bottle of ketchup and two sticks of beef jerky ," said the survivor with a smile.on had almost lost all hope of being rescued when his car was hit once again this morning by another snow plow, which revealed the poor man's location. | high19086.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "published in European languages"
},
"options": [
"published in European languages",
"read on the computer screen",
"designed in the form of small-sized books",
"broadcast on television and the radio"
],
"questio... | Join the thousands of professionals and international travelers who depend on prefix = st1 /Chanps- ElyseesSchauinsLand, Puerta del Sol, and Acquerello italiano to help them stay in touch with the languages and cultures they love. Designed to help you greatly improve your listening, vocabulary, and cultural IQ, these unique European audio-magazines are guaranteed to give you enthusiasm and determination to study the language - or your money back
Each audio-magazine consists of an hour-long programme on CD or DVD. You'll hear interviews with well-known Europeans, passages covering current events and issues as well as feature stories on the culture you love. A small book. which goes with CD or DVD, contains a complete set of printed materials, notes (background notes included) averaging 600 words and expression translated into English. The result you build fluency month in and month out.
To help you integrate language study into your busy life, we've made each audio- magazine convenient. Work on language fluency while driving to work, exercising, or cooking--- anytime and anywhere you want
Best of alt each programme is put together by professional broadcasters journalists, and editors who have a strong interest in European languages and cultures. That enthusiasm comes through in every edition. From New York to London to Singapore? the users tell us no company produces a better product for language learners at all levels Ring for more information, or order at WWW. audiomagazine. com. We guarantee that you have nothing to lose if it's not for you; let us know within 6 weeks and we will completely reimburse you. | high21519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Saxon Youth Club"
},
"options": [
"Peterborough Museum",
"Houghton Mill",
"Saxon Youth Club",
"Farmland Museum"
],
"question": "If you are interested in cooking, you can go to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze... | Summer Holiday Fun 2010 !
The summer holidays are upon us again. Here is our guide to summer holiday fun in Peterborough!
Peterborough Museum
The Age of the Dinosaurs is the museum's main attraction this summer. Get up close to prehistoric creatures via some great hands-on exhibits! Watch out for monsters lurking around every ember! The museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday to Saturday, and from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Sundays in August.
Call 01733-864663 for details.
Saxon Youth Club
School holiday fun: young people aged 13-19 will be able to produce their own music, compete in sports activities,or try their hand at cooking at Saxon Youth Club,Saxon Community Centre, Norman Road, Peterborough every Monday and Wednesday from 3:00 pm. PLUS an aeroball tournament will take place on Thursday, 12th August between 3:30 pm and 6:30 pm.
Call 01353-720274 for details.
Houghton Mill
Through the Looking Class----a new production of the family favorite on Monday, 30thAugust. Bring rugs or chairs to sit on and a picnic if you wish to eat during the play.Gates open 5:30 pm,performance 6:30 pm--8:30 pm.Tea room will be open until end of the interval. Adult PS10. ChildPS7. Family PS20.
Booking advisable on 0845-4505157.
Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey
Farmland Games: from Wellie Wanging to Pretend Ploughing matches, come and join the Farmland Team. Collect your sporting stickers and create a color1ful rosette that is fit for a winner! No need to book, just turn up between 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Thursday, 19th August. Suitable for children aged four and above, each child should be accompanied by an adult and all activities are included in the normal admission price. Tickets Cost:PS7 per child.
For further information, call 01223-810080. | high22010.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "have large brains"
},
"options": [
"live in groups",
"have large brains",
"are warm-blooded",
"have their own language"
],
"question": "Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they _ .",
"q... | Dolphins are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this, they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time--at least twenty or thirty years. Like some animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.
Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people.
There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to 1903, Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded Jack. He recovered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area-except for The Penguin.
Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them. | high1952.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The 1976 Tangshan earthquake."
},
"options": [
"The 1964 Alaskan quake.",
"The 1976 Tangshan earthquake.",
"The 1972 Managua earthquake.",
"The 1906 earthquake."
],
"question": "Which of the following is mention... | An earthquake happens when two plates rub together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other, pressure builds up until the plates break apart. This process causes the ground to move. It is an earthquake. In other words, earthquakes are the shaking of the earth's surface caused by the earth's rocky outer layer as a result of the energy stored within the earth. The strain within the rocks is suddenly released .
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. If it hits a large city, there may be many injuries and much destruction. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Actually, there are several million small earth-quakes every year. Large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaska quake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, cause millions of dollars in damage. In the last 500 years, millions of people have been killed by earthquakes around the world -- including 240,000 in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.
A 60-second or less earthquake can cause devastation that continues for years after the first tremor . In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the country did not have the necessary money to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. It is in the _ fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep down and sweep away everything in their path. | high1946.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The perfection created in the film makes some viewers think of committing suicide."
},
"options": [
"The audience think the theme of the film is showing respect to others' differences.",
"The perfection created in the film makes so... | The film Avatar has been a hit at the box office in the UK and around the world, becoming the fastest film ever to earn $1bn (7bn yuan) in ticket sales.
But the world of the sci-fi epic Avatar is so perfect that people have admitted being troubled by depression and suicidal thoughts at not being able to visit the planet.
Set in the future when Earth's resources have run out, director James Cameron's film tells the story of a corporation trying to mine a rare mineral.
The humans conflict with the natives-- a peace-loving race of 7ft tall, blue-skinned creatures called the Na'vi, who exist in perfect harmony with nature.
Fans have flooded the internet with their confused feelings. On the site Avatar Forums , the topic "Ways to cope with the depression of the dream of Pandora being intangible " has more than 1,000 posts.
In a similar forum, one user wrote, "When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed grey. It just seems so meaningless."
"I still don't really see any reason to keep doing things at all. I live in a dying world."
On another site, one fan was even more affected, admitting, "I even consider suicide, thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora."
On the Avatar site Naviblue, a fan calling himself Jorba has even asked others to join him in starting a real Na'vi tribe .
Dr Stephan Quentzel, psychiatrist and Medical Director in New York told CNN, "Virtual life is not real life and it never will be, but this is the pinnacle of what we can build in a virtual presentation so far."
"It has taken the best of our technology to create this virtual world and real life will never be as utopian as it seems on screen. It makes real life seem more imperfect."
But not everyone viewing the film has been hit by the "Avatar Blues", as a small but vocal group have claimed it contains racist themes-- the white hero once again saving the primitive natives. Since the film opened three weeks ago, hundreds of blog posts, newspaper articles and YouTube videos have said things such as the film is "a fantasy about race told from the point of view of white people" and that it strengthens "the white Messiah fable ."
The film's writer and director, James Cameron, says the real theme is about respecting others' differences. | high22004.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "his childhood friends"
},
"options": [
"his father",
"the enemy",
"the chief of the tribe",
"his childhood friends"
],
"question": "An Indian could be given the second name by _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | Each Indian was supposed to keep his birth name until he was old enough to earn one for himself.But his playmates would always give him a name of their own.No matter what his parents called him, his childhood friends would use the name they had chosen.Often it was not pleasing, such as Bow Legs or Bad Boy.But sometimes a name fit so well that the youngster found it difficult to shake it off.If he could not earn a better one from a war later, he could be stuck with a name like Bow Legs for the rest of his life.
The Indian earned his real name when he was old enough for his first fight against the enemy.His life name depended on how he acted during this first battle.When he returned from the war, the whole tribe would gather and observe the ceremony in which he would be given his name by the chief.If he had done well, he would get a good name.Otherwise he might be called Crazy Wolf or Man-Afraid-Of-a-Horse.So an Indian's name told his record or described the kind of man he was.
A man was given many chances to improve his name, however.If in a later battle he was brave in fighting against the enemy, he was given a better name.Some of our great fighters had as many as twelve names--all good and each better than the last.
An Indian's names belonged to him for the rest of his life.No one else could use them.Even he himself could not give them away because names were assigned by the tribe, not the family.So no man could pass on his name unless the chief and the tribe asked him to do so.
Sometimes an Indian would be asked to give his name to a son who had performed a noticeable deed.I know of only three of four times when this happened.It is the rarest honor for a person--the honor of assuming his father's name. | high15870.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it can pick up people's spirits"
},
"options": [
"it can pick up people's spirits",
"it can help people get on well with others",
"it can help get rid of the cruelty in the world",
"it makes people more confident"
]... | There exist cruel wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, so it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us go through difficult times in our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling depressed, as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is a common manner to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don't have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to avoid the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. Therefore, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together. | high2297.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "texting on the mobile phone"
},
"options": [
"reaching for a cell phone.",
"texting on the mobile phone",
"talking on the mobile phone",
"bringing along a cell phone"
],
"question": "According to the passage, ... | Car crashes are the top killer of American teenagers.Most of the crashes result from distracted driving not paying attention to the road.
Ryan Didone was a fifteen-year-old passenger in a car that hit a tree.He was one of the nation's more than thirty thousand victims of traffic crashes in 2008.Nearly four thousand deaths, about twelve percent, involved drivers aged fifteen to twenty.Ryan's father, Thomas Didone, is a police captain in Montgomery County, Maryland.He said, "It was an inexperienced," immature driver who felt that he was invincible , driving at night with a carload of kids.He was distracted, he was going too fast, and it ended up causing one death and some upsetting experiences and tragedy for the rest of the community."
Jim Jennings from the Allstate Insurance Company said "The number one cause of distracted-driving accidents is the mobile phone.Talking on the phone or reaching for it is like drinking four beers and driving.If you're texting while driving, you are twenty-three times more likely to get into an accident than somebody who isn't.
Reaching for a cell phone when it's going off, you're nine times more likely to get into an accident than normally driving," The insurance industry recently held a safety event near Washington for teen drivers.
At first, nineteen-year-old Kevin.Schumann easily avoided large, inflatable dolls thrown in front of the car to represent children.He also avoided orange cones representing the edge of the road.Then, as part of the test,he started texting. He hit several cones and at least one doll.
Debbie Pickford from the Allstate Insurance Company said, "Teens are especially at risk from distracted driving--and not just because they lack experience on the roads.What we know from research on teen brain development, is that teens don't really have fully developed brains until they are twenty-five years old. You put those two things together and you get a much, much higher risk. | high20613.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "4668736."
},
"options": [
"4668736.",
"4021877.",
"4886888.",
"4028736."
],
"question": "Which number should you call if you like jazz music?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
... | Live Music--Late Night Jazz Enjoy real American jazz from Herbie Davis, the famous trumpet player. Heis known to play well into the late hours, so don't expect to get much sleep.
Place: The Jazz Club Dates : 10 - 25 July
Price: $ 100 -- 150 Time: 10:30 p.m. till late
Tel: 4668736
Scottish Dancing
Scottish dancing is nice and easy to learn. The wonderful dance from Britain will beshown. Place: Jack Stein's Dates :12 -19 July
Price: $150 Time: 7:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Tel: 4021877
Shows in Shanxi Museum
There are 12,000 pieces on show here. You can see the whole Chinese history.
Place: Shanxi Museum Dates: Jun 1 - Aug 15
Price: $ 60 ( $ 30 for students) Time: Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Tel : 4886888 Weekends: 9:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m. | high19092.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The job didn't turn out as she had expected"
},
"options": [
"The customers didn't tip her enough",
"It was difficult to make iced coffee perfect",
"Everybody had an enormous order",
"The job didn't turn out as she had ... | At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop.I thought the job would be easy and stress-free.I pictured myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnuts , and becoming friends with regular customers.
I wasn't expecting the people with enormous orders, the women who complained that the coffee was much too creamy , or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached perfection.I couldn't seem to please anyone.
One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking upset.He said he felt like getting in bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years.I knew exactly how he felt.
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee.He was surprised, since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee.I had given him his favorite type of droughnut.
"It's on me," I told him."Have a nice day."
He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the rain.
The next day, it was still raining.I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders.I was completely wet and freezing cold.Worse, no one was tipping that day.Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more depressed.
In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window.He handed me a pink rose and a note.He said that not many people took time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world.With a friendly wave, he drove away.
I ran to the back of the shop and read the note.It read:
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday.It is so nice to meet someone who's indeed nice.Please don't change your ways! Have a great day! -Hank
After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness.Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you?" | high4180.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Today's parents have less time to take care of their children."
},
"options": [
"More and more modern mothers go out to work to support the families.",
"Today's parents would rather leave their children in the hands of nurseries.",... | Today's parents miss the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found.
Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to _ work and family life than the previous generation. As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children.
The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did -- just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day
And 64 percent said this was because they felt they 'had' to go out to work, while nearly a third (29 per cent) said they were under constant pressure to be the 'perfect mother', the report found.
Other findings showed social network and parenting website were important in proving help and support among female communities
Kate Fox, of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said: "With increasing pressure on mothers to work a 'double shift' -- to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner -- support networks are more important than ever
It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialized nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a "primary activity".
Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their children in the hands of nurseries or child minders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk.
The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them -- even if their husband is not in work
A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child -- 18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work.
Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children. | high20175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Americans usually have fast food, but they pay special attention to cooking as well"
},
"options": [
"Americans like to have several different colors of food on the plate",
"without an oven, Americans find it impossible to live con... | If you think American cooking means opening a package and throwing the contents into the microwave oven , think again. On the one hand, it's true that many Americans have cold cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and instant dinners. From busy homemakers to working people, many Americans enjoy the convenience of fast food that can be ready to serve in 10 minutes or less. On the other hand, many Americans realize the importance of cooking skills. Parents -- especially mothers -- see the importance of training their children -- especially daughters. Most Americans think that there's nothing better than a good home-cooked meal. _ .
Probably every cook has his or her own way of cooking. But there are some basic skills that most people follow. For example, baking is a main method of preparing food in America. For that reason, Americans would find it next to impossible to live without an oven. American cooks pay special attention to the balance of foods, too. In planning a big meal they try to include meat, a few vegetables, some bread and often a dessert. They also like to make sure the meal is colorful. Having several different colors of food on the plate usually makes for a healthy meal.
For those who need guidance in their cooking, or for those who have just run out of ideas, recipes are a great help. Recipes list all the ingredients for a dish (generally in the order used), the amount of each to use, and a description of how to put them together. | high3837.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "436-4119"
},
"options": [
"436-4119",
"436-5990",
"436-4112",
"436-4108"
],
"question": "When you want to book a room in the New Residence Hall, you should call .",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | Thank you for choosing Yale University housing. The following information should answer questions you may have about housing services.
Housing office
There is a housing office in the New Residence Hall and is open seven days a week, 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., for check-in and check-out. You can call the assistants there for any questions about housing. Telephone: 436-4119. Or if you are moving in, you can call Housekeeping at 436-4108 and ask to have your rooms cleaned.
Common Room and Meeting Rooms
The building has a common room (BO77) for the use of guests for studying and gathering. Do not leave personal things in the common room. Close any windows you open when you leave the room. The meeting rooms 223 (for 10 people) and 323 (for 18 people) each have a television and a VCR. You don't need to reserve the common room and for reservation of meeting rooms, please call the Housing Office.
Computer Rooms
There are two computer rooms (221 &421) in the building. They offer Macintoshes, Windows computers, and printing to guests. These computers are maintained by Yale University's Computing Assistants (www.yale.edu/cas Tel:436-5990). If you have any problems, for example, if there's no printer paper, please report it to the housing office.
Telephone Service
Each room is equipped with a telephone. Your telephone number is 436-4 followed by your room number (for example, Room 112, tel.436-4112). To call a university number, press the last five numbers only. To make a call outside the university, press 9 first and then the number. | high8962.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "take photographs"
},
"options": [
"take care of them",
"treat Jim's cancer",
"take photographs",
"fix Josie's wedding"
],
"question": "Villatoro was hired by Josie's parents to _ .",
"question_type": "clo... | "Josie Metz's father won't live long enough to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.But thanks to photographer Lindsey Villatoro,the 11-year-old girl was able to experience what it might be like anyway.
Her father, Jim,62,had already been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when he and his wife.Grace,hired Villatoro--a photographer.Two years ago,Villatoro began offering photography sessions for people with serious illnesses to document their journeys and was hired by the Metz family."I try to really showcase the person for who they are and not the illness,"she told The Huffington Post during a phone conversation Tuesday afternoon.
Villatoro went to Jim and Grace's home for a shoot and offered to do one with their young daughter,Josie.After she left,she posted about the family on her website to get gift donations for the girl to help make her last birthday with her father memorable.But she decided to take a step further as a surprise and dreamed up the idea of a wedding for the girl--complete with,flowers,desserts,a promise ring and a dress from L.A.Fashion Week--so that her father could walk her down the aisle."
For today,appreciate those you love.Give them lots of hugs and be grateful they are in your life.You never know what can happen.Say more"I Love Yous"and show more appreciation for all of your friends and family.Appreciate the blessings you have.I'm going to hug my husband Rich more today,call my Dad,call my friend in NC,and give lots of kitty hugs to my pets.Hugs to all of you--I appreciate you all so much and am grateful to have you in my life every single Day! | high6797.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "recall his/her first travel to London"
},
"options": [
"recall his/her first travel to London",
"tell us he/she has visited many places.",
"introduce a famous city to the readers.",
"show the readers around London"
... | My first visit to London was one and a half years ago. It was a wonderful trip. I stayed in the city for three weeks, and I had many impressions. I visited all the famous places. I'd like to tell you about some of the places I visited in this beautiful city.
First, I went to the Tower of London, and I want to say that it is a very interesting historical place. I found out that a long time ago, it was a prison. Later it became a castle for the royal family. Or maybe it is the reverse; I'm not sure, but later they left this place and lived in Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.
I also enjoyed visiting the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, two very popular places for tourists. They are very old and beautiful. The Abbey is built in a kind of Gothic style; it is fantastic.
In London, you can also enjoy nature. There are many parks such as Hyde Park, Green Park, and Holland Park. These parks are wonderful green, quiet places where you can relax and escape the noise of the city.
Trafalgar Square is a popular place for students and other young people. You will find lots of pigeons there. If you have time, you can feed them and they will be very happy. You can buy special food for them, but be careful! Tons of birds are going to surround you if you feed them.
Another very special place in London that I like is St. Paul's Cathedral which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. I also was impressed with the museums in London. They're very popular. I found them interesting because you can learn about the history of England.
I had a wonderful time in London. I really liked it because it is a city that is rich in history. | high12879.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "good eating habits may help students keep from drugs"
},
"options": [
"drug abuse is a popular phenomenon",
"drug is actually a common medicine",
"good eating habits may help students keep from drugs",
"teenagers always... | Everyone takes drugs. Sometimes a drug might be called a herb but the effect is the same. Drugs and herbs can make life better for they are used to improve health. From the simplest headache to a cure for cancer, People believe that certain drugs can help them. But there is danger if the drugs are not used in a proper way.
American teenagers sometimes use certain drugs to feel good. They call this "getting high". The problem is that once a young man or a young woman has the feeling of "getting high, they want to do it often. If school is boring or too hard, students might get depressed and a drug or herb might help them feel better. If a student takes too much of a drug, the body may change in a negative way such as a confused mind, poor vision, a headache, and an uncomfortable stomach.
School mow have DARE programme which means Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This programme was started so that young students from age 10 to18 might understand how a drug affects their bodies. The main point of the programme is education. Once a student understands certain drugs can cause ill health, he will know he should not use them.
Education is the key to good nutrition as well. If a student eats correctly, he or she will be full of energy which leads to good study habits and good grades. Poor nutrition may cause the need for more sleep and poor concentration. Proper food is similar to the proper use of drugs. Both allow a healthy body to grow while misuse prevents a person from developing normally. | high22762.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "it shows more about the student's understanding of the subject"
},
"options": [
"it shows more about the student's understanding of the subject",
"it tests the student's knowledge of the material as well as his expression of ideas"... | For a clearer picture of what the student knows, most teachers use another kind of examination in addition to objective tests. They use "essay" tests, which require students to write long answers to broad, general questions such as the following: "Mention several ways in which Benjamin Franklin has influenced thinking of people in his own country and in other parts of the world."
One advantage of the essay test is that it reduces the element of luck. The student cannot get a high score just by making a lucky guess. Another advantage is that it shows the examiner more cares about the student's ability to put facts together into a meaningful whole. It should show how deeply he has thought about the subject. Sometimes, though, essay tests have disadvantages, too. Some students are able to write rather good answers without really knowing much about the subject, while other students who actually know the material have trouble expressing their ideas in the essay form.
Besides, in an essay test the student's score may depend upon the examiner's feelings at the time of reading the answer. If he is feeling tired or bored, the student may receive a lower score than he should. Another examiner reading the same answer might give it a much higher mark. Because of _ , the objective test gives each student a fairer chance, and of course it is easier and quicker to score.
Whether an objective test or an essay test is used, problems arise. When some objective questions are used along with some essay questions, however, a fairly clear picture of the student's knowledge can usually be gotten. | high7489.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "your shortages might stop you succeeding"
},
"options": [
"your shortages might stop you succeeding",
"ideals can never be turned into realities",
"you are likely to lack enough courage",
"you haven't understood yoursel... | In all one's lifetime it is oneself that one spends the most time being with or dealing with. But it is exactly oneself that one has the least understanding of.
When you are going upwards in life you tend to overestimate yourself. It seems that everything you seek for is within your reach. When you are going downhill you tend to underestimate yourself, mistaking difficulties for your own incompetence.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself is to gain a correct view of oneself-aware of both one's strengths and shortages. You may look forward hopefully to the future but be sure not to expect too much, for ideals can never be fully realized. You may be courageous to meet challenges but it should be clear to you where to direct your efforts. That's to say so long as you have a perfect knowledge of yourself there won't be difficulties you can't overcome.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself needs self-appreciation. Whether you think you are a towering tree or a blade of grass, a high mountain or a small stone, you represent a state of nature that has its own value. If you earnestly admire yourself you'll have a real sense of self-appreciation, which will give you confidence. As soon as you gain full confidence in yourself, you'll be enabled to fight and overcome any adversity.
To get a thorough understanding of oneself also requires doing oneself a favor when it's needed. In time of sadness, do yourself a favor by sharing it with your friends so as to change a gloomy mood into a cheerful one; in time of tiredness, do yourself a favor by getting a good sleep. As you are aware, what a person physically has is but a human body that's vulnerable when exposed to the elements. So if you fall ill, it's up to you to take a good care of yourself.
In a word, to get a thorough understanding of oneself is to get a full control of one's life. Then one will find one's life full of color and flavor. | high11380.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "make it happy and active"
},
"options": [
"finish your work on time",
"make it happy and active",
"stop it from barking",
"keep the shoes and table clothes clean"
],
"question": "You should give your dog toys in... | The most important reason for having dog toys is to keep the dog entertained while you are away at work or even during home time. They need something to keep their active minds from finding trouble. You may see friends or family with dogs that come home to chewed shoes, table clothes pulled to the floor, and other destruction that the dog looks on as just playing with toys. Some toys can also be helpful to the dental health of your dog. Chew toys, such as bones and other items, can help them relieve new teeth coming in when they are young as well as help them feel better.
You may find that your budget is a concern for new pet toys or certain dog toys. What you need to keep in mind is that dog toys are part of their care, especially for mental health. You can find toys around the house they may be willing to play with. You can place an old tennis ball on thick rope to play tug of war with. Stuffed (full) animals make great chew toys. The point is no matter what the toy is as long as it is safe for the dog to chew on, you will be providing proper dog care.
Some dog toys that you may wish to have for yourself for the proper training and care include a laser pointer, balls, frisbees , or squeaky toys. You will also need to buy some kind of leather belts on the market for more active dogs. Most cities require leather belts to be worn when the dog is out for a walk, but it can also help during training. If the dog learns commands and the pressure on the leather belts for those commands, chances are that they will learn to stay at your side even off the leather belts. | high21243.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Books spread negative opinions."
},
"options": [
"Someone was killed by it.",
"Books spread negative opinions.",
"Many Victorians suffered from it.",
"People witnessed terrible experiments."
],
"question": "Why ... | Green tea is believed to have originated in China thousands of years ago, where it was recognized for its health benefits. And scientists continue to probenew uses for it. Some studies suggest it can help protect against cancer. Thanks to the health food craze, green tea sales are currently rising sharply. The Tea Association of the USA reports that green tea sales jumped more than 60 percent in the last decade. And in Canada, government data shows that profits for green tea imports more than quadrupled . Nowadays, green tea seems to be everywhere. In shops, you can buy green tea leaves prepared in a number of ways: fried, powdered or steamed.
Despite green tea's healthy reputation, the drink was once considered dangerous. Where did this silly opinion come from? Blame the Victorians, of course, who lived in a period of English history in the 19th century. That's when some of the silliest theories about green tea arose. One 1882 book described strange experiments to show the harm of green tea. Apply some green tea below a frog's stomach, and you could cause paralysis in its legs, the book claimed. And injecting green tea into a dog would cause it to lose control of its legs and tail. The book went so far as to declare that green tea could kill someone. At that time, a green tea panic was sweeping England. Even Charlotte Bronte, a famous English writer, refused to touch the drink, fearing its terrible effects it would have on her nerves.
Some of the fear was well reasonable, though. English consumers preferred brighter leaves, over dull olive- color1ed ones. As a result, tea sellers would dye their products, using anything including poisons like "Prussian blue". Even today, mixing green tea with chemicals remains a problem. But those rare instances aren't stopping Westerners from raising their pinky fingers in salute to green tea and all its nutritional advantages. Bottoms up! | high19904.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They all involve themselves in green activities."
},
"options": [
"They are all high school students.",
"They all involve themselves in green activities.",
"They all raise money for green activities.",
"They are all fro... | Every day, young people across the globe are doing their part to keep the Earth healthy and green. These are just a few kid heroes for the planet.
Manatee Minder
When she was in second grade, Stephanie Cohen read about a baby manatee hit by a boat off the coast of Florida. Marine biologists saved the manatee. But caring for the sea creature was costly. Stephanie took up a collection and raised $ 27 in one day. Now 18, Stephanie still raises money to help these " gentle giants". She sells manatee decorations, candles and cards on her website kmad. Org.
Color Us Green!
At Clarendon Elementary School, in Secaucus, New Jersey, the students know what to do with old, used and broken crayons .Recycle them ! They collect the crayons and send them to Crazy Crayons, where they are made into different shapes and sizes. In the past eight years, new Jersey students have recycled nearly nine tons of crayons.
Goodbye, Paper Bags!
When Adrienne Boukis, 15, was in sixth grade, in Walnut Creek, California, she noticed that many of her classmates carried paper lunch bags. To help kids cut down on waste, she invented a reusable lunch bag, which is partially made from recycled plastic bottles. She sells the bags at greengearbag. Com and some of the _ go to charity that is in need of money.
He' s Skiiing to Save the Earth
Parker Liautaud, 15, wanted to raise awareness about the effects of climate change on the polar regions. He set out to become one of the youngest people ever to ski to the North Pole. Parker feels he met his goal to inspire others. "All young people have the power to make a change."he said in an interview. | high22992.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "16.1million"
},
"options": [
"110.2 million",
"12.7 million",
"27million",
"16.1million"
],
"question": "How many viewers watched the Winter Olympics on Tuesday night?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
... | The Winter Olympics proved no match for television's gold-medal winner, "American Idol". Fox's unbelievable successful contest crashed the Olympics in head-to-head competition on Tuesday night, 27 million viewers to 16.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The Olympics recovered a bit after "Idol" went off the air, but its overall audience of 18.6 million was the least-watched winter Olympics telecast since Nagano's closing ceremonies in 1998, Nielsen said.
Since its opening on Friday, the Turin games have been running well below the 2002 Salt Lake City games in viewership interest. Much of that was expected, but Tuesday's rating was the first alarming sign for NBC that increased TV competition has _ .
"The competition from 'Idol' is heavier than the Olympics has ever seen," said NBC Sports spokeswoman Alana Russo.
It doesn't figure to get any easier, with "Idol" and ABC's "Lost" on the air Wednesday. CBS' "Survivor" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" offer more competition on Thursday.
Even figure skating, the most popular winter Olympics sport for viewers, didn't help much on Tuesday. NBC filled about two-thirds of the hour during which it competed with "American Idol" with tape of the men's figure-skating competition.
Through five nights of Olympics coverage, NBC's average prime time rating is 12.7 ( a rating point represents 1,102, 000 households, or 1 percent of the nation's estimated 110.2 million TV homes). NBC said before the games started that it had promised its advertisers a rating of between 12 and 14. If it slips below that, NBC will have to make it up to advertisers with free commercial time.
" 'American Idol' is clearly a phenomenon," said Randy Falco, president of the NBC Universal Television Group. "But we expected it and are tracking fight where we planned to be at this point." Between NBC and its networks, about 65 percent of the nation's television homes have tuned in at least some of the games. | high544.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the motivation to work"
},
"options": [
"the ability to make money",
"the capacity to work",
"the motivation to work",
"our emotional experiences"
],
"question": "In can be inferred from the passage that the eco... | Imagine a world in which there were suddenly no emotion -- a world in which human beings could feel no love or happiness, no terror or hate.Try to imagine the consequences of such a transformation.People might not be able to stay alive: knowing neither joy nor pleasure, anxiety nor fear, they would be as likely to repeat acts that hurt them as acts that were beneficial.They could not learn: they could not benefit from experience because this emotionless world would lack rewards and punishments.Society would soon disappear: people would be as likely to harm one another as to provide help and support.Human relationships would not exist: in a world without friends or enemies, there could be no marriage, affection among companions, or bonds among members of groups.Society's economic underpinnings would be destroyed: since earning $10 million would be no more pleasant than earning $10, there would be no incentive to work.In fact, there would be no incentives of any kind, for as we will see, incentives mean a capacity to enjoy them.
In such a world, the chances that the human species would survive are next to zero, because emotions are the basic instruments of our survival and adaptation.Emotions structure the world for us in important ways.As individuals, we categorize objects on the basis of our emotions.True, we consider the length, shape, size or texture, but an object's physical aspects are less important than what it has done or can do to us -- hurt us, surprise us, anger us or make us joyful.We also use categorizations colored by emotions in our families, communities, and overall society.Out of our emotional experience with objects and events comes a social feeling of agreement that certain things and actions are "good" and others are "bad", and we apply these categories to every aspect of our social life -- from what foods we eat and what clothes we wear to how we keep promises and which people our group will accept.In fact, society uses our emotional reactions and attitudes, such as loyalty, morality, pride, shame, guilt, fear and greed, in order to maintain itself.It gives high rewards to individuals who perform important tasks such as surgery, makes heroes out of individuals for unusual or dangerous achievements such as flying fighter planes in a war, and uses the legal penal system to make people afraid to engage in antisocial acts. | high12851.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "he could see Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on stage"
},
"options": [
"he has grown up knowing the story of Cinderella",
"he could see Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella on stage",
"the lights became dark and the orchestr... | Like most people, I have grown up hearing the story Cinderella, in which a young girl lived with her cruel stepmother and suddenly had her life changed by a kind fairy and a smart prince. So when to see Rodger & Hammerstein's Cinderella, which is now playing on Broadway, I was very excited, As soon as I sat down, I noticed the trees lining the stage ,which gave it a magical appearance. The orchestra started to play and the lights became dark as the show began.
I loved the entire performance. Everything and everyone on stage seemed like they had just jumped off the pages of the beloved story.
It turns out that the Broadway experts agree with me. The show has received nine Tony nominations . Tony awards are the top prizes for Broadway shows. Laura Osnes, who plays the role of Cinderella, has been nominated for the Tony for best actress in a musical.
How similar is the show to the story of Cinderella you know? The answer, of course, depends on which version of the story you've seen or read. In an interview with TIME FOR Kids, Osnes pointed out that many people are familiar with the Disney movie version. There are some differences between that movie and the Broadway show. For one thing, the stepmother and the sisters are not as cruel in the show as in the movie. Also, in the Broadway version, when Cinderella escapes from the dancing party, she picks up her shoe after dropping it. So how does the prince find Cinderella again? You'll have to see the show to find out!
I just think anyone would enjoy this play, including both kids and adults. The attention to detail is amazing. In my opinion, this play deserves a double thumbs-up! | high8792.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the kind of evidence supplied was accepted by court"
},
"options": [
"the store got the dresses back",
"the equipment was able to frighten shoplifters",
"other shops found out about the equipment",
"the kind of evidence... | Most shoplifters agree that the January sales offer wonderful opportunities for the hard-working thief. With the shops so crowded and the staff so busy, it does not require any extraordinary talent to help you to take one or two little things and escape unnoticed. It is known, in the business, as "hoisting".
But the hoisting game is not what it used to be. Even at the height of the sales, shoplifters today never know if they are being watched by one of those evil little balls that hang from the ceilings of so many department stores above the most desirable goods.
As if that was not trouble enough for them, they can now be filmed at work and forced to attend a showing of their performance in court.
Selfridges was the first big London store to install videotape equipment to watch its sales floors. In October last year the store won its first court case for shoplifting using an evidence a videotape clearly showing a couple stealing dresses. It was an important test case which encouraged other stores to install similar equipment.
When the balls first make an appearance in shops, it was widely believed that their only function was to frighten shoplifters. Their somewhat ridiculous appearances, the curious holes and red lights going on and off, certainly make the theory believable.
It did not take long, however, for serious shoplifters to start showing suitable respect. Soon after the equipment was in operation at Selfridges, store detective Brian Chadwick was sitting in the control room watching a woman secretly putting bottles of perfume into her bag.
"As she turned to go," Chadwick recalled, "she suddenly looked up at the 'balls' and stopped. She could not possibly have seen that the camera was trained on her because it is completely hidden, but she must have had a feeling that I was looking at her."
"For a moment she paused, but then she returned to counter and started putting everything back. When she had finished, she opened her bag towards the camera to show it was empty and hurried out of the store." | high12689.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "persuade"
},
"options": [
"surprise",
"persuade",
"describe",
"entertain"
],
"question": "The purpose of the speech is most likely to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}
] | THIS is an excerpt from therapist Laura Trice's speech at TED in 2008:
Hi. I'm here to talk to you about the importance of praise, admiration and "thank you"s, and making them specific and genuine.
The way I got interested in this was, I noticed that when I was growing up, and until about a few years ago, I would want to say thank you to someone. I would want to praise them. I would want to take in their praise of me and then I'd just stop myself. I asked myself: why? I felt shy. I felt embarrassed. And then my question became: am I the only one who does this? So I decided to study that question.
I'm fortunate enough to work in a rehab facility, so I get to see people who are facing life and death with addiction. Sometimes it comes down to something as simple as their core wound is how their father died without ever saying he's proud of them. But then, they hear from all the family and friends that the father told everybody else that he was proud, but he never told the son. It's because he didn't know that his son needed to hear it.
I used to take my bike into the bike store and they'd do something called "truing " the wheels. The guy said: "You know, when you true the wheels, it's going to make the bike so much better." I get the same bike back, and they'd have taken all the little warps out of those same wheels I've had for two and a half years, and my bike would feel like new. So, I'm going to challenge all of you. I want you to true your wheels: be honest about the praise that you need to hear. What do you need to hear? Go home to your wife and ask her: "What do you need?" Go home to your husband and ask him what he needs. Go home and ask those questions and then help the people around you.
It's simple. But why should we care about this? We talk about world peace. How can we have world peace with different cultures, different languages? I think it starts in each of our households. So, let's make things right in our own backyards. | high6967.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The local culture and tradition"
},
"options": [
"The local people and elephants",
"The local culture and tradition",
"The history of the eastern country",
"The local food and scenery"
],
"question": "What was t... | My friend Jim and I finally decided to spend our 14 days off in the eastern country.We were arranged to stay with a local family, which made it possible for us to share a real life experience with the locals and in return bring ourselves a richer experience of the native culture and tradition.
In the company of one of our well-informed local tour leaders, we started one of the trips to the nearby town . As we were passing elephants, we stopped , confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by a small rope tied to their front legs . No chains, no cages. It was obvious that these elephants could, at any time, break away from the ropes they were tied to but for some reason, they did not . My friend went up to the trainer and asked why these beautiful animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well,"he said , "When they were young and much smaller we used the same size rope to tie them and at that age, it was enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are accustomed to believing that they can not break away. They believe that the rope can hold them, so they never try to break free. We were amazed . These animals could at any time break away from their ropes but just because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were.
Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we can not do something , simply because we failed at it once before ? How many of us are being held by outdated belief that no longer serves us ? How many of us have avoided trying something new because of a limited belief? Worse still , how many of us are being held back by someone else's limiting beliefs? Your attempt may fail but never fail to make an attempt. | high15680.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "digests the smaller fish in its body"
},
"options": [
"catches smaller fish in the water",
"digests the smaller fish in its body",
"can jump so high to escape its enemies",
"uses acid to break down the protein"
],
... | There are some things humans can go without. We can lose a kidney or a lung, an arm or two and still live perfectly well. But some fish put us to shame. They can _ without stomachs.
One such fish is the stout longtom. The group it belongs to carries a more appropriate name: the needlefish. All needlefish lack stomachs. Their ancestors had them, but later they were lost.
The stout longtom can reach 1.3 meters in length, and lives near the sea surface. Like all needlefish, it can jump out of the water to escape its enemies. Tropical fishermen are sometimes injured by needlefish. In 1977, a 10-year-old Hawaiian boy was killed when a needlefish jumped through his brain. The longtom eats smaller fish. It teeth are not good at cutting fish into pieces, so it swallows fish whole.
Ryan Day from Australia and his colleagues wanted to know how the longtom digests its meaty meals without a stomach, so they ran some chemical tests about the fish.
Day's results show that the longtom can consume food without the help of a stomach. It uses a special material called trypsin that can break down proteins without acid -- although the approach is less efficient than using a stomach.
Because it's a meat-eating animal, the longtom gets a lot of protein in its food, so it can afford this slightly less efficient system for absorbing it. Two plant-eating fish that Day studies actually had higher levels of trypsin in their body, as their food was low in protein.
Day thinks that the longtom and its stomachless relatives might actually have arrived at an energy-saving solution. He says that although the stomach is critical to many kinds of animal, the organ is "a fairly expensive organ to run". This perhaps explains why some animals have got rid of theirs. | high222.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "it met some problems concerning design and manufacture"
},
"options": [
"it's always sold out due to its popularity",
"it met some problems concerning design and manufacture",
"it lacked white manufacturing materials",
... | On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marketing department gave a nod to the product's troubled history.
"Finally." read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple. com.
The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch last June. But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say.
As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash was used. Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor , which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life.
These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black.
"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview. "It's not as simple as making something white. There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it --how it holds up over time...but also in how it all works with the sensors. "
Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones. He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1. 5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is
, which is expected to be this fall.
Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report. | high15858.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Creditcard"
},
"options": [
"Batteries",
"Cash",
"Medicine",
"Creditcard"
],
"question": "Which of the following items is unnecessary to prepare before an earthquake?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"an... | How to be Prepared
Electricity, water, gas and telephone may not be working after an earthquake. The police and fire department are likely to be tied up. You should be prepared to take care of yourself for at least three days, preferably for a week.
This list can also be applied to other disasters, such as floods or wildfires.
1. food and water (a gallon a day per person)
2. a first aid kit
3. a fire extinguisher suitable for all types of fires
4. flashlights, a portable radio extra batteries
5. blankets, clothes, shoes and money (ATMs may not work)
6. baby and pet food
It's also a good idea to decide beforehand how and where your family will reunite if separated during a quake and to conduct in-home practice drills.
During an Earthquake
If you are indoors, stay there. Get under and hold onto a desk or table, or stand against an interior wall. Stay away from exterior walls, glass, heavy furniture, and stay away from windows and outside walls and do not use the elevator.
If you are outside, get into the open, stay into the open, stay away from buildings, power lines or anything else that could fall on you.
If you are driving, move the car out of traffic and stop, avoid parking under or on bridges or overpasses, Try to get clear of trees, light posts, signs and power lines.
If you are in a crowded public place, avoid panicking and do not rush for the exit. Stay low and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms.
After an Earthquake
If the phone is working, only use it in case of emergency. Likewise, avoid driving if possible to keep the streets clear for emergency vehicles.
Be aware that items may fall out of cupboards or closets when the door is opened, and also that chimneys can be weakened and fall with touch. Check for cracks and damage to the roof and foundation of your home.
Listen to the radio for important information and instructions. Remember that _ , sometimes large enough to cause damage in their own right, generally follow large quakes.
If you leave home, leave a message telling friends and family your location. | high4816.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "in China childhood obesity rate in rural areas is lower than that in major cities"
},
"options": [
"weightloss camps have been very popular in China six years ago",
"about 290 million Chinese are overweight in China in all",
... | Some weightloss camps, which are rare in China just a few years ago,have multiplied in Beijing, Qingdao, Shenzhen,and other cities. Today about 15 percent of adults, or 200 million Chinese, are reportedly overweight.Of these, 90 million--about 7 percent--are obese .
Experts say the obesity epidemic is spreading to children, though more slowly than in adults. The obesity, they say, will do harm to the health of China' s citizens and economy."We're seeing a very large number of teenagers who are quite heavy and aren't moving much," said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor. Popkin carries out an ongoing healthandnutrition survey of 16,000 households in China. He says more kids today are overeating and putting on weight "quite quickly." In just ten years China's childhood obesity rate has doubled,with the greatest gains coming in urban areas."In big cities it's a big problem."
Some experts blame the extra fat on a range of factors, many of them tied to China' s rapidly changing economy and culture. The diets of Chinese adults and children are far higher in meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, fats and sugars than ever before. In addition,kids--especially city dwellers--are more
today and spend more time indoors in front of homework, television,computer games, and the Internet.
Shuwen Ng,a health economist, says that kids in China now have pocket money, and they spend a portion of it on junk food. Ng adds that advertising and peer groups influence kids' food choices. Certain foods, such as new candies or fast food, have attractive features.
China' s childhood obesity rate stillfall behind that of the United States, where some 15 percent of kids are said to be obese. But the longterm effects are equally serious. | high16389.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The \"Corna\"."
},
"options": [
"The \"Thumbs-Up\".",
"The \"A-OK\".",
"The \"V Sign\".",
"The \"Corna\"."
],
"question": "Which of the following signs doesn't have an insulting meaning?",
"question_type": n... | The "Thumbs-Up"
While Western culture has become used to the thumbs-up as a positive signal (probably coming from World War II pilots using the signal to communicate that they were "good to go" with ground crews), there are cultures where a thumbs-up may land you in trouble. In West Africa, as well as Greece, Italy and Middle East, the thumbs-up is pretty much the biggest insult .
Rather more charming is a thumbs-up in Germany and in parts of Japan --they just see it as the hand signal for the number one.
The "A-OK"
This sign is mainly used by divers to mean "OK"(to prevent being confused with the thumbs-up sign, which means "rise"). Basically the meaning comes out as "great", or "completely fine". However, in a few countries in Europe, people may think you're telling them that you think they're a 'zero'.
The "V Sign"
The sign comes in two formats: one with the palm faced outwards, and one with the palm inwards. In America they mean the same thing --"victory". However, if the outside of your hand is facing your target, you're giving somebody a long-established insult in Great Britain and many English-speaking countries such as Australia, Ireland and New Zealand. Winston Churchill famously used the "incorrect" version of the V sign during the early years of the war, turning the outside inside later. The V sign is also considered rude in Italy.
The "Corna"
The corna hand gesture has most recently been adopted by fans of rock and heavy metal music.Nowadays many Americans use the gesture simply to mean "rock on", or in support of the University of Texas in Austin (known as the "Hook'em Horns"). Today it is still popular in Spain, Brazil and Slovakia . Historically, however, the symbol possibly dates back to Ancient Greece. | high21525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "instructing different ways of cooking"
},
"options": [
"serving flash-frozen meat",
"expressing children's complaints",
"instructing different ways of cooking",
"supplying natural food without chemicals"
],
"que... | Service Foods makes it easier for cooks to reduce mealtime complains. Service Foods is so confident that they can reduce complaints, in fact, that the company is offering a series of mealtime complaint-reduction tips.
According to a representative of Service Foods, complaints can occur when busy cooks serve substandard, low quality meats. As products sit in packaging in the meat case at the store, the meat can age out too much. The natural flavor disappears, and it can be replaced with an undesirable strange flavor. According to Service Foods, complaints from children are common when you serve substandard meats. Kids may not have the words to describe why they don't like the meats, but they're certainly willing to express their displeasure. By serving meats from Service Foods, complaints can be reduced. Service Foods meats are all natural and organic, meaning the meats have-no chemicals or water or colorings that could change the taste. And the meats are flash-frozen right after cutting, so they won't taste strange to your children.
If you're facing different types of complaints, Service Foods may still be able to help you. Some families have mealtime boredom. The same meals, served in the same way, week after week, can be incredibly boring and hard 'to look forward to. When it comes to these complaints, Service Foods has the answer right on the web. Just go to http: //www. servicefoods.com and you'll find a long list of recipes to try. Some of these recipes are made in demonstration format, so you can watch the video and get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the meals. By following these recipes from Service Foods, complaints relating to boredom can certainly be reduced.
While Service Foods knows complaints at mealtime can never be totally _ , as picky kids will always be picky kids with concerns, the company is doing everything possible to deal with the problem and get cooks the help they need. | high10920.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Every day is a gift"
},
"options": [
"Every day is a gift",
"My poor sister",
"Value friendship every day",
"Every day is an important occasion"
],
"question": "What's the best title for the passage?",
"ques... | My brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's bureau and picked out a wonderful skirt. "Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago .She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion." Well, I guess this is the occasion.
He took the skirt from me and put it on the bed. His hands touched the soft material for a moment, then he shut the drawer and turned to me, "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."
I'm still thinking about his words, and they've changed my attitude to life. I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings. Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experience to enjoy, not suffer. I'm trying to recognize these moments now and treasure them.
"Someday" and "one of these days" are being lost from my vocabulary. If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it now . I'm not sure what my sister would have done if she had known she wouldn't have tomorrow.
I think she would have called family members and a few close friends. She might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend her fences for past things. I like to think she would have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food.
If I knew that my hours were limited, those little things left undone would make me angry. Angry because I put off seeing good friends whom I was going to get in touch with someday. Angry and sorry because I didn't tell my husband and daughter often enough how much I truly love them.
I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. And every morning when I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, and every breath truly, is...a gift from God. | high4802.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "He is not fit enough to join the army"
},
"options": [
"He has no independent opinion",
"He can't break away from his parents.",
"He is not fit enough to join the army",
"He is in trouble now."
],
"question": "W... | Dear Deidre,
I am 17. Further education is not for me. I want to be out seeing the world in the army. My mum and dad say they will cut me off and have nothing to do with me if I go into the military. They have other plans for me. My friends all laugh at me and say I won't ever get on. I know I am not the fittest guy in the world but I thought that would come with the training. I am now asking myself if I should just give up my lifelong ambitions and get the sort of job my parents approve of. I don't want to look back with regrets but sometimes I think maybe they are right and know more than me.
Samson
Dear Samson,
It's your life and your future.
Your parents mean well, and may be fearful of what could happen to you if you are posted to a danger zone, but you must decide this by yourself.
At least talk to an army recruitment office about what is involved and about how fit you need to be. Do your research. Find out everything you can about what choices you will have. Then go for it. Start a sensible eating and exercise plan right away. If you are motivated you can get reasonably fit in a few weeks. Tell your parents and friends you want to give it a try. If you still feel it's right for you, then apply. If it isn't for you, at least you won't regret for the rest of your life. Parents and friends may say, "I told you so", but you will know that you've followed your dream and made up your own mind about the sort of career for you.
Talk to At East which is an independent and confidential organization providing advice and support for those who are in the military and those who would like to be. They can explain when you are allowed to leave and how much attention you have to give.
Deidre | high17083.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Wendy knew she was going to die"
},
"options": [
"Wendy knew she was going to die",
"Wendy had no friends of her age",
"Wendy didn't believe sandpipers could bring people joy",
"Wendy had no experience of losing a close... | She was 6 years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live. She insisted on talking to me. "I'm building," she said.
"I see that. What is it?" I asked, not caring.
"Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand."
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.
A sandpiper glided by.
"My mom says sandpipers come to bring us joy."
"Good-bye joy," I muttered to myself, "Hello pain," and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed completely out of balance.
"What's your name?" She wouldn't give up.
"Robert," I answered.
"Mine's Wendy... I'm 6. Why are you so quiet?"
I turned to her and shouted: "Because my mother died!"
"Oh," she said quietly, "then this is a bad day."
"Yes," I said, "and yesterday and the day before and - oh, go away!"
"Did it hurt?" she asked. "Did what hurt?" I was annoyed with her, with myself.
"When she died?"
"Of course it hurt!" I replied angrily, misunderstanding.
A month after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there. Feeling guilty, ashamed, I went up to the cottage and knocked at the door. A young woman answered.
"Hello," I said. "I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today and wondered where she was."
"Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia . Maybe she didn't tell you."
I had to catch my breath, saying nothing.
"She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days. But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...
"She left something for you... if only I could find it," she said. "Could you wait a moment while I look?"
It was a drawing in bright color1s- a yellow beach, a blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed: A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.
I took Wendy's mother in my arms. "I'm so sorry," I muttered over and over, and we wept together. But then we looked at the picture of the sandpiper and slowly both of us began to smile, remembering the lesson that Wendy had left us.
Even when life seems sad, joy can be found in the smallest of things. We should take time to seek out these little joys in life and live for the love that we have for each other. | high21531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "printing articles representing different political viewpoints"
},
"options": [
"supporting extremist groups from time to time",
"inviting middle-of-the-road Americans to write articles for them",
"avoiding carrying articles a... | No country in the world has more daily newspapers than the USA. There are almost 2,000 of them, as compared with 180 in Japan, 164 in Argentina and 111 in Britain. The quality of some American papers is extremely high and their views are quoted all over the world. Famous dailies like the Washington Post or the New York Times have a powerful influence all over the country. However, they are not national newspapers in the sense that The Times is in Britain or Le Monde is in France, since each American city has its own daily newspaper. The best of these present detailed description of national and international news, but many tend to limit themselves to state or city news.
Like the press in most other countries, American newspapers range from the "sensational" which feature crime and gossip , to the "serious", which focus on factual news and the analysis of world events. But with few exceptions, American newspapers try to entertain as well as give information, for they have to compete with the attraction of television.
Just as American newspapers satisfy all tastes, so do they also try to attract readers of all political parties. A few newspapers support extremist groups on the far right and on the far left, but most daily newspapers try to attract middle-of-the-road Americans who are moderate . Many of these papers print columns by well-known journalists of different political and social views, in order to present a balanced picture.
As in other countries, American newspapers can be either responsible or irresponsible, but it is generally accepted that the American press serves its country well and that it has more than once courageously exposed political scandals or crimes, for instance, the Watergate Affair . The Newspapers drew the attention of the public to the horrors of the Vietnam War. | high10934.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "the collection of funds."
},
"options": [
"the World Health Organization's policy",
"the development of a new vaccine",
"the local governments' support",
"the collection of funds."
],
"question": "According to t... | Half a century after the March of Dimes (a US charity organization that collects money for children) put the 20th century's most feared childhood disease on the road to eradication , Bill Gates declared polio his important job and challenged world leaders to finish the job.
India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan now have active transmission of the disease. Gates says the biggest problem with the success of the Global Polio Eradication program in those countries and elsewhere is lack of money.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation plans to increase its $200 million annual contribution by $102 million this year, Gates says. Gates recently met privately with Pakistan's President in Washington, D.C., to try to persuade him to provide full support for Pakistan's eradication plan.
Children in the USA also are at risk, experts say. Parents who don't vaccinate their children because they are fearful of vaccine side-effects create a large number of children who are likely to be harmed by the virus.
"If you increase the number of unvaccinated children, you increase the chance that this virus will find new subjects," says David Oshinsky, Pulitzer Prized-winning author of Polio: An American Story.
"We've got to get this vaccine into the mouths of children," says Bruce Aylward, head of the World Health Organization's eradication program.
In 1988, when the World Health Organization launched the Global Polio Eradication program, the disease killed 350,000 children a year worldwide. By last year, the total dropped to fewer than 1,500 worldwide, Aylward says.
If Gates provides the final push for polio eradication, he may be remembered as much for helping prevent polio as for founding Microsoft, Oshinsky says.
"As long as there's polio anywhere, people everywhere are at risk," Aylawrd says. " | high15694.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In 1935."
},
"options": [
"In 1952.",
"In 1951.",
"In 1935.",
"In 1927."
],
"question": "When did the parents have their first son according to the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | My father quit driving in 1927, when he was 25 years old.So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car.In 1951,when my brother turned 16, my parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend.Since my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car.
Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but it didn't make sense to my mother.So in 1952, when she was 43 years old, she learned to drive.For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the driver in the family.
After my father retired when he was 70, he almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along.One day my father said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?"
"I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre .
"No left turns." he said.
"What?" I asked.
"No left turns," he repeated."Think about it.Three rights are the same as a left and that's a lot safer.Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic.As you get older, your eyesight worsens.So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn."
"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support."No." she said. "Your father is right.We make three rights.It works." But then she added: "Except when your father _ ."
"Loses count?" I asked.
"Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens.But it's not a problem.You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."
I couldn't resist."Do you ever go for 11 ?" I asked.
"No," he said "If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day.
Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident all through her life. | high22038.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The public often stares at the speaker's arms."
},
"options": [
"A speaker should often remain relaxed .",
"The public often stares at the speaker's arms.",
"Using gestures correctly can benefit the speaker a lot.",
"ma... | Feel frightened when you have public speaking? There is no need for it. All you have to do is appear confident, and the audience will immediately relax and pay attention. There are a few body-language techniques that will make your life easier, even if you hate public speaking.
Look relaxed.Don't stand like a model of human body. Keep your arms relaxed , sometimes raising them. Movement helps keep an audience awake. Raise your hands instead of laying them down to stress your points.
The eyes have it.When making a speech , your eyes are your important tool. Use them well, and you will get your message across. Keep your head raised and avoid looking down at the floor. If you can make a speech without notes, your body language will improve. Make eye contact with all the audience for a short while. They want to feel as if you're speaking to them individually.
Change the rhythm. Variety is the key. As well as using your hands and eyes , you can use your voice to send out signals. You can change your rhythm and raise your tone to emphasize your arguments.
Check if your audience is paying attention. As important as controlling your own body language is being able to recognize and if you are confident, it should be easy to check whether the audience is listening ,Look out for negative body language and any signs of wandering attention.
Regain their attention by making a joke. If this doesn't work , it might be time to have a break. Each audience has a different attention span, and the more complicated your subject is the quicker their minds will wander. If all else fails , open a window. Nothing focuses concentration like a draught . | high23326.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The environment minister expected to introduce the law during the present parliament."
},
"options": [
"Retired performers are taken good care of in their new homes.",
"The environment minister expected to introduce the law during ... | Laws to stop tigers, camels, zebras and snakes being used as performing animals in circuses have been announced by the government.
The environment minister, Jim Paice, hoped the laws would be brought in before the end of the parliament in 2015, which is the main law-making institution of the UK. At present between 35 and 50 wild animals are thought to be used by circuses in England and Defra offered to help find new homes for the retired performers.
The announcement follows a campaign by animal charity organization for the ban , which became worse when a video appeared last year of a circus elephant being beaten by a worker. Campaigners were angry when Paice previously announced tougher licensing instead.
Circus Mondao, whose website shows zebra and camels, said it would probably challenge the suggested ban. The circus is a member of the European Circus Association, which previously challenged Austria's ban, saying there was no scientific evidence that the animals were harmed by the travelling or conditions. On its website, Mondao says that when it travels animals are the last to be loaded and the first to be unloaded; they are moved to tents within an hour of arriving, and are usually moved 20-50 miles.
Animal charities welcomed the move, but called for ministers to speed up the laws. Asked why circuses would be banned from keeping wild animals but not domestic animals such as horses, a Defra spokesman said a key difference was that domesticated animals were more used to conditions such as travelling. "Wild animals aren't domesticated: we feel it's not right ethically for wild animals to perform," he said. | high236.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In a textbook."
},
"options": [
"In a textbook.",
"In a movie magazine.",
"In a travelling brochure.",
"In a shopping guide."
],
"question": "Where might you find the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
... | Books, Films and Plays
The novelist's medium is the written word, one might almost say the printed word. Typically the novel is consumed by a silent, individual reader, who may be anywhere at the time. The paperback novel is still the cheapest, most portable and adaptable form of narrative entertainment. It is limited to a single channel of information---writing. The narrative can go, effortlessly, anywhere: into space, people's head, palaces, prisons and pyramids, without any consideration of cost or practical possibility. In determining the shape and content of his narrative, the writer is restricted by nothing except purely artistic criteria. The novelist keeps absolute control over his text until it is published and received by the audience. He may be advised by his editor to revise his text, but if the writer refused to meet this condition no one would be surprised. It is not unknown for a well-established novelist to deliver his or her manuscript and expect the publisher to print it exactly as written.
However, not even the most well-established playwright or screenplay writer would submit a script and expect it to be performed without any rewriting. This is because plays and motion pictures are cooperative forms of narrative, using more than one channel of communication.
The production of a stage play involves, as well as the words of the author, the physical presence of the actors, their voices and gestures, the "set" and possibly music. Although the script is the essential basis of both stage play and film, it is a basis for subsequent revision negotiated between the writer and the other creative people involved. They are given "approval" of the choice of director and actors and have the right to attend rehearsals , during which period they may undertake more rewriting work. In the case of the screenplay, the writer may have little or no control over the final form of his work. Contracts for the production of plays protect the rights of authors in this respect.
In film or television work, on the other hand, the screenplay writer has no contractual right to this degree of consultation. While the script is going through its various drafts, the writer is in the driver's seat, although sometimes receiving criticism from the producer and the director. But once the production is under way, artistic control over the project tends to pass to the director. _ | high13583.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "was very puzzled"
},
"options": [
"quite agreed with his colleague",
"was very puzzled",
"thought it very funny",
"was very sad"
],
"question": "Hearing his colleague's description of graduation for the first ti... | It was graduation day at the university where I work and a beautiful day quite unlike the first graduation I attended as a young professor.On that cold day years ago, as we watched the students walking into the hall, one of my colleagues turned to me and said, "Graduation will be one of the happiest and one of the saddest time of your life." At my inquiry, he answered, "Because the students you have gotten to know have to leave."
As years went by, my previous confusion about my colleague's words no longer existed.When I came across naughty students, I have had to rethink why I chose to be a teacher.It obviously isn't the money.Once a former computer science student of mine called me, asking me if I wanted to have a change.He was working at Nintendo Corporation.His salary was higher than my current one, though I have more education and have worked for over a decade.With my programming skills, he said he could get me hired.I thanked him, but declined his kind offer.
A few days before this current graduation, while working on final grades, I found a note a student had slipped in with her homework.She thanked me for being her teacher and said the things she had learned in my class--not about math, but about life--would be things she would remember long after the math skills had faded away.As I finished reading, I remembered why I had become a teacher.
Now, on this sunny graduation day, as I again observed the sea of _ , I did so with renewed dedication and a deeper sense of satisfaction--I will always be grateful that I am a teacher. | high550.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The shapes of continents and oceans changed slowly."
},
"options": [
"The shapes of continents and oceans changed slowly.",
"The Earth's crust started shifting l.3 billion years ago.",
"The crust began to shift when the Earth... | Most of the time, the ground feels solid beneath our feet. That's comforting. But it's also misleading because there's actually a lot going on underground. Masses of land (called plates) slip, slide, and bump against each other, slowly changing the shape of continents and oceans over millions and billions of years.
Scientists know that Earth formed about 4. 5 billion years ago. They also know that our planet was hot at first. As it cooled, its outermost layer, called the crust , eventually formed moving plates. Exactly when this shift happened, however, is an open question.
Now, an international group of researchers has an answer. They've found new evidence suggesting that Earth's crust started shifting at least 3.8 billion years ago. The new estimate is l. 3 billion years earlier than previous ones.
Not long before 3. 8 billion years ago, lots of small planets were hitting Earth, keeping its crust in a hot, melting state. After the hard crust formed, much of it sank at various times into the planet's hot insides. There, it melted before returning to the surface.
In some places, however, the crust never sank. One of the oldest such places is in Greenland, in an area called the Isua supracrustal belt. The rocky crust there is between 3. 7 and 3. 8 billion years old. The belt was once part of the seafloor, but now it is exposed to air.
The researchers recently took a close look at the Isua supracrustal belt. They noticed long, parallel cracks in the rock that have been filled in with a type of volcanic rock.
To explain this structure, the scientists propose that tension in the crust caused the seafloor to crack open long ago. Hot, liquid rock oozed from deep inside Earth to fill the cracks. Finally, the whole area cooled, forming what we see today.
That explanation, plus chemical clues inside the rock, suggests that the Isua supracrustal belt was once part of plate under the ocean, beginning around 3.8 billion years ago.
"It's a fantastic case of solving a jigsaw puzzle ,"says one of the researchers. He notes that the puzzle was "a very difficult one because these rocks are all very old and have been badly ruined". | high12845.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the government helps the disabled people"
},
"options": [
"the government helps the disabled people",
"the disabled need protection from lawyers.",
"how you ask for help when having an accident",
"suggestions for you to... | There were quite a lot of things that the philosophers of the old times got right and one of those things was that there is a very strong need for lawyers and government in a society. The government looks to protect and help you in times of need and the lawyers are there to fight for your case if you are treated unfairly, Just like then ,there is still a need for government to help people when they need help now in today's world. This sort of help can come from when people need social security benefits because they become disabled after some sort of accident.
If you have become disabled in recent days. Then you certainly have rights go find out whether you are qualified to receive the social security disability benefits. The social security disability is for those who have become disabled or are disabled due to some sort of accident that may have happened that forces you to be out of work. This can be very frustrating because being out of work means that you cannot make money that you need in order to provide for yourself and those you are possible taking care of. This is where the government comes into play. The government will help you out with this and possibly give you money in order to _ They understand that accidents do happen and that there needs to be some sort of help for those who get into accidents and cannot provide for themselves. If you are sure that you have a disability, get in touch with the social security department for more information. Meyers Law Firm can help you get the social security disability benefits you have rights to gain. | high23440.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Students listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch."
},
"options": [
"Student drivers carry small radios with earphones when they drive on the street.",
"Students listen to music before class, after class, and at lunc... | Music is an international language. The songs that are sung or played by instruments are beautiful to all people everywhere.
Popular music in America is what every student likes. Students carry small radios with earphones and listen to music before class, after class, and at lunch. Students with cars buy large speakers and play the music loudly as they drive on the street.
Adult drivers listen to music on the car radio as they drive to work. They also listen to the news about sports, the weather, politics ,and activities of the American people.
Pop or popular music singers make much money. They make a CD or tape which radio stations use in every state. Once the popular singer is heard throughout the country, young people buy his or her tapes. Some of the money from these tapes comes to the singer. Wherever the singer goes, ail the young people want to meet him or her. Now the singer has become a national star.
There are other kinds of music that are important to Americans. One is called folk music. It tells stories about the common life of Americans. Another is called western or country music. This was started by cowboys who would sing at night to the cows they were watching. Today, any music about country life and the love between a country boy and his girl is called western or country music.
Serious music for the concert halls is called classical music. Music for instruments is called orchestra music,such as the symphonies of Beethoven. There is opera for singers. There is ballet for dancers like the story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in China. | high9498.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "directly at you"
},
"options": [
"below you",
"directly at you",
"above you",
"right behind you"
],
"question": "If you want to look good in a photo, the light should be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_ques... | How to look good in a photo?
What should you do if you want to have a nice photo taken? Whether it's work or fun, the most important thing is lighting. If you get bad lighting, you will look bad, too. Know where the light is. You don't want it below you or above you, you want it to shine directly at you.
The key thing is no shadow. If you are being photographed outside, do it in the morning, or wait till the 2 o'clock shadow has passed. Also don't let pictures in the magazines stress you out--all the pictures are taken by great photographers. And all the faces have had pimples(, ) taken out by computers.
Tip your head and learn what angles work with your face; everyone is different. So you have to learn what suits you. You can practice in Photo Booth for as long as it is your turn, to learn what angles suit your face. Tip your neck to make it look longer, make eye contact with the camera. No one can look bad if they smile.
For long legs, point one leg into center of the frame and get the photographer to shoot looking up your body.
For just leg shots, lie upside down and raise legs in the air for the best angle. And your legs will look thinner and be in better shape.
Keep shoulders back.
Always have mouth slightly open, enough to put a penny between your lips, as this will make your lips look fuller.
Lower your eyes and then look up just as shutter is clicked for full eyes.
Delete any evidence of a less than perfect photogenic moment, everyone has off days. | high8786.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "study whether humans can sense when they are stared at"
},
"options": [
"explain when people can have a sixth sense",
"show how people act while being watched in the lab",
"study whether humans can sense when they are stared ... | Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and, sure enough, someone was looking right at you!
Parapsychologists say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them. To research whether such a "sixth sense" really exists, Robert Baker, a psychologist at the University of Kentucky, performed two experiments.
In the first one, Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes. The subjects were eating, drinking, reading, studying, watching TV, or working at a computer. Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods. Later, when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them.
For the second experiment, Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two way mirror in a laboratory setting. The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren't. Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren't. and they were no better at telling when they were stared at than if they had just guessed.
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they're being stared at. If people doubt the outcome of his two experiments, said baker, "I suggest they repeat the experiments and see for themselves." | high11394.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Marriage Story; 86415566"
},
"options": [
"Kim's War; 9798663",
"My Love; My Bride; 32275694",
"Because You Are a Woman; 29189188",
"Marriage Story; 86415566"
],
"question": "_ will be on April 18. The cinema'... | South Korean Films
An audience can view five new South Korean films, all with Chinese subtitles until April 19 at the Tuixin Cinema in the Beijing National Library grounds.
Two other South Korean films completed their full runs at the Tuixin Cinema earlier this month.
Location: Tuixin Cinema, Beijing National Library, 39 Baishiqiao Road, Haidian District.
Tel: 86415566
"My Love My Bride" April 15: 9:00, 13:00, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30
"Kim's War" April 16: 9:00, 13:30, 18:15
"Because You Are a Woman" April 17: 13:30, 18:15
Marriage Story" April 18: 9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 18:15
"Sopyonje" April 19: 9:00, 13:30, 15:30, 17:30, 19:30
Leon's show
Hong Kong pop star--Leon Lai will give a personal performance at 7:30pm from tomorrow through to September 21 at the Shanghai Gymnasium. The show is to celebrate the opening of the 93rd Huangpu Tourism Festival.
Tickets: 60, 90, 120, 180 yuan RMB, available at 66 Jiangning Road.
Tel: 29189188, 29171145, 49384952, 29197113
Russian concert
The Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra will put on some excellent Russian Orchestra works at 7:15pm on September 26 and 27 at the Shanghai Concert Hall. They will sing Russian folk songs and mass under a Russian Conductor who is very famous for conducting choirs and has given a successful choral concert in Beijing.
Tickets: 6, 8, 10, 12 yuan RMB, available at the hall's ticket office.
Address: 523 Yan'an Road W. Shanghai. Tel: 32275694.
Korean songs
The Song and Dance Troupe of North Korea will give a song and dance show at 7:30pm tonight at the Shanghai Center Theater.
Tickets: 10, 20, 30 yuan RMB, available at the theater's ticket office.
Address: 1376 Nanjing Road W. Shanghai. Tel: 29798663 | high21257.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Pulp and paper export is a major source of income for Canada."
},
"options": [
"Hemp is a traditional plant of Canada.",
"Canada publishes a lot of newspapers and books.",
"Canada needs to find a way to use all its spare wood... | Much of Canada's forestry production goes towards making pulp and paper. According to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, Canada supplies 34% of the world's wood pulp and 49% of its newsprint paper. If these paper products could be produced in some other way, Canadian forests could be preserved. Recently, a possible alternative way of producing paper has been suggested by agriculturalists and environmentalists: a plant called hemp.
Hemp has been grown by many countries. It produces fiber which can be made into paper, fuel, oils, textiles, food, and rope. For centuries, it was essential to the economies of many countries because it was used to make the ropes and cables used on sailing ships; colonial expansion and the establishment of a world-wide trading network would not have been possible without hemp. Nowadays, ships' cables are usually made from wire, but scientists are now suggesting that the growing of hemp should be revived for the production.
According to its supporters, four times as much paper can be produced from land using hemp rather than trees, and many environmentalists believe that the large-scale growing of hemp could reduce the pressure on Canada's forests.
However, there is a problem: hemp is illegal in many countries of the world. This plant, so useful for fiber, rope, oil, fuel and textiles, is a species related to the plant from which marijuana is produced. In fact, marijuana cannot be produced from the hemp plant, since it contains almost no THC(the active ingredient in the drug).
In recent years, a movement for legalization has been gathering strength. It is concerned only with the hemp plant used to produce fiber; this group wants to make it legal to grow the plant and sell the fiber for production. | high20149.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Worried."
},
"options": [
"Worried.",
"Excited.",
"Curious.",
"Skeptical."
],
"question": "How did publishers feel about the rising e-book sales inspired by the Kindle?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"... | Despite the anxiety that Jones' Host--said by some to be the first digital novel--caused in 1993, publishers weren't too concerned that e-books would one day replace printed books. However, that attitude was changed suddenly in 2007 when Amazon's Kindle came onto the market, which led to e-book sales jumping up to 1,260%. Since then, e-books' popularity has continued to rise steadily. The publishing industry seemed to have lost all possible ability to regain its position. Will printed books eventually become a thing of the past?
According to Mike Shatzkin, founder and CEO of the Idea Logical Company, printed books just for plain old reading will, in 10 years from now, be unusual. "Not so unusual that a kid will say, 'Mommy, what's that?' but unusual enough that on the train you'll see one or two people reading something printed, while everyone else is reading off of a tablet." And Shatzkin believes that the de mise of print is sure to happen, though such a day won't arrive for perhaps 50 to 100 or more years.
Robert Stein, founder of the Institute for the Future of the Book, however, believes that books won't disappear entirely, at least not anytime soon. "Print will exist, but it will be in a
different field and will appeal to a very limited audience, as poetry does today. Like woodblock printing, hand-processed film and folk weaving , printed pages may assume an artistic
value," he says. He imagines that future forms of books might be developed not by traditional publishers but by the gaming industry. He also predicts that the distinction between writer and reader will be made less obvious by a social reading experience in which authors and consumers can digitally interact with each other to discuss any passage, sentence or line.
Is there anything we risk sacrificing, should print really disappear entirely? According to Maryanne Wolf, director of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, electronic reading can negatively affect the way the brain responds to text, including reading comprehension, focus and the ability to maintain attention to details like plot and order of events. "My worry is that we'll have a short-circuited reading brain, excellent for gathering information but not necessarily for forming critical, analytical deep reading skills," Wolf says.
The field, however, is in an early stage, and findings about the negative effects of e-reading are far from certain. In light of this, Wolf hopes that we continue to maintain a "bi-literate" society--one that values both the digital and printed word. "A full reading brain circuit is a huge contribution to the intellectual development of our species. Anything that threatens it deserves our attention." | high19910.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "In the Night Garden."
},
"options": [
"In the Night Garden.",
"Last of the Summer Wine.",
"The Secret Circle.",
"The Kid's Speech."
],
"question": "If Mary's little brother is free before noon, which play can he... | In the Night Garden
In a magical forest, colourful characters have adventures. A mysterious tide of water appears suddenly next to Igglepiggle. He discovers that he can control it by moving his feet. Excited, he takes it to Makka Pakka who finds it very useful indeed.
Children Under 5
Today on BBC2 from 11:05am to 11:35am
Last of the Summer Wine
To relax, Howard tries a simple trick to change his appearance enough to fool even Pearl. But he soon discovers that taking over someone else's identity can be equally dangerous.
Comedy Sitcoms
Today on G.O.L.D. from 12:40pm to 1: 20pm
The Secret Circle
Cassie is an orphaned teenager who discovers that not only is she a witch but that she is also the key that will unlock a centuries-old battle between good and evil. When Cassie accepts a cute boy's invitation to the school dance, Adam struggles to control his anger.
Today on Sky Living from 10:00pm to 11:00pm
The Kid's Speech
Eleven-year-olds, Reggie and William, and 14-year-old Bethan, are determined to improve their speech. Along with their parents, they start a unique course at the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering children. Over two weeks, they open up about their fears and frustrations.
Documentary
Today on BBC1 London from 10:35pm to 11:25pm | high5249.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "as a training game"
},
"options": [
"as a replacement for basketball",
"by supporters of water polo",
"as a training game",
"for the 1972 Olympics"
],
"question": "The passage states that handball was most proba... | Handball is a hugely popular sport in Europe and Asia, and it is one of the fastest and most exciting sports in the world.It combines basketball and soccer with the attracting saves of water polo.
Handball is played on an indoor court(the size of two basketball courts)and there are goals at each end.There are twelve players on each team,two goal keepers and ten field players,but there is a maximum of one goalkeeper and six field players from each team allowed on the court at any one time.The idea is simple:score more goals than the other team.
The ball is made of leather or synthetic material and it must be round.The surface must not be shiny or slippery.The size and weight of the ball varies for male and female teams,and adult and junior teams.
Handball has the same free-ranging play as basketball,with all players except the goalkeeper constantly moving from attack to defence.The goalkeeper uses hands, feet,head and body to keep out the other team's shots.The origins of handball are unclear.Many people believe that it developed as a training game for soccer,to be played in the off season,or when it snowing.Now,in countries where handball is popular,players can earn large sums of money,and indoor stadiums seating over ten thousand people sell out regularly.Handball has been played at the Olympics since 1972. | high10061.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "lonely"
},
"options": [
"rich",
"young",
"lonely",
"talkative"
],
"question": "Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"a... | Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything is good. But the problem is that Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous , talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent a picture of himself: He was a tall, good looking young man with big, happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was a twelve-year-old boy named Jim! | high2526.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "using earplugs when there are loud noises"
},
"options": [
"using iPods improperly",
"listening to MP3 at full volume",
"standing near machinery making a loud noise",
"using earplugs when there are loud noises"
],
... | Hearing plays an important part in our everyday life, but few of us take the steps we need to protect our hearing.
It is easy to see how your hearing is _ in today's world. There are so many things to hear, and so many new instruments, like iPods and headphones, which can harm your hearing if used improperly. Keeping the volume to a reasonable level on an iPod or other portable listening instruments is one of the most important ways to protect your hearing. Another great way to keep your hearing protected is to avoid loud noises whenever possible. There are many loud noises from power tools to machinery, and it is important to avoid these noises as often as possible. When it is not possible to avoid them, keep your hearing protected by using earplugs .
If you think your hearing may have already been damaged by modern technology, it is important to have your hearing tested by a physician. Only such a professional will be able to measure your level of hearing loss and help you find the best solution to your hearing problem.
For those with hearing issues, the choices have never been greater. There are many excellent hearing aids on the market. Having a hearing aid can be a perfect choice for the young and the old alike, and many people who swore they would never wear a hearing aid find that they love the convenience and quality these instruments represent.
Never let an unimportant thing like vanity get in the way of treating a hearing problem. These days there are hearing aids that are nearly invisible to the naked eye, including a number of models that fit completely inside the ear. If you believe you may be experiencing a problem with your hearing, it is important to have it checked out, and to take the right measures to protect your ears. In many cases, this treatment will be as simple as wearing earplugs. Taking care of your ears is of great importance. After all, you only get one set of ears. | high3638.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The author is on a diet."
},
"options": [
"The author is on a diet.",
"The author's daughter had diabetes.",
"The author runs a bakery.",
"The author hates sweet taste."
],
"question": "From the passage, what do... | Can you resist cream cakes? I miss my sugar! I've decided to lose weight and I had to give up cakes. It's difficult because I have a sweet tooth and I love cream cakes.
Not having treats can be good for your health. I've heard that the Burts, a family of five in South East England, lived sugar free for a whole year after they found out their daughter had diabetes . It wasn't easy. To avoid temptation, I don't go to any bakeries, but this family actually owns one, which makes up to 3,000 cakes a week.
And how does it feel to live without sugar for a while? Jason Burt said that for a month they felt weak. But later on it all changed. He says he feels "more awake" and full of energy.
And what about the Burt family business? It had to keep using half a ton of sugar a week and any cook worth his salt knows that you have to taste a recipe to know if it's right. No problem there, says Jason Burt's wife, Clare. She points out that she's got lots of people offering to taste the cakes for them. The family is also thinking about selling more delicious products.
I wonder what makes us have a strong desire for sweet food. Anyway, I've decided to forget about the sweet taste of sugar for a while. As British model Kate Moss says: "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." | high19723.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "think carefully"
},
"options": [
"take notes while listening",
"show interest in what Mr. Whiteson said",
"listen to the teacher carefully",
"think carefully"
],
"question": "We failed in the test because we did... | On the first day of class, Mr. Whiteson gave us a lecture about a creature called cattytiger, a kind of cat-like animal that completely disappeared during the Ice Age. He passed round a skull as he talked, and we all felt interested and took notes while listening. Later, we had a test about that.
When he returned my paper, I was very, very surprised. There was a very large cross through each of my answers. And so it was with everyone else's in our class.
What had happened? Everyone was wondering and couldn't wait to get the answer.
Very simple, Mr. Whiteson explained. He had made up all that story about the cattytiger. There had never been such an animal. So why none of us noticed that and how could we expect good marks for the incorrect answers?
Needless to say, we got very angry. What kind of teacher was this?
We should have guessed it out, Mr. Whiteson said. After all, at the very moment he was passing around the cattytiger skull (in fact, a cat's), hadn't he been telling us that it completely disappeared during the Ice Age? Clearly he was telling a lie. But we just kept busy making notes and none used his head. We should learn something from this. Teachers and textbooks are not always correct. | high4157.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "stress causing gray hair is still in question"
},
"options": [
"stress causing gray hair is still in question",
"gray hair has nothing to do with tension.",
"stressful situations can be of benefit.",
"sound evidence has... | Does stress cause gray hair? Many people believe that tension and stress can cause your hair to lose its color.In fact,it is an old wives tale that being upset all the time can result in premature graying.Here is a closer look at this situation and why some believe that this old wives tale could be true.
As one ages,the hairs on the head also age.In fact,just about everything on the human body begins to show signs of wear and tear after a while.The joints wear and become stiff and skin wears and becomes wrinkled.Hairs on the head grow and eventually die.They are replaced,but in the process something else happens.
When new hairs are replaced,the color or pigment is also added to them.However,as one ages,this pigment becomes less and less available.At first,hairs will have a limited amount of pigment and they will appear to be grayish in color.In time,they will lose all of their pigment and will be white.Many things are known to cause graying.and genetics is a very powerful factor.If one of your parents turns gray at an early age,there is a good chance that you will too.Some people begin the graying process in high school,while others may be over the age of forty.
Constant worry and tension can have many harmful effects on the human body.It is a known fact that stressful times can cause one to suffer hair loss.It would make sense that if it can cause these problems,perhaps it also may contribute to graying.However,there is no sound evidence to support this.
On the other hand,many medical professionals believe that there may be a link:between graying and a constant state of anxiety or tension.Does stress cause gray hair? There is no scientific evidence to support the theory,but it is best to avoid stressful situations. | high16410.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "rivers"
},
"options": [
"mountains",
"forests",
"rivers",
"caves"
],
"question": "The Pyrenees are the _ in France.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | The Cave of Lascaux
It was Thursday, September 12,1940.Four French teens were out exploring in the woods off the northern slopes of the Pyrenees.Many years before, an old pine tree fell and left a large hole in the ground.The teenagers were curious and they started to explore the area and fell into one of the most important archeological finds of the twentieth century!
There are over a hundred limestone caves in this region of France.Some were _ by humans thousands and thousands of years ago.Between 15,000 and 17,000 years ago, humans painted lively creatures such as cows, bulls, horses, and even cats on the walls of the caves.
Why did they mark these walls? Was it to tell a story? Was it to record a famous battle? There are many mysteries and ancient secrets still waiting to be discovered in the cave of Lascaux.There were dots in many of the paintings.What do these dots mean? Were they meant to record time, a calendar? Deep in the cave, there is a drawing of a "birdman".What does this mean? Was it a place for sacred ceremonies? No one knows for sure.
The actual cave of Lascaux was closed in 1963 due to the overabundance of tourists visiting the site.The carbon dioxide that people were breathing out was causing damage to the fragile cave paintings.Up till now the Lascaux cave is still closed for tourists.Only a specialist can visit the cave by a special order that must be made out almost a year in advance.Not more than six persons can enter the cave per day.Two days a week, the cave is completely closed.Due to the great interest of numerous tourists, in 1983 Lascaux IIwas opened for tourism.It is an exact replica of the cave of Lascaux. | high6998.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "resist earth temptations"
},
"options": [
"have a strange lifestyle",
"resist earth temptations",
"refuse to live a happy life",
"search for something beautiful"
],
"question": "True artists are ridiculed becaus... | When most people think of artists, they usually forget the part about the artist being a surveyor of beauty. This is because most people do not realize that there is actually a sort of process when it comes to making art so much so that lots of individuals cannot understand why true artists take their time when creating brilliant works.
The reason as to why artists take their time when creating their works is because they will first have to look for something beautiful which will inspire them. This is because an artist is someone who appreciates beauty and captures the said beauty in a portrait, a song, a novel, and any other forms of artistic medium available to man. Rather than those commercial artists who simply paint a picture because they are paid to do so, a true artist will only work if he or she is inspired. The true artist shall not compromise his or her work because of earth temptations and as such they run the risk of being ridiculed in exchange for their happiness. History has however shown that the true artist who correctly appreciates beauty is one whose works will end up being celebrated.
How does a true artist spot beauty? The only possible way to go about doing this is to actually look at the world. This means that the true artist is someone who loves to walk around and look at new things. Whatever it may be, the point here is that the artist does take a bit of time out to survey the world and find something beautiful which would inspire him. At times it even happens that the object that inspires the artist is not a thing but rather a person. At the end of the day, it must be said that each artist has his own views of what is beautiful and what is not. The true artist is someone who appreciates beauty. | high12676.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "(866) 3882877"
},
"options": [
"7623473",
"18773447117",
"(866) 3882877",
"18007606934"
],
"question": "The Smiths,a retired couple,would probably call _ for several quiet starry nights.",
"question_type":... | Welcome Aboard
Just 15 minutes from Banff is Lake Minnewanka where a 90minute cruise to the
Devil's Gap is sure to be the highlight of your summer adventure!
For information & group reservations,phone 7623473!
www.minnewankaboattours.com
GUIDED MOUNTAIN FLIGHTS of the Columbia Ice Field & Canadian Rockies
Leave the Crowds Behind
Tour Narrated by Your Host
Owner/Pilot Steve Neill (from $110/person)
*Comfortable window seats
*Headsets for clients/pilot conversation
*Ski plane available for glacier landings
Reservations : 18773447117
www.rockiesairtours.com
THREE SISTERS MOUNTAIN VILLAGE
Which stars will you be watching tonight? When you discover the beauty that surrounds Three Sisters Mountain Village,you will be surprised at how much brighter they are in the sky than on the screen.So make some popcorn,pull up a comfortable chair and settle in for a quiet night in the mountain.All the stars will be there.
Call rollfree (866) 3882877
www.threesistersmountainvillage.com
PERFECT PICTURES
Discover the Rockies's most desirable natural attractions on a Brewster guided excursion.As national park specialists,we are proud to share the wonders of Canada's largest outdoor living museum.Our 111 years'experience ensures a most memorable guided adventure!
*Wildlife viewing
*Nature walks
*Sightseeing
Tollfree:18007606934
www.brewster.ca
RAFTING & OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Youth & group rates available!
A spectacular adventure is waiting for you between Banff and Calgary,a short scenic drive to paradise.Join us for a fun,exciting and safe adventure in the Kananaskis and Bow Valley.
Adventures are available for all ages and skill levels. Our professional and highly qualified guides are all Wilderness First Aid and River Rescue certified.
Tollfree:18779997238
www.insideoutexperience.com | high13568.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he is often made fun of by other people"
},
"options": [
"he finds it difficult to talk with others",
"he is not high enough to carry heavy things",
"he is often made fun of by other people",
"nobody wants to pick him u... | Edward Nino Hernandez is 24 years old. In many ways,he is a traditional Colombian man. He loves to dance, dreams of owning a fast car and wants to see the world. However, he has just been officially _ as the world's shortest living man by Guinness World Records with a height of 27 inches( [?]0. 7m).
Although he has cataracts in both of his eyes that require an operation that the family can't afford, he said, " I feel happy because I'm special. " He also said he has a girlfriend. Nino works part time as a dancer. Recently, he has won a part in a new film, playing a drug thief. Nino said there are some disadvantages of being the world's smallest man. "It bothers me that people are always touching me and picking me up,"he said.
Nino's mother, Noemi Hernandez,has 5 children and Nino is the oldest. She said, " He hasn't grown since he was 2 years old. " She added that doctors could not explain why Nino was so small. She said Nino weighed just 3. 3 lb( 1. 5kg) when he was born and was just 15 inches long. Doctors at first wondered why he was so small and studied him until he was three years old, but then" lost interest" . She and her husband lost a daughter who was born similarly small in 1992. Their youngest child, Miguel Augel, 11, stands 37 inches tall. The other three boys are of normal height and appearance. Nino had to repeat several years of school before dropping out when he was about 13. His mother said he loves to travel, though he hasn't been outside Colombia.
The former smallest man in the world was He Pingping of China ,who was 1. 5 inches taller than Nino and recognized by Guinness as the shortest man. He died in March. | high9473.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Saturday"
},
"options": [
"Tuesday",
"Thursday",
"Monday",
"Saturday"
],
"question": "Today is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text... | Look at the car. It is Mr Black's car. It doesn't work now. Mr Black is under it. He is repairing it. Mrs Black is near the car. She is helping Mr Black. A girl is in the car. She is Kate, Mr Black's daughter. Who is the boy in the car? He is Jim, Kate's brother. It is Saturday today. They don't work. They want to go to Zhongshan Park. They all look worried. | high14207.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel better"
},
"options": [
"was for people to view the world from another angle",
"resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beings",
"had the power to mirror personal glory an... | A culture's values can be mirrored by its humor. Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes, who, in "On Nature", disliked humor, "Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from sudden thought of feeling far better than others." He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.
However, Mordechai Gordon, Ph. D of Education, insists, "Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious." I agree with Gordon. Learning to look at the world through humor is important.
In the United States, every four years an election occurs. Without humor as a way to express their feelings, how else would Americans keep from clawing their eyes out and going the way of lemming? Television shows like "The Daily Show" have become important parts of American culture. They are mothering the masses by metaphorically airplane-ing politics into our mouths. They make politics fun.
Of course, politics is only one type of humor. Social humor helps people through the twists and turns of the human condition. American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self- image. On the topic of self-image, Hari Kondabolu stands out. He has a joke about the popular musical group "The Pussycat Dolls", describing their hit song "Don't Cha" as a negative representation of women. He points out an obvious offence in American culture.
A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner. Amongst other things, mates look for an outstanding funny bone in a potential partner.
Of course, humor is not always used for good purposes. Humor can be linked to vulgarity and racism, but, like everything else, it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves, our failures and our connection with one another.
Though 1ife may seem tough and depressing at times, all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn't aware of.
With that in mind, remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity. | high6740.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Because of the serious flood."
},
"options": [
"Because of the heavy snow.",
"Because of the serious flood.",
"Because of the homeless people.",
"Because of the crowded space."
],
"question": "Why did many peopl... | The Ancient Town of Fenghuang, one of China's most well-known ancient towns, was under water as heavy rain hit the center of the country, with tens of thousands of people leaving from the area. Heavy rain and floods lasted for the past few days. Waters in the nearby Tuojiang River rose by almost one meter above warning level , causing heavy rainstorms. More than 120,000 local people and tourists have been helped to leave there because of the terrible _ . And more than 4,000 shops in the town have been shut. Several bridges on the Tuojiang River have been damaged or destroyed. Water has flowed into many bars, restaurants and hotels in its ancient town, and electricity in the ancient town has been cut off. About 128,000 people have been affected by the floods. Though the heavy rains have stopped, but the popular tourist spot remains closed for local people's safety.
A shoe shop owner named Kuang said the flood was the worst the town had experienced. "The floods came so quickly that I didn't have time to move the shoes," he said sadly.
"The flood has led to Fenghuang old town becoming a water town." said a post on a discussion page on the topic set up on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.
"We could only live in an old factory now where many homeless people have to stay together. The crowded space is full of sadness." Tang said.
At least 14 people were killed in flooding in Hunan Province and the neighboring province of Jiangxi and region of Guangxi last month, Xinhua reported. | high9315.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "At an important meeting."
},
"options": [
"At Babar's college.",
"In a class for children.",
"In the village of Bhabta.",
"At an important meeting."
],
"question": "Where were Babar and a group of middle-aged pe... | Among a group of middle-aged men and women,who were discussing bringing about quality education ,was a young man dressed in a white shirt.Within minutes, he was called onto the dais .Twenty-two-year-old Babar Ali was surrounded by educators from across India.He was popularly known as the world's youngest head teacher.
The school that Babar started in poor Bhabta village has completely changed.When he was nine years old, he had only eight students in his school.Now the school has 300 students and 10 teachers. The school is called Ananda Siksha Niketan. It is recognized by the West Bengal government.
Today Babar is a student in the morning.He is learning English literature at Berhampore Krishanath College.But he comes home in the afternoon to teach his students.
Baber was discussing education at the National Summit on Quality in Education(NSQE).The meeting was held in Bangalore,capital of Karnataka State in southern India.
"It all started as a game when I used to teach my sister, my first student, in my backyard.Later, some children from the village often came to my classes and that was how the school was born," he said.
His biggest achievement is that six of his students have now started teaching in his school after their college hours.
In another month, Babar's dream of a school building will soon come true.Many people, a large part of whom are from Karnataka,have helped him realize the dream.They have given his school a lot of money.
Although he has received so much attention and recognition ,he is still not _ ."There are people in my village who do not go to schoo1.And there is a long way to go as so many children still need to receive an education,"he says. | high14561.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "became the first American female in space"
},
"options": [
"was the first American to travel to space",
"opened a door for women to find jobs suitable for them",
"became the first American female in space",
"was the fir... | Not long ago, few little girls imagined they could grow up to become astronauts. For years in the United States, on1y men had that opportunity . In 1983, that changed. Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel to space.
On Monday, Ride died at the age of 61, ''Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,"President Barack Obama said in a statement. "She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars."
Ride became interested in space when she was a kid. "If you asked me when I was 12 whether I wanted to be an astronaut ,I'm sure I wou1d have said yes," she said in a 2010 interview . " But I didn't even think about that as a possible career."
After studying physics in college and graduate school, Ride got her chance. She was accepted into NASA's astronaut training program in 1978, and then chosen to be the first American female in space. In 1983, she blasted into space aboard the Challenger shuttle." _ ," she said.
Ride returned to space on the Challenger a second time in1984 . Between the two missions, she spent a total of 343 hours in orbit. After that, she remained involved with the space program and also worked to share her passion for science with kids. She co-authored six science books for children , and started her own science education company.
Ride knew that she he1d a unique place in history . " I realized how important it was for a woman to break that barrier and open the door for other women to be able to do the same exciting things that the men had been doing," she said.
Since Ride's historic trip, more than 40 other American women have traveled to space. They all had Ride to thank for opening the door to the final frontier. | high6026.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "far out in the Indian Ocean"
},
"options": [
"far out in the Indian Ocean",
"in the normal patrol area",
"near the Somali, coast",
"in the south of Africa"
],
"question": "The pirate attack reported in the text ... | Somali pirates robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l, 200 Miles off the Somali coast, the farthest-off-shore attack to date, an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force, said a spokesman.
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a "marked effect on pirate activity in the area".
"Once they start attacking that far out, you're not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia," said an officer, Roger Middleton. "Once you're that far out, it's just the Indian Ocean, and it means you're looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia, from Asia to South Africa. "
"This is the farthest robbing to date. They are now operating near the Maldives and India," said another officer.
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11, 12, and l 4--had 77 members on board in total. All of them are Thai, the spokesman said. Before the Sunday robbing, pirates held l l ships and 228 sailors.
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes. of catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships, the success rate has gone down, though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year. | high1749.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "teachers will spend less time on teaching"
},
"options": [
"teachers are less satisfied.",
"students are more demanding.",
"students will become more competent.",
"teachers will spend less time on teaching"
],
"... | The Cost of Higher Education
Individuals should pay for their higher education.
A university education is of huge and direct benefit to the individual. Graduates earn more than non-graduates. Meanwhile, social mobility is ever more dependent on having a degree. However, only some people have it. So the individual, not the taxpayers, should pay for it. There are pressing calls on the resources of the government. Using taxpayers' money to help a small number of people to earn high incomes in the future is not one of them. Full government funding is not very good for universities. Adam Smith worked in a Scottish university whose teachers lived off student fees. He knew and looked down upon 18th-century Oxford, where the academics lived comfortably off the income received from the government. Guaranteed salaries, Smith argued, were the enemy of hard work; and when the academics were lazy and incompetent, the students were similarly lazy. If students have to pay for their education, they not only work harder, but also demand more from their teachers. And their teachers have to keep them satisfied. If that means taking teaching seriously, and giving less time to their own research interests, that is surely something to celebrate.
Many people believe that higher education should be free because it is good for the economy . Many graduates clearly do contribute to national wealth, but so do all the businesses that invest and create jobs. If you believe that the government should pay for higher education because graduates are economically productive, you should also believe that the government should pay part of business costs. Anyone promising to create jobs should receive a gift of capital from the government to invest. Therefore, it is the individual, not the government, who should pay for their university education. | high7338.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "by drowning"
},
"options": [
"in a web",
"by drowning",
"by poisoning",
"with its antennae"
],
"question": "How does the grass water spider kill its prey?",
"question_type": "factiod_questions"
},
{
... | Some spiders hunt on the ground, others build webs to trap their food, but the grass water spider catches its prey by running along the surface of the water.
This special water spider lives on the grassy banks of streams where mosquitoes, damsel flies and other insects come to feed and breed.
Although it is one of the largest spiders in prefix = st1 /New Zealand, it has an unusual ability. It doesn't disturb the water as it waits for its meal, and there is barely a ripple when it skims across the surface at lightning speed to catch its prey.
Grass water spiders deal swiftly with larger insects like damsel flies by pulling their heads under the water and holding them there until they drown.
After a meal, the grass water spider spends up to half an hour grooming itself. It wipes its eight eyes, brushes its antennae , and takes special care to clean the hairs on its body.
It is the hairs that trap tiny bubbles of air so that the spider can run down a blade of grass and stay underwater for up to an hour when it is frightened. The hairs also keep the spider dry, even underwater.
It is only when the female spider is caring for the young that she does not hunt on the water. After mating, she produces a large egg sac , which she carries around for five weeks. Once the eggs start to hatch, she attaches the sac to some blades of grass or a thistle. She then tears the sac open and releases the tiny spiders into the nursery web. | high19045.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "They were in some way moved."
},
"options": [
"They thought it priceless.",
"They thought it awful and odd.",
"They felt somewhat offended.",
"They were in some way moved."
],
"question": "What was most customer... | I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he's an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I has grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today," he told them. "You have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture--and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name--Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy's body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that. | high4631.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "got her clothes dirty"
},
"options": [
"ran on the playground",
"dug through rocks",
"gave her a muddy rock",
"got her clothes dirty"
],
"question": "At first, the author wanted to blame Kathy because she _ .... | I still remember the last time I went to the playground with two of my children. It had rained during the night and the playground was very muddy . They had just put on clean clothes, so I was a little worried about the mud on the playground. It was not long before Kathy got her beautiful skirt dirty on the playground. She dug through the rocks. I was about to blame her for getting her clothes dirty when she ran towards me with a smile on her face. When she got to me, she handed me a little heart-shaped rock and said, "Here, Mom! Here is a heart for you --just because I love you! Keep it!" With tears in my eyes, I thanked her.
Should I blame her for getting her clothes muddy? No way! I still have that little heart-shaped rock. It is one of the best gifts that I have ever received. I realized that many times it was not necessary for us adults to worry about the small things our children did. Let them do what they'd like to.
I will spend a lot more time on the playground with my children. I'm sure I will learn a lot from them. It makes me think of the days when my grandfather told me, "You would not enter the kingdom of happiness until you pretended to be a small child." | high2240.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Empress Elizabeth"
},
"options": [
"Catherine the Great",
"Empress Elizabeth",
"Peter the Great",
"Empress Elizabeth's successors"
],
"question": "According to the passage, the Winter Palace was built for _ .... | The Winter Palace was built between 1754 and 1762 for Empress Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great. Unfortunately, Elizabeth died before the palace was completed and only Catherine the Great and her successors were able to enjoy the great interior of Elizabeth's home. Many parts of the palace's impressive interior have been remodeled since then, particularly after 1837, when a huge fire destroyed most of the building. Today the Winter Palace, together with four more buildings arranged side by side along the river embankment, houses the extensive collections of the Hermitage. The Hermitage Museum is the largest art gallery in Russia and is among the largest and most respected art museums in the world.
The museum was founded in 1764 when Catherine the Great bought a collection of 255 paintings from the German city of Berlin. Today, the Hermitage boasts over 2.7 million exhibits and displays, a diverse range of art and artifacts from all over the world and throughout history (from Ancient Egypt to the early 20th century Europe). The Hermitage's collections include works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian, a collection of Rembrandts and Rubens, many French Impressionist works by Renoir, Cezanne, Monet and Pissarro, and several works by Rodin. The collection is really worth a stop for all those interested in art and history. The experts say that if you were to spend a minute looking at each exhibit on show in the Hermitage, you would need 11 years before you'd seen them all. However, we suggest you choose a guided tour instead!
Location: Dvortsovaia Naberezhnaia, 32-38. www.ks5u.com
Open: 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Sunday till 5 pm.
Closed: Mondays. Ticket-office closes 1 hour before closing time. | high17068.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "advise parents to let kids experience nature"
},
"options": [
"describe her childhood to the readers",
"encourage readers to protect the nature",
"stress the importance of natural science",
"advise parents to let kids e... | As a child, I loved the natural world. Maybe it had something to do with growing up in a small town. Maybe it was because nature had so many secrets and I was thrilled to be a detective, uncovering them one by one.
I'm sure that when people from my generation think back to their childhoods, many recall a tree house, family picnics, or a passion for fishing, hunting, or horseback riding. Most of us had an occasional appetite for dirt as we explored backyards and nearby vacant lots. As someone who grew up in such a world, I enthusiastically encourage parents to bring back that happy childhood pastime of letting kids get muddy once in a while.
I have more than my own experience to show as evidence that this is a good thing: Study after study indicates that children grow up healthier and happier when they experience a direct connection to nature. Just as importantly, those young people are also far more likely to value the natural world when they've developed a connection to it. The need for this has never been greater than it is today.
Our natural world is extraordinary in its diversity and complexity, but it's also under tremendous threat. In the past decade, countless tropical rainforests and coral reefs have been lost forever due to human activities, and many more are critically endangered. These areas don't just house animals and plants found nowhere else on the planet; they also provide important economic services that benefit human health. Streams make fresh water clean; forests reduce flooding; tree provide medicines and insects pollinate (......) crops. The natural world represents an economic backbone for the future of local communities by promoting tourism and local people's livelihoods.
The damage to the earth's living systems is fast approaching irreversible "tipping points," and although we now have a wealth of technological tools--both to understand the threats and to assist with solutions--there's still no substitute for a connection to the real world when it comes to understanding the complexity of natural systems.
Besides, establishing a connection between child and nature is one of the best and simplest ways to inspire young people to make good decisions about personal health, climate change, and sustainable use of natural resources. They need to know what affects the chemistry of the ocean, why tropical rain forests are critical to life in the temperate regions and how millions of years are required to create fossil oil from dead plants. This understanding becomes realest and most meaningful when a person is connected to the natural world. | high19051.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because he spent his life outside, which affected him.."
},
"options": [
"Because his mother deserted him.",
"Because the residents disliked him",
"Because other animals always attacked him.",
"Because he spent his life... | Everyone in the apartment complex I lived in knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident tomcat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love.
The combination of these things combined with a life spent outside had their effect on Ugly. To start with, he had only one eye and where the other should have been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time, and had healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long ago been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch.
Ugly would have been a dark grey tabby, striped-type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs. Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. "That's one UGLY cat!!"
All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come in their home or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there, getting soaked until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness.
Whenever he spied children, he would come running, meowing frantically and bump his head against their hand begging for their love. If you ever picked him up, he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earring whatever he could find.
One day Ugly shared his love with the neighbor's huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly attacked. From my apartment I could hear his scream and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was laying, it was obvious Ugly's sad life was almost at an end. Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him wheezing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. It must be hurting him terribly, I thought. Then I felt a familiar tugging, sucking sensation on my ear. Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suckle my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scarred cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.
At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I had ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked up at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterward thinking about how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion about what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me more about giving and compassion than a thousand book lecture or talk show specials ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I cared for.
Many people want to be richer, more successful, well liked, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly. | high16362.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Lack of Sleep"
},
"options": [
"Lack of Sleep",
"Change of Sleep",
"Patterns of Sleep",
"Benefits of Sleep"
],
"question": "What's the best title of this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer... | The latest beliefs are that the main purposes of sleep are to enable the body to rest, allowing time for repairs to take place and for tissue to be regenerated . Lack of sleep, however, can compromise the immune system, cause depression and promote anxiety.
For many people, lack of sleep is rarely anything of choice. Some have problems getting to sleep, others with staying asleep until the morning. Despite popular belief that sleep is one long event, research shows that, in an average night, there are five stages of sleep. In the first light stage, the heart rate and blood pressure go down and the muscles relax. In the next two stages, sleep gets progressively deeper. In stage four, usually reached after an hour, the slumber is so deep that, if awoken, the sleeper would be confused and disorientated. It is in this state that sleep-walking can occur, lasting no more than 15 minutes. In the fifth stage, the rapid eye movement (REM) stage, the eyes move constantly beneath closed lids as if the sleeper is looking at something. During this stage, the body is almost paralysed . This REM stage is also the time when we dream.[:Z#xx#k.Com]
Sleeping patterns change with age. One theory for the age-related change is that it is due to hormonal changes. The temperature rise occurs at daybreak in the young, but at three or four in the morning in the elderly. Age aside, it is estimated that roughly one in three people suffer some kind of sleep disturbance. Causes can be anything from pregnancy, smoking, and stress to alcohol and heart disease.
Apart from self-help therapy such as regular exercise, there are psychological treatments, including relaxation training and therapy aimed at getting rid of pre-sleep worries and anxieties. Medication is regarded by many as a last option and often takes the form of sleeping pills. | high10713.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "usually see the birth or death of a family member"
},
"options": [
"are often absent when a family member is born or dying",
"are unfamiliar with birth and death",
"usually see the birth or death of a family member",
"h... | In the old days, children were familiar with birth and death as part of life. Now this is perhaps the first generation of American youngsters who have never been close by during of the birth a baby and have never experienced the death of a family member.
Nowadays when people grow old, we often send them to nursing homes. When they get sick, we send them to a hospital, where children are forbidden to visit terminally in patients-- even when those patients are their parents. This deprives the dying patient of family members during the last few days of his life and it deprives the children of an experience of death, which is an important learning experience.
Some of my colleagues and I once interviewed and followed about 500 terminally in order to find out what they could teach us and how we could be of more benefit, not just to them but to the members of their families as well. We were most impressed by the fact that even those patients who were not told of their serious illness were quite aware of its potential outcome.
It is important for family members, and doctors and nurses to understand these patients' communication in order to truly understand their needs, fears and fantasies . Most of our patients welcomed another human being with whom they could talk openly, honestly, and frankly about their trouble. Many of them shared with us their great need to be informed, to be kept up - to - date on their medical condition and to be told when the end was near. We found out that patients who had been dealt with openly and frankly were better able to cope with the coming of detach and finally to reach a true stage of acceptance before death. | high14575.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Despite having won the 74\nthHunger Games, Katniss doesn't feel much joy."
},
"options": [
"Every year 12 teenagers in total are chosen to join in the televised fight.",
"Despite having won the 74\nthHunger Games, Katniss doesn't f... | A victor is, by definition, someone who wins a struggle or contest. However, that doesn't mean he or she will live a proud and happy life ever after, as Katniss Everdeen is about to discover in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Catching Fire, out in Chinese theaters on Nov 21, is set in a futuristic society called Panem. Every year its government holds a televised fight to the death. Two teenagers from each of the 12 districts of Panem are chosen to compete.
In the new film, last year's victors Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her partner Peeta are back home after winning the 74thHunger Games. Katniss just wants to live a normal life. However, that never seems to happen. She has nightmares, which remind her that she is a killer.
Her worst nightmare comes true when the annual Hunger Games arrive again. The teenager finds herself back in the competition along with Peeta. Since Katniss brings hope to Panem through her courage, President Snow plans to use this year's Games to kill off Katniss and Peeta and in turn _ the fires of rebellion.
"This is the next step of Katniss' heroism and the next part of her journey to finding out who she is really going to be," Lawrence told Reuters.
Fast-paced and full of action, Catching Fire looks to outdo the success that the first film had in 2012. With a 97 percent rating on the movie review website Rotten Tomatoes, it is enjoying positive reviews. Critics have praised it for being faithful to the book written by American author Suzanne Collins. The Hollywood Reporter said that Catching Fire outshines the first movie a lot.
Jennifer Lawrence, who won a best actress Oscar this year for her 2012 movie Silver Linings Playbook, has helped Catching Fire find success, Forbes pointed out. The 23-year-old actress does well playing a young lady who hates what she was forced to do to stay alive yet is determined not to give up.
"Lawrence's down-to-earth personality in real life won the hearts of the public. So given a wildly popular first film that blew everyone away, a rising fan base and a lead performer beloved by the mainstream press and viewers, the sequel was always going to be big," Forbes noted. | high9301.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "making people queue shorter than they are informed"
},
"options": [
"having people queue in serpentine line",
"letting people know how long they will wait exactly",
"making people queue shorter than they are informed",
... | Everyone hates to wait in lines. We get that anxious feeling that our precious life is slipping away while we're doing something so meaningless. But it's not always the length of the wait we find so unbearable. Some people camp outside Apple stores for an entire night just to get their hands on the latest product. But waiting 10 minutes in a grocery store just to buy a drink? Forget it.
Our behavior when waiting is only partly decided by the length of the wait. "Often the psychology of queuing is more important than the statistics of the wait itself," notes the MIT researcher Richard Larson.
One apparent aspect of queuing psychology is that we get bored when we wait in line. This issue is solved in many ways, from magazines in hospital waiting rooms to mirrors in elevators so that we can check our appearance.
We really hate it when we expect a short wait and then get a long one. But studies show that we are much more patient when we are given an idea of how long we'll be waiting.
Walt Disney Co knows this better than anyone else. It posts estimated waiting times for attractions in its theme parks. But according to Larson, these times are overestimated so that visitors get to the front of the queue more quickly than they expect. It keeps them happy.
But perhaps the biggest influence on our feelings about waiting in a line has to do with our sense of fairness. When it comes to queues, the universally acknowledged standard is first come, first served. Any departure from this principle is regarded as unfair and can lead to violent queue anger.
You've probably experienced mild queue anger yourself in fast food restaurants, watching people in the other line zoom ahead of you, cursing yourself for having chosen the "wrong" line. In order to solve this problem, the serpentine line was invented. The serpentine line guides all customers into one big snaking queue, separated by ropes or barriers. When you reach the head of the queue, you are directed to the next available server, or teller, or customs official. The serpentine line isn't always faster than multi-lines before an array of cash registers. But it offers important comfort: you absolutely never have to see someone arrive after you and get served before you.
In life, waiting is inevitable. But a better understanding of the psychology of waiting can help make it a bit more bearable. When all else fails, bring a book or a smart phone will also do. | high6032.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "positive"
},
"options": [
"positive",
"negative",
"neutral",
"curious"
],
"question": "What was the author's attitude to the contest in the supermarket?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
... | Sometimes, kindness is a simple answer in a difficult and challenging world.
When my granddaughter, Skylar, was young, one day we went out and had a contest called "Who can make the most people smile. " And we continue it today. When shopping, we were walking in the supermarket and noticed someone walking down the aisle with her head down. Skylar walked up to her and gave her a big smile. I watched her walk down the aisle, turned around and smiled at Skylar again or perhaps smiled at someone else.
Kindness is a chain that pulls us all together. Every single act of kindness has a ripple effect . In 2002, my dad had a series of strokes and other illness. My dad had been doing nice things for all sorts of people for years, from the street crossing guard, to the waitress in a restaurant, to a friend's mother. That same day, I made cookies for the janitor at the post office. When I gave him the cookies he actually looked a little embarrassed. "Why, Linda?" he asked. "Because I appreciate you!" I answered. "When I get here at 6 am and it is still dark out and it is a little scary, I know you are inside and I feel safe. And when I first moved here and my post office box was always empty, you always cheered me on. And you always keep this place clean."
That evening his wife called me and said that he was overwhelmed . "No one even knows his name, let alone bakes him cookies!" she said. (278 words) | high12104.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Picasso's life and art"
},
"options": [
"Picasso is considered to be the foremost figure in the 20th century French art",
"Picasso is a famous Spanish painter",
"Picasso spent much time in Pairs, living there from 1904 to 197... | Picasso, the famous Spanish painter, was born in 1881. His father was an art teacher. Picasso began to paint very early. He was admitted to the Royal Academy of Art at the age of 15. After 1900, he spent much time in Paris, living there from 1904 to 1947, when he moved to the south of France.
Throughout his career, Picasso moved from style to style with ease. He practiced sculpture, illustrated books and also showed great interest in pottery design and other fields of art.
Picasso produced a great number of drawings during his lifetime. No later artist of the School of Paris has replaced him in international influence.
Picasso is generally considered to be the foremost figure in 20th century French art. His paintings are now exhibited in leading European and American galleries. | high1985.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The food dropped on the cement floor is not as safe as food dropped on the carpet within 30 seconds."
},
"options": [
"A toast dropped on the carpet is easier to be polluted than that dropped on the cement floor.",
"A sticky chocol... | Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to the findings of research carried out at Aston University's School of Life and Health Sciences. The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis to the "5 second rule" --- the belief about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. Although people have long followed the 5 second rule, until now it was unclear whether it actually helped.
The study, undertaken by final year Biology students and led by Anthony Hilton, Professor of Microbiology at Aston University, monitored the transfer of the common bacteria from a variety of indoor flooring types (carpet, cement floor etc.) to toast, pasta, a biscuit and a sticky sweet when contact was made from 3 to 30 seconds. The results showed that: Time is a significant factor in the transfer of bacteria from a floor surface to a piece of food; and the type of flooring the food has been dropped on has an effect, with bacteria least likely to transfer from carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from cement flooring surfaces to moist foods making contact for more than 5 seconds. Professor Hilton said: "Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time."
The Aston team also carried out a survey of the number of people who employ the 5 second rule. The survey showed that: 87% of people surveyed said they would eat food dropped on the floor, or already have done so. 55% of those who would eat or have eaten food dropped on the floor are women. 81% of the women who would eat food from the floor would follow the 5 second rule. Professor Hilton added, "Our study showed that a surprisingly large majority of people are happy to consume dropped food, with women the most likely to do so. But they are also more likely to follow the 5 second rule." | high8779.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "the Internet"
},
"options": [
"the Internet",
"information",
"computers",
"e-mail"
],
"question": "The passage is mainly about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answe... | Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it?
The Internet is many different networks around the world. A network is a group of computers put together. These networks joined together are called the Internet.
Maybe that doesn't sound interesting. But when we've joined the Internet. There are lots of things we can do. We can have a lot of interest on the World Wide Web (www). We can use the internet instead of a library to find all kinds of information for our homework.. We can find information about our favorite sports or film stars and do shopping on the Internet. We can also send messages to other people by e-mail. It is much cheaper and quicker than calling our friends or sending letters.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. People can now work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information they need. They can buy or sell whatever they want by the Internet. But do you know 98%of the information is English? So what will English be like tomorrow? | high22979.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "being perfect is highly valued"
},
"options": [
"selfie leads to success",
"a good image decides one's status",
"one's poor performance can be erased",
"being perfect is highly valued"
],
"question": "According ... | "Selfie" may have been named Oxford Dictionary's word of 2013. In effect,so widely known has the selfie become that in the past 12 months,its frequency in the English language has increased by 17000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. However,its popularity has just earned it another honour-being voted the most annoying and overused term of the past 12 months. But I'd like to offer that maybe it isn't so bad.
According to the Oxford online dictionary, selfie is a photo that one takes of oneself, often from a smart phone, and send them to a social media website. Women and men alike decorate their Facebook and Twitter accounts with these pictures, sometimes with exaggerated facial expressions,such as large smiles or puckered lips .
Let's think about it. Someone takes about 10 selfies each time they do, and they only end up posting one or two of those. They pick the one that they feel makes them look the best. Isn't that beautiful? In that one picture,somebody has given himself or herself confidence. Self-image is vital. In today's society,we are so crazy about being perfect. But perhaps, with that one selfie,we feel as if we fit that need. We feel handsome,beautiful,confident,smart,happy,and content. For that moment,everything bad or terrible that has ever happened to us seemed to have been erased,for that smile or that pucker is what gives us the determination to love ourselves.
A spoken-word poem I saw lately set me thinking:If I ask you what you love,the answers will most likely roll of your tongue. You love to read. You love to write. You love birds,music...your mom,your brother,your sister,your daughter,your best friend,your dog. How long do you think you could go on and on before you said,"I love myself."?
The poem hit me like a ton of bricks. I've struggled with confidence all of my life. And I still do. And in no way am I saying that taking a selfie is a gateway to that confidence. However,the selfie does deserve some _ for allowing individuals to express themselves. Just as Pamela Rutledge put it,"There are many more photographs available now of real people than models." | high14213.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "express themselves"
},
"options": [
"buy goods",
"express themselves",
"listen to music",
"watch videos"
],
"question": "People all around the world use blogs to _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
... | People around the world used their computers to buy goods, communicate with others, listen to music, see pictures and learn about different places and ideas. In 2006, more people around the world used new ways to communicate and connect with each other through the Internet.
The blog is one form of communication that enjoys growing popularity. Blog is a short way of saying Web log. Through these personal websites, people can share their experiences, ideas and opinions with anyone on the Internet.
People of all ages have their own blogs. For young people, they are a way to show their writings and other forms of self-expression.
Many websites offer free services to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. These sites include "MySpace" used mainly by teenagers and young adults. My Space is an online community that lets people share messages and pictures with an increasing number of friends. It is the most popular social networking site on the Web.
YouTube is another Internet site that became more popular this year. This website lets anyone create, share and watch short videos. People can watch almost anything on YouTube: news, sports and entertainment events. There are music videos, and videos made by people in their own homes. These include videos of people singing or dancing, or animals doing funny things. Three young men created YouTube almost two years ago as a personal video sharing service. They recently sold it to Google for more than one and one half billion dollars.
Games and entertainment also became a larger part of the Internet this year. One Internet social site is called Second Life. It is an online world in which computer users create a new self and live a different life. They get married, build homes, operate businesses, buy and sell goods, work, play and attend school. | high9467.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Acid and water"
},
"options": [
"Ice and low temperature",
"Acid and water",
"Soil and energy",
"Bacteria and oxygen"
],
"question": "Which of the following helped to preserve \"Lindow Man\"?",
"question_typ... | Archaeology, like many academic words, comes from Greek and means, more or less, "the study of old things". So, it is really a part of the study of history. However, most historians use paper evidence, such as letters, paintings and photographs, but archaeologists learn from the objects left behind by the humans of long ago. Normally, _ are the hard materials that don't break down or disappear very quickly--things like human bones and objects made from stone and metal.
It is very unusual to find anything more than the hard evidence of history--normally, the bacteria in the air eat away at soft materials, like bodies, clothes and things made of wood. Occasionally, things are different.
In 1984, two men made an amazing discovery while working in a bog called Lindow Moss, in the north of England. A bog is a very wet area of earth, with a lot of plants growing in it. It can be like a very big and very thick vegetable soup--walk in the wrong place and you can sink and disappear forever. The men were working when one of them saw something sticking out--a human foot! Naturally, the men called the police, who then found the rest of the body. Was it a case of murder? Possibly--but it was a death nearly two thousand years old. The two men had found a body from the time of the Roman invasion of Britain. Despite being so old, this body had skin, muscles, hair and internal organs--the scientists who examined him were able to look inside the man's stomach and find the food that he had eaten for his last meal!
Why was this man so well preserved? It was because he was in a very watery environment, safe from the bacteria that need oxygen to live. Also, the water in the bog was very acidic. The acid preserved the man's skin in the way that animal skin is preserved for leather coats and shoes.
How did he die? Understandably, archaeologists and other scientists wanted to know more about the person that they called "Lindow Man". His hands and fingernails suggested that he hadn't done heavy manual work in his life--he could have been a rich man. They found that he hadn't died by accident. The archaeologists believe that he was sacrificed to three different gods. | high6754.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Sharing in the financial crisis."
},
"options": [
"Introducing a new way of life.",
"Sharing in the financial crisis.",
"How to reduce the living expense.",
"How to handle the financial crisis."
],
"question": "... | The financial crisis is reminding Americans of a lesson they first learned in childhood: Share and share alike. They are sharing or swapping tools and books, cars and handbags, time and talent.
The renewed desire to share shows up in a variety of examples: A car-sharing service has had a 70 percent membership increase since the crisis occurred. Some companies encouraged his employees to take vanpooling. Governments are putting bikes on the street for public use. How-to-swap Web sites are increasing quickly.
The economy reflects the way Americans have cut back, especially on daily items: Department store sales dropped 1.3 percent in June. People are not buying cars, and as a result, auto sales dropped 27.7 percent last month. They are not paying others to do what they can do themselves -- Home Depot reports increased attendance at in-store do-it-yourself clinics. And although paint sales are down in general, according to Sherwin-Williams, individual consumers are still buying.
When Tom Burdett needed to cut some tiles at his home outside Annapolis, he refused to buy expensive tools. So he asked his neighbors and friends for help. Sure enough, someone had just what he needed. And when that friend needed help fixing a satellite dish, Burdett volunteered to help.
The sharing mind-set is not new to the American culture, but many Americans give it up when the nation changed from an agricultural society to an industrial one, said Rosemary Hornak, a psychology professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. They moved farther from their families and did not have time to connect with new neighbors because they worked so much, she said.
Neighborhood conversations tell more of the story as the movement grows organically in communities across the Washington region and the nation. On one street in Arlington, for example, neighbors are collecting their separate money for mulch and dividing it among themselves. | high10075.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "kept in touch with the girl."
},
"options": [
"lost touch with the girl several years ago.",
"used to spend weekends with the girl.",
"moved to the same town as the girl.",
"kept in touch with the girl."
],
"que... | Recently, one of my best friends, whom I'd shared just about everything with since the first day of kindergarten, spent the weekend with me. Since I moved to a new town several years ago, we'd both always looked forward to the few times a year when we could see each other.
Over the weekend, we spent hours and hours, staying up late into the night, talking about the people she was hanging around with. She started telling me stories about her new boyfriend, about how she experimented with drugs and was into other bad habits. I was blown away! She told me how she had been lying to her parents because they didn't want her around him.
I tried to convince her that she was ruining her future and heading for big trouble. But she didn't believe me. Her self-respect seemed to have disappeared. I just couldn't believe that she really thought it was acceptable to hang out with such a loser.
By the time she left, I was really worried about her. It had been so discouraging, and I had come close to telling her several times during the weekend that maybe we had just grown too far apart to continue our friendship--but I didn't. I put the power of friendship to the ultimate test. We'd been friends for far too long. I had to hope that she valued me enough to know that I was trying to save her from hurting herself. I wanted to believe that our friendship could conquer anything.
A few days later, she called to say that she had thought long and hard about our conversation,and then she told me that she had broken up with her boyfriend.I just listened on the other end of the phone with tears of joy running down my face. It was one of the truly rewarding moments in my life.
Never had I been so proud of a friend. | high2532.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It has a history of about three hundred years."
},
"options": [
"Its museum exhibits many ancient pictures.",
"It has a history of about three hundred years.",
"Its rooms are covered with the family ' s photos.",
"It ow... | Several Holiday Houses in Sicily and Its Islands
Baglio Fontana, Buseto Paiizzoio, Trapani,Sicily
Grapes have been harvested at this traditional family farm since the early 18ih century. Old photos of the family cover the walls of tlie sitting room. A farm museum exhibits ancient tools and you can have a taste of wine in the country restaurant. All the rooms combine modem comforts with original features. You can also swim in the pool.
Doubles from EUR 100 per night,+39 0923 855000
Club Levante,Pantelleria
Reaching Pantelleria by plane is striking; by boat from Trapani it is thrilling. It's a surprisingly stylish place for nature-lovers seeking privacy and peace, and is run by warmhearted Matteo and his father. There's a small restaurant. Bedrooms are elegant, a couple of which have a sea view from the bed.
Doubles from EUR 130 per night,+39 0923 915246
Giardinl di Pantelleria, Pantelleria
Come for an adventurous week of walking, boating and hot-springing in an ancient, dramatic landscape. Five thousand years ago, Pantelleria was mined for volcanic glass to make spears and knives, and our ancestors left some fascinating tombs. Local Arabs built circular shelters for their traditional stone houses with two-metre-tliick rock walls.
From EUR400 a week for an apartment sleeping two, +39 340 6156112
Villa Punta San Nicola, Favignana
Favignana is not very famous. It's just a hatitat for those Italians who are familiar with the area. This trio of single-storey sandstone houses are owned and were designed by a former fashion photographer. They are half buUl into the rocks and simply but stylishly furnished. There's a beautiful rocky beach just a few steps away.
Apartmenis sleeping 2 from EUR 650 c week, + 39 335 337054 | high19737.txt |
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