questions list | article stringlengths 9 6.44k | id stringlengths 9 14 |
|---|---|---|
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a teenage girl's"
},
"options": [
"a growing-up boy's",
"an old woman's",
"a teenage girl's",
"a grown-up's"
],
"question": "The passage is told about _ problems.",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
}... | How hard we have all prayed to grow up quickly, and looked forward to the happy days of being a grown-up and enjoying the many interests that a youth should have.
At last, you have grown up. At least you are no longer a child. They call you "young lady". You then enjoy the pleasure of being a young lady. You are proud of being a grown-up teenager. People welcome you-this young lady-heartily. You are glad that your prayer has been answered.
But there is always something that troubles you a lot. You say; "Papa and Mama, give me some money please. My pocket money is all gone already."
"No", they say, "your age is a dangerous age. If you have too much money to spend, it won't do you any good." Then you have to stay at home because you dare not go out with an empty pocket.
Another time you tell your grandma, "Grandma, see, I am a grown-up now."
"Good, now, you can sit here and knit this for me while I go and have a rest." To show that you are no more a child, you have to sit there the whole afternoon doing the work, which only a grown-up can do. After an hour, you find it hard to do, and give the knitting basket back to your grandma. Your grandma criticizes your work. You hear what she says, "Such a big girl can't do such easy work." You wish then you were a child again.
But the fact is, you are growing up, and you can't help it. That's the way it goes! | high14015.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "His colleagues envied him and did so to destroy his fame."
},
"options": [
"His fellow scientists wanted to make fun of him.",
"His workmates are eager to become famous too.",
"These scientists made a mistake because of carel... | Can you believe everything that you read? It seems as if every day, some new articles come out about a new discovery about this or that. For example, water is bad for you, or good for you. The answer depends on which scientific study has just come out. People cannot decide which food items are healthy, how pyramids were constructed, and why dinosaurs disappeared. When we look for answers we sometimes can believe persuasive researches and scientists. But how trustworthy are they really? Here are two examples of scientific hoaxes .
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan to make the ape man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. While we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it _ . Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow. | high6552.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It does no good to human health."
},
"options": [
"It's unnecessary.",
"It does no good to human health.",
"It is hated by most people.",
"It will always lead to heart disease and circulatory disorders."
],
"que... | In recent years, there has been a steady attack on salt from the doctors: salt is bad for you--regardless of your health. Politicians also got aboard. "There is a direct relationship," US Congressman Neal Smith said, "between the amount of sodium a person consumes and heart disease, circulatory disorders, stroke and even early death."
Frightening, if true! But many doctors and medical researchers are now beginning to feel the salt scare has gone too far. "All these remarks and cry about salt is unnecessary," Dr. Dustan insists. "For most of us it probably does not make much difference how much salt we eat." Dustan's most recent short-term study of 150 people showed that those with normal blood pressure experienced no change at all when placed on an extremely low-salt diet, or later when salt was reintroduced. Of the hypertensive patients, however, half of those on the low-salt diet did experience a drop in blood pressure, which returned to previous level when salt was reintroduced.
"An adequate to somewhat excessive salt intake has probably saved many more lives than it has cost in the general population," said Dr. John H Laragh. "So an opinion that the whole population should avoid salt makes no sense."
Medical experts agree that everyone should practice reasonable "moderation" in salt consumption. For the average person, a moderate amount might run from four to ten grams a day, or roughly 1/2 to 1/3 teaspoons. One to two grams of salt would come from the natural sodium in food. The rest would be added in processing, preparation or at the table.
"Na is not your enemy," says Comek's Dr. Laragh. "Salt is the No.1 natural component of all human tissue, and the idea that you do not need it is wrong. Unless your doctor has proven that you have a salt-related health problem, there is no reason to give it up." | high7894.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "think they can have a good time and develop relationships"
},
"options": [
"are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends",
"can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time",
"think they can have a good ti... | When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.
During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group, they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.
Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.
There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author of Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents respond to the brain bias of their children. Since a girl's brain is better organized to send and receive speech,we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply. | high10273.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because she always played with Lisa."
},
"options": [
"Because she lost her friends because of Lisa.",
"Because she wore a wig to school.",
"Because she cried in the classroom.",
"Because she always played with Lisa."
... | When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.
She was absent a lot , and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class--seldom--I would hang around with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa's needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I've had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I'd like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect on my life. I have no idea what her parents' first names are. I write to your column and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her. | high2734.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Appreciative."
},
"options": [
"Appreciative.",
"Critical.",
"Grateful.",
"Negative."
],
"question": "What's the writer's attitude toward the young boy in this passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"... | In my mind, there is a moving story about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart.
Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys,he got ly nowhere. Despite his hard training at all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played.
This teenager lived alone with his father, and the relationship between the two of them was very special. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him.
The young man loved football and was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he'd get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice nor a game but remained a benchwarmer. Besides, his faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a"walk-on". Everyone firmly believed that he could never make the cut, but he did.
The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, butactually he never got the real chance to play in a game.
It was at the end of his senior football season that the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became totally silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach,"My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today?"The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said,"Take the rest of the week off, son. And don't even plan to come back to the game on Saturday."
Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines , the coach and his players were surprised to see their faithful teammate back so soon."Coach, please let me play. I've just got to play today,"said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close play-off game. But the young man insisted, and finally feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in."All right,"he said."You can go in."Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to succeed. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid got a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown.
Finally, after the stands had emptied, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said,"Kid, you were unbelievably fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?"
He looked at the coach, tears in his eyes, and said,"Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?"The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile,"Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could make it!" | high19531.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "It offers chances to take great photos."
},
"options": [
"It is organized by the Best Things to Do on Trip Advisor.",
"It has been voted the best tour three times.",
"It is intended for individuals only.",
"It offers ch... | London Photography Mystery Tour
Here's the tour that's voted "3rd best tour in London" on the Best Things to Do on Trip Advisor! Hairy Goat is the best rated and most original tour company in London.
Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? It can be statues, elaborate doors and lamp posts, hidden gardens, headstones or interesting architectural features. We all know where the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Cathedral and Trafalgar Square are, but London is full of quirky and interesting photo opportunities and maybe you need someone to lead you to them. You won't know where you are going until we get there, but I promise there will be something you won't have noticed before. The tour is ideal for team events, families, groups of friends and school or college classes.
Bring: A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film, a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress for 3 hours walking outside.
Prices: All tours are to be booked and paid in advance. Please call or email for details. PS40 per adult (18yrs and over). PS35 per child (12-15yrs) and fulltime students (student ID required)
All tours to be booked and paid in advance. Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna on +44 (0) 7540 832771
Meet: Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Tube Station. Take exit 3 or 4 from the tube station.
When: see the website for scheduled dates
For more information call Corinna on 07540 832771.
Duration: 3 hours, at a comfortable walking pace
Finish: by a tube station within the city, location varies daily
If you are interested in participating in London Photography Mystery NIGHT Tour, please note, Night tours start at different times and locations each month. | high16602.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "so that he can give a good reason for his arrests in court"
},
"options": [
"so that he can catch criminals in the streets easily",
"because many of the criminals he has to catch are very dangerous",
"because he has to know n... | Real policemen, both in Britain and the United States, hardly recognize any similarity between their lives and what they see on TV -- if they ever get home in time. There are similarities, of course, but the cops (policemen) don't think much of them.
The first difference is that a policeman's real life revolves round (......) the law. Most of his training is in criminal law. He has to know exactly what actions are crimes and what evidence can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a professional lawyer, and what is more, he has to apply it on his feet, in the dark and rain, running down an alley after someone he wants to talk to.
Little of his time is spent in chatting to charming ladies or in dramatic confrontations with desperate criminals. He will spend most of his working life typing millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, unimportant people who are guilty -- or not -- of stupid crimes of little importance.
Most television crime drama is about finding the criminal: as soon as he's arrested, the story is over. In real life, finding criminals is seldom much of a problem. Except in very serious cases like murders and terrorist attacks-- where failure to produce results reflects on the standing of the police -- little effort is spent on searching. The police have detailed machinery which eventually shows up most wanted men.
Having made an arrest, a detective really starts to work. He has to prove his case in court and to do that he often has to gather a lot of different evidence. Much of this has to be given by people who don't want to get involved in a court case. So, as well as being overworked, a detective has to be out at all hours of the day and night interviewing his witnesses and persuading them, usually against their own best interests, to help him.
A third big difference between the drama detective and the real detective is that the real detective lives in an unpleasant moral twilight . Detectives tend to have two opposing pressures: first, as members of a police force they always have to behave with legality; secondly, as expensive public servants they have to get results. They can hardly ever do both. Most of the time, some of them have to break the rules in small ways.
If the detective has to deceive the world, the world often deceives him. Hardly anyone he meets tells him the truth. And this separation the detective feels between himself and the rest of the world is deepened by the simplemindedness -- as he sees it -- of citizens, social workers, doctors, law-makers, and judges, who, instead of putting a complete end to crime punish the criminals less strictly in the hope that this will make them reform. The result, detectives feel, is that nine-tenths of their work is re-catching people who should have stayed behind bars. This makes them rather cynical . | high17508.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Not until she became a driver herself."
},
"options": [
"Not until she became a driver herself.",
"Not until she had driven a car for 20 years.",
"After she was shouted at by a motorist.",
"After she was once knocked do... | A few days ago we - that's me and the husband - took a cab to the station. Chat with the driver fell to the wrong of cyclists, and the misunderstanding of the road rules. So far as the rules of the road go, there seems to be one basic principle: when you are driving a car you hate bikes, when you are riding a bike you hate cars (and I guess walkers hate everyone).
There is an obvious difference of viewpoint built in here. It wasn't until I started to drive a car (almost 20years after I had first rode a bike) that I actually realized that you could not see a cyclist at night without lights. In fact I now want to shout at late night cyclists without lights(like motortists once did at me): "You'll get killed, sunshine, I can't see you."
The problem is that cyclists do ride headlong into danger. It's not just not having lights. It's biking on pavements (and so threatening to injure a load of innocent walkers in the process) and biking down one-way streets the wrong way.
I admit that I do bike the wrong way down a one-way street sometimes. My feeble defense is that I try always to do it as if I know I was doing wrong. That is slowly, with an apologetic look on the face, and ready to get off at any minute. I can't bear the guys (usually, but not always it is guys) who do it as if they owned the place, and at high speed.
So cyclists are not entirely innocent. But they are among the disadvantaged groups, because the bottom line is that a car or a lorry can kill a cyclist and not the other way around. | high4351.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "New York."
},
"options": [
"Geneva.",
"Sydney.",
"Tokyo.",
"New York."
],
"question": "Which of the following cities may be the cheapest for employees overseas?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer":... | What's the most expensive place to station an employee overseas? London? Tokyo? Sao Paulo? Try Luanda, Angola.
That's the finding of a survey by Mercer, the world's largest human resources consulting firm, headquartered in New York City. Two African cities (Luanda, N'Djamena) were in the top 10, along with four (Moscow, Geneva, Zurich, Bern) in Europe, three (Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong) in Asia and one (Sydney) in Australia. Switzerland alone has three cities in the top 10.
Mercer's 2013 Cost of Living Survey examined data from 214 cities worldwide, comparing a market basket of over 200 goods and services, including unfurnished luxury two-bedroom apartments or three-bedroom houses, movie tickets, blue jeans, international newspapers, coffee, fast food restaurant meals, gasoline, milk and soda.
If it sounds odd that Angola would be the most expensive, Mercer's Barb Marder explains that"Despite being one of Africa's major oil producers, Angola is a ly poor country yet expensive for expatriates since imported goods can be dear. In addition, finding secure living accommodations that meet the standards of expatriates can be challenging and quite costly."The survey found similar supply issues in N'Djamena, Chad, the other top 10 city in Africa.
Mercer measured locations worldwide against New York, on a U.S. dollar basis, meaning that exchange rate shifts could impact the rankings. For example, although Tokyo is Asia's most expensive city for people who live in a foreign country, the weakening of the Japanese yen against the dollar makes it seem cheaper than it was a year ago. Canada, too, has become a bargain as the U.S. dollar strengthens against the Canadian dollar.
Measurements were taken in March, 2013.
What's the trend in the United States?"Overall, U.S. cities either remain stable in the ranking or have slightly decreased due to the movement of the U.S. dollar against the majority of currencies worldwide,"explains Mercer's Steven Nurney. However, that may change as real estate prices rise nationwide. New York is the nation's most expensive place to station expatriates.
While housing is generally the most important factor in the survey rankings, the survey revealed some other significant differences in prices. For example, you may need a vodka chaser after paying $ 8.29 for a cup of coffee in Moscow, but the same coffee in Managua, Nicaragua would cost only $ 1.54. Expect to pay $ 20.10 for a movie ticket in London, versus $ 5.91 in Johannesburg. | high19525.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "interview a celebrity"
},
"options": [
"correct a piece of writing",
"write a complete book",
"improve a written article",
"interview a celebrity"
],
"question": "A ghostwriter does all the following EXCEPT _ ... | Ghostwriters are widely used by celebrities or public figures who wish to publish their autobiographies . The degree of involvement of the ghostwriter in nonfiction writing projects ranges from minor to significant. Various sources explain the role of the ghostwriter and how competent writers can get this kind of work. In some cases, a ghostwriter may be called in just to clean up, edit, and polish a rough draft of an autobiography or a "how-to" book. In other cases, the ghostwriter will write an entire book or article based on information, stories, notes, and an outline, interviews with the celebrity or public figure. The credited authors also indicate to the ghostwriter what type of style, tone, or "voice" they want in the book.
Celebrity books are usually ghostwritten in the first person (I did this and that) or the third person (David Pardon asked the group to recommend someone etc.).
In some cases, such as with some "how-to" books, diet guides, or cookbooks, a book will be entirely written by a ghostwriter, and the celebrity (e.g., a well-known musician or sports star) will be credited as author. Publishing companies use this methodto increase the marketability of a book by associating it with a celebrity or well-known figure. In several countries before elections, candidates employ ghostwriters to produce autobiographies for them so as to gain visibility and exposure. Two of John F. Kennedy's books were almost entirely ghostwritten. Former President Ronald Reagan also released a ghostwritten autobiography.
A consultant or career-switcher may pay to have a book ghostwritten on a topic in their professional area, to establish or enhance their credibility as an "expert" in their field. For example, a successful salesperson hoping to become an inspiring speaker on selling may pay a ghostwriter to write a book on sales techniques. Often this type of book is published in the vanity press, which means that the author is paying to have the book published. This type of book is typically given away to potential clients as a promotional tool, rather than being sold in bookstores. | high16616.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Life Is Beautiful."
},
"options": [
"My Left Foot.",
"Life Is Beautiful.",
"Shine.",
"Stand and Deliver."
],
"question": "If you want to watch a movie about wars, which may be one of your choices?",
"questio... | My Left Foot (1989)
Imagine being a prisoner of your own body, unable to make any movements except to move your left foot. The main character in My Left Foot, based on the real story of cerebral palsy sufferer Christy Brown, can barely move his mouth to speak, but by controlling his left foot, he's able to express himself as an artist and poet. For his moving performance of Brown, Daniel Lewis won his first Academy Award for best actor.
Shine (1996)
Do you have a talent you're afraid to share with the world? David Helfgott seemed meant from childhood to be "one of the truly great pianists," but the pressures of performing (and pleasing his father) resulted in a complete breakdown. Ten years in a mental institution didn't weaken Helfgott's musical gift: When he was rediscovered, he was playing concertos in a bar. Shine received s even Oscar nominations , and Geoffrey Rush won best actor for his performance of Helfgott. Life Is Beautiful (1997)
Nothing's more powerful than the love between a parent and a child. In this heartbreaking Italian film, a father (Roberto Benigni) makes an unbelievable sacrifice for his 4-year-old son: trapped in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, the Jewish man convinces his boy that they are playing a complicated game. He manages to spare him the horror of the terrible war, and even in his final moments of life, keeps his son smiling and hopeful. Benigni won the best actor Oscar.
Stand and Deliver (1988)
Few people can inspire us more than a good teacher. Jaime Escalante (Edward James Olmos got Oscar nomination for best actor) is a great one. Employed at a high school where kids are expected to fail, Escalante challenges his math students to struggle for better things, like getting good grades in the AP exam. Despite the obstacles in their lives, the classmates accomplish their goals, thanks to Mr. Escalante's support. The real Jaime Escalante, the Best Teacher in America, says that Stand and Deliver is " 90% truth, 10% drama." | high11179.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Drinking and driving"
},
"options": [
"Driving much faster than the speed limit.",
"Drinking and driving",
"Moving into a parking space where another car is trying to park.",
"Changing lanes very suddenly and blocking a... | At times we all get angry when we are driving. It might be because we are stuck in a traffic jam or stuck behind a very slow driver. It might be because we think another driver has done something very stupid and dangerous. Whatever the reason, it seems that getting angry in a car is something which happens more and more often and there is now a special term for it "road rage". Some experts even think that road rage is a kind of mental illness! How can we recognize this "illness" of road rage?
There are two kinds of road rage: aggressive driving and aggressive reactions to the way other people are driving. Aggressive driving can take different forms:
*Driving much faster than the speed limit.
*Increasing your speed very quickly.
*Driving very close behind the car in front and sounding the horn or flashing the headlights.
*Changing lanes very suddenly and blocking another car.
*Moving into a parking space where another car is trying to park.
There are also different reactions to the way other people are driving. These include:
*Making rude signs at people.
*Shouting at people and threatening them.
*Deliberately driving into another person's car.
*Hitting somebody.
*Using a weapon such as a baseball bat, or even a gun or a knife.
Road rage is certainly not a joke. There have been incidents of road rage which have led to serious injuries and even murder.
Experts think that one reason for road rage is that films show a lot of examples of fast and aggressive driving such as car chases where this kind of driving seems to be positive.
Experts also think that the punishments for dangerous driving are not serious enough.
Experience shows that driving problems can be controlled, but it takes a long time. In the UK in the last 30 years, the police have been quite successful in reducing the number of people who drink and drive. They are now working to stop people using mobile phones when they are driving. Let's hope they can have the same success with the road rage. | high965.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "father's kind offer to the family in the rain"
},
"options": [
"father's kind offer to the family in the rain",
"mother's generosity to give all our Christmas presents away",
"that my sister and I had no alternative as to my ... | Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was there, standing outside the closed gas station.
My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, "I can't stand it!"
"What?" asked my mother.
"It's those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain. They've got children. It's Christmas. "
When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children- two girls and a small boy.
My father rolled down his window. "Merry Christmas," he said.
"Howdy," the man replied.
"You're waiting on the bus?" my father asked.
The man said that they were.
"Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn's just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there, and some benches," my father said. "Why don't y'all get in the car and I'll run you up there."
The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing.
Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three glum faces mutely gave him his answer.
"Well, I didn't think so," my father said, winking at my mother, "because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go get them before I take you to the bus stop."
All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering.
When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread out under our Christmas tree. That was the Christmas when my sisters and I learned the joy of making others happy.
When they left, my father reached into his pocket and pulled out two dollars, which was all he had left. He pressed the money into the man's hand. The man tried to give it back, but my father insisted. "Take it. I've been broke before, and I know what it's like when you can't feed your family." We left them there at the bus stop in Winborn. As we drove away, I watched out the window as long as I could, looking back at the little girl hugging her new doll. | high7658.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "not knowing what to say at the moment"
},
"options": [
"to be absent-minded",
"to think too much suddenly",
"to be afraid of the audience",
"not knowing what to say at the moment"
],
"question": "\"Go blank\" he... | I stood up to speak and my mind went blank .Has this ever happened to you? You may be nervous in front of an audience .You may be worried that you didn't prepare enough, You may have forgotten some of your facts. What can you do? Sometimes people prepare too much and become terrified if they can't remember the words they have practised. It is a good idea to bring some notes to help you organize, but don't memorize your speech. If you "go blank",begin by explaining the purpose of your speech, and the test will probably follow. | high9675.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "will get used to the new life with certain difficulty."
},
"options": [
"find their new life always wonderful and exciting.",
"dislike the new surroundings from the beginning.",
"quickly get accustomed to the new culture ther... | "You are going abroad and will live there? Oh, wonderful! You are so lucky."
Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But is it true all the time? Is your life in the new country always wonderful and exciting?
Specialists say that it isn't that easy to get used to life in a new culture. "Culture shock" is the term specialists use when talking about the feelings that people have in a new environment. "There are three stages of culture shock," say the specialists. In the first stage, the newcomers like their new environment. Then, when the fresh experience dies, they begin to hate the city, the country, the people, and everything else. In the last stage, the newcomers adapt to their surroundings and finally enjoy their life there.
Culture shock arises from many obvious factors. The weather may be unpleasant. The customs may be different. The public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation may be difficult to work out. Even the simplest things become headaches. Still worse, the language may be difficult.
Who feels culture shock? Everyone does in this way or that. But culture shock surprises most people. Very often the people having the worst culture shock are those who never had any difficulties in their home countries and were successful in their community. Coming to a new country, these people find they do not have the same established positions. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new selfimage.
Culture shock leads to a feeling of disorientation . This feeling may be homesickness. When homesick, people feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the strange environment, and create and escape inside their room for a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to make the person familiar with the culture. Getting to know the new environment and gaining experience are the long term solutions to the problem of culture shock. | high6546.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "studying dinosaur fossils"
},
"options": [
"studying dinosaur fossils",
"examining modern animals",
"watching dinosaurs",
"using telescopes"
],
"question": "Dinosaur scientists can get information directly by _... | Unlike modern animal scientists, dinosaur scientists cannot sit on a hillside and use telescopes to watch dinosaurs in order to know how they lived and whether they were good parents. Instead, they have to search hard for information from dinosaurs' fossils because dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
It's very difficult for the scientists to reach an agreement because different results can be got from the same fossils. Many fossils of the same kind of dinosaurs have been dug out from one place. They might have formed when an entire group of dinosaurs got stuck all at once, or they might have been the result of dinosaurs getting stuck one after another over a course of a few centuries. Thus we can say that dinosaurs might have in the first case lived in big groups and in the second lived alone.
Though there are two different results, dinosaur scientists now generally agree that at least some kinds of dinosaurs lived in big groups. "That's pretty much settled at this point," says Paul Sereno. A kind of dinosaurs called Sauropods left behind tracks in the western United States that appear to run north and south, suggesting that they even moved long distances together.
As to whether dinosaurs cared for their young, dinosaur scientists have turned to the closest living relatives of dinosaurs-birds and crocodiles-for possible models. Birds give a lot of care to their young, while crocodiles just help their young to the water. The discovered fossils of dinosaurs sitting on their eggs and staying with their young suggest the parents were taking care of their babies, but we still cannot say that all dinosaurs did the same.
There is still a long way to go before the above questions could be answered. Dinosaur scientists, will have to find more proof to reach an agreement. | high7880.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "He was a boy handicapped and needed lots of patience."
},
"options": [
"He was a boy handicapped and needed lots of patience.",
"He was an optimistic child and was sincere and kind to others.",
"He found a job after his gradu... | When I was superintendent of schools in Palo Alto, California, Polly Tyner, the president of our board of trustees , wrote a letter that was printed in the Palo Alto Times. Polly's son, Jim, had great difficulty in school. He was classified as educationally handicapped and required a great deal of patience on the part of his parents and teachers. But Jim was a happy kid with a great smile that lit up the room. His parents acknowledged his academic difficulties, but always tried to help him see his strengths so that he could walk with pride. Shortly after Jim finished high school, he was killed in a motorcycle accident. After his death, his mother submitted this letter to the newspaper.
Today we buried our 20-year-old son. He was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident on Friday night. How I wish I had known when I talked to him last that it would be the last time. If I had only known I would have said, "Jim, I love you and I'm so very proud of you."
I would have taken the time to count the many blessings he brought to the lives of the many who loved him. I would have taken time to appreciate his beautiful smile, the sound of his laughter, his genuine love of people.
When you put all the good attributes on the scale and you try to balance all the irritating _ such as the radio which was always too loud, the haircut that wasn't to our liking, the dirty socks under the bed, etc., the irritations don't amount to much.
I won't get another chance to tell my son all I would have wanted him to hear, but, other parents, you do have a chance. Tell your young people what you would want them to hear if you knew it would be your last conversation. The last time I talked to Jim was the day he died. He called me to say, "Hi, Mom! I just called to say I love you. Got to go to work. Bye." He gave me something to treasure forever.
If there is any purpose at all to Jim's death, maybe it is to make others appreciate more of life and to have people, especially families, take the time to let each other know just how much we care.
You may never have another chance. Do it today! | high13008.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "doesn't look her age at all"
},
"options": [
"doesn't deserve her name",
"doesn't look her age at all",
"behaves like a young woman",
"looks younger than Halle Berry"
],
"question": "In the author's eyes, Sandra... | Sandra Bullock turned 51 last month. But because she looks exactly the same as she did inMiss Congeniality, a movie filmed back in the 20thcentury, everyone calls her "ageless." Bullock is just one of a number of stars in their 40s and 50s who've had birthdays recently but have not gotten older, unlike the rest of us in their age group. Take Halle Berry. One website put a photo of her 20 years ago next to one of the newly 49-year-old Berry and dared us to choose which was which. "This Is What 49 Looks Like," it said. Seriously, if that's what 49 looks like, I must be 71.
However, even a generation ago, famous faces evolved. Look at a picture of Grace Kelly at age 52 in the early 1980s. She looks like a beautiful middle-aged woman. Today she'd look old for her age.
The goal now is to prevent aging while you are still young, using all the magical nonsurgical options medicine has to offer. Eventually these techniques will become less expensive, and ordinary people my daughter's age will have them. Already anti-aging is starting to be considered maintenance, like coloring your hair. My friends and I find ourselves openly debating techniques that we used to make fun of. Does fat-freezing work? How much time do you have to spend in the gym to keep the body of a 35-year-old after 50? It's all so exhausting. But members of the next generation have it tougher. They'll have to ask themselves whether they want to spend their youth trying not to get old. I've already seen "Sexy at 70" headlines. Will everyone be expected to go to their graves looking hot?
I also have to wonder what else we are slowing along with age. How do you move on if you're working so hard to stay the same? And besides, if you've known the ache of watching a daughter pack up for college, you know you can't stop the clock. | high14767.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The argument over salt and health."
},
"options": [
"The argument over salt and health.",
"Less salt, fewer heart attacks.",
"National campaign for less salt.",
"Bad effects of salt."
],
"question": "What's the ... | Last month we reported about a study that showed eating even a little less salt could greatly help the heart. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The scientists used a computer model to predict how just three grams less salt a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The scientists said the results would be thirteen percent fewer heart attacks, eight percent fewer strokes , four percent fewer deaths and eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Researchers said it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year.
They and public health professionals in the United States are interested in a national campaign to persuade people to eat less salt. Such campaigns are already in place in Britain, Japan and Finland.
Michael Alderman is among the critics. He is a high blood pressure expert and professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Doctor Alderman says that eating less salt results in lower blood pressure. But he says studies have not clearly shown that lowering salt means fewer heart attacks or strokes. And he says salt has other biological effects. He says calling for reduction in the national diet could have good effects, but it could also have harmful results. He says there is not enough evidence _ .
Another critic is David McCarron, a nutrition and kidney disease expert at the University of California, Davis. He and his team looked at large studies of diets in thirty-three countries. They found that most people around the world eat about the same amount of salt. Most of them eat more salt than American health officials advise. Doctor McCarron says the worldwide similarity suggests that a person's brain might decide how much salt to eat.
Both Doctor McCarron and Doctor Alderman have connections to the Salt Institute, a trade group for the salt industry. Doctor Alderman is a member of an advisory committee. But he says he receives no money from the group. Doctor McCarron is paid for offering advice to the Salt Institute. | high9113.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Refrigerators."
},
"options": [
"Building materials.",
"Wet carpet.",
"Cooling system.",
"Refrigerators."
],
"question": "According to the author,which may NOT be the source of indoor air pollution?",
"quest... | Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health,but many do not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant health effects.Environmental Protection Agency studies indicate that indoor levels of pollutants may be 3~5 times,and occasionally more than 100 times,higher than outdoor levels.These levels of indoor air pollutants may be of particular concern because most people spend about 90% of their time indoors.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home.These include sources such as oil,gas,coal,wood,and tobacco products,building materials,wet or damp carpet,and furniture made of certain pressed wood products,products for household cleaning and maintenance,personal care,or hobbies,central heating and cooling systems.
Immediate effects may show up after a single exposure or repeated exposures.These include _ of the eyes,nose,and throat,headaches,dizziness.Such immediate effects are usually shortterm and treatable.Sometimes the treatment is simply removing the person's exposure to the source of the pollution,if it can be identified.
The likelihood of immediate reactions to indoor air pollutants depends on several factors.Age and preexisting medical conditions are two important influences.In other cases,whether a person reacts to a pollutant depends on individual sensitivity,which varies tremendously from person to person.Some people can become sensitized to biological pollutants after repeated exposures,and it appears that some people can become sensitized to chemical pollutants as well.
Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases,so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution.While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects,there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems.People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants.Therefore,further research is needed to better understand the effects of indoor air pollution and to find efficient ways to protect our health. | high6220.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "To encourage people to slow down."
},
"options": [
"To call on people to eat out.",
"To make people enjoy cooking.",
"To drive McDonald's out of Rome",
"To encourage people to slow down."
],
"question": "What's ... | The clock rules our lives. The more we try to save time, the less time we seem to have. In every area of our lives we are doing things faster. And many of us live in towns and cities which are getting noisier and more stressful as each day passes. But now a worldwide movement, whose aim is to slow life down, has started. Its supporters are people who believe that a happier and healthier way of life is possible.
The Slow Food movement was founded the day that an Italian journalist, Carlo Petrini, saw that McDonald's had opened a restaurant in a beautiful square in Rome. He thought it was sad that many people today live too quickly to sit down for a proper meal and only eat much fast food. He decided that he had to try to do something about it and so he started the Slow Food movement. Slow Food has become a global organization ever since and now has more than 80,000 members in 100 countries.
Slow Food also encourages people to eat local and regional food, to use local shops and markets, to eat out in small family restaurants, and to cook with traditional recipes.
The idea of Slow Cities was inspired by the Slow Food movement. The aim of Slow Cities is to improve people's quality of life. Towns which want to become a Slow City have to reduce traffic and noise, increase the number of green areas, plant trees, build pedestrian zones, and promote local businesses and traditions. Now it has spread to other countries all over the world, from the UK to Japan and Australia. There are now 135 Slow Cities in 24 countries across the world that have been named since founding of the organization in 1999. Gao Chun County, in east China's Jiangsu Province, is expected to be named the first "Slow City" in China next year.
"Slow Cities are about having a community life in the town," said a local resident. "It is not 'slow' as in 'stupid'. It is 'slow' as in the opposite of 'worried' and 'stressful'."
But not everybody is happy. For teenagers, who have to go 25km to Norwich, the nearest city, to buy CDs, living in a Slow City is not very attractive. "It's all right here," says Lewis Cook, 16. "But if you want excitement, you have to go to Norwich. We need more things here for young people." | high15479.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the past"
},
"options": [
"themselves",
"others",
"the past",
"nothing"
],
"question": "The old like to talk about _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2... | Today is Sarah's birthday. She is seventy-five. We asked a few old friends to dinner.
Like most elderly people, I suppose, we spent most of the evening talking about old times. Thirty years ago, the village used to be a quiet place. Now it has changed. Every Sunday hundreds of cars pass through the village at what I think a dangerous speed. They make the village almost as noisy as the streets of a large town. As a boy I enjoyed riding on the backs of the farm horses. Things are different now. Today there are very few horses working on the farms. The farm workers today drive tractors, not horses. A man is not of much use on a farm unless he knows all about machines. Now almost every house in the village has a TV set. Is it a good thing for children to spend the evening sitting in front of a TV set? When I was young I did not waste my time indoors. I would spend the long summer evenings outdoors. I would play with my friends, go fishing or walk by the river. When my grandchildren asked me the reason why I haven't bought a TV set, I tell them there are many books I still want to read. I can't find time for both reading and watching TV. | high12316.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "share the responsibility of caring with others"
},
"options": [
"share the responsibility of caring with others",
"take good care of themselves",
"learn how to live a longer life",
"help as many people as possible"
... | What if it isn't a dog-eat-dog world? What if caring for a dog or for a mom with Alzheimer's makes you stronger and allows you to live longer?
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are born to be selfish.
Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection was misunderstood by his male followers, the researchers say. Rather than "every man for himself", Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our educational, selfless and sympathetic characteristics.
Why has it taken so long for Darwin's central revelation to be properly understood? "We've had too many men in social science," Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. "Female scientists acknowledge that caring for people is part of human nature according to the research, which shows the human ability to care exists in our brains and nerve systems."
In my bookPassages in Caregiving, I urge women who take the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or a sick relative to build a "Circle of Care". Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as shocked as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with longer life.
Sympathy is not a woman's word. In fact it makes all of us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the false saying "Nice guys finish last". But the 40 richest Americans committed to doing good by donating half their fortunes are _ . So here is my new explanation:Nice guys die last. | high3358.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It was once on display"
},
"options": [
"It can help a lot in lung transplants",
"It was once on display",
"It works differently from the normal one in the body",
"It's just like an oxygen bottle."
],
"question"... | A portable lung which could help those with breathing problems lead a normal life is being developed by scientists.
The Swansea University scientists say it could take many years before the device , the size of a spectacle box , is available . Lung patients , who have seen how it would work , have welcomed the research.
Its research suggests that one person in every seven in the UK is affected by lung disease---- this equates to approximately 8 million people. As of 6 March 2009, 217 people were on the waiting list for a lung transplant according to figures by NHS Blood and Transplant .
Now scientists in Swansea are developing a portable artificial lung which could transform the lives of patients . Researchers claim that in the long term the device could offer an alternative to lung transplant , giving hope to those who suffer from conditions such as emphysema and cystic fibrosis.
The device mimics the function of a lung---by getting oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of the blood stream . Professor Bill Johns came up with the idea after his son died of Cystic Fibrosis . It is important that we make something that will help people , who instead of being confined to a wheelchair with an oxygen bottle , can actually walk around and do things for themselves , he said.
Although the research has been welcomed by leading charities , caution has also been voiced over the length of time it will take before a portable lung will become available .
"We have to stress that this is several years away from being used , even in a trial stage," said Chris Mulholland , head of the British Lung Foundation.
Patient Elizabeth Spence from Swansea has been refused the double lung transplant she needs but remains hopeful that one day the new device could save her . " My body will reject the lungs , so this possibly could be an answer--- another way of getting new lungs without actually having the transplant," she said. | high4437.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "police were still trying to identify a possible bomb"
},
"options": [
"police were still trying to identify a possible bomb",
"passengers succeeded in stopping the explosion",
"a frightening bomb was found later on the airpla... | MEXICO CITY: A jetliner from the beach resort of Cancun was briefly hijacked as it landed in Mexico City on Wednesday. The hijackers released all passengers shortly before federal police stormed the plane, and the crew emerged unharmed moments later.
Police, who did not fire a single shot, led as many as eight handcuffed men away from the airplane, which was isolated at the end of a runway in an area designed for emergencies. The hijackers' motive was unclear, though Mexican news media initially identified them as Bolivians demanding to speak with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.
US, French and Mexican citizens were among the 112 passengers and crew on Aeromexico Flight 576, according to a US official who had been briefed on the situation. The official was not authorized to discuss the case and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mexico's transportation and communications secretary, Juan Molinar, said there was no bomb on the airplane, although some passengers said one of the hijackers held a package that resembled an explosive device, and a bomb squad was later seen near the airplane.
He did not immediately identify the hijackers or speculate on their motive.
"Various people who participated in the act have been detained and we are investigating," Molinar said.
The attorney general's office said it was opening an investigation into terrorism and kidnapping but did not specify how many people could be charged.
Mexican news media initially reported the hijackers were Bolivian, but Bolivia's ambassador to Mexico, Jorge Mancilla, said Mexican authorities had no evidence that was the case. Mancilla said sources told him they could be Colombian or Venezuelan. Several passengers told reporters they did not notice a non-Mexican accent.
Passenger Rocio Garcia told the Televisa network that the pilot made an announcement after landing in Mexico City that the airplane was being hijacked. Passengers said the hijackers never communicated with them directly.
"These were scary moments," she said.
She said she saw one of the hijackers whom she described as a well-dressed, older man.
"He looked fine, like a normal passenger," she said.
Passenger Daniel Hernandez said he saw a hijacker carrying a Bible. | high16170.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "studied in Peking University"
},
"options": [
"studied in Peking University",
"talked with his friends about the walls",
"experienced the \"cultural shock\" at his arrival",
"spent two and a half years in China over sev... | Having spent two and a half years in China over several visits, I don't remember ever going through a phase we in the United States call "cultural shock". This period of difficulty in adjusting to a new culture would probably have set in during my semester at Peking University. Of course, this is not to say that I didn't notice any differences between the American and Chinese cultures upon my arrival at Peking University, I did notice the differences. Looking back, I remember one of the first differences I noticed: Chinese universities are surrounded by walls.
To an American, this is one of the most striking aspects of a Chinese university which immediately sets it apart from an American campus. Having grown up in the United States, I had never seen a university surrounded by high, cement walls. My idea of a university, based on having seen scores of them in different states of the U.S., was a place of life and learning, an inseparable part of the community in which it was located, open not only to the students of the school itself, but also fully accessible to students from other schools and to the broader public.
My idea of a university was that it was a center of cultural life, a resource for the entire community. In all my twenty-one years, it had never occurred to me that a school would have a wall around it. Walls enclose and separate; schools expand and integrate . _ I asked a Chinese friend if all Chinese universities have walls around them. "You know, I have never really thought about it. I guess so. I guess all Chinese schools have walls around them, not just universities." "Why?" I asked, "What's the point?" "I don't know. To protect us, I suppose." "From whom?" "I don't know. Don't you have walls around your schools in the United States?" I thought carefully before answering. "No, I've never seen or heard of a university encircled by a wall." My Chinese friend seemed puzzled. Walls around schools came to strike me as more than just an architectural difference between the United States and China. As China continues to open up to the outside world, these walls seem increasingly out of place. | high5729.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "couldn't get whatever she liked"
},
"options": [
"couldn't get whatever she liked",
"couldn't see her parents at all",
"didn't like new clothes",
"didn't like Christmas that much"
],
"question": "When the writer... | I was born into a family of five children. As the youngest child, I didn't have many new clothes. Though my parents worked very hard, we could hardly make ends meet. The only time we would receive new clothes was at Christmas.
The family across the street lived a much better life. They just had two daughters and they were often seen wearing new dresses. The younger girl named Anna was of my age. One afternoon, she walked on the street wearing a beautiful white dress. She looked like an angel in that dress. I, together with many little girls, followed her. We just couldn't keep our eyes off her dress. We all wished we would have such a dress one day!
That day, after coming back, I told my mom that I wanted a dress like that. My mom frowned she thought such a beautiful dress like that must cost an arm and a leg, but my mom kept that in mind. She worked five days a week at that time, but when Christmas was getting close, she worked even on every Saturday.
However, several days before Christmas, I changed my mind. It was Anna's birthday that day and I was invited to her home with some other girls. After that party, I asked if I could try on her white dress. "Of course," she said, "and you can take it if you like it." I couldn't believe my ears. How could she give such a beautiful dress to someone else? After trying it on, I knew why.
The dress looked beautiful, but it was uncomfortable to wear. As a matter of fact, my back was quite itchy after I put it on. From that day on, I stopped admiring what others had. They may not be as good aswe think. | high10501.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "the rain is spread out in a year"
},
"options": [
"the rain falls only in a few weeks",
"the rain is spread out in a year",
"there is little rain in a year",
"it is dry all the year round ."
],
"question": "Many... | Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive if the rain is spread throughout the year. If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing--very, very slowly--as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day, a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely. | high2046.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Family Unity Builds Success"
},
"options": [
"How to Run a Corporation Well",
"Strength Comes from Peace",
"How to Achieve a Big Dream",
"Family Unity Builds Success"
],
"question": "Which of the following can b... | When her five daughters were young, Helene An always told them that there was strength in unity .To show this, she pick up one chopstick, taking it as one person.Then she easily broke it into two pieces.Next, she tied several chopsticks together, taking them as a family.She showed the girls it was hard to break the tied chopsticks.This lesson about family unity stayed with the daughters as they grew up
Helene An and her family own a large restaurant business in California.However, when Helene and her husband Danny left their home in Vietnam in 1975, they didn't have much money.They moved their family to San Francisco.There they joined Danny's mother, Diana, who owned a small Italian sandwich shop.Soon afterwards, Helene and Diana changed the sandwich shop into a small Vietnamese restaurant.The five daughters helped in the restaurant when they were young.However, Helene did not want her daughters to always work in the family business because she thought it was too hard.
Eventually the girls all graduated from college and went away to work for themselves, but one by one, the daughters returned to work in the family business.They opened new restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles.Even though family members sometimes disagreed with each other, they worked together to make the business successful.Daughter Elisabeth explains, "Our mother taught us that to succeed we must have unity, and to have unity we must have peace.Without the strength of the family, there is no business."
With three generations of Ans working together, now the Ans'business makes more than $20 million each year.Although they began with a small restaurant, they had big dreams, and they worked together.Now they are a big success. | high13020.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Opinions about competition are different among people"
},
"options": [
"Competition helps to set up self-respect .",
"Opinions about competition are different among people",
"Competition is harmful to personal quality develop... | In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition . Some value it highly , believing that it is responsible for social progress and prosperity . Others say that competition is bad ; that it sets one person against another ; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people .
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills . For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In their single-minded pursuit ( )of success , the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten .
However ,while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed , others take an opposite attitude .In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players , they strongly blame competition . Among _ are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society . Teaching these young people . I often observe in them a desire to fail . They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success . By not trying , they always have an excuse : "I may have lost . but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try . "What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot . Such a loss would be a measure of their worth . Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves . Both are based on the mistaken belief that one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others . Both are afraid of not being valued . Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve can we discover a new meaning in competition . | high1567.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "How Safina came first in women's tennis."
},
"options": [
"How Safina came first in women's tennis.",
"How the parents taught Safina to play tennis.",
"How her brother helped Safina play tennis.",
"How Safina beat her b... | About a year ago,if you had asked who Dinara Safina was,the answer would have been,"She is Marat Safin's younger sister." She was overshadowed by her wonder brother.But now she has made a name for herself:the world No.1 player in women's tennis.
The 22yearold Russian overtook Serena Williams of the US for top ranking on April 20."Before,every place I go,I am Marat's sister.Nothing else,"she told New York Times."I always wanted to be myself,and now finally the results come,and people can know me as Dinara Safina."
Safina has made it to two great event finals,in the 2008 French and in the 2009 Australian Open,and won a silver medal in the Beijing Olympic Games.
Clearly,family isn't the only connection Safina and her brother share.Their DNA burns with competitive fire.Safin has held the distinction for years of being a hottempered player on court.When he lost his temper,he would smash a racket .Safina is as emotionally explosive as her brother.A headline in the newspaper The Australian once described her as "mad as a snake".The Sydney Morning Herald,during the Australian Open,summed up Safina's volatile emotional state with the headline--Safina goes from basket case to top of the world.
It's not rare for a family to have two top tennis players.Safina's father owns a tennis academy and her mother worked as a coach."I had no choice but to become a tennis player,but I don't mind being a tennis player," Safina said.
From this talented family she is also given one of her best weapons on court,her size.She is 1.82 meters tall and weighs 70kg.But it is hard work that led her to her recent success.
"I hope to prove to everyone over the coming months that I deserve the honor of being world No.1,"she said. | high6208.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Movie theaters' ban on outside food."
},
"options": [
"The pleasure of enjoying snacks.",
"A Michigan man's fight for his right.",
"Movie theaters' ban on outside food.",
"Bad manners in movie theaters."
],
"que... | You and your friends are settling into your seats. The new Spider-Man movie is about to start and you've got the snacks: soda and popcorn. Food is part of what makes the movies fun.
Just as the lights go out, you catch a slight smell of ... tuna fish?! You turn your head, searching for the source. Then you spot him: A couple rows back, some guy is enjoying a tuna fish sandwich. How'd he get that in here? You wonder. Then you remember how much you paid for your snacks.
What invites the unwelcome outside food is probably the price. Why pay $ 5 for a bag of M&Ms when you can get them for a dollar at the corner store?
Earlier this year, a Michigan man decided to fight for his right to snack. Joshua Thompson is using his local theater after it banned outside food. He argues the ban breaks a Michigan law that prevents businesses from charging extremely high prices. However, most legal experts believe Thompson has little chance of winning his case, though he does have a point: 85 cents out of a dollar of treats a movie theater sells is pure profit .
The truth is that movie theaters are more in the snack business than the movie business. A huge part of the ticket income goes to the Hollywood studio. This makes sense, since the studios have to pay the costs of movie production and advertising. But that often doesn't leave much cash for the theater, which also has its own running costs. If customers stopped buying food, owners would have to raise ticket prices even higher.
Of course, there's another reason to think twice before bringing food into the movies: It's against the rules. Breaking those rules can have unpleasant consequences too. Some theaters will kick you out if they catch you. Even without the threat of punishment, we should follow rules all the time------out of respect.
Here's a good idea: Eat before the movie. | high7116.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "84 hours"
},
"options": [
"84 hours",
"86 hours",
"90 hours",
"96 hours"
],
"question": "Before this basketball marathon, the world record was _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"ans... | Once a group of 17-year-old schoolboys decided to break the world basketball marathon record. They wanted to play for 90 hours ,breaking the record by adding 6 hours . Each team had 9 players, with 5 at a time. The boys decided each person would play 21.5 hours and then rest for 2 hours. Then they started at 6 o'clock in the evening.
The first night was very hard for the players. When it was their turn to rest, they were too excited to fall asleep at once. On the second night,they fell asleep as soon as they stopped.Some of them had trouble with their feet and hands, but the only serious problem was a psychological one. Each boy was thinking: Why am I doing this? How can I play any longer? After the third night, the players knew they could finish the 90 hours. The basketball on the fourth nigth was very slow. But in the final hours, the players got better. For the last few minutes,
How happy everyone was! | high15451.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "her mother was looking after her father in hospital"
},
"options": [
"her mother was away working in another town",
"her mother was looking after her father in hospital",
"she wanted to tell her about the illness of Beth",
... | Mr. Laurence was not allowed to see Beth, and Meg felt unhappy writing letters to her mother saying nothing about Beth's illness. Jo nursed Beth night and day, but the time came when Beth did not know her and called for her mother. Jo was frightened, and Meg begged to be allowed to write the truth, but Hannah said there was no danger yet. Then a letter came saying that Mr. March was worse and could not think of coming home for a long time.
How dark the days seemed. How sad and lonely. The sisters worked and waited as the shadow of death lay over the once happy home. It was then that Meg realized how rich she had been in the things which really mattered--love, peace, good health. And Jo, watching her little sister, thought about how unselfish Beth always was--living for others and trying to make home a happy place for all who came there. Amy, sad and lonely at Aunt March's house, just wanted to come home so that she could do something to help Beth.
On the first day of December, the doctor came in the morning. He looked at Beth, then said quietly, 'If Mrs. March can leave her husband, I think she should come home now.'
Jo threw on her coat and ran out into the snow to send a telegram. When she arrived back, Laurie came with a letter saying that Mr. March was getting better again. This was good news, but Jo's face was so unhappy that Laurie asked, 'What is it? Is Beth worse?'
'I've sent for Mother,' said Jo, beginning to cry. 'Beth doesn't know us any more.'
Laurie held her hand and whispered, 'I'm here, Jo. Hold on to me. Your mother will be here soon, and then everything will be all right.' | high8225.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Movie World"
},
"options": [
"Movie World",
"Sea World",
"Tropical Fruit World",
"Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary"
],
"question": "If you want to watch stunt shows, you can go to _ .",
"question_type": "cloz... | Movie World
Movie world is the only movie-related theme park in Australia. With one of the best coast and a good handful of movie-related rides, you'll experience a fun-filled adventure with the glamour of Hollywood. Get "behind the scenes" movie information and stunt shows to keep the whole family entertained for the best part of a day.
Contact Information:
Phone: 07-5573-8485
Address: Pacific Motorway, Oxenford, Queensland 4210
Website: www.movieworld.com.au
Sea World
With an obvious emphasis on things that live in the water, Sea World has a fantastic range offish, sharks, dolphins, seals, polar bears and other assorted animals in the water. Throw in a bunch of great rides, water slides and roller coasters, Sea World emerges as perhaps the best all-round theme park on the Gold Coast.
Contact Information:
Phone: 07-5588-2222
Address: Sea World Drive, Main Beach, Queensland 42
Website: www.seaworld.com.au
Tropical Fruit World
Home of the world's largest variety of tropical fruit, it's free to get in and shop for gourmet varieties of bizarre, and wonderful fruits, or you can pay to check out the plantation safaris , mini train rides, jungle cruises and fruit tasting shows. Admission is about $32 for adults and $15 for kids and free for kids under 5.
Contact Information:
Phone: 02-6677-7222
Address: Duranbah Road, Duranbah, NSW 2487
Website: www.tropicalfruitworld.com.au
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Crocodiles, kangaroos, koalas and almost all of the other famous Australian native animals are living in Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. You can look at them, feed and pat some of them or just experience the fantastic 27 hectare bush land setting -- an oasis of wildlife amidst the Gold Coast bustle.
Contact Information:
Phone: 07-5534-1266
Address: 28 Tomewin Street Currumbin, Queensland 4223
Website: www.currumbin.sanctuary.org.au | high14997.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure"
},
"options": [
"mother-tongue education is not practiced in all African countries",
"lack of mother-tongue education can lead to economic failure",
"globalization... | One of the main challenges facing many countries is how to maintain their identity in the face of globalization and the growing multi-language trend. "One of the main reasons for economic failure in many African countries is the fact that, with a few important exceptions, mother-tongue education is not practiced in any of the independent African states." said Neville Alexander, Director of the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa at the University of Cape Town.
In response to the spread of English and the increased multi-language trends arising from immigration, many countries have introduced language laws in the laws in the last decade. In some, the use of languages other than the national language is banned in public spaces such as advertising posters. One of the first such legal provisions was the 1994 "Toubon law" in France, but the idea has been copied in many countries since then. Such efforts to govern language use are often dismissed as _ by language experts, who are well aware of the difficulty in controlling fashions in speech and know from research that language switching among bilinguals is a natural process.
It is especially difficult for native speakers of English to understand the desire to maintain the "purity" of a language by law. Since the time of Shakespeare, English has continually absorbed foreign words into its own language. English is one of the most mixed and rapidly changing languages in the world, but there has not been a barrier to acquiring prestige and power. Another reason for the failure of many native English speakers to understand the role of state regulation is that it has never been the Anglo-Saxon way of doing things. English has never had a state-controlled authority for the language, similar, for example, to the Academic Francaise in France.
The need to protect national languages is, for most western Europeans, a recent phenomenon--especially the need to ensure that English does not unnecessarily take over too many fields. Public communication, education and new modes of communication promoted by technology, may be key fields to defend. | high3370.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "physics study"
},
"options": [
"physics study",
"teacher assistants",
"free time activities",
"language exchange program"
],
"question": "The passage mentions all the following points EXCEPT _ .",
"questio... | Sunday, 31 August
We've been in China for a month now. Dad, Mom, Harry and I moved to Tianjin on 25 August. We're not very far from Beijing. Two days ago, we celebrated my 16thbirthday. It was great celebrating in China; the only thing that was strange was the cake--here they're not as sweet as the ones in New York. On Monday school starts--I wonder what it will be like.
Monday, 1 September
On my first day I was looking around for a locker to put my books in. However, here all the students keep all of their books at their desks--we stay in the same classroom because apparently we don't have to go from class to class--teachers come to us!
Today we selected teacher assistants for each subject. Their duties are to collect homework, make announcements, and do other stuff for the teacher and the students. It's kind of a big deal here! Since I am from the US, I was asked to be the English assistant. I felt so proud but quite nervous at the same time because I wasn't sure what I had to do, but I accepted the job anyway.
Friday, 3 October
Boy, what a week! Now we have nine classes every day, including the morning class, a combination of our American schools' "Homeroom" and "Study Hall". I think Chinese students work too much! I have to do my homework when I get back home. I don't even have time to watch TV or surf the Internet like before. I sometimes miss New York and my school because we didn't have to study so much. We had more time to hang out with our classmates and neighbors; here, besides their usual classes, students are involved in weekend classes in subjects such as English, Chinese and math.
I get a lot of attention, being from another country. Everyone wants to practice English with me! A really cute girl even asked me for my phone number on my second day and sent me a text message! I'm making a lot more friends now. I just need a lot of help to improve my Chinese. Some students want to do a language exchange program with me. Nice! | high11637.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "so that the policeman could find it easily"
},
"options": [
"so that he could make more room for himself",
"so that the policeman could find it easily",
"because the other passengers didn't like it",
"because there was ... | A small man with a fat stomach got on the train at the last station before the frontier . He carried a paper bag. And four feet ducks could be seen under the cover. The man found an empty seat, put the bag in the middle of the floor, took out a newspaper and began to read. Then a policeman came in. Of course he saw the bag with ducks' legs at once and said, "Whose is that bag?" Nobody answered. The policeman repeated the question, and said, "I'll have to take it away from the owner. Food mustn't be taken out of the country." "Well, then," said the small man with a fat stomach. "Hurry up and take it. We want to go home." The policeman took the bag and went on to the next carriage.
At the next station, when they were safely across the frontier, the small man got up, smiled at the other passengers and said, "I hope they'll enjoy the ducks' feet. The rest of the bag had nothing but rubbish in it." Then he opened his coat and pointed to another bag he was carrying under it. It was tied tightly over the stomach, which was not really fat. "I have the rest of the two ducks here," he said. With these words, he got off the train. But while he was happily walking to the exit with the bag in his hands, a policeman came up to him, saying, "Hey, man! Foreign food mustn't be brought in." | high16158.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "People who have just moved to a foreign country."
},
"options": [
"The family and friends of those who came to the US.",
"Those who have got rid of culture shock.",
"People who can easily adjust their life in the US.",
... | "You're going to the United States to live? How wonderful! You're really lucky!"
Does this sound familiar? Perhaps your family and friends said similar things to you when you left home. But does it seem true all the time? Is your life in this new country always wonderful and exciting? A great many facts show that it's not easy for newcomers to adjust to life in a new culture. They have to experience culture shock.
What causes culture shock? Maybe the weather is unpleasant. Perhaps the customs are different. Perhaps the public service systems such as the telephone, post office, or transportation are difficult to figure out and you make mistakes. The simplest things seem difficult. The language may be difficult. The food may seem strange to you. If you don't look similar to the natives, you may feel strange. You may feel as if everyone is watching you. In fact, you are always watching yourself.
Everyone experiences culture shock in some form or another. But culture shock comes as a surprise to most people. A lot of the time, the people with the worst culture shock are the people who never had any difficulties in their own countries. They were active and successful in their community. They had hobbies or pastimes which they enjoyed. When they come to a new country, they do not have the same positions or hobbies as they already had in their countries. They find themselves without a role, almost without an identity. They have to build a new self-image.
Culture shock produces a feeling of disorientation , which may be homesickness, imagined illness, or even paranoia . When people feel the disorientation of culture shock, they sometimes feel like staying inside all the time. They want to protect themselves from the unfamiliar environment. They want to create an escape within their room to give themselves a sense of security. This escape does solve the problem of culture shock for the short term, but it does nothing to familiarize the person more with the culture. Familiarity and experience are the long-term ways to settle the problem of culture shock. | high17246.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "how to deal with unexpected things in life"
},
"options": [
"how to change yourself successfully",
"how to do if your colleague leaves",
"how to deal with unhappy things in life",
"how to deal with unexpected things i... | Please excuse me if I'm a little sad today. Mark is leaving, and I'm feeling kind of sad.
You probably don't know Mark, but you might be lucky enough to know someone just like him. He's been the heart and soul of the office for a couple of years combining great professional skills with a sweet nature. He just wants to do his job, and to do it superbly well. And now he's moving on to an exciting new professional opportunity. It sounds like it could be the chance of a lifetime, and we're genuinely, sincerely pleased for him. But that doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to a dear friend and trusted colleague.
Life has a way of throwing these curve balls at us. Just when we start to get comfortable with a person, a place or a situation. A terrific neighbor moves away. Someone in the family graduates. A child finds new love and loyalties through marriage. The family's principle bread-winner is laid off.
But how do we do that? A friend of mine who works for the government once told me that the answer to life's problems can be summed up in four words: "Go with the flow."
"It's like surfing," Chris explained. "You can't organize the ocean. Waves just happen. You ride them where they take you, then you paddle back out there and catch the next one. Sure, you're always hoping for the perfect wave where you can get. But mostly you just take them the way they come.
I'm not exactly sure, but I think Chris was saying that life is a series of events--both good and bad. There will always be life-influencing factors over which you have no control. That doesn't mean you don't keep trying to make all your dreams come true. It just means that when things come up that aren't exactly in your plan, you work around them--and then you move on. Of course, some bumps along the road of life are easier to take than others. A rained-out picnic, for example, is easier to cope with than the sudden death of a loved one. But the principle is the same.
We're going to miss Mark, just like you'll miss that graduate, that neighbor or that newlywed. But rather than drown ourselves in the sadness of our parting, we'll focus on our hopes for a brighter future--for him, and for us. And then we'll go out and do everything we can to make that future happen. | high5701.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "John needed education and he could go to high school there"
},
"options": [
"life in prefix = st1 /Chicagowould be better for the blacks than for the whites",
"John's father died in his hometown when John was very young",
"th... | John H.Johnson was born in a family in Arkansas City in 1918.His father died in an accident when John was six.He was reaching high school age, but his hometown offered no high schools for the blacks.
Fortunately he has a strong-willed and caring mother.John remembers that his mother told him many times, "Son, you can be anything you really want to be if you just believe." She told him not to be dependent on others, including his mother."You have to earn success", said she, "all the people who work hard don't succeed, but the only people who do succeed are those who work hard."
These words came from a woman with less than a third grade education.She also knew that believing and working hard don't mean everything.So she worked hard as a cook for two years to save enough to take her son to Chicago.
Chicago in 1933 was not the Promised Land that black southerners were looking for.John's mother could not find work.But here John could go to school, and learned the power of words--as an editor of a newspaper.His wish was to publish a magazine for the blacks.
While others discouraged him, John's mother offered him more words to live by: " _ ." She also let him sell her furniture to get the 500 dollars he needed to start the Negro magazine.
It's natural that difficulties and failures followed John closely until he became very successful.He always keeps his mother's words in mind."Son, failure is not in your dictionary." Now John H.Johnson is one of the 400 richest people in America--worth 150 million dollars. | high18175.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "An accident that killed some people."
},
"options": [
"An accident that killed some people.",
"A new-year celebration.",
"A popular tourist attraction in Shanghai.",
"Some old buildings along the Huangpu River."
],
... | SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A stampede killed at least 35 people and injured 43 during New Year's Eve celebrations in Shanghai, on the city's popular waterfront tourist attraction known as the Bund , authorities said.
The Shanghai government said that large crowds started to stampede in Chen Yi Square on the Bund just before midnight, with authorities working to rescue and aid the wounded.
It was not immediately clear what triggered the stampede. The official Xinhua news agency said many of the injured were students.
The government said on its official microblog that an inquiry had begun, with city leaders rushing to the scene and to hospitals to visit the injured. An emergency meeting would be held to ensure stepped-up safety measures were taken throughout the city.
Photographs on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, showed densely packed crowds of revelers along the Bund, which is lined with buildings from Shanghai's pre-communist period on the bank of the Huangpu River.
In some photographs, rescue workers were seen trying to resuscitate victims lying on the pavement while ambulances waited nearby.
Authorities had shown some concern about crowd control in the days leading up to New Year's Eve. They recently canceled an annual 3D laser show on the Bund that last year attracted as many as 300,000 people.
At dawn on Thursday, there were still small crowds of revelers trying to find taxis home and workers were clearing up trash strewn around the Bund. There was little sign of the mayhem that had broken out just hours earlier.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Pete Sweeney; Editing by Howard Goller and Mark Bendeich) | high10529.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "The soil it was built on is not solid."
},
"options": [
"Its population is rising.",
"Its buildings are too weighty.",
"The soil it was built on is not solid.",
"Its underground water is being overused."
],
"que... | There's no place in the world like Venice, Italy. Called the City of Water, Venice was built about 1,500 years ago. It's made up of 118 tiny islands in the Adriatic Sea. The area, however, may be in over its head. But now scientists have a new plan to save the city.
Because the city was built on soft soil, it has been sinking under the pressure of its own weight. Scientists estimate that Venice sinks at a rate of nearly 2 inches every 100 years. Rising sea levels could make Venice go under even faster, some experts say. Earth's temperature is slowly increasing. That is causing sea ice to melt, which makes the world's waters rise, they say.
To keep the city afloat, experts want to pump about 40 billion gallons of sea water beneath Venice. The liquid would expand the sand under the city, which would help support the islands, explains lead scientist Giuseppe Gambolati.
Experts are rushing to save Venice because of its rich history. The city was once a strong sea power. "Many famous artists and opera singers have come from Venice. Some of the world's greatest paintings can be found on the city's museum walls," explains Melissa Conn, who is a director of Save Venice Inc.
While scientists work to get their water-pumping plan approved, Venice's residents go about their normal routines. When the tide rolls in, the locals have ways of keeping everyone dry. Cafe owners move tables to higher ground, and hotels pass out high boots to guests.
Still, dealing with the rising water does not give the city's residents a sinking feeling, just ask Erla Zwingle. She has lived in Venice for 17 years. "There has always been high water in Venice." Zwingle told WR News. "If high water really were a serious problem, people wouldn't be still living here." | high17520.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Chinese and Nigerian media should pay more attention to their own growing roles and strive to present a reliable image to each other."
},
"options": [
"More international community should pay attention to Africa's deepening relationship ... | Chinese and Nigerian media should pay more attention to their own growing roles and strive to present a reliable image of China to African audiences and vice versa . Agreement on this important step in ongoing cooperation between the two sides was reached by media representatives attending a media forum on September 19 in Abuja, Nigeria.
The agreement comes in the wake of increasing attention being paid by the international community on Africa's deepening relationship with China. "This presents an important opportunity for media in China, Nigeria and other African countries. We should seize the moment to expand cooperation between Chinese and Nigeria media, increase our say, and contribute to cooperation between China, Nigeria and Africa as a whole," said Li Wufeng, Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office at the China-Nigeria Media meeting.
The media meeting was jointly held by the State Council Information Office, the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria, and the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria. It formed part of the "Experience China" program, which aims to increase cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between China and other parts of the world.
In the past, due to poor communication facilities, China and African countries could only learn about each other through third parties, in particular Western media, which may have given rise to and _ misunderstandings.
"China is still not a constant feature or subject on the front page and prime time in the news media in Nigeria unless there are disasters and alleged human rights abuses to be reported," said Martins Oloja, Editor of The Guardian.
Major Western media continue to promote a Cold War mentality and view Sino-African ties through the lens of geopolitics, framing everything as competition between East and West, Chinese and Nigerian media professionals said at the forum. Some Western media outlets accuse China of ignoring mutually beneficial solutions or sustainable development of African people, while robbing the continent of its natural resources.
"Nigerians cannot expect Aljazeera or BBC to report on Africa, and indeed Nigeria and China relations, the way we want," said Oloja.
Mutually objective coverage will generate more cooperation and better understanding between China and Nigeria, said Li Xiaohua, a representative from China. org.cn, a leading multi-language website in China. | high5067.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "on holiday"
},
"options": [
"on business",
"on holiday",
"for exploring",
"for money"
],
"question": "Carner visited Loch Ness _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"answ... | In the summer of 1980 a Spanish tourist, Gaspar Carner, went to prefix = st1 /Great Britainon holiday. When he was travelling in Scotland, he decided to visit Loch Ness, the famous lake where people say there is a monster . But while he was going across the lake in a boat, his bag fell into the water. In the bag were his passport , car keys, pen, and all his money. Loch Ness is 150 metres deep, so he didn't expect to see the bag again!
Fourteen years later, in 1994, some scientists decided to explore the lake. They looked for the Loch Ness monster. Suddenly one of them saw something black in the water. They carefully went nearer. They thought the black thing was the monster. They went nearer and nearer. It was a bag. They took the bag out of the lake. They found that the photo on the passport was still clear. One of the scientists knew Gaspar Carner. So the bag was returned to him. | high18613.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "describe how modern research has updated an old explanation"
},
"options": [
"describe how modern research has updated an old explanation",
"support a traditional view with new data",
"promote a particular attitude towards ph... | Rene Descartes' explanation of pain has long been acknowledged in medicine. He proposed that pain is a purely physical phenomenon - that tissue injury makes specific nerves send a signal to the brain, causing the mind to notice pain. The phenomenon, he said, is like pulling on a rope to ring a bell in the brain. It is hard to overstate how deeply fixed this account has become. In medicine, doctors see pain in Descartes' terms-- as a physical process, a sign of tissue injury.
The limitations of this explanation, however, have been apparent for some time, since people with obvious injuries sometimes report feeling no pain at all. Later, researchers proposed that Descartes' model be replaced with what they called the gate control theory of pain. They argued that before pain signals reach the brain, they must first go through a gating mechanism in the spinal cord . In some cases, this imaginary gate could simply stop pain signals from getting to the brain.
Their most _ suggestion was that what controlled the gate was not just signals from sensory nerves but also emotions and other "output" from the brain. They were saying that pulling on the rope need not make the bell ring. The bell itself--the mind-- could stop it. This theory led to a great deal of research into how such factors as mood, gender, and beliefs influence the experience of pain. In a British study, for example, researchers measured pain threshold and tolerance levels in 53 ballet dancers and 53 university students by using a common measurement: after immersing your hand in body-temperature water for two minutes to establish a baseline condition, you put your hand in a bowl of ice water and start a clock running. You mark the time when it begins to hurt: that is your pain threshold. Then you mark the time when it hurts too much to keep your hand in the water: that is your pain tolerance. The test is always stopped at 120 seconds, to prevent injury.
The results were striking. On average female students reported pain at 16 seconds and pulled their hands out of the ice water at 37 seconds. Female dancers were almost three times as long on both counts. Men in both groups had a higher threshold and tolerance for pain, but the difference between male dancers and male nondancers was nearly as large. What explains that difference? Probably it has something to do with the psychology of ballet dancers--a group known for self-discipline, physical fitness, and competitiveness, as well as by a high rate of chronic injury. Their driven personalities and competitive culture evidently accustom them to pain. Other studies along these lines have shown that outgoing people have greater pain tolerance and that, with training, one can reduce one's sensitivity to pain.
There is also striking evidence that very simple kinds of mental suggestion can have powerful effects on pain. In one study of 500 patients undergoing dental procedures, those who were given a placebo injection and promised that it would relieve their pain had the least discomfort-- not only less than the patients who got a placebo and were told nothing but also less than the patients who got actual drug without any promise that it would work.
Today it is abundantly evident that the brain is actively involved in the experience of pain and is no more bell on a string. Today every medical textbook teaches the gate control theory as fact. There's a problem with it, though. It explains people who have injuries but feel no pain, but it doesn't explain the reverse, which is far more common-- the millions of people who experience chronic pain, such as back pain, with no signs of injury whatsoever. So where does the pain come from? _ . | high4379.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Nervous."
},
"options": [
"Confident.",
"Carefree.",
"Confused.",
"Nervous."
],
"question": "How did the author feel before the test?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,... | So the evening turned to night, and the night turned to morning. And before I knew it , the SAT was before me. I wasn't sure if I was ready, but I knew one thing: I wanted to get it over with.
SAT for the students is like tooth pulling. For those smart Asian kiddos, it's like walking through the park: easy and carefree. _
As I arrived outside of the dining hall, already a mob of students were sitting, talking, or standing silently waiting to get in. Jones students are lucky not only to have such a testing center at school, but also the feeling of their home school where it feels comfortable and familiar.
"ID, please," my former math teacher asked at the door.
"Okay." She looked over my ID, checked off my name on her list, and pointed towards the dining hall tables inside.
With hesitation, I picked up my feet and was directed to a large round table in the middle of the dinning hall. At least fourteen people could sit at this table but only four were allowed to take their test here.
"I'm glad it's multiple choices." I heard one student say. All the questions on the test have five choices except for one math section where they have only four. If you get an answer wrong, you don't get any point, plus you get a penalty of a 1/4 point. If you don't answer a question, you don't get any point, nor penalties.
When everyone had a seat and the actual SAT I booklet in front of them, the proctor of the test called for our attentions. "In front of you, you should have a SAT I test and a scantron . Please do not open the test booklet until I say so." He then went on to talk about the procedures, the amount of time, signature of honesty, etc. After thirty minutes of instruction reading, he gave us all a solemn expression before saying, "You may begin now. Good luck."
I could hear a hundred booklets being opened and pencils scratching the surface. I looked to my right, I looked to my left, I did a quick prayer for whoever was in charge up in the heavens, and started my test. At least I wouldn't know my score until summer time. | high3416.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "hated rainy days"
},
"options": [
"hated rainy days",
"liked staying indoors",
"preferred cooler weather",
"dreamed on summer days"
],
"question": "When the author was a child, he _ .",
"question_type": "... | Summer Rain
The worst days of any summer are the rainy ones. We spend all year looking forward to nice weather and long, hot days. All of winter, with its cloudy days and bitter cold, we dream of those endless days at the beach, lying on the sand and enjoying the bright and burning sun. And then, summer comes, and it rains.
As a child, I would wake up to rainy summer days and come close to crying. It wasn't fair. We suffered through months of school and experienced bad weather for those short ten weeks of freedom and pleasant weather.
On those rainy summer days, I had nothing fun to do and could only sit inside, staring out at the rain like a bird in a cage. I was an only child, so there was no one else to play with. My father worked from home, so I was not truly alone, but he could not actively play with me since he was at work. It was those days that I would watch whatever was on television or read any books that I could find lying around. I'd drag through the day and pray each night that the rain would not be there the next day.
As an adult, though, my opinion of summer rain has changed. When you have to work every day, summer is not as exciting. Everything seems dull. Such a mindset makes you cheer for anything new or different. I spend the winter dreaming of summer and the summer dreaming of winter. When summer comes, I hate how hot it is. And then I look forward to the rain, because the rain brings with it a cold front, which makes me comfortable. Rainy days are still the worst days of the summer, but summer rain today means positively beautiful -- and considerably cooler -- weather tomorrow. | high11151.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "People respect teachers in Korea."
},
"options": [
"His luggage was overweight.",
"He had waited for hours.",
"People respect teachers in Korea.",
"He was on a business trip."
],
"question": "The professor was t... | "Before you fall in love, you'd better get a job"
As told by Lee Joon-ho, 20, a senior in law at Seoul National University
Korean TV dramas have shown a lot of rebellious youth, but in fact most students still live a traditional life.
Confucianism has a great influence on us. For instance, Confucius said that we should be dutiful to our parents and value the family. Thus we prefer a school that's close to home so we can go back every day.
Also as a result of Confucianism, teachers enjoy a high status in Korea. The other day, my professor was flying to Vienna on a business trip. Instead of waiting for hours in the queue, he was told to check in first and didn't have any problem with overweight luggage.
When it comes to important decision-making, such as choosing a university, a job, and a wife, we listen to our parents' suggestions. Most parents seem _ in study decisions, but they take a firmer attitude towards their children's love and marriage choices. Often, a man has to have his own business or a solid career before he's allowed to pursue romance.
Male chauvinism is popular among our parents' generation, since they had to support the whole family through hard work. We need to shoulder the same responsibility, but we've also learned to respect women, as they're doing outstanding work in lots of areas. But to be honest, my friends and I still prefer a traditional woman as a girlfriend and future wife. We want her to be elegant and thoughtful in taking care of a family.
Our sense of tradition is also reflected in our buying habits. In my house, you see only Korean appliances. Although European cell phones are available in ROK, we favor LG and Samsung, which are suited more to our tastes and widely promoted in TV dramas and films. | high12458.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "a place to feed birds."
},
"options": [
"a good reminder.",
"a seat after dinner.",
"a place to feed birds.",
"a beautiful sculpture."
],
"question": "The author's neighbor left a stump in her front yard to use ... | One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her dad had planted it for her when it was nothing more than a twig and several years later it started to shoot towards the sky with amazing speed. Soon it blessed her with cooling shade in the summer and glorious, golden leaves in the fall.
When the two-day snowstorm struck our town, heavy snow fell on the tree's branches that were still full of leaves. The weight split that lovely tree down the middle. It was so sad seeing half of it laying on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later, she said that the damage had been too much and that the entire tree would have to be cut down. Thankfully she had saved a few saplings from it that she hoped to replant in the future.
Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty, its leaves shinning in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.
Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let it split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others. | high9885.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "he found what he did had an effect on people's lives"
},
"options": [
"he was treated as a big hero by his neighbors",
"he received gratitude from the woman in the shelter",
"he found what he did had an effect on people's liv... | Until recently, I hadn't done much community service.In face, I did nothing to benefit anyone but myself.My selfishness and laziness were clear before I received an assignment from my teacher.Each student was required to complete 10 hours community service.To me, 10 hours was a huge amount of time to spend helping others.Volunterring, for me, has been a truly life - changing experience.
My mom suggested that I organize a food drive in our development and donate what I collected to a local shelter.Anything that would help finish the project seemed like a good idea, so I agreed.I made up flyers asking for donations and placed flyers at every house in my neighborhood.
I was getting ready to fetch the cans from my neighbor's yards on the day of the food drive when all of a sudden it started to pour.Rain flooded the roads and wind blew hard, but I was determined to complete my task.My mom drove me around our development and I jumped out at every house to collect items people had put out.
When we finally arrived the shelter, I was a little nervous because I had never been there before.The woman in charge was extremely grateful for the donations and said that the world would be ganizing the food drive and delighted that my service to the community would make a difference in people's lives.
As I was leaving the shelter, a man asked if I was the one who had brought all the food.I shyly nodded, and he said, "A round here, you are a hero." From that point on, I made myself a promise that I would serve the community more often, even when it was not required.Through this school assignment, I have realized that caring for others is an important part of living and the world would be a completely different place if people all help those who are less fortunate. | high15337.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "he broke the traffic rule"
},
"options": [
"he broke the traffic rule",
"he was talking with his friends",
"the truck ignored him",
"the truck ran at a high speed"
],
"question": "Tyler was struck by the truck m... | For Kim LeBlanc, knowing that her son Tyler's organs, eyes and other tissues have given life or healing to others is helping her cope with the loss of her child, who was struck by a truck in Guelph on May 31.
Tyler was believed to have been texting a friend when he stepped onto a high-traffic road against the green light and was struck by the truck. Then he was sent to a Hamilton hospital. Surgery was performed to ease the pressure in his brain, but .the family was told he would not recover.
"With all of his injuries, I just prayed all night for a miracle. And I was granted a miracle, but not in the way I'd expected," says LeBlanc, her voice choked by emotion.
The family decided to donate Tyler's organs, a choice she believes her kind and considerate son would have made on his own. It's also a choice that transplant programs wish would be made more often, because the need for donor organs is far more than the supply worldwide. More than 1,500 people in Ontario are on the waiting list for life-saving organs, and one dies every day because an organ has not become available in time. Across Canada, the gap between donations and the need for organs continues to widen. At the end of 2010, more than 4,400 Canadians were on the waiting list for donor organs, including 3,362 needing a kidney. That year, 229 died before the organs they needed became available.
LeBlanc recalls the morning when her son was taken off life support and his organs were removed. Despite living what she calls a parent's absolute worst nightmare, LeBlanc says she has got the strength to bear such an unbearable loss. "He's still there. He's still living. And he's still breathing. And he's brought so much joy to families," she says. "He's my hero. He really is my hero." | high14029.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "they have a bigger resource to learn"
},
"options": [
"they all use smart-phones and tablets",
"they are focused on digital stuff",
"they are more likely to skip classes",
"they have a bigger resource to learn"
],
... | In the digital age, getting students into classrooms is an increasingly challenging mission for college and university teachers, not to mention retaining their attention.
"It's much harder to teach the post-90s,,,said Chen Jixiu , a math professor at Fudan University. "They use smart-phones and tablets to search for information, even during class. They get knowledge from a variety of sources, and consider it 'a small cake ,to skip classes. " According to Chen, this situation has forced teachers to adopt "odd tricks" for attracting students to class. Here are some interesting ideas picked up by 21st Century.
Food for Thought: Rather than providing only moral encouragement, teachers at Wuhan University are offering real-life related rewards to improve student attendance. Students sitting in the first row of the health psychology course taught by professor Lei Wuming are rewarded with snacks. "I've got 7,000 fans on my micro-blog ,and most of them are my students,"said Lei ,director of the university's Education Institution. "I do want to express my thanks to those coming to listen, and to make the class more lively. "
Teacher vs Phone; In the broadcasting and hosting course of Hankou University, teacher Huang Huiqiong gives students permission to busy themselves with their cell phones during class. They keep their heads down until they hear something interesting. If not, they can sit through the entire class without being disturbed and even give the teacher advice following the class. "A teacher is not the boss and students have the right to make content suggestions,,,said Huang.
Friendly Blogs: You might hesitate to participate in class discussions, but what if you could send a message instead of speaking out loud? In the computer science course at Changsha University of Science Technology (CUST),students can voice opinions via their cell phone. "I open a micro-blog webpage,and when students text a message to the account, it appears on the screen,,,said teacher Huang Qiang. Su Ying, 19,a sophomore at CUST, said: "I feel relaxed as I don't like standing up and getting everybody's attention. " | high23685.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It can modify human gene."
},
"options": [
"It has fewer side effects.",
"It can modify human gene.",
"It can protect immune system.",
"It has less commercial potential."
],
"question": "Which of the following i... | C "Over the years the unthinkable has become thinkable and today we sense we are close to being able to alter human heredity ." These were the words of David Baltimore of the California Institute of Technology,on December 1st,when he opened a threeday meeting in Washington to discuss the morality and use of human gene editing.Dr Baltimore is an old hand at these sorts of discussions,for he was also a participant in the Asilomar conference,in 1975,which brought scientists together to discuss a safe way of using the thennew technology of recombinant DNA,and whose recommendations influenced a generation of biotechnology researchers.
Four decades on,the need for a similar sort of _ has arisen.The International Summit on Human Gene Editing has been held by the national scientific academies of three countries--America,Britain and China.They are particularly concerned about whether gene editing should be used to make heritable changes to the human germ line,something Dr Baltimore described as a deep and troubling question.Like those of Asilomar,the conclusions of this meeting will not be binding.But the hope is that,again like Asilomar,a mixture of common sense and peer pressure will create a world in which scientists are trusted to regulate themselves,rather than having politicians and civil servants do it for them.The meeting is being held against a backdrop of rapid scientific advance.Since 2012 research into a new,easytouse editing tool called CRISPRCas9 has blossomed.This technique involves a piece of RNA (a chemical messenger,which can be used to recognise a target section of DNA) and an enzyme called a nuclease that can snip unwanted genes out and paste new ones in.
Public interest was aroused in April,when Chinese scientists announced they had edited genes in nonviable human embryos,and again in November when British researchers said they had successfully treated a oneyearold girl who had leukaemia ,using geneedited Tcells.Tcells are part of the immune system that attack,among other things,tumour cells.The researchers altered Tcells from a healthy donor to encourage them to recognise and kill the patient's cancer,to make them immune to her leukaemia drug,and to ensure they did not attack her healthy cells.
In another recent development,a firm called Edit as Medicine,which is based in Cambridge,Massachusetts,has said it hopes,in 2017,to start human clinical trials of CRISPRCas9 as a treatment for a rare genetic form of blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis .Though other companies are already testing geneediting therapies,these employ older,clunkier forms of the technology that seem likely to have less commercial potential.Moreover,researchers at the Broad Institute,also in Cambridge,said this week that they had made changes to CRISPRCas9 which greatly reduce the rate of editing errors--one of the main obstacles to the technique's medical use.
On the subject of germline editing,Eric Lander,the Broad's head,told the meeting it would be useful only in rare cases and said it might be a good idea to "exercise caution" before making permanent changes to the gene pool.The need for caution is advice that might also be heeded by those pursuing work in animals other than people,and in plants--subjects not being covered by the summit. | high13746.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "health has different meanings for different people in different periods"
},
"options": [
"good health means not having any illness",
"health has different meanings for different people in different periods",
"health has alway... | The concept of health holds different meanings for different people and groups. These meanings have also changed over time. This change is no more evident than in Western society today, when notions of health and health promotion are being challenged and expanded in new ways.
For much of recent Western history, health has been viewed in the physical sense only. That is, good health has been connected to the smooth mechanical operation of the body, while ill health has been attributed to a breakdown in this machine. Health in this sense has been defined as the absence of disease or illness and is seen in medical terms.
In the late 1940s the World Health Organization challenged this physically and medically oriented view of health. They stated that health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and is not merely the absence of disease (WHO, 1946). Health and the person were seen more holistically (mind / body / spirit) and not just in physical terms.
The 1970s was a time of focusing on the prevention of disease and illness by emphasizing the importance of the lifestyle and behaviour of the individual. Specific behaviours which were seen to increase risk of disease, such as smoking, lack of fitness and unhealthy eating habits, were targeted. Creating health meant providing not only medical health care, but also health promotion programs and policies which would help people maintain healthy behaviours and lifestyles. While this individualistic healthy lifestyle approach to health worked for some (the wealthy members of society), it was of little benefit to people experiencing poverty, unemployment, underemployment or who had little control over the conditions of their daily life.
During the 1980s and 1990s there has been a growing swing away from seeing lifestyle risks as the root cause of poor health. While lifestyle factors still remain important, health is being viewed also in terms of the social, economic and environmental contexts in which people live. This broad approach to health is called the socio-ecological view of health.
At the Ottawa Conference in 1986, a charter was developed which outlined new directions for health promotion based on the socio-ecological view of health. This charter, known as the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, remains as the backbone of health action today. In exploring the scope of health promotion it states that:
Good health is a major resource for social, economic and personal development and an important dimension of the quality of life. Political, economic, social, cultural, environmental, behavioural and biological factors can all favour health or be harmful to it. (WHO, 1986) | high1201.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "has sixteen toes altogether"
},
"options": [
"lives in the north of Africa",
"has sixteen toes altogether",
"has pointed ears like most dogs",
"lives in forests in groups"
],
"question": "From the text we learn ... | There is a very special wolf that lives in Africa. They are actually called, the African wild dog, of painted dogs.
These animals live in open woodlands, or in the plains of Africa. Today, however, most of the animals can be found in eastern or southern Africa. These animals are beautiful. They have rounded ears instead of pointed like most dogs, and they have four toes on each of their four feet, also a unique characteristic because other dogs have five. Their fine fur is always different from each other. The fur is usually a combination of black, brown, red, and white, and sometimes even yellow. No wonder they're called the painted wolf.
The African wild dog is a very social animal. They live in groups and have numbers from five to about twenty. The members of a group are always very close to one another. They communicate in their own language or body language. When someone is very old or sick, the others will help, and they are willing to share the food with the elders and with those who are weak, which is what we should learn from.
The family does everything together, from raising young, to sleeping together, to hunting. When they hunt, they will work together suing team work to kill animals that are larger than them.
They sometimes hunt farm animals. This is unfortunate, because both poachers , and people who own farms shoot the painted dogs who are just trying to survive.
Before, there used to be many large groups throughout the land, but now the African wild god is very rare. They are also losing their population because of their own loss of habitat thanks to human's farming and forest cutting. | high795.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Because he didn't want the homeless man to feel bad."
},
"options": [
"Because he wanted to prove he was brave.",
"Because he believed the homeless man was bad.",
"Because he wanted to protect his father from being hurt.",
... | It was very cold and I had been watching a homeless man make himself comfortable in a "shelter" on the river bank. His "shelter" was a tarpaulin tied to rocks to keep the wind from blowing it away. He had been living there for over a month. I never saw him with warm clothing or food. I knew what I wanted to do.
When I told my parents what I wanted to do they were _ . They said I could be putting myself at risk, taking a box to a homeless person at night! But I knew, in my deep heart, that I would be safe.
I got a box. My parents watched as I added warm gloves, a heavy blanket ... into the box until it was full! Then, I put a Christmas card on top. It said, "Even though we hardly know each other, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas!" I put ten one-dollar bills inside it as well.
My father insisted he went there with me as it was 10 pm on Christmas Eve. I said he could drive me but he had to stay in the car. He agreed.
I took the box and walked towards his "house". I called, "Sir, I have a Christmas box for you!"
"Go away!" he shouted.
"Sir," I repeated.
"Go away!" he shouted.
"Why?" I asked him.
He walked over and I expected to see an angry face. Instead I saw two of the most beautiful, gentle, blue eyes I have ever seen.
"Merry Christmas!" I said.
"Why are you doing this?" he asked.
"Because you matter to me," I said. With that I gave him the box.
Tears came to his eyes and he thanked me. I got back to the car and watched him carry the box like it was filled with gold. I didn't want to embarrass him by watching him any more so Dad and I left. | high9891.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia edited freely."
},
"options": [
"Wikipedia is from the Hawaiian language with the meaning of prejudice and mistakes.",
"Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia edited freely.",
"Wikipedia is an... | Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia .This name is a combination of"wiki" and "encyclopedia". Wiki is the Hawaiian word for quick. Wiki websites are designed to enable users to make addition or edit any page Of the site.
Wikipedia has been accused of exhibiting systemic prejudice and mistakes.Critics argue that Wikipedia's open nature and a lack of proper sources for much of the information makes it unreliable,
Mention Wikipedia within the walls of academy and you'll find no shortage of opinions.That-s no surprise.Can an online encyclopedia that is edited by anyone be trusted as a credible information source? Should students be encouraged to use this tool? And is it even possible to discourage its users?
To find out, we performed a simple experiment.We selected 100 terms from the U.S.history textbooks, We chose a mix of items that students might be asked to research for a test or paper and we entered each item into Google to find out which websites the search engine suggests as the most useful links. The results are shocking. Google listed Wikipedia as the number one: 87 times out of 100.
Several conclusions can be drawn from this finding. First, people searching for information about these historical terms are finding the entries from Wikipedia helpful.Second, 6'banning" the use of Wikipedia appears hopelessly simple-minded.Jimmy Wales, one of Wikipedia's founders, told the New York Times, "They might as well suggest not listening to rock & roll either".
To our untrained eyes, the information from Wikipedia appeared just as reliable.The reason why the content is mostly reliable is probably that these terms are rather mainstream.The high-school level content is less likely to be wrong than the subjects studied in graduate schools. So when primary and secondary students are researching history, Wikipedia is still a proper place to start. | high7664.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "a black day"
},
"options": [
"a white day",
"a black day",
"a red day",
"a green day"
],
"question": "If you had your wallet stolen while doing some shopping, you may call it _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_... | Every people has its own way of saying things, its own special expressions. Many everyday American expressions are on colors.
Red is a hot color. Americans often use it to express heat. They may say they are red hot about something unfair. When they are red hot they are very angry about something. The small hot tasting peppers found in many Mexican foods are called red hots for their color and their fiery taste. Fast loud music is popular with many people. They may say the music is red hot, especially the kind called Dixieland jazz.
Pink is a lighter kind of red. People sometimes say they are in the pick when they are in good health. The expression was first used in America at the beginning of the twentieth century. It probably comes from the fact that many babies are born with a nice pink color that shows that they are in good health.
Blue is a cool color. The traditional blues music in the United States is the opposite of red hot music. Blues is slow, sad and soulful. Duke Ellington and his orchestra recorded a famous song - Mood Indigo - about the deep blue color, indigo. In the words of the song: "You ain't been blue till you've had that Mood Indigo." Someone who is blue is very sad.
The color green is natural for trees and grass. But it is an unnatural color for humans. A person who has a sick feeling stomach may say she feels a little green. A passenger on a boat who is feeling very sick from high waves may look very green.
Sometimes a person may be upset because he does not have something as nice as a friend has, like a fast new car. That person may say he is green with envy. Some people are green with envy because a friend has more dollars or greenbacks. Dollars are called greenbacks because that is the color of the back side of the paper money.
The color black is used often in expressions. People describe a day in which everything goes wrong as a black day. The date of a major tragedy is remembered as a black day. A blacklist is illegal now. But at one time, some businesses refused to employ people who were on a blacklist for belonging to unpopular organizations. | high8557.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Now conditions ask people to use less time to know more information."
},
"options": [
"Now there is limited information than ever before.",
"Now conditions ask people to use less time to know more information.",
"Now people c... | So much to do, so little time.So much information, so little time to read.In this age there is more information than ever before.There is not enough time to read everything we want to read.However, you can take in and understand more information in shorter time through speed-reading.This article will not make you read 3,000 words per minute, but it will show you how to increase your speed greatly.You will also learn the basic techniques of speed reading, along with the dos and don'ts of speed-reading.
When you first learned to read, you would say the word out loud and sound it out.Then you might whisper the word because people can become annoyed when you read aloud.The stage you are now at is saying the word in your head.Most people tend to read this way.Saying the word in your head will cut your reading speed tremendously .
How do you calculate your reading speed? The speed is measured by how many words per minute you can read.Get some reading material, preferably a book.Find out how many words are on the page.Time yourself one minute.Start your timer and start reading.When the timer sounds, stop at once.If you counted 500 words on the page and you read half of the page, then you are probably reading at 250 words per minute.
The first thing about speed-reading is looking at the word and recognizing it.Don't say the word in your mind, just look at it and recognize its appearance.Later you will recognize groups of four words or more to increase your speed.This is the first and most important step in speed-reading.
The next step is technique.As with any other skill, speed-reading requires technique.You should first be sitting up straight with your book on a horizontal surface, such as a table or desk.Next, should be able to see the entire page.This is necessary if you want to recognize clumps of words.Lastly, _ .It's hard to read with a lot of noise.Find a quiet place to read.This will help your understanding of the text.You need something to guide your eyes while reading.Then right, you should use your hand.Remember when you were little, you would read using your finger.That is a great technique, only now you're using your hand to underline each line.Move your finger smoothly across page.No need to go rush, start out slow.Keep your eyes focused on words as you recognize them while using your hand as a guide.This will increase your speed.
The third step is practice.Practice makes perfect.Set time intervals.Read using different techniques,
but make sure you understand what you're reading. | high15323.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "what Yunte Huang thought of Charlie Chan"
},
"options": [
"how Yunte Huang discovered Charlie Chan",
"how Charlie Chan became famous in the US",
"what Yunte Huang thought of Charlie Chan",
"how a cowboy became a famous ... | The fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan was the subject of popular books and movies for many decades. In recent years, however, the character has been criticized as an ill image of Asian-Americans.
Yunte Huang, an English professor at the University of California, says that's not the case. He has been exploring the character and real-life policeman who inspired him.
Charlie Chan has been a familiar character to readers and film-goers, beginning in the 1920s. The detective solved crimes around the world in more than 40 films through the 1940s, and with the invention of television, found a new audience in the 1950s and 1960s.
Huang discovered Charlie Chan through books by American author Earl Derr Biggers, who created the character.
"One day, I happened to find two Charlie Chan novels. At that point I thought I knew that he was a negative character against Asians, but when I read the book," he says, "I was immediately attracted. Ever since then, I've been a fan of Charlie Chan."
As a fan of the books and films, Huang was surprised to learn that Charlie Chan was based on a real detective named Chang Apana, who was born to Chinese parents in Hawaii around 1871. Apana worked as a cowboy, and joined the Honolulu police force in 1898.
"He almost immediately became a local legend because as a former cowboy," says Huang, "he would walk the most dangerous areas in Chinatown carrying a bullwhip instead of a gun. He didn't need that."
Although some say the image of Charlie Chan, with his broken English, is embarrassing for Asian-Americans, Huang believes Chan's broken English and unusual ancient sayings were part of his charm .
"Let me just quote a few - 'Actions speak louder than French,' or 'Mind like parachute . Only function when open.' Charlie Chan always owes these instructive sayings to Confucius' eastern wisdom.
For Huang, the fictional Charlie Chan is highly entertaining, while the real-life policeman, Chang Apana, is a Chinese-American success, whose story is worth telling. | high959.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "try to keep a distance from other people"
},
"options": [
"turn around and greet one another",
"look around or examine their phone",
"make eye contact with those in the elevator",
"try to keep a distance from other peop... | You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times a day without thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD of America, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. "The lift becomes this interesting social space where manners are sort of strange, "Gray told the BBC, "They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places."
We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want -- it's your own little box.
If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally across from each other to create distance.
When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.
New comers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple -- look down, or look at your phone.
Why are we so awkward in lifts?
"You don't have enough space," Professor Renneberg, a German psychologist, told the BBC. "Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm's length of distance between us. And that's not possible in most elevators. The easiest way not to be awkward is to avoid eye contact." | high23691.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "food"
},
"options": [
"lunch",
"breakfast",
"dinner",
"food"
],
"question": "The topic people spend a lot of time talking about is _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answer": {
"... | Have you wondered about the amount of time we spend talking about food and been surprised? We are always asking questions such as "Have you ever eaten?" and "What did you have for lunch?"Yet, if you travel from one country to another, you might find that other nations think differently about food. People plan to think that what they eat is normal and what everyone else eats is strange. In most parts of Asia, for example, no meal is complete without rice but in England, rice is the exception and people prefer to eat potatoes, in the Middle East, bread accompanies every meal.
Eating, like so many things we do, becomes a habit that is difficult to change. The Americans seem to like drinking lots of orange juice and coffee; the English prefer to drink tea four or five times a day; the Australians prefer to drink a lot of beer; the French, like wine every day.
People in different countries also like eating different kinds of meat and even within countries, different regions will have different likes and dislikes, especially in large countries like China and the former Soviet Union. In Hong Kong and the south of China, some people enjoy eating snakes but in the north of China, most people refuse to eat them. The French think that horse meat is delicious but most English people are terrified at the thought of eating it. The New Zealanders eat a lot of lamb and mutton, but never goat. The Japanese say that they do not like eating lamb and mutton because of their smell, but that they really enjoy eating raw fish more than anything else.
So it seems that there is often very little common sense about what is nicest to eat or drink in different parts of the world although we may talk on the subject of food for hours. However, as people everywhere enjoy eating what they have always eaten, there seems very little point in trying to change traditional eating habits. | high9649.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Friendly to human."
},
"options": [
"Ugly looking.",
"Beautiful in heart.",
"Silly in look.",
"Friendly to human."
],
"question": "Which of the following expressions can be used to describe the penguin?",
"q... | One day a man was walking in the street when he met a penguin .It was a handsome and very brave bird. It seemed to take an immediate liking to the man, because it walked up to him and then followed him wherever he went.This was funny for a while but in the end became rather embarrassing .
"Go away, you silly bird, ''the man said to the penguin, but the bird ignored him. It simply would not leave him alone.Wherever he went, the bird went too. At last, in desperation the man walked into a police station."Excuse me, officer." he said. "I need some advice. I met this penguin in the street and I don't know what to do with it."
A bored policeman looked up from what he was writing and said, "Just take it to the zoo, sir.''
"Oh,all right.''said the man.
The next day the man was walking along the street, still accompanied by the penguin, when he met the policeman he'd spoken to the day before.The policeman was not pleased to see them."I thought I advised you to take that animal to the zoo, " he said.
"Well, yes, officer, you did.And I did take him to the zoo, " the man explained. "And we had a great time. But we can't go to the zoo every day.I thought today I'd take him to the movies.'' | high13752.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "By air."
},
"options": [
"By ship.",
"By car.",
"By air.",
"By train."
],
"question": "According to the passage, how will tourists arrive in Cooktown?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"... | 1 Day Fly-Fly Aboriginal Rock Tour
Tour Details
Operator: Adventure North Australia
Destination: Cooktown
Departs From: Cairns
Tour Description
Voted as one of Australia's Must-Do-Experiences. Treat yourself to an amazing day out with Aboriginal Elder Willie Gordon.
Depart Cairns Domestic Airport for the Skytrans Flight to Cooktown. Flight departs Cairns at 6:45 a.m.
Enjoy a 45-minute flight with wonderful views from Cairns to Cooktown as you fly along the coast between the World Heritage rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. On arrival in Cooktown you will be met by Willie Gordon, the traditional storyteller of the Nugal-warra clan .
Willie Gordon takes guests to his ancestral rock art sites, set high in the hills above Hope Vale, outside Cooktown. Here he shares the stories behind the art, and explains how the paintings speak of the most basic and important quality of life and the knowledge of his people.
The tour takes you through an impressive view of six rock art sites, including an ancestral Birth Cave and the Reconciliation Cave. This includes a 30-minute bush walk on generally easy terrian . (Covered closed-on shoes must be worn.)
Return to Cooktown at 1:15 p.m. where Willie will take you to the Nature Power House Museum, Cooktown's Visitor Information Centre. Lunch is included at the Verhandah Cafe.
The rest of the afternoon is free to explore historical Cooktown before your transfer to Cooktown airport and return flight to Cairns. Flight arrives at Cairns Domestic Airport at 6:40 p.m. Own arrangements on arrival in Cairns.
Prices
Adults: $ 549.00
Children: $ 390.00
Families(2 adults and 2 children): $ 1,869.00 | high781.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "acceptable"
},
"options": [
"funny",
"acceptable",
"strange",
"disappointing"
],
"question": "In Bharat Bhatta's eyes, Samoa Air's plan might be _ .",
"question_type": "cloze_questions"
},
{
"answ... | A Samoan airline says that it is the world's first carrier to charge passengers by their weight. Samoa Air, which opened in 2012, asks passengers to give their personal weight during booking, which is then charged according to the length of a flight. The customers will also be weighed just before they board the plane.
"It is believed that all people throughout the world are the same size," Samoa Air CEO Chris Langton said. "Airplanes always run on weight, not seats."
"There is no doubt in my mind that this is the concept of the future. This is the fairest way of your travelling with your family or yourself."
Though the airline introduced the plan last November, it caught people's attention last week when the carrier began international flights to neighboring American Samoa.
Almost at the same time, a Norwegian economist, Bharat Bhatta, published a report suggesting that airlines should charge obese passengers more.
The Pacific Islands contain some of the world's most common countries for obesity, many ranking in the top 10, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Samoa is ranked number four, with 59.6 percent of the population considered obese, said the most recent WHO report.
According to Samoa Air's latest schedule, the airline charges up to $0.57 per kg for flights in Samoa and $1.03 per kg for its only international flight to American Samoa, around 250 miles.
Children under 12 are charged 75 percent of the adult rate, with fares also based on weight. Any overweight baggage is calculated at the same rate as the passenger's personal weight.
The plan could actually prove cheaper in some cases, such as for families travelling with small children, and Langton said customer reaction has mainly been "amazingly positive".
The idea of charging passengers by weight has been hotly discussed before, and in the US some airlines require those who do not fit into a seat comfortably to buy a second seat. | high17534.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "The friendship there and having to stay in school."
},
"options": [
"The friendship there and having to stay in school.",
"The feeling of living in a big family.",
"Sleeping habits formed in school.",
"The need to share... | What makes a boarding school different from a normal school? The answer is simple: when in a boarding school you stay there instead of going home. This is something everyone knows. But what not everyone knows is that when you are in a boarding school, you make a lot of friends. You live together with your friends for a few years, which makes the friendship even more _ .
You are a lot closer to your teachers and other workers in your school. It most feels like you are in one big happy family. If boarding students have any problems, they can always go to one of the teachers or one of the workers, and they will be glad to be able to help.
Life in a girl boarding school or a boy boarding school differs a lot from life in a mixed one. Studies have shown that the social life and academic results from students in a single sex boarding school are much better than those of a mixed one. One of the reasons for this is that with less pressure in the classes, the children can concentrate much better when they are in separated classes.
Life in boarding schools for troubled teens differs from that of all the other boarding schools. Life in these schools is often much stricter because of the rules the students have to obey. These schools have strict rules to teach troubled teens respect.
Although some boarding schools have some different rules and different ways of teaching, life in schools is almost the same. Students attend classes, eat together, and sleep in dorms where they normally have to share their room with some other students. Attending a boarding school is a great experience and the values you learn there will help you in the rest of your life. | high20398.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Because more vehicles will be sold globally each year."
},
"options": [
"Because Mr Lootah's approach will be copied widely.",
"Because mayors take gentle measures toward them.",
"Because more vehicles will be sold globally e... | It does not come as a surprise that Dubai has a growing problem with tragic.The local rulers have explored all the conventional ways to get traffic moving again,including higher prices for parking,fuel and insurance.But at a recent conference in Hamburg,Hussain Lootah said that the city may adopt a more strict approach:setting an income level for vehicle ownership.
Mr Lootah's approach is unlikely to be copied widely,but mayors of other big cities around the world are starting to think about taking severe actions of their own,including complete car bans in inner cities.But the efforts may not be enough to reduce traffic and pollution.The problems will only get worse:the number of vehicles sold globally each year will grow from around 80 million today to more than 100 million by the end of the decade,according to IHS Automotive.[]
There are already a handful of car-free communities around the world.But these are typically small and often tourist destinations that seek to create a throwback in time,such as Sark Island,in the English Channel.The largest ear-free urban area is probably Venice,where it is impossible to build roads and bridges to link the more than 100 small islands the city sits on.
Yet pedestrian malls and other car-free zones keep popping up in cities around the world.Some cities are considering ways to limit central city access to"green"machines,such as battery-electric vehicles.Hamburg is perhaps the furthest along.
Such extreme plans may fly in a city such as Hamburg.But in many other cities the political resistance even to less far-reaching measures is hard to overcome.Michael Bloomberg,New York's former mayor,tried twice to introduce a jam charge for much of Manhattan,but his plans were rejected by state lawmakers. | high18607.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Being unique."
},
"options": [
"Being expensive.",
"Being comfortable.",
"Being natural.",
"Being unique."
],
"question": "What is the similarity of the four hotels?",
"question_type": null
}
] | Below is a selection about interesting hotels.
Tayka Hotel de Sal
Where: Tahua, Bolivia
How much: About $95 a night Zxxk
Why it's cool: You've stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That's something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt - including the beds (though you'll sleep on regular mattresses and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake, which is the world's biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When there is big rain, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.
Green Magic Nature Resort
Where: Vythiri, India
How much: About $240 a night
Why it's cool: Taking a pulley -operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window - there is no glass! - you watch monkey and birds in the rain forest canopy . Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don't even have to come down for breakfast - the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn "elevator".
Dog Bark Park Inn B&B
Where: Cottonwood, Idaho
How much: $92 a night
Why it's cool: This doghouse isn't just for the family pet. _ is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft in Willy's head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.
Gamirasu Cave Hotel
Where: Ayvali, Turkey
How much: Between $130 and $475 a night
Why it's cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65*F in summer. (Don't worry - there is heat in winter.) | high5073.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "the old work model is rooted in many companies"
},
"options": [
"the life-work balance is difficult to achieve",
"most employers have prejudice against them",
"the old work model is rooted in many companies",
"many empl... | Ten years ago, Dalla-Camina worked 16 to 18 hours a day and"literally lived on a plane". A senior executive at IBM, Dalla-Camina gave up her job handling a $ 50 million budget as head of marketing to figure out a lifestyle that didn't make her feel like she was drowning. Forget the ideal of"having it all". Despite working for a company that gave her flexibility with her schedule, the single mother was barely surviving.
Dalla-Camina had a sense that she wasn't alone. Her new study now proves it. The Australian native polled 1,000 American working women aged 18 to 55 and the results are discouraging. Roughly 70% of women don't believe they have the support to make themselves happy inside and outside of work and 75% don't believe they can"have it all". In fact, over half of respondents described their life in the past year as"hanging on by a thread". What's more is that the results are hardly affected by age or whether a woman had children or not.
"The fact that we are having discussions about leaning in when women are saying they are barely surviving is astonishing,"Dalla-Camina says."There are so many women who think that if they keep their head down and continue working hard, someone will notice and opportunities will come to them."
Dalla-Camina's study points to a severe gap between what working professionals need from their employers and what employers are providing. A recent Boston College study discovered that workplace flexibility is decreasing and less than one-third of employers felt they gave options for employees to have alternative work models. Even if a company offers flexible work arrangements to employees, 70% of women think it's not possible to be successful in work and home.
Too many companies are stuck in a face-to-face employee model as opposed to an outcome-based model, says Dalla-Camina. Until alternative work plans like working part-time or working from home become rooted in the DNA of corporate America -- as opposed to being viewed as special treatment -- nothing will change, she adds.
Jody Miller, CEO of the consulting firm Business Talent Group(BTG), was hardly surprised by Dalla-Camina's findings. Miller sees firsthand the benefits of building a company that thinks about work differently. At BTG, half the employees work from home, so there is no shame or punishment for not getting in face time with the boss; indeed, employees are rewarded for the quality of their work, not the amount of time spent on tasks. And a majority of the employees are part-timers and work in a project-based model. Productivity has"gone through the roof"since BTG improved its unique work environment, according to Miller. But"telling workers to 'lean in' is just tinkering at the margins,"said Miller."We need fundamental structural changes in the workplace to make it manageable for all workers." | high19519.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Toxic substances in the environment."
},
"options": [
"Chemistry and microbiology.",
"Families affected by toxic chemicals.",
"Toxic substances in the environment.",
"Minority communities near industrial polluters."
... | Wilma Subra had no intention of becoming a public speaker. After graduating from college with degrees in chemistry and microbiology, she went to work at Gulf South Research Institute in Louisiana.
As part of her job, she conducted field research on toxic (poisonous) substances in the environment, often in minority communities located near large industrial polluters. She found many families were being exposed to high, sometimes deadly levels of chemicals and other toxic substances. But she was not allowed to make her information public.
Frustrated by these restrictions, Subra left her job in 1981, created her own company and has devoted the past two decades to helping people fight back against giant industrial polluters. She works with families and community groups to conduct environmental tests, interpret test results, and organize for change.
Because of her efforts, dozens of toxic sites across the country have been cleaned up. And one chemical industry spokesperson calls her "a _ top _ gun" for the environmental movement.
How has Subra achieved all this? Partly through her scientific training.Partly through her commitment to environmental justice. But just as important is her ability to communicate with people through public speaking. "Public speaking," she says, "is the primary vehicle I use for reaching people."
If you had asked Subra before 1981 "Do you see yourself as a major public speaker?", she would have laughed at the idea. Yet today she gives more than one hundred presentations a year. Along the way, she's lectured at Harvard, testified before Congress, and addressed audiences in 40 states, as well as in Mexico, Canada, and Japan. | high11145.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Whether the insects could fly in space."
},
"options": [
"Whether the insects could fly in space.",
"Whether the insects could fly in a straight line.",
"Whether the insects could land after flying for a while.",
"Wheth... | Many people watched the lift-off of the space shuttle Columbia on March 21, 1982. But none watched more closely than eighteen-year-old Ted, as Ted's insects were on board the shuttle.
The Shuttle Student Involvement Program invited students to make a science experiment. The experiment would be done by astronauts on the space shuttle.
Ted had always been interested in space and flight. Insect flight especially interested him. Ted noticed that insects need gravity to take off and land. They need gravity to fly in a straight line. But in space, there is no gravity. Could insects fly in zero gravity? That is what Ted wanted to find out.
Ted made an experiment called "Insect in Flight Motion Study". He entered his experiment and soon news came that _ .
A large team of scientists and engineers helped Ted get his experiment ready to fly. There were many questions to be answered first. What kind of insects would Ted use in his experiment? The insects would have to be strong enough to live on the shuttle for nine days without much food. What kind of container would hold the insects? Would the insects die during the shuttle flight?
After months of hard work, the "insectronauts" were chosen. A group of moths, flies, and honeybees were put into a special box and put onto the space shuttle. When Columbia flew into space, it was carrying insect passengers.
On March 24, astronauts Gordon Fullerton and Jack Lousma took out the box that held the insects. They began filming the insects with a special video camera.
When the space shuttle landed Ted was able to watch the video film of insects. Just as he thought, most of the insects did have trouble flying in zero gravity. The flies did well. But the moths' flight seemed "uncontrolled". They would often just hang in the air. The bees had the most trouble. They couldn't fly at all! The film showed bees spinning around in all directions. Others were just floating about in the box.
Ted learned the answer to his question about insects' flight in zero gravity. But he also learned a lot more. He learned about the hard work needed in making a successful experiment. | high3364.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Books with pictures and conversations."
},
"options": [
"Books that her sister was reading.",
"Books without pictures or conversations.",
"Books about white rabbits.",
"Books with pictures and conversations."
],
... | Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do; once or twice she had looked into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of the book," thought Alice, "without pictures and conversations?"
So she was considering in her own mind whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a white rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.
There was nothing so very remarkable in that; but when the rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit- hole under the bush.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Alice had not a moment to think about stopping herself before she found herself falling down a very deep well.
Down, down, down. Would the fall never come to an end? "I wonder how many miles I've fallen by this time?" she said aloud. "I must be getting somewhere near the centre of the earth. Let me see: that would be four thousand miles down, I think. I wonder if I shall fall right through the earth! How funny it'll seem to come out among the people that walk with their heads downward! The Antipathies, I think--but I shall have to ask them what the name of the country is, you know. 'Please, Ma'am, is this New Zealand or Australia?' And what an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking! No, it'll never do to ask."
Down, down, down. There was nothing else to do, when suddenly, thump! thump! Down she came upon a heap of sticks and dry leaves, and the fall was over. | high11623.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "was started by blacks in America"
},
"options": [
"is a kind of African music",
"started from Africa but is popular in America",
"was started by blacks working in Africa",
"was started by blacks in America"
],
"... | Music comes in many forms;most countries have a style of their own. Poland has its folks. Hungary has its czardas. Argentina is famous for the tango. The U.S.A.is known for jazz,the type of music that has gained worldwide popularity.
Jazz is an American contribution to popular music. While classical music follows formal European tradition,jazz is rather a free form. It is full of energy,expressing the moods,interests,and emotions of the people. It is breaking and exciting with a modern sound. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And so it does today.
The origins of the music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was invented by American Negroes,or blacks,as they are called today,who were brought to the southern states as slaves. They were sold to farm owners and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died his friends and s would gather and carry the body to have a ceremony before they buried him.
There was always a band with them. On the way to the ceremony the band played slowly,solemn music suitable for the situation. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everyone was happy. Death had removed one of their members,but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music. This music made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.
Music has always been important in Negro life. The black,who were brought to American from West Africa,had a rich musical tradition. In the fields,they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster. And when they got to Christianity,they made lovely spirituals,which have become an everlasting part of American music. | high17252.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Many teenagers wanted to act the role Pi"
},
"options": [
"Sharma wanted to become a mathematician",
"Sharma had acted in a couple of movies",
"Sharma was sure to win in the audition",
"Many teenagers wanted to act the ... | A 16-year-old boy finds himself on a boat in the Pacific Ocean after escaping a shipwreck . Even worse, he is left with a huge tiger for company. But he manages to survive after 227 days of fighting against all the hardships of the sea.
Pi, the lead character in Oscar-winning Ang Lee's new movie Life of Pi, went through an inspiring journey of growth and self-discovery. So did 19-year-old Suraj Sharma, the Indian actor who plays him.
But it was a lucky chance that opened up the opportunity for the new star. Sharma was a regular student who lived with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India. As the director traveled to Mumbai to find his Pi, the teenager went along with his younger brother, who had acted in a couple of movies, to audition . But little did Sharma know that he would end up winning the role from 3, 000 hopefuls.
Lee said he saw Pi in Sharma: "Not only does he have a compelling and wise look. He has this rare talent." The director said that in the final round, Sharma gave one of the "most compelling readings we had. In the end, he was in tears." Understandably, Sharma didn't want to _ . "He (Lee) had given me this opportunity. I had to give it my best," Sharma told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Sharma swam for four or five hours a day until he was completely comfortable with the water. He also worked on his body because he had to first gain weight and then quickly lose weight as the story developed. He even had rats run all over him to prepare for his role. Lee was impressed by the teenager, especially his endurance and patience in staying in a water tank for many hours each day. Sharma was only 16 when Lee signed him. After three years of shooting, Sharma said he had matured with Pi's journey. | high5715.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "doubted his seriousness"
},
"options": [
"laughed at his foolishness",
"wasn't sure of the answer",
"doubted his seriousness",
"wasn't interested at all"
],
"question": "On hearing the author's question, Dr.Papa... | "Dr.Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?"
The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go.Dr.Papaderos held up his hands and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
"I will answer your question."
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather wallet and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this: "When I was a small child during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been broken in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece.This one.and, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round.I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine--n deep holes and crevices and dark closets.It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror, and, as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in spare time and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man, I got to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I was not the light or the source of light.But light--truth, understanding, knowledge--is there, and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know.Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world--into the black places in the hearts of men--and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am talking about.This is the meaning of my life. | high21938.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "drivers can avoid being fined"
},
"options": [
"traffic can be smooth",
"drivers can avoid being fined",
"cars can be put in safe places",
"laws can be carried out"
],
"question": "Daniel Kalliontzis came up wit... | You may have experienced the frustration of being slapped with a parking fine or finding your car held firmly in the place after leaving it parked precariously for a couple of minutes. But now a high-tech car sticker that's designed to be stuck to a car's windscreen, could help motorists avoid such a situation by allowing a traffic warden to get in touch with them.
The TowStop sticker sends a text message to a driver when it is touched by a traffic warden, to allow motorists to send a reply and give them time to move their car immediately. It's designed to save drivers time and money by giving them a chance to move their car instead of having it towed away but relies on the good will of traffic wardens. Frankfurt-based IT consultant , Daniel Kalliontzis, came up with the idea and is raising funds on Indiegogo to put his EUR54 (PS43) sticker into production.
Car owners can buy the sticker and place it inside their car's windscreen, having set it up with important information, such as their phone number. The message will ask them to move their car immediately .The driver could then type a reply for the warden using their smartphone, which will appear on the sticker's screen. They may choose to write something along the lines of back in two minutes in a bid to avoid a fine.
The smart sticker system will rely on the good will of traffic wardens and critically, a German law. The law states: An officer has to choose the most efficient and inexpensive way for the car owner to remove the vehicle. It could be cheaper for the authorities to contact the driver than to tow his car. | high13034.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "Why Can't I Tickle Myself?"
},
"options": [
"How Does the Brain work?",
"Why Can't I Tickle Myself?",
"The importance of Prediction",
"The Importance of Our Brains"
],
"question": "What is the best title for thi... | It's puzzling, isn't it? No matter where you try to tickle yourself, even on the soles of your feet or under your arms, you just can't.
To understand why, you need to know more about how your brain works. One of its main tasks is to try to make good guesses about what's going to happen next. While you're busy getting on with your life, walking downstairs or eating your breakfast, parts of your brain are always trying to predict the future.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? At first, it took a lot of concentration to keep the handlebars steady and push the pedals . But after a while, cycling became easy. Now you're not aware of the movements you make to keep the bike going. From experience, your brain knows exactly what to expect so your body rides the bike automatically. Your brain is predicting all the movements you need to make.
You only have to think consciously about cycling if something changes---like if there's a strong wind or you get a flat tyre. When something unexpected happens like this, your brain is forced to change its predictions about what will happen next. If it does its job well, you'll adjust to the strong wind, leaning your body so you don't fall.
Why is it so important for our brains to predict what will happen next? It helps us make fewer mistakes and can even save our lives. For example, when a chief fireman sees a fire, he immediately makes decisions about how best to position his men. His past experiences help him foresee what might happen and choose the best plan for fighting the fire. His brain can instantly predict how different plans would work out, and he can _ any bad or dangerous plans without putting his men at risk in real life.
So how does all this answer your question about tickling? Because your brain is always predicting your own actions, and how your body will feel as a result, you cannot tickle yourself. Other people can tickle you because they can surprise you. You can't predict what their tickling actions will be. | high7102.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "In a park in the mountains."
},
"options": [
"In a modern noisy city.",
"In a special kind of zoo",
"In a park in the mountains.",
"In three different countries."
],
"question": "Where are these tours likely to ... | Are you interested in travelling in the dangerous mountains in America? Here are some tour plans for you to choose.
Tour 1 Garland Valley
Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains. Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park. Many wild animals live in this area, including many rare birds. This is a great walk for bird-lovers. The trip lasts four hours. Book in advance. Cost: $ 15 When: May 8, May 15
Tour 2 Flashlight Adventure
Put on your warm clothes, bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses, and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley. A guide will lead the tour. Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night. The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see. Numbers are strictly controlled on night trips, so be sure to book early. This walk lasts two and a half hours.
Cost: $ 12 When: May 8, May 15, May22
Tour 3 Black Bear Count
There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living. Some bears have been seen since the fires, and the Office has asked for young people to help count them. The entire trip will last three hours. Remember to book in advance.
Cost: Free When: May 8
Advice to be followed:
Please bring enough water and food for all walks.
Wear good walking shoes---no high heels.
Wear a hat for day walks.
Dress warmly for night walks.
Children must be with an adult.
Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks.
Follow all instructions from guides during the walks. The mountains are so dangerous that you have to care. | high8231.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "An Asian toad gets a new home in South Africa."
},
"options": [
"Asian toads can't get used to the life in South Africa.",
"South Africa ignores the protection of animals.",
"An Asian toad gets a new home in South Africa.",
... | JOHANNESBURG--They say cats have nine lives. Now a Chinese toad has joined that club of clever survivors.
South Africans are shocked at the endurance of a toad that got trapped in a cargo shipment from China to Cape Town, after jumping into a porcelain candlestick that was made there. South African officials reportedly planned to put down the creature, fearing it would cause harm as an invasive species if it were let go in the wild.
But the toad got a last-minute pardon. Mango Airlines, a South African airline, transported the toad on Friday to Johannesburg for delivery to an animal shelter, after officials decided to find a way to let the toad live. The two-hour flight was a breeze compared to the trip from China, a long way of many weeks and thousands of kilometers across the Indian Ocean.
Airline spokesman Hein Kaiser said the toad got "first-class treatment", sitting in a transparent plastic container with escort Brett Glasby, an animal welfare inspector. There was even a ceremony, in which the toad's boarding pass was handed to Glasby.
"He was the star of the show on the flight," Kaiser said of the amphibious passenger. "I think every passenger stopped to have a look."
On landing in Johannesburg, the toad was brought out of its container for a celebrity-style photo shoot. Observers said the brown toad seemed like a cool customer. It belongs to the Asian Toad species, which breeds during the monsoon season. It is believed to have survived the trip from China by hardening its skin to prevent it from drying out, and also by slowing its breathing and heart rate--methods that help the species survive in times of drought.
"We've had snakes in imported timber and scorpions in fruit. We were called because the toad was right inside the candlestick, and we had to break it to get it out" Glasby, the inspector, toldThe Star, a South African newspaper. | high14983.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "More people are beginning to earn a living by blogging"
},
"options": [
"Many lawyers take bloggings as a part-time job",
"More people are beginning to earn a living by blogging",
"Bloggers earn much more than computer progra... | In America today, there are almost as many people making their living as bloggers as there are lawyers. Already more Americans are making their primary income from posting their opinions than Americans working as computer programmers or fire fighters
The best studies we can find say we are a nation of over 20 million bloggers, with almost 2 million Americans getting paid by the word, the post, or the click - whether on their site or someone else's.
The Information Age has developed many new professions, but blogging could well be the one with the biggest effect on our culture.
What started as a discussion forum for politics and new technologies has now been used in health care, the arts, fashion and just about every other imaginable area of life. What started as a hobby for volunteers is becoming big business for newly appearing sites, for companies that now depend upon their reviews and for the people who work in this new industry.
All this fits with the trend toward Opinion TV. Less and less of our information flow is devoted to gathering facts, and more and more is going towards popularizing opinions. Twenty-four-hour news channels have been replaced by 24-hour opinion channels.
Some bloggers even serve as "spokesblogers"-paid by advertisers to blog about the products. They are highly paid and they have to report long hours-50 to 60 hours a week.
Bloggers make money if their consumers click the ads on their sites. Some sites even pay writers by the click, which is of course a system that encourages using shocking words or doing whatever it takes to get noticed.
For now, bloggers say they are very happy in their work, reporting high job satisfaction. But what happens if they lose work? Are they considered journalists under shield laws ? Is there someone to complain to about false blogs or hidden conflicts? There are more questions than answers about America's Newest Profession. | high22202.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "How to giving tips properly in the US."
},
"options": [
"How tipping culture started in the US.",
"How to giving tips properly in the US.",
"New ways to give tips in the US.",
"The different attitudes that Chinese peopl... | A trip across the Pacific will guarantee you a different experience with a tipping culture you've never come across in China.
In the US, giving a little extra money to service workers on top of your bill is a common practice.
Though US national law requires that businesses pay workers at least $7.25 (45 yuan) per hour, employees receiving tips--often waiters and waitresses--are the exceptions. They usually only receive at least $2.13 an hour, and tips make up the difference. As theWall Street Journalput it, "The American system of tipping holds the promise of great rewards for waiting staff."
So how should you tip if you are in the US.
Normally you pay tips as a percentage of the bill. Offering an extra 15 percent of the bill to the waiter or waitress in a restaurant and to the delivery man or woman is customary and expected. You can offer more for great service and less for poor service.
Yet there is an exception. For take-out food, you don't have to provide tips, though some people say that filling an order still requires work and time that deserve a little extra--but maybe a little less.
Tips are not expected at fast food restaurants, cafes or ice cream shops either, though a tip jar might be right by the cash register . Don't feel _ to throw some money in, but also remember that it doesn't hurt. Those workers do not rely on tips.
Other service workers also receive tips. For taxi drivers, 15 percent is the norm , more if they help with your bags. Hairdressers often receive about 15 percent of the bill. The same goes for spa therapists and tour guides.
Today, you can even pay tips on a credit card. When receiving a copy of the bill to sign, you are free to fill in how much you'd like to tip.
Though thinking about when to tip and how much you should tip causes a big headache for many Chinese people, it's important to bear in mind that as long as you show respect and use your reasoning, things will be just fine. | high14968.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Be prepared to deal with\"noes\"."
},
"options": [
"No one will like what you wrote at first.",
"You will get hurt by what you wrote at first.",
"Prepare for a\"yes\"rather than a\"no\".",
"Be prepared to deal with\"noe... | Writing a long book seemed to be too much for me. So, for a long time, I just wrote short articles. One day, inspiration for an article hit me and, as I started writing, paragraphs began flowing out fast. It turned out to be too long to be an article. I thought it would not hurt to try self-publishing a booklet . The first printing of this 32-page black and white booklet sold out within a week. Here is something that I have learned through my experience.
1.Start small.
Don't try to have a 400-page work as your first publication. I suggest you publish a booklet under 50 pages to _ your career as an author.
2.Ask for advice.
If you know some people who have published something, ask them for advice and help. You will gain useful information from them and save yourself many problems.
3. _
When you put your heart into something only to hear"We're not interested",you may get hurt. But you must remind yourself that this is quite common. Every"yes"you receive comes after at least five"noes",especially at the beginning. You need to revise your book many times to reduce the chances of being turned down.
4.The more you market, the more you sell.
You can publish an excellent book. But if no people know about it, you cannot expect many buyers. Send out an e-mail to friends, family and business partners, telling them your book's publication date. Ask them to help sell your book.
Do not be afraid to try novel ideas. | high1598.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "The writer's brother lived in Sacramento."
},
"options": [
"The story happened in Chicago.",
"The writer's brother lived in Sacramento.",
"Both the writer and the stranger lived in Chicago.",
"Both the writer and his br... | One day, I happened to talk to a stranger on the bus. When he found out that I was from Chicago, he told me that one of his good friends lived there and he wondered if I happened to know him. At first I wanted to say that it was foolish to think like that, for from all the millions of people in Chicago, I could not possibly know his friend. But, instead, I just smiled and said that Chicago was a very big city. He was quiet for a few minutes, and then he began to tell me all about his friend.
He told me that his friend was an excellent tennis player and that he even had his own tennis court . He added that he knew a lot of people with swimming pools, but that he only knew two people in the country who had their own tennis courts. And his friend in Chicago was one of them. I told him that I knew several people like that, for example, my brother and my next-door neighbor. I told him that my brother was a doctor and he lived in California. Then he asked where my brother lived in California. When I said Sacramento, he said that last year his friend spent the summer in Sacramento and lived next door to a doctor. The doctor had a tennis court. I said that my next-door went to Sacramento last summer and lived in the house next to my brother's. For a moment, we looked at each other, but we did not say anything.
"Would your friend's name happen to be Roland Kirkwood?" I asked finally. He laughed and said, "Would your brother's name happen to be Dr. Ray Hunter?" It was my turn to laugh. | high11810.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "Advice on how to choose the right pair of running shoes."
},
"options": [
"Advantages of wearing running shoes fitting you.",
"Ways to get to know about the shape of the arch of your foot.",
"Advice on how to choose the right... | "If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes." Advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. The provide stability while bearing up to three times the wearer's body weight. But it's not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel.
The science part begins with the shape of the arch of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a "C" shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That's a normal arch.
Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral ( for high arches), stability ( for normal or low arches) and motion control (for flat arches). So you'll know which type suits you.
At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on, But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it's not at the forefoot---where the foot actually be bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a tower, it means there's zero support. Finally, you squeeze he heel in both directions. A stable heel won't _ .
Now you need to check the mold that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether its wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is.
It's wise to make the shoe purchase in the late afternoon, to allow for any swelling that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choices. The rule is that you need a finger's width from your longest toe (whether that's your big one or not) to the end of the shoe. | high20415.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "Somewhat Crazy but Inspiring"
},
"options": [
"The Less, the Better",
"An Expected Satisfaction",
"Something We Can Live Without",
"Somewhat Crazy but Inspiring"
],
"question": "The best title for the passage sh... | It all began with a stop at a red light.
Kevin Salwen was driving his 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, back from a sleepover in 2006 . While waiting at a traffic light, they saw a black Mercedes Coupe on one side and a homeless man begging for food on the other.
"Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal."Hannah protested. The light changed and they drove on, but Hannah was too young to be reasonable. She pestered her parents about _ insisting that she wanted to do something.
"What do you want to do?" her mom responded. "Sell our house?"
Warning! _ . Hannah seized upon the idea of selling the luxurious family home and donating half the proceeds to charity, while using the other half to buy a more modest replacement home.
Eventually, that's what the family did. The project --crazy, impetuous and utterly inspiring -- is written down in detail in a book by father and daughter scheduled to be published next month: "The Power of Half." It's a book that, frankly, I'd be nervous about leaving around where my own teenage kids might find it. An impressionable child reads this, and the next thing you know your whole family is out on the street.
At a time of enormous needs in Haiti and elsewhere, when so many Americans are trying to help Haitians by sending everything from text messages to shoes, the Salwens offer an example of a family that came together to make a difference -- for themselves as much as the people they were trying to help. In a column a week ago, it described neurological evidence from brain scans that unselfishness lights up parts of the brain normally associated with more primary satisfaction. The Salwens' experience confirms the selfish pleasures of selflessness.
Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house. | high5926.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The fact that her friends have become grandparents."
},
"options": [
"The fact that she has the best days behind her.",
"The fact that she keeps searching for her future.",
"The fact that she doesn't know what her future is."... | At 57 you would think I know what my future looks like. But I don't. I'm still searching for it.
Our friends are becoming grandparents. My kids are still in college, so this makes me feel younger than I am. I felt the same way in my 40s when my friends' kids were entering high school and I was attending Christmas shows at the elementary school. "What do you mean you've never heard of Barney or the Rugrats?" I'd ask.
At the age of 57, I find myself trying to find meaning at a time when some might think my best days are behind me. Each morning I wake with the intention of finding the sunshine in the day ahead.
I am working temporary accounting jobs because that is the job I fell into many years ago, but I spend most of my time writing. When asked what I do for work, I find myself answering, I am a writer. I've published two novels, I blog, and I write pieces here on the Huffington Post, so yes, at 57 I can call myself a writer.
At this point in my life I realize Paul Bowles was correct when he said "security is a false God". What I am searching for at 57 are not possessions or money in the bank, for all those things can be lost in an instant. Job losses, illness, the loss of a loved one, all these things can and will rock that false sense of security.
At 57 I live with the choices and mistakes I have made, along with the curveballs that were thrown in my way. I accept the fact that there will always be more questions than answers. As at any age, the only true choice I have is how I deal with life's ups and downs but at 57 I have come to accept this.
Time is my most precious commodity and I intend to make the most of it. | high19294.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "get along well with each other"
},
"options": [
"develop a good humor",
"become proud and confident",
"make up some funny jokes",
"get along well with each other"
],
"question": "If you often play and laugh with... | Children love to play and laugh throughout their days at school or at home. Finding the time to laugh with your children may be the best thing you can do for the relationship. Encourage your children to develop a good humor by laughing at the jokes they make up on the spot. This will help them grow confident and build their self-esteem. If you do not get the joke, you can ask why they think the joke is funny.
Honest feedback will help your children develop funnier jokes. You can take them to your local library and have them pick up a few joke books. Then you can head back home or out to the park and read it together for a good laugh. You can take turns reading jokes to each other from the book or make up a few yourselves. But if they make a joke at the expense of another person, you may want to discuss the difference between making fun of yourself and making fun of others. In turn try not to make jokes at your children's expense, you need to set an example that they can follow.
Learning to laugh at oneself is a great quality to attain. You can set an example by laughing at your own mistakes. This is a great way to help reduce your own stress as well as your children's. Laughing may make the situation seem lighter and easier to work through. By doing this your children will be better prepared to handle any difficulties.
Most importantly laughing will bring you closer together as a family. You can have your family find different ways to laugh. You can play games. You can start a staring contest, arm wrestling contest, thumb wars contest and have a prize for the winners. You can all watch your best funny movies and act out the best parts together after enjoying them. You could hold a contest to see who can make the other members of the family laugh more by doing something funny. Kids will be able to enjoy the good time they had with their parents. The family that laughs together stays together! | high18834.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "alcohol can make them happier"
},
"options": [
"they think it is cool to drink alcohol",
"their parents set a bad example to them",
"alcohol can make them happier",
"peer pressure plays an important role"
],
"qu... | A study shows that nearly ninety percent of teens report that they have tried alcohol. That's an increase of 23 percent in just four years!
Each year, 1.1 billion cans of beer are drunk by students aged 15-19 years old. Beer is the most common alcoholic drink among teens--81 percent of the drinkers had tried it. Beer is followed by wine with 63 percent, hard liquor with 53 percent and wine coolers with 35 percent.
When the young people are asked why they drank, the most common answer is that drinking is "something to do". If a teen's parents drink alcohol, the teenager is more likely to start drinking at an early age. Also, tens see all of their friends drinking alcohol so they think it is the must-to-do thing. Peer pressure is probably the hardest thing teens have to deal with. What's more, teens often drink alcohol because it makes them feel older and cooler.
Researchers asked 56,000 students about their drinking habits and grades, to see how drinking might affect their grades in school. The results seem to be clear. Students who got a C level or lower tend to use three times as much alcohol as those who got B's or A's.
Alcohol use can be deadly. About 8,100 young people are killed per year in alcohol-related accidents. Eight young people die per day as a result of a drunk-driving accident. Between 50 and 65 percent of all teen suicides occur after the young people drink.
So you see, drinking the alcohol doesn't always end up with a good time. The next time you try to push someone to drink or someone tries to push you to drink, please remember this. One drink can set the habit for life. Why not throw it away? | high5098.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "should learn to be considerate"
},
"options": [
"should learn to be considerate",
"should be divided into two parties",
"shouldn't go out with clients alone",
"should learn to accept public criticism"
],
"questi... | Dealing with conflict in the workplace is rarely easy. Hurt feelings and anger can lead to lower employee morale as well as a loss of productivity and a poor work environment. As a manager. you should find some ways yourself to solve the conflict. The goal is to build a team-centered workforce.
You can use role-reversal methods to help each employee understand how the other feels. This model works best when there are only two parties involved. You can hold a meeting with annoyed workers in your office. You might say. "Jane, explain to me how you would feel if Nancy went to lunch with your clients ( ) without telling you?" Or. "Nancy, how would you respond if Jane came to me with complaints about you, but hadn't tried to talk to you about them first? "
Workers often respond better to praise than criticism. By publicly drawing attention to employees who have healthy work relationships. you can increase the awareness for those who encourage any conflict. Avoid mentioning teams or departments that are being troubled by conflict. Instead. focus on the teams that work well together You might say. " _ ," or -Special thanks to the finance department for their teamwork in making sure that the quarterly reports were accurate"
And help your employees see that differences can be good and don't necessarily lead to anger or disagreement This is one of the best ways to settle workplace conflicts. You can meet with employees and try to stress the value of different techniques. This lets all parties know that their own styles can be effective. You might say. " I know you disagree on how to market our services. but when you combine Jim's email marketing with Joe's personal one-on-one phone calls, you can increase sales. The two of you go well together. " Or. "I know you have different styles for interacting with clients. but Sally's take-them-out-for-coffee approach works well together with Ann's formal business meeting style Both are necessary for building relationships and getting work done. " | high6591.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "3"
},
"options": [
"2",
"4",
"3",
"5"
],
"question": "How many reasons for going to college does the author mention in the text?",
"question_type": null
},
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
... | Hey there,
So you're about to spend four years of your life and tens of dollars of your parents' money, and all
you really know about college is that all of your friends are going. Do you ever stop to wonder why
you're going?
*Relax. You're making the right decision. First of all, you'll discover what interests you by taking
courses in many subjects. For example, it's hard to decide if you want to be a painter if you've never
painted any pictures; once you're in a drawing-room on campus, you'll know one way or the other.
College is also a lot of fun--after you graduate, you'll be working every weekday for 50 or so years.
And remember that college graduate earn about twice the income of those who never attended college.
*Finding the right college can be difficult. Fortunately, Johnson Review is here to help you every
step of the way.
*Researching Schools. To us, the most important decision you'll make is to choose the school that
really fits you best -- not the one that is the most competitive or has the best-equipped rooms.
*Applying to School. On JohnsonReview.com., you'll find hundreds of actual college applications
and links to many more.
*Raising Your Scores. American College Test is one of the most important parts of the admission
course. It's not the most important, though, and everyone needs to prepare for the best. But, if you can do better, find the right course for better scores.
*Paying for School. Most families need financial aid for the high cost of college. The problem is
that financial aid seems difficult to get and many families get caught up in the price of college rather than learning the ways to get financial aid. If you really do your research, you'll learn that you can afford to attend any college, no matter the cost.
For more information, call 600-3681 or visit JohnsonReview.com.Wherever you go, have a nice trip!
Johnson Smith
Founder and CEO
Johnson Review | high22564.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 2,
"answer_text": "mental health"
},
"options": [
"normal organs",
"lungs and heart",
"mental health",
"blood pressure"
],
"question": "The results of new research on mice first suggest that polluted air mainly does harm to _ ."... | Long-time exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain and cause trouble in learning and memory, and even anxiety. This is suggested by the results of new research on mice.
While other studies have shown the harmful effects of polluted air in the lungs and heart, this is the first to show the negative effect on the brain.
The team of Laura Fonken, Randy Nelson , from the Ohio State University, the USA, has spread to the brain a previous line of research which found that fine particulate matter floating in the air mainly because of air pollution caused by humans, causes swelling in much of the body, and may be related to high blood pressure problems, and some other diseases.
In the research Fonken and his colleagues exposed mice to polluted air for six hours each day, five days a week, over a period of 10 months, almost half the average life length of mice.
Polluted air contains fine particles created by cars, factories and natural dust. Fine particles of this kind are tiny, about 2.5 micrometers in diameter , or about one-thirtieth the width of a human hair. These particles can go deep into lungs and other organs.
The concentration of this particulate material to which they exposed mice is equal to the concentration at which people can be exposed in some polluted urban areas.
After a period of 10 months, the researchers got the animals to have a series of behavioral tests. Both the behavior of mice and the results of neurological tests done to them show that those within the polluted air had more problems in learning and memory, and higher levels of anxiety.
The results suggest that long-time exposure to polluted air can have measurable negative effects on the human brain and can cause a variety of mental health problems. This could have important consequences for those living and working in polluted urban areas. | high13961.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "It is not completely a bad thing."
},
"options": [
"It is disastrous to society.",
"It is not completely a bad thing.",
"It is a punishment to those working in Silicon Valley.",
"People with autism should never marry."
... | It's the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. It's also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?
But something is happening to their children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.
They call it the "curse of Silicon Valley," but the medical name for the condition is autism . It used to be thought that autism was a kind of mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a neurological disease transmitted genetically. It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.
But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger's Syndrome is a mild version of autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or system but have no social skill. This very combination of symptoms makes Asperger's sufferers into ideal computer professionals.
The Asperger's sufferer has always been a well--known figure in popular culture. He or she was the eccentric but dedicated scholar or the strange uncle or auntie who never married. But the high numbers of such people in Silicon Valley mean that they can meet others who understand them and share their interests. And while they might not be personally attractive, they can earn truly attractive amounts of money. They can get married and have kids. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger's parents seem to be developing serious autism.
There is little anyone can do. It takes hours of work just to make autistic child realize that anyone else exists. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found. "It may be that autistics are essentially different from normal people, but that these differences make them invaluable for the evolution of the human race," says Dr. Kirk Whilhelmsen of the University of California. "To eliminate the genes for autism could be disastrous. "
It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius. | high6585.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "to get people to spend more time doing more productive things"
},
"options": [
"to get people to spend more time doing more productive things",
"to keep kids from participating in healthy physical activities",
"to advise peop... | Bored? Don't know what to do with your time? Get your friends or family together, go to the park or go hiking, do something fun --just don't turn on your TV.
The 10th annual TV-Turnoff Week starts on Monday. The TV-Turnoff Network, a nonprofit organization, began the program in 1994 to get children and adults to watch less television so that their time is spent doing more productive things. This year, millions of people will participate and find much more interesting things to do besides sitting in front of the television.
Experts are convinced that watching too much TV keeps kids from participating in healthy physical activities. The average household has a television on for 7 hours and 40 minutes a day! Kids spend more time watching TV than they spend in school. Turning off the TV gives you a chance to be with your family and friends. Going without it frees up valuable time that could be spent reading a good book, writing, drawing, or discovering something else that may interest you.
There are many organizations that support TV-Turnoff Week, including The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, YMCA, Girl Scouts USA, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America.Even First Lady Laura Bush is a supporter. "Television is no substitute for a parent. It doesn't help develop language skills; it's simply background noise," says Mrs. Bush.
Even kids who may not have liked going without TV have discovered the benefits. "I really didn't like TV-Turnoff Week except I did notice that my grades went up and I was in a good mood all week," said Drew Henderson, a student in Donora, Pennsylvania. | high7843.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "The 5thMedia"
},
"options": [
"A New Type of Mobile Phone",
"More Information for You",
"Thumb Culture",
"The 5thMedia"
],
"question": "What's the best title of the passage?",
"question_type": null
},
{
... | Traditional media platforms such as radio, television, newspaper and the Internet still cannot satisfy people living in fast - paced modern society.
The highly technical development of mobile phones also nurtures the "thumb culture" and a new alternative media.
With the aim of "putting the world in your pocket," Shanghai Dragon New Media Co Ltd has recently launched a special cell phone channel - the 5th Media, the first of its kind inprefix = st1 /China.
The channel provides all-day broadcasting of the latest metro, economic, entertainment, sports, fashion, food and travel news. Both China Unicom and China Mobile can use wireless devices to connect to the 5th Media net.
"All the programs on this channel will be specially planned and edited for cell phone users," says Wu Chunlei, general manager of Shanghai Dragon New Media Co Ltd.
Based on the programs of Shanghai Media Group, the video clips presented by the cell phone channel are more condensed , immediate and straightforward.
"'Infotainment' (information plus entertainment) is a core concept for us," Wu says. "It is inevitable that the public's attraction to this new form of media will be greatly increased."
Last Wednesday, the cell phone channel presented a live broadcast of "My Hero" concert, which included performances by the winners of the star-making television show. It was the first time locals could watch a live concert on their mobile phones.
"The cell phone channel is a good supplement to traditional media," says Fan Yong, an IT worker. "But we are concerned about its price and the quality of the programs." | high24101.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "An unlikely best friend"
},
"options": [
"A story about Paris",
"An unlikely best friend",
"Life in a new school",
"A secret of how to make friends"
],
"question": "Which of the following is most probably the be... | Once again, I was in a new school. There was a girl in my class named Paris. That's where the similarities ended.
I was tall and she was small. I was one of the oldest in the class while she was the youngest. I was awkward and shy. She wasn't. I couldn't stand her, considering her my enemy. But she wanted to be friends with me.
One day, she invited me over and I said yes---I was too shocked to say no. Actually no one had invited me over to play before. But the girl, who wore the latest fashions, wanted to see me.
She lived on the fourth floor in a two-room place with her mother, her stepfather, her two brothers and her sister. When we got to the room she shared with her sister, she took out a big case of Barbies which was my next surprise. I would have thought she'd outgrown them. I had never played with them. But we sat on the floor of a walk-in cupboard laughing as we made up crazy stories about the Barbies. That's when we found out that we both wanted to be writers when we were older. We both had wild imaginations.
We had a great day that afternoon. Our jaws ached from smiling so much. She showed me her outfits , which had mostly come from a designer clothing store down the block. T he woman who owned it used her as a model sometimes for her newspaper ads and gave her clothes in exchange.
Paris had the whole neighborhood attracted. The bookstore owners lent her fashion magazines, the movie theater gave her free passes and the pizza place let her have free pieces. Soon I included in her magic world. We slept over at each other's house, spent ever free moment together. My dark hair grew out and I learned to love being tall.
Paris, my first real friend since childhood, helped me get through th tough teenage years and taught me and amazing thing about making friends: your "worst enemy" can turn out to be your best friend. | high22570.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 0,
"answer_text": "Never before have airline passengers been blacklisted."
},
"options": [
"Never before have airline passengers been blacklisted.",
"At no time should flights be delayed, whatever the reasons.",
"Members of the cabin crew shoul... | Uncivilized behavior by passengers unacceptable
For the first time, airline passengers have been blacklisted for uncivilized behavior. Their names will remain on the blacklist for one or two years, according to an announcement by the China Air Transport Association on Saturday. The blacklisting means they will not be able to travel by air until their names are removed from the list.
Blacklisting passengers who disobey the rules for traveling by air and so place their own interests before everything else, including safety, has long been overdue (,).
There have been frequent reports of passengers making a scene when their flight was delayed or when they believed that they were not treated as they should be on a flight.
Yet it is natural for some flights to be delayed because of reasons such as bad weather or mechanical problems that need to be solved. However, some passengers seem to take it for granted that their flight must take off at the time stated on their ticket, and they even assume that the members of the cabin crew are simply there to do their bidding .
They forget that they should behave themselves in the first place and that respect is reciprocal .There is no reason for them to be respected when they do not show enough respect for others.
_ rules can never be over-emphasized when it comes to flight safety. No one has the right to disregard the rules for any reason. Of course, airlines should provide quality services to meet the needs of passengers. Yet, even if passengers are not satisfied with the service provided, there is still no reason for them to flout the rules that are designed for the safety of all.
The blacklisting of these three passengers should serve for others to know they have to toe the line . | high13975.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 3,
"answer_text": "bring it back in its original form"
},
"options": [
"post it to where you bought",
"open its package to examine it",
"send it to families in need for yourself",
"bring it back in its original form"
],
"question"... | Salvation Army Angel Program
Angel Tree collects gifts for children and families in need. Participate by selecting an angel from any Angel Tree at all Cyprus Credit Union location or any Utah Macy's Department store. Shop for your angel, then return your new, unwrapped gift to the same Angel Tree. Gifts must be returned before December 14. For more information, call (801) 988-5678 in the Salt Lake area,(801) 374-2588 in the Provo area.
Utah Association for People with Intellectual Disabilities Holiday Gift Box Program
The program serves primarily low-income adults with intellectual disabilities who don't qualify for other programs because of age limits, said Joyce Whalen, the association's board president. To donate, visit the association at 1326 S.2100 East from 9am to about 5:30 pm to choose an ornament that provides information about an individual who will benefit from the program. Shop for new items and return them by December 14. Donations of generic items, such as towels, socks and hygiene products also accepted, as are monetary donations. For more information, call 801-440-1674.
Utah Foster Care Foundation's Giving Tree Program
The program seeks new gifts and cash donations to fulfill the holiday wishes of more than 1,000 children in state-licensed foster homes." Many of the children in care have been removed from their _ because of neglect or abuse," said Nikki Mackay, the foundation's director. " Christmas can be a difficult time for them." To learn how to support the program, call 877-505-5437.
Utah State Hospital Forgotten Patient Program
The program provides Christmas gifts for hundreds of patients with mental illness. In the history of the program--which may go back as far as 60 years, organizer Shawna Peterson said, "we've never had a forgotten patient." And she doesn't want this year to change that. To support the program, contact Peterson at 801-344-6088. | high4392.txt |
[
{
"answer": {
"answer_index": 1,
"answer_text": "They can reach an accident area faster."
},
"options": [
"They can be safer.",
"They can reach an accident area faster.",
"They can get more advice from people.",
"They can share their information with others."
],
... | Controlling traffic is a complex and high cost problem in many developed countries. It becomes more difficult and costly with the ever- increasing number of cars on the roads. But scientists and students at the CATT, at the University of Maryland are working to solve this problem. They are using simulation technologies to help government and private business control and react to changing traffic conditions.
The online economics magazineForbes.comsays traffic congestion cost Americans $ 124 billion in 2014 and that number could rise to $ 186 billion by 2030.
Bui scientists at the CATT lab are trying to reduce those costs. They are developing a system that helps traffic managers. planners, emergency workers and businesses plan and react better. Michael Pack is CATT director. He says the system is important to help emergency workers, or first responders,reach an accident area faster.
The CATT Lab collects information from many sources, including roadside devices, GPS (global positioning system) equipment and wireless phones.
About 60 students and 30 software developers observe traffic flow and manage the computer servers at all times. They also work to develop software and applications that can help traffic run smoother and safer, Some of them turn the information gathered into so-called "visualizations". These visual representations help emergency workers better understand what is happening.
The center shares its findings with firefighters, police,Transportation departments and the military. They also share information with universities and transportation company. The technology company Google uses the data for its traffic-related websites. Michael Pack says, the information is then shared with anyone who wants to help traffic run more smoothly.
Mr. Pack says the goal is to help develop an intelligent system of road signals that will communicate with each other and with vehicles on the road. | high11804.txt |
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